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Contesting Online Survey

Survey Question Current Survey Question

Do you plan to enter the CQ WW DX Contest?

Recent Surveys

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Thanks for voting! Your vote has been included in the results below.

How many hours do you spend preparing for a contest?
  Posted: Nov 08, 2000   (322 votes, 15 comments) by K7UQT

Survey Results
Less than 1 13% (41)
1 - 2 19% (61)
3 - 5 17% (56)
5 - 10 12% (38)
More than 10 39% (126)

Survey Comments
Eager anticipation
I have to say that for the major contests, i am preparing for a few months in advance, i cant help it, i love these silly things....too bad our wives dont.

Posted by N7YA on June 10, 2001

Less than 1 hour
Chosen answer was less than 1 hour. I'm not a serious
contester, but I do get in the CW contests, and I do send in
check logs. Once in a while, the contest will capture me if
I really get on a roll. My first serious contest was the ARRL
International DX Cw last Feb. Did DXCC in the contest strictly
by accident and had high score Kansas in the low power category.
I'll be in the CQWW, but no automatic stuff. Logging software - Yes,
but no fancy Auto Keyers/special CW programs with macros. That
takes all the challenge out of it. If you can't send it yourself, you ain't
a CW operator!

Posted by W0EB on November 14, 2000

Every hour counts...
Since the majority (>95%) of my operating time is spent in contests, IMO, nearly every hour of shack/antenna work counts as preparing for a contest - this could be ~100 hours or more, depending on the year's projects. If that's not quite what was meant, I'd say I spend ~4 hours getting ready for individual contests. This includes downloading and installing the latest revision logging software (yeah, if I'm willing to take the risk!), updating the multiplier files, and testing and preloading the software (a little, anyway). Then hardware-wise, checking all cables, checking antennas (my crummy 80meter inv-vee gets its ends "adjusted" between modes), amps, etc. Since phone (yeah, I operate a few) and CW contests tend to flip-flop, I always seem to need to move the keyer and paddle around. During the week prior, I make sure the fridge is stocked with some "meals-ready-to-eat", drinks, etc. I also try to make sure household chores (if any) are taken care of. Then, in the final minutes, I always seem to need to clear the shack desk from all the recent projects.

Posted by N2MG on November 13, 2000

Contest prep
Specific contest prep could involve just copying the logcfg.dat file to the new directory, if only my antennas would stay operational between contests. Fat chance!

Posted by N4ZR on November 12, 2000

NO MORE 1 HOUR
THE CONTEST ARE A PART OF MY LIFE BUT IS IS AN ENTRETENIMENT NOT A JOB.
CX9AU

Posted by Anonymous on November 12, 2000

hours
for CQWW SSB, the first contest of the season, a few hundred hours.
For CQWW CW, maybe 50.
After that, very little - gets too cold to do much antenna work after that!

Ted KR1G

Posted by Anonymous on November 12, 2000

Contest Preparation
If I plan a serious effort from home, it involves an order of magnitude more than ten hours, at least.
If I plan to be the guest op somewhere else, which I did for years, the prep work is resting or whatever the
host station needs me to do.

See you in CQWW CW!

Posted by NZ3O on November 12, 2000

Hours
Gee whiz. When you've got as many antennas and rotors as I do, I wish I could JUST spend ten hours.

Posted by Anonymous on November 12, 2000

Lack of Preperation Time!
de FS/AH8DX op. Craig

Since I travel outside of the states for the big one (CQWW), I consantly am preparing for the test as soon as I get back from the last test.

I am constantly working on travel antennas with gain, making small beverage/receive boxes, switching boxes, etc. throughout the year to get ready for the big one again.

One thing I have noticed though that so many guys that travel to a dx spot for the big one that they do not get to their destination site soon enough. Matter of fact, the equipment and antennas sometime do not arrive until the day before. The guys then are climbing towers the same day as the test. Minutes before the test starts, they are wiped out from all of the work.

We wait all year long for the big one and then do not allow ourselves enough time to fully enjoy it; meaning getting to the dx spot only a couple of days before the test.

I am in firm agreement that getting there the weekend before is about the right amount of time depending on the number of antennas to put up.

Even then I still am never prepared. There is always something I have overlooked.

CU next year for the CQWWSSB, FS/AH8DX, Craig

Posted by AH8DX on November 11, 2000

Hours ??
I would probably say "how many days" as joining a contest means a competition.
What you do if you participate to a marathon? You will work out a lot before the effort.
Same as contesting...

Posted by IC8WIC on November 11, 2000

Sometimes I spend a day or two before the contest modifying/upgrading/fixing my homebrew logging software. In those cases I spend much more than the 1-2 hours indicated.

Posted by NO5W on November 10, 2000

Hours?
I consider contest preparation getting the logging software ready and loading the icebox for action. Antennas, radio work, etc is just normal stuff.

Posted by N2UM on November 10, 2000

Depends...
If it's the start of contest season...could be a lot. Once we are into the contest season, not many at all (it's mostly done). On average, you want to make sure the antenna work, the rotors work, the rigs work, the computer work, the accessories work, the files are update (CTY, NOT .dat) and so on. Since I only contest, my desk tends to get covered with junk and papers while in "off-seaon." I have to shovel that stuff off the desktop. :-)

de Doug KR2Q

Posted by kr2q on November 9, 2000

Hours? (M4R, Granta CG)
We spend more like hundreds of hours preparing for contests.
That includes building antennas, emailing the group members,
guest ops and visitors. Then there's getting all the software up
to date, new country files, interpreting ambiguous rules :-)
More than 10 hours? Way more!

Posted by G4AXX on November 9, 2000

Hours ?
Chosen option was "more than 10", but for me it's much, much more time when planning for a competitive effort.

Posted by i4jmy on November 9, 2000

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