Contesting Online Survey

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What type of radio do you use for contesting?
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How many contest do you enter each year?
Posted: Nov 30, 2007 (304 votes, 12 comments) by VE5ZX

less than 5
5 - 10
11 - 15
16 - 20
more than 20
Don't contest
Don't care
(304 votes, 12 comments)

Survey Results

less than 5 25% (75)

5 - 10 42% (129)

11 - 15 15% (46)

16 - 20 5% (16)

more than 20 10% (30)

Don't contest 2% (7)

Don't care 0% (1)

Survey Comments

Most important for me

+ World Wide South America - This is the CW Contest for South America Vs. The rest of the world.

+ ARRL DX Contest CW - I started with this en february / march 1965

+ CQ WW DX CW - Very good

+ Worked All Europe CW - Great contest

+ ALL ASIAN CW - Very good

I enjoy the time spended during all contest.

I spend some time in as many CW contest as I can because Mayors or minors contest are great for me.
Posted by LU1DZ on December 27, 2007

DX contests <most> are call copying exercises- if you can get the call right you made a Q...
Usually the exchange is a 'given' and your logging software will pop up the correct numbers...
So, for DX contests <most> if I can hear you, then your signal report is 599...

Now, some contests actually require you to copy something besides the call - ARRL Sweepstakes, for one.. Notice that in SS a signal report is not included...

The claim that sending all 599 should get you disqualified, is emotion, not fact... If the contest sponsor wanted a real RST then he would specify it... Absolutely none do so... The issue there is that my report of 599 from a full size antenna at 150 feet does not equate to the next guys report of 349 from a wire thrown out across the bushes outside his bedroom... Apples versus oranges - and will only cause arguments and discord...

The one issue that all <except for those doing it> agree on, is that failing to sign your call after each Q SHOULD be grounds for disqualification...
An informal network of stations that would monitor the contest and record the real offenders and then send those recordings to the sponsor and demand the contest sponsor disqualify those logs, would have a positive impact, real fast...
Notice that the high scoring multi-multi stations DO send their call everytime - HC8N for example and many others

denny / k8do
Posted by K8DO on November 27, 2007

Its the taking part that counts

I have not been on HF long but have enjoyed contesting on the weekends.
I have moved up from UHF/VHF contests which is difficult from Cyprus as not many stations to call.
Either you like it or you don't.
Time spent contesting is never wasted as you have given another station that valuable contact.
Keeping to the rules gives a level playing field
Posted by 5b4aie on November 24, 2007

Contest is a important part of Ham Radio

As a title says...
Many said so, but being mostly involved in QRP activity and building home made rigs ( quite rare today) I would add how beneficial is participating in contests for builders of his own rig. This could come in parallel with the score attempt but not necessary. For example the contest will really censor your RX front-end, selectivity, stations noise level etc. Eventually you are giving many valuable points to real contesters. Of course receiving signal reports are not relevant (see WQ6X comment), but it's worth to discover whether your little gem runs or not.
I have enjoyed contesting since beginning of my Ham Radio life in 1968 and still have a lot of fewer and fun.
72'ss

Wim
Posted by SP5DDJ on November 20, 2007

What is "real?"

>I recommend that EVERYONE hand out REAL signal reports

I'm not opposed to your idea of "real" signal reports but how do you define real?
- Is it how loud you sound?
- Is it what shows on my S meter?
- Which report from which antenna would you like? The 6 el @ 200'? The 3 el pointed west? The 5/5 on EU? The 5 el pointed SE? The Beverage? The transmit vertical?

I don't switch antennas for every QSO to see what gives the highest reading on my S meter. I just need to hear you. A lot of the time I'm not even looking at the radio.

Posted by K9NW on November 18, 2007

You're 59 - Please Repeat everything

Well said VE3RCN.
What is the point of having a signal report in a contest when virtually everyone (except me) always hands out 5-9 or 5-9-9. I ACTUALLY give REAL signal reports. So, if people blindly put 5-9 in their log when working me, then they are CHEATing and should be DISQUALIFIED. I recommend that EVERYONE hand out REAL signal reports. That will piss off the cheaters encouraging them to join us in campaigning for replacing signal report with QSO # as is done in CQP and November SS.

Bending the rules is cheating.
So is working 5 - 10 stations before ID'ing. A QSO in EVERY contest requires the transmission of your FULL callsign, not the last letters of the call.

I encourage you to REPORT to the individual contest committees stations that you hear repeatedly violating the callsign ID requirement.

Playing by the rules makes things MORE fun and more competitive.

What are YOUR thoughts?

Curiously,
Ron-WQ6X

WQ6X@HumanInsightsGroup.Org

Posted by WQ6X on November 15, 2007

wasted?

Time spent contesting is time wasted.

Posted by GW4ALG on November 4, 2007

then time spent on a contest website is time wasted too... you must not have anything productive to do.

Posted by kl7fh on November 14, 2007

Never enough Contests

I have logs for 566 contests since 1980. I think I am missing logs from about another 20 or so contests that operated during the late 70's and early 80's.
Posted by AA3B on November 10, 2007

Contests

You're 59...but what was your call sign and report again?
Posted by VE3RCN on November 7, 2007

contests

Everything else is tune up for the next contest.
Posted by W5GA on November 7, 2007

Contests

Time spent contesting is time wasted.
Posted by GW4ALG on November 4, 2007

Too many contests?

485 contests entered (log sent) since 1st Jan 2003. Didn't win much, but it was fun :-)
Posted by G0MTN on November 1, 2007

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