All:
I agree with Ron. Remember this is a HOBBY and NOT a JOB. Mold it to
what YOU want to do. Do not be swayed by others.
Gerald (Jerry) Muller KF5EYC
[email protected]
In a message dated 12/17/2014 10:22:10 A.M. Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
Contesting is a great sport. But there are many who don’t want to make it
a major pursuit in their hobby. As Michael correctly points out, you don’
t have to go into a contest to win. You may only want to dip your toes into
the water, make a few contacts or work new states and countries. That is
great.
Don’t be intimidated by all the on air stations and accompanying noise.
What you may not know is that all those big time contest stations you hear,
they want your contact in their log.
There is a hard core group of contesters around the world. They make
every major contest. They work every other hardcore guy on the planet in
every
contest. Very often the difference between winning and losing for them is
the contact they log with you; the new guy or the casual contester. You
make the incremental difference. So don’t be afraid to make contact. Grab
a clear frequency, even for a few moments and call “CQ Contest" or just
tune around an pounce.
If you like building things, antennas, or equipment, using them in a
contest is the fastest way to find out if they work.
Working in a contest is great training for emergencies. You may be an
EMCOMM guy that works primarily VHF. You may be thoroughly schooled in ICS,
message forms and all that. You still have to get through in a timely
manner. The contest environment is the closest thing you experience to
working
in a real disaster environment.
IF you want to work a contest one weekend do yourself a favor and look up
the rules. Familiarize yourself with the information you are expected to
provide and what you will get back from the other operator; the exchange. It’
s a simple courtesy to your QSO partner and it will increase your
enjoyment of the event.
73,
Ron, K5HM
[email protected]
www.qrz.com/db/k5hm
From: BVARC [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Wrenn
via BVARC
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 7:29 AM
To: BRAZOS CLUB
Subject: [BVARC] eQSL + Contesting = Instant Gratification
I just wanted to throw this out there for those who may neither use eQSL
or have not tried contesting.
This week, being the week that followed the ARRL 10 meter contest, I have
received nearly one eQSL per day since the contest ended.
It's like an early Christmas as the cards start coming in. eQSL makes the
QSL'ing process easy and convenient. It is true that eQSL does not count
toward ARRL awards though. Hopefully, this will change in the future as
more and more new amateurs come into the hobby with no fear of the internet
age, and are used to handling most of their life in "The Cloud".
But my point, for those who love instant gratification, you can't go wrong
being an eQSL member and spending a couple of hours putting new contacts
into the log during a casual contest. Don't think of an amateur radio
contest as something you can only enter if you plan to compete to win. Think
of
it more like an opportunity to do some non-stop operating while stations
around the world are freely throwing out contacts. And they REALLY REALLY
want you in their log, because they ARE playing to win. But you win just by
grabbing some countries that you may not have yet. And shortly after the
contest ends, some new goodies arrive in your email box. Nice.
If you find that you have a feeling of intimidation listening to all that
contest jargon being thrown around, just throw some questions out here on
the reflector. Those of us with the answers are happy to help you out. The
purpose of the reflector is to disseminate useful information and spread
the knowledge of love for our hobby. Truly, it's not just for ... Whoa, I
almost said woodchuck.. That was close.
Seven Three,
Michael - K5WRN
http://www.qrz.com/db/K5WRN
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