by Peter Parker VK3YE - first appeared in Amateur Radio, August 1999
A major amateur radio interest is
contesting. Whether your favourite activity is HF or VHF, Morse, phone or
digital modes, there's sure to be a contest for you.
So what is a contest? A contest is an
organised event where participants make as many contacts as possible within a
given time. Apart from being an exciting and absorbing activity in its own
right, contesting allows you to test the efficiency of your station together
with your operating skills.
Contesters keep a record of the contacts
they make and send it to the contest manager afterwards. The contest manager
checks the logs and submits the results to be published in Amateur Radio
and on the WIA Federal webpage. Several
months later the top scoring stations get a handsome certificate in the mail
for their efforts.
People enter contests for various reasons.
Some hams are driven by a competitive urge to be number one. They get a great
buzz out of pitting their station and operating skills against others around
the world. Those who wish to talk to as many countries as possible and collect
QSL cards for one of the many operating awards on offer find that international
contests bring out rare stations not active at other times. Others use contests
to test the effectiveness of a new piece of equipment or antenna because of the
large number of stations on air.
There are contests for all types of
operators. Some are single band and single mode, while others are multi band
and multi mode. The length of contests varies, from under an hour to as much as
four weeks. Most major contests, however, run for 24 hours. The pace of
operating ranges from relaxed to hectic. Further information on major
Australian contests is given later.
A comprehensive list of coming contests is
given each month in Amateur Radio. Rules for the more significant of
these is also given there and on the Australian Contesting Webpage at URL http://www.uq.edu.au/radiosport/.
If you haven't been in a contest before,
start with one of the short scrambles or sprints on 80 metres. If you only have
VHF/UHF privileges, try one of the more popular VHF/UHF contests such as the
Remembrance Day or John Moyle. Local contests are preferred because the pace of
operating isn't as fast as international contests and it's easier to make
yourself heard, especially with low power and limited antennas.
The main Australian contests are as
follows:-
Other groups also run contests. For example,
the CW Operators' QRP Club has hour-long CW scrambles on various bands. Some
WIA Divisions also have their own contests. Other novelty contests occur from
time to time. An example was this year's successful Radio on Rails Fun Day,
sponsored by the Moorabbin and District Radio Club, which encouraged activity
from trams and trains around Melbourne. All these are excellent contests for
beginners, as the pace of operating is fairly slow and/or the contest period is
short.
Most international contests are open to
Australian amateurs. Those which give extra points for prefixes worked are
particularly good for us as VK is not a common prefix in many parts of the
world. However, participation in these events is suggested only after you have
gained experience in one or more of the local contests.
There are several aspects to consider when
setting up a contest station. These include:
Interference to your station is just as important
- ensure others are not using appliances that cause interference while you are
operating. If you plan to use a computer log, do a test to ensure that the
computer does not spoil reception. If there is any degradation of receive
performance, use a paper log instead.
Before the contest read the rules and
consider which section and category to enter. Depending on the contest, there
may be a choice of phone, CW or open modes, VHF, HF or all band and various
operating periods. Not all contests have as many sections as this - some have
the CW and phone sections as separate contests on different weekends. Factors
such as station location, equipment and bands available, likely propagation,
and time available will influence the section chosen.
Have a realistic expectation of what you can
achieve in a contest, taking into account factors mentioned above. As an
example, a Novice operator in the country wanting a big score is likely to be
disappointed if they used VHF only. On the other hand, someone who decided that
their main aim of entering the contest was not to make a large number of
contacts, but to confirm that they could be heard by city stations on a new
antenna they have built could come away from the contest with their
expectations satisfied. The country operator aiming for the big score might
have been better off to work HF instead.
Particular contest rules can skew operating
patterns and influence activity. An example is the requirement in the RD
Contest that HF contacts be made outside one's own call area. Even if a mediocre
antenna was being used, a novice station in Canberra would be almost guaranteed
worthwhile results on 80 metres because of the small size of the ACT and the
large number of close-by operators in VK2 and VK3.
In contrast, the same station with a similar
antenna in Perth would find contacts difficult on 80 metres because of WA's
great size and distance from all other states. If he wishes to persist in the
HF section, he should upgrade his 80 metre antenna and/or plan to concentrate
his activity on 15 and 10 metres. If neither of these are possible, entering
the VHF section may be preferable if the operator is seeking to maximise his
contest score.
The lesson of these examples is to consider
your circumstances and how the rules and scoring system will affect your
activities. Last year's results can give a guide to the relative popularity of
contest sections and the scores you need to get to be competitive. If no one
entered a particular section last year, try it this year - the chances are that
you will be the only entrant and get a certificate.
Know the capabilities of your station. Your
normal operating should provide the information needed, including the
directions most and least favoured by your location and relative performance on
various bands. A good opportunity to check this is to note the signal reports
given when several locals are calling a distant station. If the signal reports
you get are consistently weaker than for most others, your operating procedure
will be different than if you are one of the louder stations.
In the hour before the contest, read the
rules, look at propagation charts and check the operation of antennas and
equipment. Ensure that you have sufficient pens, paper, and log sheets
available.
The big hand is approaching the twelve on
the station clock, and, with microphone in hand, you're poised to make your
first contact in your first contest.
So how do you get contacts during contests?
There are two main ways. Either scan the band looking for stations calling CQ
('search and pounce'), or put out calls yourself. The tactic chosen depends on
things like band activity, propagation and the capabilities of your station.
Beginners should use the 'search and pounce'
method for their first several contacts. Then later on, after you've worked all
the stations calling, put out CQ calls yourself.
Making calls allows stations tuning across
the band to find you and give you a number. This can significantly boost the
number of contacts obtained. The reason for this is that during a contest there
are all types on the band, from the die-hard contester to the station who says
they're not really in the contest, but are happy to give out a few numbers.
Many of these less serious participants won't put out calls themselves, but
will respond to stations calling CQ.
I mentioned before that operating tactics
are shaped by station capabilities. This is because people often prefer to
answer CQ calls from stronger stations. A weak station on SSB with two strong
stations either side may not easily be noticed by people listening. Also,
strong stations can 'hold' a frequency, and ward off those who may be tempted
to stray too close to it, but weaker stations may not be able to do this when
the band is crowded.
If you're a weaker station it's best to use
the 'search and pounce' technique most of the time, especially during the
bigger DX contests when the bands are busy. Carefully scan the band for
stations who are calling but haven't been worked before. Even if a calling
station is weak, give them a call anyway - they may be using low power or have
an antenna worse than yours. When calling, just give your own callsign - the
other station already knows theirs!
Notwithstanding the above paragraph, weaker
stations should not give up calling CQ altogether. If conditions seem
reasonable but there are few stations around (common during many smaller local
contests), you will work no one if you just listen. Put out calls yourself - if
your signal is readable, people tuning across will call. As was mentioned
before, calling CQ attracts many of the types tuning across the band who you'll
never work if you only answer other people's calls.
Contest contacts are much shorter than other
amateur radio contacts. All you need to exchange with the other station is a
five or six digit number, consisting of a signal report followed by a serial
number starting at 001. This serial number increases by one for every contact
you make, thus you might send 57003 to the third station you work in a contest.
Repeat this if your signal is likely to be weak at the other end. An example of
a typical contest exchange is given below.
The pace of operating varies between
contests. When it's fast and frantic, just give the signal report and number.
When it's slow, some people will tell you their name and location as well.
Conciseness is particularly important when signals are weak or if using CW -
5wpm is excruciatingly slow for most CW operators, and you'll win the thanks of
many if you just send the bare minimum of information the contest rules
require.
While operating, fill in a log sheet. This
should show date, time (UTC), band, mode, callsign, number given, number
received and points. Try to keep it legible - the Contest Manager may need it
when he is checking logs.
The following is a typical example of a
phone contest exchange between VK3AA and VK6AA.
(VK3AA): CQ CQ CQ RD CONTEST, THIS IS
VK3AA
{VK3AA seeking a contest contact}
(VK6AA): VK6AA
{VK6AA responds}
(VK3AA): VK6AA, THIS IS VK3AA. MY NUMBER
TO YOU IS 57011
{VK6AA's signal is 5/7, VK6AA is VK3AA's
eleventh contact in the contest}
(VK6AA): THANK YOU FOR THE 57011. MY
NUMBER TO YOU IS 58001 {VK3AA's signal is 5/8, this contact is VK6AA's
first in the contest}
(VK3AA): 58001 RECEIVED. 73 AND GOOD LUCK
IN THE CONTEST.
{Contest contact ended successfully and
both stations enter the contact in their logs. VK3AA continues calling CQ,
while VK6AA looks for other stations calling CQ}
On CW, the procedure is similar, except
there is a heavy use of abbreviations to save time. Very often, nines are sent
as 'N', and zeroes as 'T'. Thus, the first station you work might receive a
'5NNTT1' number from you, which is the equivalent of a 59001 report on phone.
To formally enter a contest, send your log
plus a front summary sheet to the address given in the contest rules. The
summary sheet usually shows your name, callsign, section entered, score and a
signed declaration that you operated ethically. The exact requirements for logs
and summary sheets vary slightly between contests - see the contest rules for
the requirements of that particular contest.
You will not normally receive notification
that your log has been received. Results are generally published 3 to 6 months
after a contest has been held, depending on the contest. Certificates are
posted to winners after the contest results have been collated.
Contesting can be a highly absorbing facet
of amateur radio. May your callsign feature in the results of various contests
in the coming months. The best place to start is the Remembrance Day Contest in
just a few days time on the weekend of August 14th and 15th. The rules were
printed in Jully 1999's Amateur Radio. If you have access to the
Internet, further information about contesting appears on the Australian
Contesting website at http://www.uq.edu.au/radiosport/
and on the WIA Federal webpage at http://www.wia.org.au
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This page was produced by Peter Parker VK3YE parkerp@NOSPAMalphalink.com.au. Material may be copied for personal or non-profit use only.