Small Station Bang for the Buck Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW Adapted from Ward Silver, NØAX’s 2016 CTU Presentation

Class Goals Define the Problem Discuss making an overall strategy Find “Score dB’s” Encourage you to improve

Assumptions About You Somewhat familiar with contesting - (good thing you didn’t come in late!) Modest station - one radio, no amp Modest budget Willing to progress step-by-step Taken and given some lumps Want to give more lumps What’s the best way to get better? If you want to improve your score, you have to be competitive. Competitive with other operators and/or competitive with yourself. That might mean beating your personal best scores, beating someone in the local club or placing as high in the Top Ten in your category. All of those different reasons for contesting are completely valid, but if you want to improve your score, you need to be in it to do well.

How To Use This Presentation Not a how-to Cookbook Follow in the text Take short notes Every operator and station is different We all have to start low and slow Think about how some of these topics can be worked into your station

Priorities Operator First Technique Second Antennas Third Radios Fourth Gadgets Last Notice that we’re not even touching $$$ until the third point. Everyone in the room can double their scores solely by focusing on improving your ability to sit in the chair and efficiently make contacts. That skill alone will put you ahead of so many people who consider themselves contesters. You live in New England - there are many out there that wished they did too. Take advantage of that.

Some things to keep in mind Contest Success is incremental Operator improvement is continuous Study, analyze and plan Address the obvious deficiencies first Rome wasn’t built in a day The contest doesn’t start at hour one. Start planning in advance. Study, analyze and plan. Pick the low hanging fruit.

The Operator - Ergonomics Incredibly important Fun or Slog? - You Choose! Maintain concentration, remove distractions Labels and logical, consistent layout Preserve and enhance accuracy The single most important thing you can do to improve your score is to keep your butt in the chair! Discuss basic desk ergonomics. Chair - You’ve spent 2K on a radio and you’re sitting on a piece of plywood with 2mm of foam on top - Get rid of the ass hatchet Monitor layout Using hot keys - KEEP YOUR HANDS ON THE KEYBOARD. Layout your station so everything is in reach Concentration Turn off your email, facebook, twitter, cellphone, TV and anything else that will take your attention away from working contacts Did you put the contest on the family calender so everyone knows you’re not available this weekend? Labels What can we blow up in hour 48? Everything you can do to make operating easier will help to preserve and enhance accuracy. Personal story about headphones

The Operator - A Human! Head & Eyes Back & Arms Your Butt Fitness (Before and During) Stay Alert and Engaged

Knowledge Know your stuff Study Propagation Learn your software Recognize calls Study your old logs Study the logs of winning stations Know your stuff Know the contest. Know the rules and the exchange Study Propagation Know where to be or at least where to work. Greyline is about JAs and SA. When 20 meters opens to EU - BE THERE!!! You live in New England - Take advantage of it! Practice with N1MM. Know the software - Before the contest starts. Recognize calls - comes with experience. Study logs. Look for patterns. What worked, what didn’t

Technique Number one source of score dB’s Practice makes the master Listen to the Masters - Up Close Start working with multi-op teams Ask them questions Trade recordings or listen live PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

Technique - Gimme’s Run more and whenever you can Find propagation that allows your station to run You don’t have to be on the band edge Think signal to noise on both ends Type - Send - Speak - Copy accurately Breathe, be consistent, find a rhythm The second radio - make it play It doesn’t matter how small your station - you have to run to build up your score. Cut out all the stuff you don’t need for the exchange. Only say what needs to be said. CQ Contest W1MSW W1MSW this is KK1W KK1W 59 5 OK thank you for your 59 5 please copy 59 5 from KK1W. TNX W1MSW OK Thanks 73 KK1W TNX 59 5

Technique - Accuracy Go for World Class Accuracy (<1% error) Study LCR/UBN Report What do you consistently miss? What do other consistently miss from you? Pull Out Full Calls Be wary of Databases, Spots, Skimmers Learn Not to Guess and When to Move On The basic measurement of operating accuracy is error rate, which is the percentage of contacts in your log with an error. (Duplicate contacts are removed from the totals before calculating error rate.) The lower your error rate, the more accurate you are.

Technique - Managing Time Running is key Rate Meter - QSOs per mult Distractions Packet and DXing Too much information Operating time planning Go get that next contact! No magazines, no TV, no browsing, no email, no facebook, no texting

Technique - Managing Score Watch and move mults (Sunday!) Avoid penalties at all costs Expeditions - work ‘em all! Make skeds - during the contest Know the propagation Quick review of the situation now and then Review and adjust your plan

The Second Radio & Antenna Keep it simple Temporary is OK - be consistent Integrate into your station Target low-rate periods Don’t diminish your primary rig & antenna Consider automation

The Second Radio - Using it In-band tuning The Quick QSY Running and Tuning at the same time Learn to listen to audio streams at one time Practice shifting your focus Great for spot-chasing while slow-running Operate for a net gain

CQing Call high in the band for best SNR Respond consistently & efficiently Work fast stations first Pull out a full call when you can Listen for “DX Sound” and odd first letters Manage your RF gain & attenuation Learn to rely on your ears for filtering

Antenna Selection Improve to the next level Simplify switching and aiming Contesting is not DX-ing A small fixed Yagi to EU, Carib, PacRim, or ? Simple low-band receive antennas Reduce noise = reduce fatigue Still the best bang for the buck

Radios Clean reciever - most important Gain Management Filtering Clean transmit - code, phone, digital Learn to use them!

Gadgets The fewer the boxes to manage, the better Carefully evaluate the need Are there alternatives? Is the extra complexity worth it? Integrate into the station Learn to use it!

Software Turn off unused features & windows Upgrade and test before Friday Arrange windows to match layout Learn how to Edit a previous QSO while not suspending a run Switch focus between radios Put the monitor where you can see it easily

Resources Other contesters & your contest club 3830scores.com soapbox K8ND’s SO2R Web page - www.k8nd.com/Radio/SO2R/K8ND_SO2R.htm W4RNL Antenna Design – cebik.com Towertalk, Top Band reflectors National Contest Journal & ncjweb.com ARRL Contest Update newsletter

Priorities Operator First Technique Second Antennas Third Radios Fourth Gadgets Last

Thanks!