1 Small Station Contesting Jari Jokiniemi OH3BU Contest Club Finland

2 Some Math Assuming 5000 CQWW participants There’s only one winner in SOABHP Supposing each winner wins only once One has some 50 active contesting years => Only 1% of winners in the game –Should you draw some conclusions?

3 Big Fish In An Ocean Winning CQWW SOABHP OH2BH, OH2MM, OH7JT Some big fishes are in fact groups: OH2U

4 Mid-Size Fish In An Ocean The wannabees Not yet big but not any more small Fighting hard to eat the other fishes Being eaten by the big fish if too close OH1WZ OH6LI And many, many others. Please, don’t be offended if I did not mention you here.

5 Small Fish In An Ocean The great masses Food for the big fish Probably having quite happy lives without much ups or downs. What can a small fish expect? A palace and seven maids or conquering the world or what?

6 A Warning Don’t be fooled by the big fishes! They want to eat you They want you to play by their rules So that they win And you’re going to lose But they can’t live without the small fishes – who else would be at the other end of the pile up

7 Your Limitations Or Why You Won’t Be A Big Fish In An Ocean Money Time Family duties Power Pileup management skills Physical endurance Other hobbies Etc.

8 So What Are Your Conclusions? You still want be the best of them all? You give up? You just make the others happy? You break the rules? You invent your own contest?

9 What About Big Fish In A Small Pond The topic of today The SMALL STATION CONTESTING concept Or how to survive when you don’t have three towers and big linear amplifiers Happiness without winning the CQWW SOABHP Originally published in PileUP 4/2001 Subsequently published in CQ Contest Now revealed to you by the Contest Club Finland Successfully deployed by many unknown contesters

10 Set Your Targets = Why Are You Doing This To get new DXCC entities / IOTA islands To run pileups To enjoy listening to the bands To hone your skills To escape the lonely nights To belong to the great group of contesters To win in your own way To.... whatever BE REALISTIC (=accept your limitations)

11 Study Your Competition To Find Opportunities You may be weak But your competition may be even weaker If you just find the right competition –Area: World/Europe/Finland/Your neighborhood –Class: AB, SB, MM, Assisted, QRP Select a competition that you can win Read the rules

12 Find Your Own Pond (= Contest + Class) Antennas? => 10 m mono yagi => SOSB10 Activity? => TS40 Weak scores => Assisted Propagation advantage => OH / SOSB20 Unpopular activity => SAC QRP Something very different => RSGB21/28 Less congested mode => RTTY DXCC score up => Assisted AB

13 What To Expect In Your Pond Low Power, 60 is a good rate QRP, 30 is a good rate SAC QRP, you might win with only 100 Q 20Assisted, 1000 Q OK 40CWAssisted, Caribbean is your backyard 40SSB / 3 el / kW, you’ll suffer 160SSB / GP/ kW, you obviously like suffering 160SSB / QRP, the ultimate in suffering Study the results

14 Create An Advantage 3 el vertical for 80 2 x 4 o 4 o 4 for 20 WPX TS10, 6 el mono yagi + interlaced dipoles for 15/20 WPX TS20, 6 el mono yagi + interlaced dipoles for 10/15 WPX TS40, a dipole at 42 meters Small scale pedition, IG9+GP80, PJ7+3el10 Guest operating

15 Sample 1 JARL web

16 Sample 2 Scandinavian Activity Contest 2001 SSB, SM3CER Contest Service

17 Sample 3 Scandinavian Activity Contest 2001 SSB, SM3CER Contest Service

18 Sample 4 JIDX 2003 CW

19 Your Own Game CQWW OH Record data by CCF WEB

20 The Surprise Attack Do what the others don’t do

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