Contesting 101 Presentation to The Great Lakes Division Symposium September 12, 2009 By Dave Pruett, K8CC

Dave Pruett, K8CC Amateur since 1969 Contesting since 1971 Great Lakes Division Representative to the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee Volunteer ARRL Contest Log Checker for the ARRL 160M and 10M Contests Former editor of the National Contest Journal (NCJ) Chairman of the Michigan QSO Party

What Is A Contest? An on-air operating event with pre-determined rules, where amateur stations achieve a score through completing contacts with each other, exchanging information dictated by the contest rules. Examples: Field Day, SS, OhQP, etc.

Why participate in a contest? It’s fun! Make contacts for awards Sense of achievement from seeing your callsign in the published results Make a lot of contacts in a short period of time To compete!

Why participate in a contest? Improve personal operating skills Become familiar with propagation Reason to improve your station Prove out your station and become familiar with it’s capabilities Comraderie with fellow contesters

When do contests occur? In general, contests occur the same weekend every year, which helps when planning your participation. The WA7BNM Contest Calendar:

Who may participate in a contest? In most contests, all stations are welcome to join in. (In a few contests, only members of the sponsoring organization may participate). No pre-registration required No problem if you decide not to submit an entry to the contest sponsor

How does someone participate in a contest? Get on the air and work other stations according to the contest rules Submit an entry to the contest organizers (optional) Enjoy the published results (optional)

Does my station need anything special to participate in a contest? Nothing special is needed – any station capable of making on-the-air contacts is perfectly ready to participate in a contest

Your station can be simple

Or your station can be complex

How are contests scored? Score = Contact Points x “Multiplier” Each contact receives a point value based on contest rules The “multiplier” is usually the number of geographic entities contacted, sometimes counted separately by band or mode as defined by contest rules

Scoring Example: OhQP OhQP counts 2 points for each CW QSO and 1 point for each phone QSO OhQP counts multipliers separately by mode CW:50 contacts, 25 multipliers Phone:100 contacts, 40 multipliers Score = (50 x x 1) x ( ) 13,000 points

How to get started in contesting JUST DO IT! Don’t be afraid to jump in Many hams get their first exposure to contest-style operating during ARRL Field Day Domestic contests like the ARRL Sweepstakes or state QSO parties are also good opportunities for first-time contesters

How to enter a contest In general, the entrant must provide the contest sponsors with: A log of all contacts claimed A summary of information about their entry In some cases a list of claimed multipliers and a duplicate QSO check sheets may be required

How to enter a contest In most cases, the entry can be either physical “paper” documents or an “electronic” log file. The requirements for submitting may be different for each type. A paper log must be mailed to the contest sponsors, while the electronic file may be sent via .

Paper Entry Examples Log SheetSummary Sheet

Paper Entry Examples Multiplier Check SheetDuplicate Check Sheet

Computer Logging

Cabrillo Electronic Log File START-OF-LOG: 2.0 CREATED-BY: NA Version CONTEST: ARRL-FIELD-DAY CALLSIGN: K8MAD ARRL-SECTION: MI OPERATORS: K8CC, K8MR, K8RM, K9NW, KU8E, W8AJ CATEGORY: MULTI-ONE ALL LOW CLAIMED-SCORE: 9782 CLUB: Mad River Radio Club SOAPBOX: Severe rainstorm ripped open the tent NAME: David A. Pruett, K8CC ADDRESS: 2727 Harris Road ADDRESS: Ypsilanti, MI USA QSO: 7044 CW K8MAD 2A OH W9UUU 4A IN QSO: 7044 CW K8MAD 2A OH W8RS 1A MI QSO: CW K8MAD 2A OH W6UW 1A SCV QSO: 7044 CW K8MAD 2A OH W3BTN 3A EPA QSO: 7044 CW K8MAD 2A OH K8TKA 5A OH QSO: 50 PH K8MAD 2A OH W8DXA 2A OH QSO: 7044 CW K8MAD 2A OH W8ZPF 2A OH QSO: 7044 CW K8MAD 2A OH KN1DX 1D VA END-OF-LOG:

Contest Logging Programs CT by K1EAwww.k1ea.comwww.k1ea.com NA by K8CCwww.datomonline.comwww.datomonline.com TR Log by N6TRwww.trlog.comwww.trlog.com WriteLog N1 MM Loggerwww.pages.cthome.net/n1mmwww.pages.cthome.net/n1mm WinTest SD by EI5DIwww.ei5di.comwww.ei5di.com N3FJP Contest Logwww.n3fjp.comwww.n3fjp.com

Multi-Operator Contesting A multi-operator station is where several operators join together to operate in a contest as a single entry All contacts are made under a single callsign Depending on contest rules, the team may operate one radio (single-transmitter) or multiple radios (multi-transmitter) The final score is calculated from all contacts made

Club Competition Many contests have a “Club Competition”, where club member’s scores are added together as a total attributed to the club. The club with the most points wins. The club competition score does not affect the members individual scores for competition, awards, etc.

Club Competition Example Eight scores for the 2008 MI QSO Party had Blossomland ARA listed as their club: The Blossomland ARA Club Competition score is 296,731 Blossomland ARA Logs N8SS240,684 K9RON 25,317 KX8D 14,775 W8BYC 5,100 KF8Z 3,698 KD8GRG 3,626 N8KBG 3,432 KC8YEJ 99 Total296,731 Blossomland ARA Logs N8SS240,684 K9RON 25,317 KX8D 14,775 W8BYC 5,100 KF8Z 3,698 KD8GRG 3,626 N8KBG 3,432 KC8YEJ 99 Total296,731 All entries were also scored individually in their respective categories

Contesting 101 Questions?