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

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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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 , 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

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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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 , no facebook, no texting

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

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

20. 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!

21. 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

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

23. Priorities Operator First Technique Second Antennas Third
Radios Fourth
Gadgets Last

24. Thanks!