RadCom April 2024, Vol. 100, No. 4

54 April 2024 Regulars M any thanks to Chris Tran, GM3WOJ who has authored the Contesting column for the past couple of years. We have enjoyed Chris’ unique style, like his advice to SSB contesters “don’t say anything at all that is not needed for completion of the contact (QSO) – not one single word!” Future plans for the RadCom Contesting column For the next period we have planned a schedule of topics, such as might form the chapters of a book on contesting. Some will be written by members of the three contesting committees, some by others who can share their experiences. We have published a list of topics on the RSGB website [1] – not necessarily in the order in which they will appear. If you would like to suggest a missing topic, or would like to write an article, please get in touch using the contact details below. For this first article, Tim Duffy, K3LR has kindly agreed for us to use some images ( Photos 1, 2 and 3 ) from his contesting station [2] . What is contesting and how does it work? Radio contesting is an exciting, sometimes all-consuming, competitive activity for radio amateurs. For its devotees, contesting is the zenith of amateur radio activity. Our aim in this series of articles is to help you, the reader, to understand contesting and contesters and, in the process, to equip you to participate as much or as little as you might wish. Mostly we want you to experience the fun of contesting. In contesting, an amateur radio station, which may be operated by an individual or a team, competes with other stations to obtain as high a score as can be achieved, usually by making as many contacts (QSOs) as possible in a given time and exchanging information in each QSO as set out by the rules of the event. Scoring may include bonus points for particular QSOs and multipliers based on particular criteria, such as countries worked, and additional points for contacts outside the entrant’s country, zone (group of countries) or continent. These scoring systems mean that strategy becomes critical to success. Contesting Some QSOs will be with others who are entering, others with friendly ‘passers-by’. Most contests are adjudicated by a sponsoring body, such as the RSGB. A log is submitted for adjudication as a computer data file which is compared, using software tools, with logs from other entrants, to ensure that the information logged for each QSO was consistent with what was sent by the other party, before a final score is calculated. Why take part in contesting? There may be as many answers to this question as there are amateur radio contesters, but some of the key answers are: • To compete against others : aiming to achieve the highest score in a particular category. Radio contests are competitions and winning or coming high in a results table is very satisfying. • To compete against yourself : aiming to produce a better score compared with a previous entry in the same event. • To collect QSOs required for awards: contests are great opportunities to collect the contacts needed for award programs such as DX Century Club (DXCC), Worked All States (WAS) or Islands on the Air (IOTA). Rarer entities are commonly activated in contests and contesters are likely to provide the QSO verification required for award applications. • To represent your radio club: in the UK there are many opportunities to participate as a member of a local or national radio club, so that your score can contribute to a team score. • To enjoy participation: taking part is great fun. This might include making rare QSOs, experiencing busy pile-ups (so many callers sometimes that it is hard to pick one out), achieving a high QSO rate or simply making a lot of QSOs in a relatively-short time. Keen contesters often are also DXers – those who love to exploit propagation to make QSOs over long distances or with other amateurs in rare or more difficult locations. This may be on the HF, VHF, UHF or microwave bands – pretty much anywhere in the amateur radio spectrum. Contests are good opportunities to test propagation to its limits; in the largest events, countries are represented all over the surface of the earth. If a QSO is going to be possible, this is a chance to find out. Contesters are often technically proficient, too, as they optimise their station to be competitive. Many of the antennas and the station equipment that we all use have been developed by contesters in their pursuit of QSOs at the margins of what is possible. Whatever your amateur radio station consists of, you can take part in contests. In the vast majority of cases, other participants will be grateful to make a QSO with you. Many who achieve licensed status are looking for something interesting and challenging to do with their transmitting privileges. Contesting offers an answer – short QSOs with lots of individuals for whom your contact is genuinely valuable. PHOTO 1: K3LR’s antennas for CQWW DX CW 2023. PHOTO 2: K3LR team operating in CQWW DX CW 2023.