Gary Sutcliffe, W9XT SMC Fest 2013

Copyright © 2013 Gary C. Sutcliffe

How Do I Do better in Contests?

 Topics to be covered today  Contest selection  Antenna improvements  Shack improvements  Planning and goal setting  Operating tips

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Pick Contests You Like The Most

 Domestic or DX  Domestic: Sweepstakes, Field Day, State QSO Parties    Phone, CW or RTTY  DX: ARRL, CQ World Wide, Worked All Europe Both: ARRL 160 & 10M, IARU, WPX Many contests have separate mode events  Short, Medium or Long  Short: Sprints, NA QSO Party, some state QSO Parties   Medium: Sweepstakes, IARU, FD Long: DX contests, WPX

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Match Your Antennas & Contest

 Match  Pick contests that match your antennas  Or optimize your antennas for your favorite contest(s)  Consider becoming a single band expert  Easier & less expensive to put up an excellent antenna system on one band than competitive antennas on many  Deep knowledge of the band will be a competitive advantage

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What Bands Play Best for You?

 Depends on:  Antennas available  Local terrain  Who you want to contact  Both antenna gain and take off angle are important  Take off angle may be more important than gain

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80M Example – Dipole @ 60’

EZNEC Plot Max Gain at about 60 degrees

Down about 15dB @ 5 °

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80M Example - Vertical

EZNEC Plot Max gain ~25 ° Down ~5dB @ 5 °

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Propagation Modes To Europe

SUMMARY 5 MODES FREQ = 3.5 MHZ UT = 7.0 (VOACAP)

Most REL Mode: 3.F2 4.F2 4. E 5.F2 5. E 3.F2

TIME DEL. 27.61 28.04 27.01 28.59 27.21 27.61

ANGLE 5.26 10.37 2.61 14.89 6.01 5.26

VIR. HITE 270.06 270.0 125.30 272.09 136.20 270.06

ABSORB 14.97 11.84 16.32 9.59 14.52

FS. LOSS 121.81 121.95 121.62 122.11 121.6

SNR 4.48 -4.20 -1152. -11.95 -1298 4.48

PROB 1.00 0.99 0.00 0.96 0.00 1.00

Calculated for Oct. 30, 2009

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Propagation Modes to Ohio

SUMMARY 8 MODES FREQ = 3.5 MHZ UT = 21.0 (VOACAP)

Most REL Mode 1. E 1. E 1.F2 2. E 2. E 2.F2 3.F2 3. E 1.F2

TIME DEL. 2.33 2.97 3.12 2.74 2.86 4.12 5.50 3.37 VIR. HITE 97.1 287.4 320.7 118.2 133.3 258.1 250.3 125.7 3.12

ANGLE 14.65 38.69 41.72 34.39 37.67 55.91 65.18 47.81 41.72

320.7

ABSORB 21.68 10.18 9.60 11.17 10.39 7.81 7.15 8.68

FS. LOSS 100.3 102.4 102.8 101.7 102.1 105.2 107.7 103.5

SNR 61.79 55.01 63.20 42.62 35.54 51.49 36.90 -38.30 63.20

PROB 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.58 0.58 1.00 1.00 0.02 1.00

Calculated for Oct. 30, 2009

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10M Yagi Example

EZNEC Plot

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Best Antenna

 Its not just about gain  Matching take off angle to signal can have huge effect  Angle of arriving signal from a given transmitter will vary  Time of day  Season  Sunspot number  You rotate your beam towards the other station – think of take off angle of aiming in the third dimension

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Optimize Antennas to the Contest

 Design antennas to perform to target population areas  Have multiple antennas per band  Cover different conditions  Cover different directions  Cover different distances  Maximize flexibility  In general  Low take off angle antennas best for DX contests  High take off angle antennas best for domestic contests

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W9XT Antennas

 Low Band RX: 350’ Bevs to Europe & JA, K9AY Array  160M: Dipole at 60’, putting up Inverted L (fall 2013)  80M: Dipole at 45’ + Vertical (shunt fed tower)  40M: Dipole at 40’ + 2 El Yagi at 60’  10-15-20 : TH7 @50’ + A3 @ 65’ + A3 @ 35’ (fixed on Europe)  Tribanders can be fed 1, 2 or all 3 in any combination

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W9XT Field Day Setup – 40 CW

 Dipole at 30’ with reflector at 7’  High take off angle for stations within ~600 miles  Sloper Dipole    Uses phasing network  Slopes toward SE during day, move to SW at night Lower take off angle and a bit of gain CQ on both antennas   Select best antenna when weak ones call Lose 3 dB with 2 ants, but more than make up on TO angle  Typically make about 1000 40M CW QSOs each year.

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W9XT Field Day Setup – 40 CW 2012 & 2013

 Dipole at 30’  High take off angle for stations within ~600 miles  NVIS Dipole @ 7’  Very high take off angle for stations within 250 miles  Inverted L   Low take off angle for west coast Elevated, tuned radials for easy set up  Phasing: Dipole and either NVIS or Inverted L W9XT

FD at Ozaukee Radio Club – W9LO

40M CW Station W9XT

Coax Phasing Network

 Simple to build  Coax Switch    3 Coax Tees 2 X ¼ wavelength 70 ohm 1 X ¼ wavelength 50 ohm  Transmitter always sees 50 ohms with 1 or both antennas  Single band only More details at www.w9xt.com

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Phasing Network

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Inexpensive Antenna Improvements: The more the better!

 Low Band RX: K9AY, Beverage, Beverage on ground  Vertical or Inverted L: low take off angle on low bands  Low Dipole or NVIS: High angle take off  Sloper Dipole: Gain in desired direction, angle  Power splitters  Beam multiple directions  Instant direction switching  Pull out weak stations with best antenna W9XT

Optimize Shack for Efficiency

   Place most used equipment in easiest reach    Keyboard, radio, mouse, CW paddles in best positions Rotor, Antenna switch next best positions Amplifier, PC can be further away Always wear headphones   Hear weaker signals Cut background noise – noise will increase fatigue Use microphone headset with foot switch for phone  Mic does not take table space   Mic always in proper place Does not tie up a hand

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Additional Efficiency Tips

 Put SWR bridge/watt meter in direct view  Immediately see problem or wrong antenna selected  Amp mistuned, off line, wrong band  Computer  Monitor & Keyboard at proper height  Automate  Keep log program and radio in sync  Automatic selection of antennas

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Optimize Shack for Comfort

 Good lighting  Good ventilation  Comfortable chair (switch between 2)  Table at correct height

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Cheap Secret Weapon for Comfort

 Simple foot rest  Takes pressure off legs  Keeps feet off cold floor  Keeps foot switch in place

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Planning For the Next Contest

 Keep notes on every contest, review before the next  What went well  What went poorly  Propagation conditions  Best & worst times  Station changes since last contest  Special or unusual openings & contacts  Things to do differently next time

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Make a What-If Spread Sheet

Use to set goals See effects of     Getting a few hours sleep at slow times Chasing low band mults at sunrise Putting emphasis on certain bands Different operating strategies

2007 ARRL DX CW Goals Band 160 80 40 20 15 10 QSOs 30 110 220 300 175 25 DX 18 55 87 90 55 12 Total 860

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Score 817,860 317

Other Planning Aids

 Make a Band Plan  Listing of bands to be on each hour of the contest  Good general guide, but adapt to opportunities  QSO & multiplier totals by hour  Goal for hour + cumulative totals  Base on previous efforts  Good motivator and indicator of falling behind

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3 Most Important Things While Operating

 Rate  Rate  Rate

Always watch the rate meter!

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Keeping the rate: CQ a lot

 CQ whenever possible  An average CQ rate is usually better than a good S&P rate  More than half of stations in contest never CQ  CQing seems slower than S&P – watch rate meter  Smaller stations  Try CQs higher in band  CQ 2 nd day in DX contests, Sunday afternoon in Sweepstakes  Don’t waste time in frequency fights

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Watch the rate meter!

 When rate is below what it should be:  Stop CQing and start S&P (Search and Pounce)  Stop S&Ping and start CQ  Change bands  Take a break if contest has mandatory off times

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Know the Value of Multipliers

 Many logging programs give value of a mult  Relative to number of QSOs  Relative to number of minutes (based on current rate)  Don’t waste time in big pile ups for rare mults  Consider coming back later  Don’t leave a good CQ run to chase packet spots

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You won’t make the PGA Tour after your first 18 holes, and you won’t be a world class contester by just doing FD  Every sport requires practice  Learn to copy and log quickly without errors  Learn propagation  Get a feel for when things are going well or not  Know when to switch bands, when to CQ, etc.

 Learn to copy through QRM & QRN  Learn how to crack pile ups  Learn how to manage a high rate CQ run

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Summary

 Select contests that match your interests and station  Antenna take off angle may be more important than gain  Multiple antennas (even inexpensive) = great flexibility  Optimize station for efficiency and comfort  Plan an operating strategy  Keep the rate up, CQ whenever you can  Be smart about chasing multipliers  All the contesting tips in the world won’t help without practice

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Resources

 NCJ - Contest Magazine published by ARRL  Contesting.com – Contesting web site  CQ-Contest - mailing list dedicated to contesting  Society of Midwest Contesters – regional contest club  www.unifiedmicro.com – Contesting accessories This program will be put on www.w9xt.com

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