Well I was impressed.....the contesters I met this Friday nite and Saturday morning were nothing short of amazing! Anyone that can rack up the stations like some of guys needs a trophy!! I planned to work a few hours to see if contesting is something I would like......it is. Not only to fine tune the operating skills, it just fun to see the points add up and country list start climbing. Also many rare Dx stations work the bands during these larger contests.....I've never heard as many stations from Japan.....do they all speak English? Do Russian and European schools require English....they must!
I can barely think "CQ contest,CQ contest, AA5AAA, QRZ QRZ" as fast as these guys can say it....then in the heat of the QRM get the returning called logged first round, give a signal report/call zone and start again.... shows focus and keen operating. I operated portable with a 5/8 wave vertical at about six feet high, mast in the mud. Made many 5 watt QRP contacts during the Friday and early evening. I worked many at 5 watts but a station from China stopped that! I turned up to 100 watts From that point forward so my entry will be as low power, not QRP.
Anyway the fun started about sundown here and 10 was open to the world. I had planned to work only 10 meters but as the conditions slowed I tuned 15 mtrs it was wide open then.....later lowered to 20 mtrs and the world was there as well. I'm ended up working 10-15-20 and 40(few) on a 10 meter vertical. Worked Japan, Estonia,Russia and Germany on 4 bands....could have worked more but I had to get some beauty sleep!! Out. Of 24 hrs I tuned about 12 minus sleep, food, pit stops and phone calls.
6 new ones for me ...Qatar, Kaliningrad, Turkmenistan, Aland Island, China
Logged 71 countries, call zones contacted EU 135, SA 36, NA 32, AS 24, OC 7, AF 5. Looking back at the lost time, not knowing anything about the process, lack of preparation and antennas I think a guy might double these numbers easily ....and have fun doing it! Hope you get some new ones 73 and good Dx
I can barely think "CQ contest,CQ contest, AA5AAA, QRZ QRZ" as fast as these guys can say it....then in the heat of the QRM get the returning called logged first round, give a signal report/call zone and start again.... shows focus and keen operating. I operated portable with a 5/8 wave vertical at about six feet high, mast in the mud. Made many 5 watt QRP contacts during the Friday and early evening. I worked many at 5 watts but a station from China stopped that! I turned up to 100 watts From that point forward so my entry will be as low power, not QRP.
Anyway the fun started about sundown here and 10 was open to the world. I had planned to work only 10 meters but as the conditions slowed I tuned 15 mtrs it was wide open then.....later lowered to 20 mtrs and the world was there as well. I'm ended up working 10-15-20 and 40(few) on a 10 meter vertical. Worked Japan, Estonia,Russia and Germany on 4 bands....could have worked more but I had to get some beauty sleep!! Out. Of 24 hrs I tuned about 12 minus sleep, food, pit stops and phone calls.
6 new ones for me ...Qatar, Kaliningrad, Turkmenistan, Aland Island, China
Logged 71 countries, call zones contacted EU 135, SA 36, NA 32, AS 24, OC 7, AF 5. Looking back at the lost time, not knowing anything about the process, lack of preparation and antennas I think a guy might double these numbers easily ....and have fun doing it! Hope you get some new ones 73 and good Dx
