Small Station Contesting Jari Jokiniemi OH 3 BU

Small Station Contesting Jari Jokiniemi OH 3 BU Contest Club Finland 1

Some Math • • • Assuming 5000 CQWW participants There’s only one winner in SOABHP Supposing each winner wins only once One has some 50 active contesting years => Only 1% of winners in the game – Should you draw some conclusions? 2

Big Fish In An Ocean • Winning CQWW SOABHP • OH 2 BH, OH 2 MM, OH 7 JT • Some big fishes are in fact groups: OH 2 U 3

Mid-Size Fish In An Ocean • • The wannabees Not yet big but not any more small Fighting hard to eat the other fishes Being eaten by the big fish if too close OH 1 WZ OH 6 LI And many, many others. Please, don’t be offended if I did not mention you here. 4

Small Fish In An Ocean • The great masses • Food for the big fish • Probably having quite happy lives without much ups or downs. What can a small fish expect? A palace and seven maids or conquering the world or what? 5

A Warning • • • Don’t be fooled by the big fishes! They want to eat you They want you to play by their rules So that they win And you’re going to lose • But they can’t live without the small fishes – who else would be at the other end of the pile up 6

Your Limitations Or Why You Won’t Be A Big Fish In An Ocean • • Money Time Family duties Power Pileup management skills Physical endurance Other hobbies Etc. 7

So What Are Your Conclusions? • • • You still want be the best of them all? You give up? You just make the others happy? You break the rules? You invent your own contest? 8

What About Big Fish In A Small Pond • The topic of today • The SMALL STATION CONTESTING concept • Or how to survive when you don’t have three towers and big linear amplifiers • Happiness without winning the CQWW SOABHP • Originally published in Pile. UP 4/2001 • Subsequently published in CQ Contest • Now revealed to you by the Contest Club Finland • Successfully deployed by many unknown contesters 9

Set Your Targets = Why Are You Doing This • • • To get new DXCC entities / IOTA islands To run pileups To enjoy listening to the bands To hone your skills To escape the lonely nights To belong to the great group of contesters To win in your own way To. . whatever BE REALISTIC (=accept your limitations) 10

Study Your Competition To Find Opportunities • You may be weak • But your competition may be even weaker • If you just find the right competition – Area: World/Europe/Finland/Your neighborhood – Class: AB, SB, MM, Assisted, QRP • Select a competition that you can win • Read the rules 11

Find Your Own Pond (= Contest + Class) • • Antennas? => 10 m mono yagi => SOSB 10 Activity? => TS 40 Weak scores => Assisted Propagation advantage => OH / SOSB 20 Unpopular activity => SAC QRP Something very different => RSGB 21/28 Less congested mode => RTTY DXCC score up => Assisted AB 12

What To Expect In Your Pond • • • Low Power, 60 is a good rate QRP, 30 is a good rate SAC QRP, you might win with only 100 Q 20 Assisted, 1000 Q OK 40 CWAssisted, Caribbean is your backyard 40 SSB / 3 el / k. W, you’ll suffer 160 SSB / GP/ k. W, you obviously like suffering 160 SSB / QRP, the ultimate in suffering Study the results 13

Create An Advantage • 3 el vertical for 80 • 2 x 4 o 4 for 20 • WPX TS 10, 6 el mono yagi + interlaced dipoles for 15/20 • WPX TS 20, 6 el mono yagi + interlaced dipoles for 10/15 • WPX TS 40, a dipole at 42 meters • Small scale pedition, IG 9+GP 80, PJ 7+3 el 10 • Guest operating 14