Foundations of Amateur Radio

Today I want to talk about things to say and do in a contest. Before I begin, I must point out that there are many views on this and depending on your aim for the contest, what I'm going to talk about will be different.

First of all, a contest is an Amateur Radio activity that starts and stops at a particular time. Often this time is expressed as UTC, or Universal Time. Since there are several official time-zones and more unofficial time-zones here in VK alone, you'll need to check your own location to determine what the actual local time is, but for my money, I have a watch that is set to UTC and during a contest I put it on my wrist.

Apart from the rules for each contest, often described in mind-numbing detail with particular exceptions for different issues, often grown over time, there is a basic aim to get on air, make contact with other stations and exchange a salient piece of information. This information of course varies with the contest, but the most common exchange is a serial number.

What that means is that your first contact is 001, your second 002 and so-on.

I mention the double zero, since they are often expected and leaving them out is a source of confusion for the other station. Especially if their first language isn't English.

So, you give out a signal report, followed by the serial number which often will be something like 59001, 59002 and so on.

The very first thing people say about a contest is that signal reports are bogus. The reason they're bogus, always 5/9, is because it reduces the time it takes to say them, and more importantly, to log them. Most contesting software doesn't require you to enter the signal report and you need to spend extra effort to change them, often much more than just typing in the correct digits. So, despite your misgivings, if you're in a contest and you're talking to another contester and you're playing to win, then 5/9 is the signal report.

If you make many contacts you'll learn that there is a rhythm to making a contest contact. The more rhythmic you can make it, the more likely you'll succeed in getting through the contact quicker.

And that really is the point, less words, more contacts, saving your voice, less misunderstanding, better contest result.

This is not the conduct you'd do on a rainy Tuesday afternoon when you're chewing the fat, or on air also known as rag-chewing, this is specifically during a contest or pile-up.

In the local contests it's fine to say "Hi", use the words "My number to you is", but in the rest of the world these are just not helping. During a contest there is no discussion about your radio, your antenna, your dog or what you'd like to buy when you win LOTTO, it's about the quickest, most accurate contact you can make.

Let's imagine I'm searching and pouncing; that means I'm moving around the band looking for contacts. Let's imagine that K1DG is running; which means they're on a single frequency calling CQ Contest. The bare bones of a contest contact between K1DG and VK6FLAB during an SSB contest contact would be like this:

K1DG contest
VK6FLAB
VK6FLAB 59667
QSL 59667 59001
QSL 59001
K1DG contest

Now in that exchange I've said a grand total of 18 words. K1DG has said 23. The whole thing is 41 words, no more, no less. Of course, callsign length increases or decreases that count.

Some things to observe.

I never say their callsign. There is an assumption that if you're calling someone who is running you'll spend a few moments listening for their callsign, either before or after the contact, no need to tell them what it is, they already know it and it's 4 words extra, plus the pause between the two callsigns, it breaks the rhythm of the contact.

K1DG when he's running a pile-up is not going to call CQ, but not saying his callsign at all is worse than not saying CQ. There are people who are tuning up and down the band like I was, who want to know who the station is because they may or may not want to work the station. And the opposite is also true, the station might want to work you. So if you're the running station, say your callsign at the end of every contact.

Note that the rhythm continues. In the example, after confirming my number, K1DG has already called "contest" and is ready for the next contact.

Note that there is no discussion about anything other than the exchange. It's over before it began and in a contest or a pile-up, that's a really good thing. Less transmission means less noise, means faster contacts, means more stations getting an exchange, everybody wins.

Finally, this is about a contest or pile-up exchange. It isn't about a day-to-day contact, but it pays to know and practice it.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB