Contesting is one of those activities in life where you get out of it exactly what you put into it.
For many casual operators, contesting is simply an occasional pastime—something to do as a pleasant distraction from life’s routines and worries. It occupies a small part of their lives, and little thought is given to the work involved behind the scenes. For others, contesting takes on a more important role in their lives. They start to care about the community and wonder if they might have a role in helping it.
As they become more involved in the world of contesting, they start to look for concrete ways to contribute something back to the sport. Fortunately, there are many avenues available to those with the volunteer spirit.
The simplest (and perhaps most enjoyable) way to contribute to contesting is to simply get on the air and make QSOs during a contest. Contest operators like nothing more than to have more stations to work. Getting on the air and making QSOs makes the contest more fun for everyone involved. It’s truly a “more the merrier” situation. By getting on the air and operating, you will not only bring more joy to the operators, but you will be contributing to the contest itself. Contest sponsors like nothing more than to see their participation increase.
It also helps the contest sponsor a great deal when you submit your log. Your log submission helps to build the database of active stations in the contest. Your log provides the contest sponsors with a very important set of data which they can use during the log-checking process. By operating and submitting your log, you not only increase your chances of winning an award, but you are also increasing the fairness of contest adjudication. That’s what I call a win-win situation.
Clubs & Organizations
Joining a contest club is a great way to get involved in the community of contesting. In the last issue, we discussed how to start a contest club if there is not one available in your area. Joining a contest club can provide many opportunities for giving back. Most clubs have several duties that need to be performed. Be one of the 20% who steps up to the plate and helps to get the grunt work done. Becoming part of a contest club will also expose you to other aspects of the contesting community. It’s a great way to learn about other opportunities to contribute. Every club needs a “cheerleader.” Pick your favorite contest and try to drum up some activity as the date nears.
Elmering/Mentoring
Being a mentor is one of the most important roles you can take on. If it were not for the consistent encouragement and help from AA4NU in my early days, I would probably not be an avid contest operator. Introducing folks to the contesting sport helps to ensure the future of contesting perhaps more than anything else you can do. New contest operators can be old or young, newly licensed or a QCWA member. Find someone and share your enthusiasm. It’s contagious, and you might even make a lifelong friend or two. You can also help the new op with technical advice, station improvements, and loaning or donating equipment.
Sponsoring & Managing Awards
Most contests have some type of award system, whether it is certificates, plaques, or tasty treats from the sponsor’s local area. Someone has to create and distribute these awards, and the work involved can be considerable. Unsung heroes like W5GN took it upon themselves to manage, print, and distribute awards to hundreds of recipients. There is a considerable amount of work involved in distributing awards, and any volunteer help is greatly appreciated. The certificates and plaques cost money, and someone needs to pay for them. Sponsoring a contesting award is a great way to give something back to contesting, and it can be done by individuals or clubs.
Editor’s Note: Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering CEO, is founder of Contest University and chairman of the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF), the engine behind some of competitive ham radio’s largest radiosport contests. Take a moment to watch K3LR being interviewed by Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio about the important roll the WWROF plays in giving back to the contesting and ham radio community.
Managing a Contest
Many of the most successful contests are the result of great management. There is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes. Some of the tasks include design, organization, promotion, log collection (and re-typing, in some cases) log checking, results generation and publication, and awards management and distribution. The late K4OJ was simply unparalleled in his ability to promote the Florida QSO party. N6TW was inducted into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in part for his countless hours spent tirelessly checking CQWW logs. There are many people working hard to make sure that the contests we love to operate exist year after year. Stay tuned for a future article from someone who manages a contest.
Field Day
I would be remiss to not mention Field Day, which is perhaps our greatest opportunity to expose the general ham radio community and the public to the experience of contest-style radio operating. Get out there and help operate the next FD. Share your enthusiasm for contesting with the folks around you. Many contest operators got their first taste of operating at Field Day. You never know what might be going on in the mind of the person watching you.
Hosting Guest Operations
If you enjoy building a station and don’t mind letting someone else operate it, consider hosting a guest operation. Whether a single or multi operation, you can provide new contest operators the thrill of actually having answers to their CQ-CONTEST calls. Some contesters prefer the challenge of building a “bullet-proof” station for others to operate and find the station design and construction even more fulfilling than operating it themselves. Some of my most enjoyable experiences in contesting have been as a guest at multi-ops, and I’m grateful to the hosts who made it possible.
Writing Software
Many of the latest innovations in the ham radio contesting world have come from software programmers. From real-time logging software to log checking analysis software, there have been great contributions from code jockeys worldwide. The efforts of K1EA, K8CC, N6TR, N1MM, and countless others have made contesting more fun, and greatly reduced the amount of paperwork (in most cases to zero) after the contest is over. The log-checking wizards like N6AA, N6TW, N6TR, and N5KO have made tremendous efforts to reward the most skillful and accurate operators. We also are lucky to have folks like K7EL and VE3NEA breaking new ground with software to help us design antennas and analyze propagation possibilities.
Sharing Information
There are lots of ways to contribute to contesting through sharing information. With the internet, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. The written word is one way to share info with your fellow ops. Ask any contest newsletter editor—there is always a need for contributions from writers. You can contribute articles to your local club newsletter, blogs, one of the contesting websites, or even the National Contest Journal or other major ham radio magazines.
Other ways to share information include giving presentations at hamfests, manning a booth for your club, handing out fliers, or running a website of your own. I am continually amazed at the creativity displayed on some contest operat…
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