W1DED Worldwide Ham Radio

In Defense of Contests: The Contest Crew Responds

As anticipated, my conversation with Kyle Krieg AA0Z in which he made the case for change in the world of contests has stirred up considerable debate. The online world responded with a spectrum of viewpoints, some in favor of Kyle's insights, while others questioned his knowledge of the facts. To dig deeper, I engaged with the Contest Crew, a group of seasoned contesters and former contest organizers, to dissect the core arguments presented in the interview and the subsequent online discourse. This dialogue promises to be illuminating, offering a well-rounded examination of the various opinions circulating.

J68HZ St. Lucia is DXpedition (and Contest) Ready

Have you dreamt about operating from the Caribbean and being the DX? Dr. Bill Schmidt K9HZ has not only created a radio paradise for himself on the island of St. Lucia but his villa and amateur radio station are available for rent. If you're intrigued, listen to Bill talk about how he and his wife settled upon St. Lucia for their retirement home and how a simple ham radio setup eventually became two towers, a SteppIR antenna, Elecraft K4's, and more. Even if you're not planning a trip, hearing the story behind your QSO with J68HZ (or J62K in the recent CQ WPX SSB contest) will surely put a smile on your face.  Thank you for joining us and subscribing to W1DED Worldwide Ham Radio where we bring you (at least) one interview with an experienced ham radio operator every week. 73, Kevin W1DED

CQ WPX SSB Wrap-up with the Contest Crew + Tim N6WIN

The Contest Crew was busy during the recent CQ WPX SSB contest. Chris KL9A brought together a multi-single team from his Montana station KM7W. Dan N6MJ was single op from ND7K in Arizona. And Randy K5ZD was part of the V47T multi-single team on St. Kitts.  You can skip the 3830scores.com comments and listen directly to the Crew talk about WPX in this episode. Since Chris was off doing a post contest vacation with his family, teammate Tim N6WIN sat in to represent the Shawmut Montana effort. Tim is also the station owner/builder of ND7K so his contribution to this episode was expansive. This conversation is packed with contest perspective, operating tips and team leadership advice. Please join us for the conversation and subscribe to the channel. 73, W1DED

Special Event: Autism Awareness Week with James Gallo KB2FMH

James Gallo works tirelessly for ham radio. He seems to effortlessly, and simultaneously, support DXpeditions, Parks on the Air, and Special Events while also championing individual ham radio operators around the world. So, I wasn't surprised when James called to tell me about his recent efforts to create an international Special Event station (W2A is the American callsign) to support Autism Awareness during the week of April 1-7, 2024. James asked for an opportunity to talk about his plan in a short interview. If you want to learn more, go to W2A on QRZ.  There will be information there on how you can sign up to support James and expand international awareness of autism.

Montana Ranchin’: Building Your Dream Station with KL9A and the Contest Crew

Christopher Hurlbut KL9A has plans to get off the contest "travel circuit" and focus on his own contest station, the "Ranch" in remote Montana.  In this eighth episode of the Contest Crew, Chris talks about his plans for the Ranch while crew members Scott Wright K0MD and Daniel Craig N6MJ add commentary about their own stations as well as Dan's contest station go-to, ND7K.  You'll hear the decision process these contesters made in designing, building and evolving their stations while  making clear that your station depends greatly upon your operating needs, physical limitations and budget. Please join the contest crew for their station building insight and subscribe to the channel if you like what you see and hear. 73, Kevin W1DED

Do Contests Need to Change? Kyle Krieg AA0Z Makes His Case

Kyle Krieg AA0Z has made it clear how he feels about contests. He loves the idea of them, competes in them, and firmly believes that they need to change. And, he's not quiet about his views. You've probably heard him in online forums, on social media, and on his own YouTube channel. When I started the Contest Crew series, unsurprisingly, Kyle emerged as a loyal viewer and a persistent reminder of the "contests need to get with the times" mantra. Fully aware of the dust that might get kicked up, I invited Kyle to join me to talk about his ideas for contesting. None of the ideas Kyle presents are crazy, although he admits that he has some of those, too.  Ham radio operators like Kyle, with his ideas about change, can be good for everyone. Take a listen and share your comments below.

Elecraft Co-Founder Eric Swartz WA6HHQ

CR6K: CT1ILT takes his Family Station to New Heights

To understand world-class radiosport contester Filipe Lopes, CT1ILT, you need only look toward his father, Jose, CT1CJJ. Jose was the role model that showed young Filipe the joy of morse code, the thrill (and preparation) of IOTA DXpeditions, the value of hard work in building a station and, most importantly, the camaraderie that comes with close ham radio friends. Filipe is now contributing his own unique skills to station building and innovation, bringing his close friends together to operate, and achieving extraordinary results in contesting with two (so far) appearances at the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC). If you participate in contests, you almost certainly have Filipe's family contest station, CR6K, in your log multiple times.

So You Want to Contest? The Contest Crew Tells You How

After one of our past Contest Crew conversations, Doug Grant K1DG, fired off an email reminding me that there are resources available to contesters - a book that he wrote (and that the ARRL publishes), and Contest University. So, I asked him to come on the show to talk about those resources. Doug is a worthy contest educator given his participation in 5 World Radiosport Team Championships (he medaled in 3) and his well earned place in the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. We also talk about learning options if you can't travel all the way to Xenia Ohio or just can't get the gumption to crack the tome that is "Contesting for Beginners" or the dense compilation of Contest University powerpoint slides. The bottomline is that you'll have plenty of options - including subscribing to this YouTube channel - if you want to learn about ham radio contesting. Thanks for joining the Crew for Episode 5.

2024 ARRL DX CW, Setting Goals, Moving Mults, and Having Fun

Episode 3 brought the entire Contest Crew together from their far-flung corners of the United States: Scott K0MD from Minnesota, Randy K5ZD from Massachusetts, Dan N6MJ from California and Chris from Montana. The conversation focused on plans for the upcoming ARRL DX CW contest as well as tips to stay motivated, the art of multiplier moving, station rivalries, multi-op vs single-op, WRTC qualifying, club participation and Randy's unique version of non-serious contesting. The only thing better than this crew's decades of ham radio contesting experience is the friendly, fun-loving dynamic that is self-evident when they get together  - even virtually. Whether you're a veteran contester, or a newcomer to radiosport, please join us for our weekly, informal gathering of the Contest Crew. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the channel. If you have questions for the Crew, send them to W1DED via my email address on QRZ. 73, Kevin