RadioSport / Contesting:Amateur Radio’s Swiss Army Knife;

orExtreme Ham Radio?

Doug Grant, K1DG

What do YOU enjoy about ham radio?

• Working DX/chasing awards• Building a station• Hanging out with ham friends• Traffic handling• Emergency Comms• Ragchewing• Trying New Bands/Modes

RadioSport has all these!

Cut through pileups

Build a station

Sharpen operating skills

Hang out with ham friends

Be the Most Reliable In Emergency Comms

Screw around on new bands/modes

Punch your messages through

But it’s also EXTREME ! !• Learn how to crack pileups even with QRP• Work DXCC in a weekend• Make 400 QSOs in one hour• Learn how to make your signal loud, then

louder• Meet and learn from the big guns, then

become one of them!• And most importantly… have more fun!

The Best Thing About Radiosport

• Anyone can play!

• It doesn’t take a megabucks station• The big stations need QSOs from everyone!• Imagine being allowed to play in the

Olympics even if you are a casual jogger!

Trivia Quiz

Q: When was the first ham radio contest?

A: When the third guy got on the air!

Is this the station of a “Big Gun”?

WN1ICD, 1967

WPE1GZQ, 1966

Competition is a natural thing – otherwise there’d be no sports

• RadioSport is a lot like car racing; to win either, it takes:– Equipment– Operating skill– Experience– Luck

• And win or lose, you:– Learn– Make friends– Have fun

But winning is really great!

K1DG & K1AR win Gold Medal at WRTC1990 in Seattle

But winning (or anywhere on the medal stand)

is great!

K1DG & K1AR win Bronze Medals at WRTC2000 in Slovenia

But winning (or anywhere on the medal stand)

is great!

K1DG & N2NT win Bronze Medals at WRTC2006 in Brazil

Today’s Program• 1330 WA1Z  Planning and Evaluating Station Improvements • 1345 K1NU  Understanding Propagation • 1400 AD1C  Chasing DX and Associated Awards • 1415 WA1Z  Honing Your Operating Skills • 1430 K1TTT Resources/Tools Available for RadioSport • 1445 WA1Z  Logging and Automation Software Overview • 1500 K1IR  Competition - Setting Goals, Your First Contest • 1515 K1DG & K1RX Wrap Up and Invitation to RadioSport

Followed at 1530 (3:30 PM) by:

• General Meeting of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club New Contesters Welcome!

• Highlights:– FS5 DXpedition – Youth Scholarship Raffle Drawing

• Membership applications will be available and new members are welcome