What Is A Contest On Ham Radio? HF/VHF/UHF/SHF, And What Are They Doing? 

thanks dude im now listening in but if u didnt make this video i wouldent known that today was the radio contest testing today wow thanks for helping me

I want to contest a little, but only to better learn my equipment. After I know how to operate better on my own, I only want to contest against myself! I appreciate this video, because I learned some things from it!!!

I tried "contesting" a couple of times a long time ago. Decided it was not for me. I enjoy QRP SSB on 2 and 6 meters, mostly. Just nice to "rag chew" and make new acquaintances. Thanks for explaining this to the newcomers! 73 de Karl, VE3GUN FN04

I have been a HAM radio operator since 2019. I have been cotesting from then until now. It is doable for techs to do this. I am a General class operator and this past weekend I logged 119 contacts alone on 10 meters. Tech class operators just have to watch the band plan (28.300-28.500). So yeah if you are a tech operator it is a great way to get your feet wet. Just read the contest rules first before participating. Helpful resource is the WA7BNM contest calendar to read the rules. One more thing you want to work DX before major contest? Get on the radio prior to a major contest. DX stations stations will be on the air setting up their equipment and calling CQ.

Good videos today. It's like we're hanging with Eric on a Sunday afternoon. 👍 RUGER

Thanks for the video. I have been a Ham for over 20 years and never understood the whole contesting thing. I have been mostly doing emergency communications.

Just get on the air and have fun. I run barefoot 5w and I love it Great video Motters M7TRS 73 👍🏻

You obviously still have a job. Otherwise you'd hear from zero dark thirty to dinner 40 and 80 are pretty much entirely rag chew. The bad is its guys who know each other with little opportunity to talk for an outsider. Don't you ever hear somebody try to extend a contact during a contest? I usually feel bad for them. Ham radio is, to me, a lot like pen pals were long ago. Meet and talk to strangers and expand your worldview. Contests don't allow it. And totally agree on FT8. You set it up and it runs itself. You can make it change bands during the day to fit propagation. Automatically.

Your channel encouraged me to get my Ham License. How you not explain radios and bands got me hooked me on the hobby. Keep these videos coming and the podcasts. Love your content, sir.

So I participated in the contest to the degree that I wanted to see how the 705 on a Buddipole (no coils) would do, casually. I spent an hour or so yesterday and an hour or so today, search and pounce. I got some DX I didn’t have, so it’ll work towards ARRL DXCC. And working ARRL DX Phone contest weekend really makes you figure out the filters on your radio really quickly too 🤣

I guess to each his/her own but contest aren’t for me. Like some of the other comments I enjoy a rag chew better than your 5/9 qrz. But that’s me. 😉 thanks to your video on 10 am I did dial around on 10 am some. Nice to here someone on the Am part. Ham radio has something for all of us! 73 Kf4zqw

Thanks to you - I fired up the radio and made contact with that guy who was doing RTTY on 10m, an hour ago!! Also was able to reach a winlink gateway 1,500 miles away!

I have no interest in competing but once I get a better antenna up I'd enjoy hearing all the traffic from all over the place from time to time.

I don't participate in the contests for points but use them for logging countries that I don't have. Last week was just crazy on 10 meters.

I like contest because I get to test my new dipole I just put up or use my old IC-761 with only 100w and I get to see who can hear me. Thanks for another Great video! de W2CSI

Nice info sir all the best 73s M7CVK

Thanks for the explanation on this. Enjoy your vids, whatever they are about.

I just made my first dx contact Saturday. Croatia on 10 meters. I want to get over the excitement so I can better qso! Lol

Just wanted to reach out and say thank you for inspiring me to get into the hobby. If it wasn't for you, HRCC, K6ARK, and a few others, I would have never had my interest rekindled. 73 de KQ4ECF

The way some of these guys act during the contest, They don't need a piece of paper, they need a coloring book

Skip land, skip land! Reminds me of cb on 10 right now!

Please continue to make videos for people who have just started. Get back to basics on a regular basis. I am a Tech having a ball on 10m. 10m is my gateway drug. I have to pack the radio up and put it away to get anything else done. Not always sure what they are saying during contests and if they want to hear from me. I did winter field day from home and that was great. Guess I am not a purest but having a ball. Thanks for the videos. KD2UTJ.

Very helpful!

It's not necessarily about a piece of paper, award, etc ..most contestors are competitive in nature plus it's fun...and if you've never been on the DX side of a contest, you don't know what you're missing...it's fun, rewarding, and competitive...most big contest clubs compete with each other...it's truly a contact sport! Not for everybody but please don't judge an op with a competitive bone

The contest should be who can have the most fun

A tech here now studying for my general. Hope there’s more to it than contesting. On a side note, what is your “field antenna” setup for your RV? I’d like to have a setup for my RV when I camp. Thx 👍🏻

Well said.

I'm just like DeWayne (KO4VNX). I do contesting to work DX on my stealth antenna system at 100W. I have even done some contests on 5W - and worked Galapagos Islands! The reason I do it is not to win awards (I almost NEVER get awards), but I like to make a lot of DX contacts with 100W and a short wire. I also like to play around building radios and am planning to do POTA this year.

Here this was the first year I did winter heat which is on the air all month long in January. If you look it up it is a simplex radio event and I had a ton of fun. The idea is to make contact with simplex which as many people as you could. I found guys that would get on there with a few of they buddies, make those contacts and must have turned the radio off after that because I never could talk to them. Now I know it is not for rag chews but spend a few mins and see who else might be out there and not just talk to your buddies which I bet there were getting together on a repeater and then jumping on simplex for that contact and moved on

I am not licensed but I wan't to be able to operate if SHTF.

I use contests as proving grounds for my radios and my antennas, a great way to experiment

Been a ham since 1975 but ok. Inactive 1984-2022. Decided to try contesting. Nets not for me. Occasional rag chew ok. Going to try contesting. Don't care about awards.

I got Argentina on 100 watts barfoot on an end fed half wave antenna nothing fancy i currently have 120 confirmed contacts. Just on that simple set up. I also have currently 75 countries on POTA activations at anywhere from 5 watts to 100wats. Dont need a million dollar staion to have fun.

Forgot to mention that ARRL promotes contests as essential practice for emcomm. That is complete nonsense. Emcomm is far more local, usually a county level. Plus, imagine your emcomm messages....."KC3BLF from EOC, what's the status of Rt 78"...."EOC KC3BLF..5and9". Apparently that's all that's in a contester's vocabulary. I do find contests fun in the same way you do, though. One thing.....I try to log contest contacts and submit to LoTW or whatever if convenient. I only do this because some of these big guns trying to "win" get audited and I don't want my contact to be one that brings doubt to their contest entry. If the contest involves some special gyrations to submit...forget it.

There are very few hams that can do a repair on today's modern radios nor build a modern radio. I don't believe the guy that made that comment could repair or build a modern radio.

I'm a newbie. May I ask what does the numbers after saying 5 9 represent? For example, 5 9, 500 or 5 9, 100. Thank you.

Im from UK passed foundation november 2022 i hear contest stations on a weekend call CQ Contest then they give you a number at the end and then they asked me to give them a number back??? i dont understand what number im giving them or what its even for so i just say 001 and they repeat it and move on to the next person? can you clear this up for me? Thanks

Never participate in contests because it's the opposite of two amateurs conversing. It's one Operator's automatic keyer (or voice keyer) sending out CQ at 50 words per minute and another Operator's automatic keyer (or voice keyer) spewing out a call sign and "599." It's one laptop talking to another laptop. Have you ever asked a contest station to slow down to 10 to 15 wpm (or speak slower than rapid fire)? They ignore you and move on. If an operator won't slow down so I can interpret their code (or understand their call sign and report) they DON'T get my signal report and therefore lose the one or two points toward an award that I represent. They won't even slow down on the second day, when most people still on the bands are duplicates and I might be a new contact, or even a new multiplier. They don't even slow down for Field Day--which ARRL insists IS NOT a contest! Nope. I love amateur radio but have never participated in contests.

I have 0 Interest in contests I want ability

What is the K 500, 200 after the 5 9 ?

do not like FT8 it's born as watching paint dry 73