CQWW DX CW 2007 STRATEGY

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

So what's your operating plan for the CQWW DX CW contest?

That's a fairly generic question, but one that will have a lot of different answers from the forty CQ Zones. But it does beg a larger issue - what is your strategy for this contest?

"For me the keys are handling high rate hours and finding and moving mults," said Andy Faber AE6Y, who will again operate this year from Aruba as P49Y.

"Last year was my first ever CQWW CW and I got beat pretty handily by N6AA and W2GD (P40T and P40W)" said Faber, who laid out for radio-sport.net the basics of his 2007 plans.

"You clearly have to work as much Europe as possible, leaving the US on the high bands for late afternoon runs," said Faber. "I suspect that EU could be as little as 25 percent of contacts, all depending on conditions."

"10 meters will play a key role once again," says veteran contester Martti Laine OH2BH, who says the difference can be "those who can get a piece of (10m) and those that would not."

"In general the balance is critical," says Laine. "Have access to 10 meters nearby the Equator and at the same time catch the volume of contacts available on 160 and 80 meters."

When it comes to QRP contesting, things are a bit different. Paul Young K1XM will be back in Senegal this year as 6V7D, but he'll be running only 5 watts there for the first time.

"A big score will require that I be able to run," says Young, who finished second in the world in low power in 2006. "I don't know how well I will be able to (run) QRP but it will be interesting to find out."

"Last year the US and Europe could not work each other on 10 meters but I had more than 900 QSO's on that band low power," said Young. "I'm hoping I can run (QRP) on 10."

For many operators, there is always the unsettling question, how much should you run and how often should you search and pounce.

"I've usually had more country multipliers than other top competitors," says Marvin Bloomquist N5AW, who will be SOAB low power again this year.

"That may mean I'm spending too much time on S&P and not enough running, but that is always a trade off." Bloomquist adds, "I don't use DX spotting in my non-contest operating which I feel improves my ability to find multipliers in a contest."

Even contest veterans like Jeff Briggs VY2ZM/K1ZM sometimes wonder why they missed mults here and there.

"I probably could have improved my (CQWW SSB) score by 5-10% if I had managed to pick up things like JA on 80 and 40, ZL on 80 and 20."

Briggs' brothers were at VP2MDG during the SSB test - and yet Briggs missed them on 80, 20 and 15 meters. "I don't know how I managed to miss them on three bands!"

Those operating with a second radio also can struggle to maintain a balance between running and grabbing mults SO2R.

"(I) need to make sure that I don't get distracted during peak running time," says Andy Cook G4PIQ, who will be M6T again in the CW test. "There are only limited periods to put big blocks of 3-pointers into the log."

"I don’t think there is anything particularly secret about my strategy," said Joseph "Bud" Trench, who laid out for radio-sport.net how he plans out his operating time.

"I focus on the math of the contest," said Trench, who gives himself goals and operating scenarios for the entire contest.

"I believe in planning and tracking my performance. My goals are posted where I can see them," said Trench.

Trench's plans have certainly worked. He has won the World Low Power title five times, including the last two CQWW DX CW contests.