WQ6X offers REMEDIES for Reasons Why YOU Should NoT Call Me

Frustration over the 2nd contest weekend brought back memories regarding why much of the time, stations should NoT call me.  ([CLICK HERE] to see what I have previously written on this subject.

It occurred to me that the above Blogs have said all there really is to say on the subject of
Why You Should NoT Call Me.  This last weekend brought us the OP's S/E of Anza who
called in after my CQ JA NX6T NX6T call.  They heard me sending my Zone, so they 
sent me THEIR Zone. 

My opening question is of course "DO YOU KNOW WHAT CQ JA Means?"......
Instead of circling endless in that logic pool, allow me to offer some simple preventative
 remedies to the above circle.

For starters, when you hear a CQ call (Ex: CQ NA, CQ JA, CQ EU) do you understand what
they mean?  If NoT then you should NoT call in.  The correct action is to look up the CQ call
on the internet and follow the links to the rules for the event.

That Right - it all begins with RTFR - Read The Contest Rules.  From the rules, you will know
who to call and who not to call.  Make note how many points you get for contacting stations in/out
of your country/continent

Overall things to consider include:

• Devise a band plan 
  --- Upper bands in the daytime
  --- Lower bands after sunset
  --- 20-meters and Greyline are unique unto themselves.
• If antennas are rotatable, set them to the proper azimuth heading.

If you like calling CQ, appropriate to the event, you can devise an appropriate CQ call:

• CQ GA  WQ6X/6   WQ6X/CA
  Transl: I am looking for stations in GA.
  WQ6X is in California - the 6th Call area.
  WQ6X is NoT in GA - he is LOOKing for GA.

NoW - when you call CQ, be prepared for Billy-Bob and his brother Barney to wanna
join in the fun - whatever THAT is.  Remember this: Just because you should not call ME,
doesn't necessarily mean that you should not call others.

When nothing else seems to work, consider pointing antennas in a long path (LP) direction relative
to the QTH areas you are looking for.  I've lost count of the number of times I turn the stacked yagi arrays to VK/ZL only to have OH & SM stations call in - LOUD and CLEAR!

In summary, it ALL begins with:

• Visit the WA7BNM Contest Calendar - click on a contest to your liking
  
• Visit that contest website and RTFR - read the rules of that specific event.
• Write a participation plan.  Be prepared to alter the plan details as
  the event progresses.
• After the contest, submit your log and post your score to the
  3830 Scores website.

Radiosport involvement can be a high-energy, high-functioning activity when
we have Read the Rules and organized a specific plan to make it happen throughout
the contest weekend.

StaY TuNeD for Further Thoughts on this unique topic.