Out of practice

I had a meeting that I had to attend this evening, but it concluded quite a bit earlier than I had anticipated. I was home by 8:00 PM, so I took the opportunity to participate in the monthly NAQCC sprint tonight. Something I haven't done in probably over a year.

I am way out of practice!!!  In the past, I would sit down for this contest and I would routinely bang out anywhere from 25 - 40 contacts. Tonight, I feel fortunate to have made 17. That's way down from my old normal.

And it just goes to show that if you want to succeed in a QRP sprint, or any other radio contest, for that matter, that it takes practice. Radio Sport, as our European friends call it, is not just something that you can sit down and "do".

It takes practice and a plan. In the old days, I would stake out a clear frequency and run stations. Tonight, I pretty much just searched and pounced. Not the most efficient for running up a score. I never got into a rhythm and the results show.

I will have to get back into the habit of participating in the "Big Three" each month - the ARS Spartan Sprint, the Run for the Bacon, and the NAQCC Sprint. Now that's the way to seriously fill up your logbook!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!