With the CQ World Wide DX SSB contest coming up October 25-26, I'm starting to get excited about what might be my first serious effort in the Single Operator category. CQ WW really is the heartbeat weekend of HF - 48 hours when the entire world speaks the same language: 'CQ Contest'. I've been working on improving my antenna setup since last year and curious what others are planning. Anyone have tips for a relative newcomer to the big contests?

Welcome to the big leagues! My advice: tune, call once, listen, and log. If you work someone, try them again on another band. Don't get discouraged by the rate - even 100 watts can go far when propagation smiles. What's your antenna situation looking like?

This will be my third CQ WW and I'm still learning something new each time! If you know a new operator, invite them over for an hour at the mic. Even a few hours on the air will teach you something. Planning to run my IC-7300 and dipole - nothing fancy but it works.

CQ WW was actually my introduction to contesting three years ago and got me hooked. From 160 to 10 meters, you hear the world wake up and go to sleep as the bands open and close. You learn where signals bend, which paths open at grayline. Start with manageable goals and have fun!