so i got my general back in the spring and ive been mostly just doing ragchews on 40m and some digital stuff but a buddy at the club keeps telling me i need to try contesting and honestly i think hes right. i looked at the calendar and theres just so much going on between now and the end of the year it's kind of overwhelming.

CQ WW is obviously the big one everyone talks about, and i know ARRL Field Day happened already (missed it this year, still kinda bummed about that) but from what i understand theres a whole bunch of stuff between now and december. someone mentioned the ARRL Sweepstakes and some state QSO parties and then theres the 10m contest in december i think.

i guess my question is do i just jump into CQ WW as a first contest or is that like showing up to your first 5k and running a marathon instead. also i do a little SOTA stuff and i know some people combine that somehow with contests but i have no idea how that works exactly. my setup is pretty modest, just a dipole up about 25 feet and a 100w radio so i dont know if thats even competitive or if ill just be spinning my wheels calling CQ and getting nothing back.

any advice from people who actually do this stuff regularly would be great

honestly CQ WW as a first contest isnt a bad idea at all, especially if you operate search and pound instead of running. just tune around, find a station youcan work, give your call, log it and move on. you dont have to sit on a frequency and call CQ for hours. with a dipole at 25 feet youll still make contacts, maybe not thousands but youll get a feel for how it all works and that's really the point the first time through.

the SOTA crossover thing you mentioned is more of a portable/activation angle, like people will go up a summit during a contest and both activate the summit for SOTA points AND try to make contest QSOs at the same time. its a bit more to juggle but some guys love it. id probably separate those two things until youre comfortable with each one on its own first.

state QSO parties are actually a really nice starting point if you want something a little lower pressure than CQ WW. smaller pool of stations, usually single band or shorter operating windows, easier to follow whats going on. check if your state has one coming up, most states do theirs in the fall.

field day next year, mark it on your calendar now and dont miss it. its not technically a contest in the traditional sense but it feels like one and its just a great way to get thrown into the deep end with a bunch of people around to help. most clubs are super welcoming for new operators during field day and you can literally just sit down next to someone and learn the whole log-hand-off rhythm before you ever have to call on your own.

also 100 watts and a dipole is totally fine, i worked europe on CQ WW with less than that a few years ago. conditions matter way more than gear most of the time, especially on 15 and 10 when theyre open.