so i finally sat down and actually participated in CQ WW SSB last weekend instead of just listening around and thinking 'maybe next time.' ive been licensed about 14 months and had been putting it off because honestly the contest environment seemed kind of intimidating - everyone moving so fast, the pile-ups, not knowing the exchange format properly.

ended up making like 87 contacts which i know isnt much compared to serious contesters but for me it felt like a huge deal. worked a few new countries too which was unexpected. japan came back to me on 15m and i literally just sat there for a second before responding because i wasnt ready lol. also got my first south american contacts which has been on my list for a while.

anyway the reason im posting is i want to do more of these and i'm looking at what's coming up. ARRL Sweepstakes is next right? and then i know CQ WW CW which i cant do yet but maybe next year. has anyone done both the SSB and CW weekends back to back - is that just exhausting or worth it? also been looking at Field Day rules again trying to understand how the scoring works for the class categories, it seems like operating from home is kind of disadvantaged compared to club setups which makes sense i guess.

also totally separate question but has anyone mixed SOTA activations into their contest planning? i was reading about some people doing SOTA during Field Day and apparently it counts for both logs if you do it right but im not 100% sure how that works

87 contacts for your first CQ WW is genuinely solid, dont sell yourself short. a lot of people freeze up or just give up after an hour when the rate slows down. the fact that you stuck with it and worked JA on 15 - that band was really cooking that weekend, good timing on your part.

Sweepstakes is yes the next big one, SS SSB is usually first then CW a couple weeks later. the exchange is different from CQ WW, you have to send a serial number, your precedence, callsign, check and section - it trips people up at first but once you do it a few times it clicks. i actually find SS more fun in some ways because its all north america so the contacts come faster if youre in a decent location.

doing both CW weekends is a personal thing. i did SS SSB and then SS CW back to back one year and by sunday afternoon of the CW weekend i was pretty fried. but some guys eat that stuff up. depends how into it you get.

the SOTA and Field Day overlap is real - some activators do log it for both but you need to make sure your Field Day contact exchange is right AND youre logging it as a SOTA summit contact separately. theyre two different logs. worth reading the ARRL FD rules on that specific scenario because there are some nuances with the bonus points

welcome to the rabbit hole haha. seriously once CQ WW gets you it doesnt let go. i remember my first one years ago and working japan felt like i had done something impossible. its not impossible obviously but in the moment it really does feel that way.

i cant speak much to the SOTA during field day question because ive never done a summit activation, thats a whole other world i keep meaning to get into but life keeps getting in the way. maybe someday. but i do know people who truck up to a summit for field day specifically and get a pile of points from it so it must be worth it if youre already into the outdoor operating thing.