so ive been doing contests for about 3 years now mostly single op on one radio and doing okay, usually finish somewhere in the middle of the pack for my category. my rates are decent during the opening hours but i fall apart in the slow periods and i think thats where SO2R guys are killing me. like during a slow stretch on 20m they can just flip to 15 and work a run there while keeping the freq on 20. makes sense in theory but i dunno if its actually worth the setup headache for someone whos not super serious about it.

my current setup is a k3 and an ic-7300 sitting there doing basically nothing during contests. i have two antennas that are reasonably separate so the RFI issue is maybe manageable? i tried running both radios once and it was a mess, couldnt keep track of what i was doing on either one. wondering if its more of a practice thing or if theres some software/hardware trick that makes it less chaotic. im using n1mm and i know it has SO2R support but havent dug into it yet.

also curious if anyone has tips for rate optimization that dont involve SO2R because honestly even getting my single radio strategy better would probably help more at my skill level. like when do you decide to stop running and go SandP, that kind of thing.

SO2R is absolutely a practice thing, dont let anyone tell you otherwise. the first few contests you try it you will be a disaster, thats just the reality. your brain isnt wired to track two QSO streams at once so it takes time to build that muscle. i spent probably 4 or 5 contests just using the second radio to listen and spot mults before i actually tried to work anything on it simultaneously.

the k3 plus 7300 combo is actually pretty solid for this since the k3 has the audio routing flexibility you need. biggest thing before anything else is getting your antenna isolation sorted because if you're transmitting on one and it's wiping out the other radio you cant do anything useful. there are bandpass filter setups like the dunestar or 4o3a stuff that help a lot depending on how your antennas are situated.

on the rate question without SO2R, the run vs SandP decision really comes down to watching your rate meter in n1mm. i use a 10 minute rolling average and if it drops below like 60-70 on phone or 80-90 on cw i start thinking about moving. but also check if the band is actually dying or if its just a lull, sometimes waiting it out pays off especially if you have a good freq. holding a run freq during a slow period is sometimes the right call because you spent effort getting it and itll pick back up.

honestly for a casual contester i wouldnt bother with SO2R until single radio operation feels completely automatic. like if youre still thinking about logging or CW sending or whatever during a run, adding a second radio is just going to wreck both your rate and your sanity. the guys doing SO2R well have been contesting for years and even then it took them a while to get smooth at it.

one thing that helped my rate a lot more than any fancy setup was just getting better at the rhythm of a run, keeping the exchange tight, not chatting, calling CQ again fast after a QSO. sounds obvious but i was definitely leaving time on the table with sloppy exchanges early on. also knowing when a band is actually about to open or close from experience, you get a feel for it after enough contests and you can position yourself better.