so i've been licensed about 8 months now and ive been doing some of the smaller state QSO parties just to get a feel for things but honestly CQ WW is kind of intimidating me. the sheer number of stations calling is wild, i tried tuning around during last years event just to listen and it was wall to wall signals on 20m. i barely knew what was happening.

my setup is pretty modest, running a 100w into a dipole up about 30 feet. i know im not going to win anything but i kind of just want to participate and maybe work some DX i wouldnt normally get. is it even worth jumping in with this kind of station or will i just get buried? also curious how people handle logging during a contest like that, im still using paper for most of my operating which probably isnt ideal

also totally unrelated but does anyone know if ARRL Field Day counts as a contest or not, i keep getting different answers on that

jump in absolutely, dont let the modest station stop you. honestly some of my best DX contacts came during CQ WW running similar power to what you have. the big stations are calling CQ constantly so you dont even have to fight for a frequency, just tune to one of them and throw your call in. youll get through more often than you think especially if you pick your timing, like right after a pile dies down a little.

for logging definitely get N1MM+ before the contest, its free and once you get it configured it makes everything so much easier. paper logging during CQ WW would drive me insane personally, keeping track of the zones alone is a headache. give yourself an evening to play with N1MM before the contest weekend and youll be fine.

and yeah the Field Day debate is a whole thing, technically ARRL calls it an operating event not a contest but it kind of... is one? the scoring and competition aspect is there, just the purpose is supposed to be about emergency preparedness and getting people on the air. i just call it a contest and move on honestly

SOTA is worth looking into too if you havent already, its a completely different vibe from the big contests but super addicting. nothing like lugging a radio up a summit and making contacts. way less stressful than trying to work a pileup during CQ WW haha

but yeah for your actual question, just get on and try it. worst case you make a few contacts and have fun, best case you surprise yourself