so after about two years of just listening and doing local nets i finally decided to jump into CQ WW SSB this october. ive heard people talk about it forever and my elmer keeps saying its the best way to really learn how to work DX so i figured why not just do it. i dont have anything crazy, just a dipole up about 30 feet and a 100w radio, nothing special.

my question is basically just... how overwhelming is it really for a first timer? like i know the bands are going to be absolutely packed and everyone always talks about how intense it gets but i dont know if thats relative to other contests or if its genuinely a different experience. also is there any reason NOT to just submit a log even if my score is tiny? i feel like i should at least document that i participated. also curious if anyone has done both CQ WW and ARRL Field Day and which one felt more beginner friendly as a first contesting experience

anyway just looking for any general advice or things i wish i knew going in type stuff

oh man CQ WW is definitely the deep end of the pool for a first contest lol but honestly thats not a bad thing. your setup is totally fine for getting started, dipole and 100w will work you plenty of stations especially if conditions cooperate. the bands DO get insane on the opening weekend, like genuinely wall to wall signals on 20m, but just tune around and when you hear something you can pull out of the noise just call them. dont stress about rate or anything like that your first time through.

yes absolutely submit your log even if you only make 50 contacts. the cabrillo format is easy to figure out and most logging software like N1MM will generate it automatically. every log helps with checking and the log checking process and honestly its just a good habit to get into.

as for field day vs CQ WW, field day is way more relaxed in my opinion. its more of a club social event that happens to be a contest, you can wander over get a hot dog and make a few contacts without any pressure. CQ WW is a real contest with real stakes for a lot of people so the energy is completely different. but both are worth doing

i did my first contest last year and it was actually field day not CQ WW, went with a club which helped a lot because people kind of showed me what to do. i think if you can find a club operating CQ WW and just sit next to someone for a few hours first that makes a huge difference. also SOTA isnt really a contest but if you want something lower key to practice making quick efficient contacts before CQ WW it might be worth trying an activation, forces you to get comfortable with the back and forth without the pile up pressure