so ive been running single op for a few years now and my rates are decent, usually hovering around 80-100/hr during the peak hours of something like cqww or sweepstakes, but i keep reading about guys doing SO2R and the numbers they put up are just insane compared to what im doing with one radio. im running a k3 into a 3el yagi on 20 and a dipole for 40/80.

my question is basically whether SO2R is actually worth setting up if youre not already at the top of your game on one radio. like do you need to already be maximizing rate on radio 1 before radio 2 even matters, or does the second radio help even mediocre operators like me find more mults during slow periods. also the filtering and interference between two rigs running simultaneously seems like a nightmare to sort out, ive read about guys using separate antennas for each radio and bandpass filters but the cost adds up fast. is there a way to ease into it without spending 3k on a second station just to find out i hate it

honest answer - yeah you probably do want to be reasonably solid on radio 1 first. not because SO2R is impossible to learn otherwise, but because if you're still working on your basic operating rhythm, running a second vfo at the same time is just going to fracture your attention and your rate will actually drop. i watched that happen to a buddy of mine at a club multiop setup, he jumped on the second radio before he really had the first one dialed in and just kind of flailed around for an hour.

that said the mult hunting use case you mentioned is probably the easiest way to ease into it. during those slow Sunday afternoon doldrums when 20m is dying and 40 isnt open yet, having a second radio just sitting there S&P-ing for mults while you hold a run frequency is genuinely useful and doesnt require you to be doing full-speed SO2R. you dont need interlocks or anything crazy at that pace, just be smart about when you transmit. the bandpass filter thing is real though, if your antennas are within like 50-100 feet of each other you WILL have issues without them. the dunestar or 4o3a filters are the usual go-to but yeah they aint cheap.

i did something similar a couple years ago, used an old ic-7300 as my radio 2 just to try it without going all in. kept it on 15 or 10 while my main rig held a run on 20. honestly even that half-baked setup picked up maybe 20-30 extra mults over a full ww weekend that i wouldve missed just sitting on one band. wasnt doing anything fancy, no SO2R software integration, just manually flipping attention between the two when things got slow.

the intermod issue depends a lot on your antenna situation. my two antennas are on opposite sides of the house pointing different directions so i got lucky there, minimal bleedthrough even without dedicated bandpass filters. your mileage will obviously vary. id say borrow or beg a second rig for one contest before you buy anything and just see how it feels operationally.