With CQWW CW approaching in mere hours, I thought it might be prudent to post some of the "golden rules" for winning contests. These rules are applicable for any station, any category, and any contest.

1. STAY IN THE CHAIR! You aren't making points if you're in the hottub or walking the dog. Remember the equation: butt+chair=points.
2. CALL CQ! If you are a big gun, you should know this. If you are a little gun, you shouldn't be afraid to do this. If you are on the east coast, run EU! Running EU wins contests. If you are elsewhere, try to run towards wherever the points are flowing.
3. USE A SECOND RX! If you have a second VFO and dual rx, call CQ on one VFO and search with the other. If you don't have dual rx, bring in a second radio and hook it to a temporary vertical in the front yard. This can lead to enormous score benefits in the end.
4. ACCURACY NOT SPEED! CQWW is a contest about copying callsigns. The zones can be (and usually are) figured by the prefix -- most logging programs do this automatically now. There are penalties for busted callsigns, so take the time to get it right. Don't be afraid to send QRS if you need to (we should have all learned this is SS CW not too long ago).

Unfortunately, due to schedule conflicts, I will not be on much this weekend. I'm hoping to make it to K0RF's on Sunday for a bit, so hope to work y'all if I can. Good luck!