At the moment I only have an HF receiver (or I will when I build it, hopefully soon). Are there any contests I can participate in, or ways for me to participate in a contest without borrowing a transmitter or working with an amateur who has one?
Welcome to Amateur Radio Stack Exchange
Amateur Radio Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for amateur radio enthusiasts. It's built and run by you as part of the Stack Exchange network of Q&A sites. With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question about amateur radio and the theory of radio communications.
We're a little bit different from other sites. Here's how:
Ask questions, get answers, no distractions
This site is all about getting answers. It's not a discussion forum. There's no chit-chat.
Just questions...
...and answers.
up vote
Good answers are voted up and rise to the top.
The best answers show up first so that they are always easy to find.
accept
The person who asked can mark one answer as "accepted".
Accepting doesn't mean it's the best answer, it just means that it worked for the person who asked.
Are there ways for people with receivers to participate in contests?
up vote
14
down vote
2 Answers
up vote
4
down vote
accept
There is a complete list of all Amateur contests at: http://www.hornucopia.com/. Some ham contests include a category for SWLs, others don't. Check the contest's rules at this site to see if includes an SWL category.
answered Apr 7 '16 at 22:31
VE3LXL
211 bronze badge
211 bronze badge
up vote
3
down vote
Most contests welcome logs from SWL especially when you are confirming the qso's and the values that are being sent.
I have (and continue) to issue ask cards for SWL-ers who confirm qso's I have made either in a contest or in normal mode.
answered Apr 10 '16 at 16:21
Tim Seed
2421 silver badge4 bronze badges
2421 silver badge4 bronze badges
Get answers to practical, detailed questions
Focus on questions about an actual problem you have faced. Include details about what you have tried and exactly what you are trying to do.
Ask about...
- The theory and practice of amateur radio, or the technology of radio
- Real problems or questions that you’ve encountered
Not all questions work well in our format. Avoid questions that are primarily opinion-based, or that are likely to generate discussion rather than answers.
Questions that need improvement may be closed until someone fixes them.
Don't ask about...
- Anything not directly related to amateur radio or the science and technology of radio
- Questions that are primarily opinion-based
- Questions with too many possible answers or that would require an extremely long answer
Tags make it easy to find interesting questions
All questions are tagged with their subject areas. Each can have up to 5 tags, since a question might be related to several subjects.
Click any tag to see a list of questions with that tag, or go to the tag list to browse for topics that interest you.
Are there ways for people with receivers to participate in contests?
up vote
14
down vote
At the moment I only have an HF receiver (or I will when I build it, hopefully soon). Are there any contests I can participate in, or ways for me to participate in a contest without borrowing a transmitter or working with an amateur who has one?
asked Dec 20 '13 at 17:26
Adam Davis
11.7k2 gold badges39 silver badges104 bronze badges
11.7k2 gold badges39 silver badges104 bronze badges
You earn reputation when people vote on your posts
Your reputation score goes up when others vote up your questions, answers and edits.
+10
question voted up
+10
answer voted up
+15
answer is accepted
+2
edit approved
As you earn reputation, you'll unlock new privileges like the ability to vote, comment, and even edit other people's posts.
| Reputation | Privilege |
|---|---|
| 15 | Vote up |
| 50 | Leave comments |
| 125 | Vote down (costs 1 rep on answers) |
At the highest levels, you'll have access to special moderation tools. You'll be able to work alongside our community moderators to keep the site focused and helpful.
| 500 | Vote to close, reopen, or migrate questions |
|---|---|
| 1000 | Edit other people's posts |
| 2000 | Access to moderation tools |
Improve posts by editing or commenting
Our goal is to have the best answers to every question, so if you see questions or answers that can be improved, you can edit them.
Use edits to fix mistakes, improve formatting, or clarify the meaning of a post.
up vote
9
down vote
There is a complete list of all Amateur contests at: http://www.hornucopia.com/. Some ham contests include a category for SWLs, others don't. Check the contest's rules at this site to see if includes an SWL category.
answered Apr 7 '16 at 22:31
VE3LXL
211 bronze badge
211 bronze badge
I hesitate to call that one "complete". For example, the Nordic Activity Contest does not appear to be listed. - user Apr 9 '16 at 22:32
Unlock badges for special achievements
Badges are special achievements you earn for participating on the site. They come in three levels: bronze, silver, and gold.
| Student | First question with score of 1 or more |
| Editor | First edit |
| Good Answer | Answer score of 25 or more |
| Civic Duty | Vote 300 or more times |
| Famous Question | Question with 10,000 views |
Sign up to get started
Signing up allows you to:
- Earn reputation when you help others with questions, answers and edits.
- Select favorite tags to customize your home page.
- Claim your first badge: Informed
Looking for more in-depth information on the site? Visit the Help Center
Amateur Radio Stack Exchange is part of the Stack Exchange network
Like this site? Stack Exchange is a network of 177 Q&A sites just like it. Check out the full list of sites.
Use comments to ask for more information or clarify a question or answer.
You can always comment on your own questions and answers. Once you earn 50 reputation, you can comment on anybody's post.
Remember: we're all here to learn, so be friendly and helpful!