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I am the president of a small school club. We plan an participating in the ARRL SSB Sweepstakes this weekend, which is our (new) club's first real multi-op contest effort.
How do multioperator/club contest stations with only one transceiver usually operate? Is it common practice to have one person handling the radio while having another logs? I was thinking of setting up some parts of the contest up like that.
My advice won't necessarily be good for a competitive score, but here is what I've found from running a school Club station during Sweepstakes.
The main thing is to have fun! Don't take it too seriously if it's your (or anyone that's operating) first time contesting.
For running multi op, it really depends on how many people you have and their experience level and time availability.
If you have people who are completely new, then it usually helps to have two pairs of ears listening with one person operating while the other logs the contacts. Two people at the radio means that there is a double check on the exchange, and that it's easy to swap positions for a break.
That being said, it isn't that hard to log and operate at the same time. I prefer working alone, and use the multi op to avoid spending a whole day in the station.
When I was not licensed I helped in a contest with taking logs, also as a newbie that helped me train my ear on weak ssb stations.
I would recommend to try a similar approach, because this allows you to have more kids actually help. If everyone takes notes you can later compare these to weed out mistakes.
