The SSB edition of the North American QSO Party — starting on Saturday, January 21 in 2023 — will be packed with action from hams with a wide range of contesting experience. Experienced contesters flock to the NAQPs to practice advanced SO2R (Single-Operator 2 Radio) techniques. Recently licensed hams looking to quickly earn credit toward awards such as Worked All States (WAS) turn up in big numbers. Operators with some experience and modest stations will be able to hold a run frequency and call CQ with success, as the 100-watt limit for all entrants help flatten the playing field. This month, let’s look at the messages and recording technologies that will lessen stress on your vocal cords and optimize your fun in any SSB contest.
Figure 1 shows five different methods of voice keying in a contest. All feature a memory component denoted by M that can record and play back short audio messages. With the “+” sign, I also identify the mixing or selection component that combines two audio sources.
shows a traditional voice memory keyer, such as the MFJ-434B, between the microphone and radio. The basic user interface is a set of buttons on the front of the voice keyer to allow initiation of playback and recording of contest messages; when the memory function is not being invoked, the unit passes audio through from the microphone to the
