CW contest simulator
The same short exchange every time, as fast and as often as possible. That is exactly why contest operating is so good to practice on.
The exchange
It does not get shorter than this:
DL1ABC 5NN 042
Callsign, report, serial number. 5NN is 599 in contest shorthand - N instead of 9, because it is shorter and everyone expects it. The report is therefore no longer information but form; so only what actually carries something is asked for: callsign and number.
The number is the other station's. It counts its own contacts, not yours - which is why it does not start at one.
Why an error costs minus one
That is the rule of every real contest, and it is the reason contest operating teaches accuracy at all.
Without a penalty, guessing would be the best strategy: logging on a hunch instead of asking saves time and costs nothing. The exercise would then teach the opposite of what it is for. With a penalty the arithmetic flips - an uncertain entry costs double, and asking becomes cheaper than guessing.
That trade-off is the actual skill in contesting, and it cannot be practiced if mistakes are free.
Rate and time per contact
The rate is extrapolated to the hour even if you only run five minutes. That is how it is always quoted in contests, and it is the only way five and thirty minutes can be compared.
Time per contact often says more: it does not depend on the length of the run and shows immediately where things stick. Anyone sitting at 40 seconds is almost never losing the time while listening, but while hesitating before logging.
Not a rebuild of any particular event
What runs here is contest operating, not a reconstruction of a specific contest. Real rules have their own multipliers, time windows and names, and those belong to the people who run them.
The exchange here is the smallest that genuinely occurs. Master it and you will cope in any contest - you read the rules beforehand, but not the copying.
Frequently asked questions
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Do I have to type 5NN?
No, but it does no harm either. If you type it out of habit you are not marked wrong for it - it is filtered out, because it is never anything else.
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Why may I not repeat on the fast setting?
You may always repeat. On the fast setting there is only a note that it rarely happens in real operating: asking costs time, and at 30 WPM the good ones finish a contact in ten seconds.
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Five minutes is so short.
And still more tiring than you expect. Contesting is concentration without a break; after five minutes you understand why a 48-hour contest is a sport of its own. Fifteen and thirty minutes are available too.
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Why does the number not start at one?
Because it is the other station's number. It counts its own contacts - if it works you as its 137th station, it sends 137, no matter that you have only just started.