Contest Tips, Tricks & Techniques by Gary Sutcliffe, W9XT (w9xt@qth.com). Gary discusses some of the everyday problems that contesters encounter: family problems, overcoming fatigue during long contests, ergonomics, avoiding bonehead mistakes, designing portable antennas for Field Day, surviving the years at the bottom of the sunspot cycle, developing effective skills at small stations and much more. He always includes valuable comments from accomplished contesters interested in getting the newcomer off to a good start.

NCJ Profiles by Scott Robbins, W4PA (w4pa@yahoo.com). A well-known contester shares his background, contest philosophies and valuable life lessons with Scott. These articles provide readers entertaining insight into what makes a superb contester "tick."

NCJ Stations by Scott Robbins, W4PA (w4pa@yahoo.com). Scott gives us the details of the contest stations behind the call signs, not only in the U.S., but also throughout the world. Use this form to suggest a contest station you think should be profiled.

DX Contest Activity Announcements by Bill Feidt, NG3K (bill@ng3k.com). Bill maintains a regularly updated published list of DXpeditions planned for major contests. This is a great tool to see what other contesters may be planning for the contest season, or to determine the chances of working a DX-Venture to a rare contest multiplier.

VHF-UHF Contesting! by Jon Jones, NØJK (n0jk@hotmail.com). Jon enjoys contesting on the bands above 28 MHz, as do a growing number of hams. In his column, Jon highlights some VHF/UHF operating technique or recent contest. He includes many tips from others that share the same passion for contesting in the upper reaches of the RF spectrum.

Propagation by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA (k9la@gte.net). Carl explores the mysteries of RF propagation with respect to contest activities. He takes the highly technical science of RF propagation and breaks it down into terms we all can understand. From this column, you will learn how to grow your scores by making smart decisions about what bands to use at what times.

RTTY Contesting by Don Hill, AA5AU (aa5au@bellsouth.net). Read about contesting activities and fellow contesters on the digital modes. Learn about RTTY tips, tricks and techniques. Join Don in his column and find out interesting information about this growing niche in contesting.

Contesting on a Budget by Paul Schaffenberger, K5AF (PaulKB8N@aol.com). Is your budget for contesting kind of small? Do you often wonder how to get the most bang for your contesting buck? Join Paul as he discusses ways to fit your contesting needs into your budget.

Contest Calendar by Bruce Horn, WA7BNM (bhorn@hornucopia.com). Bruce provides a valuable service for all contesters by listing domestic and international contests in the coming months. This column will allow you to plan ahead with the boss and family to ensure that you do not miss your favorite contests. We suspect if you look through the list closely, you will discover some fun contests you did not even know existed!

Software for Contesters by Pete Smith, N4ZR (n4zr@contesting.com). In this column, Pete will feature some of the free and low-cost software that is available out there, and encourage you to see how these programs can bring added convenience, information, and just plain fun to your contesting.

Workshop Chronicles by Don Daso, K4ZA (k4za@juno.com). Don's column is based on his column, The Toolbox, that runs in the PVRC newsletter. Join Don with practical discussions of many of our peripheral items that we use in our contesting endeavors.

Contesting 101 by Kirk Pickering, K4RO (k4ro@k4ro.net). Kirk's column is targeted to those who may be just getting started in contesting and may be slightly intimidated by all the highly competitive equipment and techniques described elsewhere in the NCJ. Kirk's clear, friendly style will help the newcomer become more comfortable as they begin to see what the fun of contesting is all about.