Calendar
CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest CW
CW: 2200Z January 26 – 2200Z January 28, 2024
SSB: 2200Z February 23 – 2200Z February 25, 2024
Contest Objective: To encourage W/VE stations to expand their knowledge of DX propagation on the HF and MF bands, improve operating skills, and improve station capability by creating a competition in which DX stations may only contact W/VE stations. One contest period is CW-only and one is Phone-only. Use only the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10-meter bands.
W/VE amateurs: Work as many DX stations in as many DXCC entities as possible.
DX stations: Work as many W/VE stations in as many of the 48 contiguous states and provinces as possible.
Dates:
CW: Third full weekend in February (February 17-18, 2024).
Phone: First full weekend in March (March 2-3, 2024).
Contest Period: Begins 0000 UTC Saturday and runs through 2359 UTC Sunday.
Click here for the complete ARRL International DX Contest Rules (PDF)
For contest information contact or (860) 594-0232
CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest SSB
SSB: 2200Z February 23 – 2200Z February 25, 2024
Contest Objective: To encourage W/VE stations to expand their knowledge of DX propagation on the HF and MF bands, improve operating skills, and improve station capability by creating a competition in which DX stations may only contact W/VE stations. One contest period is CW-only and one is Phone-only. Use only the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10-meter bands.
W/VE amateurs: Work as many DX stations in as many DXCC entities as possible.
DX stations: Work as many W/VE stations in as many of the 48 contiguous states and provinces as possible.
Dates:
CW: Third full weekend in February (February 17-18, 2024).
Phone: First full weekend in March (March 2-3, 2024).
Contest Period: Begins 0000 UTC Saturday and runs through 2359 UTC Sunday.
Click here for the complete ARRL International DX Contest Rules (PDF)
For contest information contact or (860) 594-0232
Russian DX contest
(CW, SSB, mixed)
Dates: 1200Z, Mar 16 to 1200Z, Mar 17, 2024
CQ WPX
(CW, RTTY, SSB)
Dates: SSB: March 30 – 31, 2024
Dates: CW: May 25 – 26, 2024
Starts: 0000 UTC Saturday Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday
| 2023: 1200Z, Jul 8 – 1159Z, Jul 9 | Logs due: 1159Z Jul 16 |
Contact as many other amateurs, especially IARU member society HQ stations, around the world as possible using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10-meter bands.
Contest Objective: To support amateur self-training in radiocommunications including improving amateur operating skills, conducting technical investigations, and intercommunicating with other amateurs around the world, especially IARU member society headquarters stations, using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10-meter bands.
Dates: The second full weekend of July (July 8-9, 2023).
Contest Period: Begins 1200 UTC Saturday and runs through 1159 UTC Sunday. Both Single and Multioperator stations may operate for the entire 24-hour period.
Contest rules are now maintained as a single downloadable document.
Click here for the complete IARU HF World Championship Rules (PDF)
For contest information contact or (860) 594-0232
Exchange:
IARU member society HQ stations, such as W1AW, send signal reports and official IARU member society abbreviation as listed on the IARU website at https://www.iaru.org/reference/member-societies/. IARU International Secretariat club station NU1AW counts as a HQ station, and sends “IARU”. Members of the IARU Administrative Council and the three IARU regional Executive committees send “AC,” “R1,” ”R2,” and “R3” as appropriate.
All others send signal reports and ITU zones.
RSGB IOTA
Next RSGB IOTA Contest: 27-28 July 2024
The RSGB IOTA Contest, using the Islands on the Air concept, was created in 1993. This is now a major international event, attracting thousands of participants from all over the world. Radio Amateurs will be travelling to islands around the globe, and putting them on the air, making contacts with other islands and with those who are chasing islands.
Contest bands are 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m, both CW and phone. The duration is 24 hours, starting at 12:00 UTC on Saturday (1 p.m. UK time). Stations send a signal report and serial number, with stations on islands sending their IOTA reference number, described below.
The next RSGB IOTA Contest is 27-28 July 2024, and a guide for newcomers to the contests is at www.rsgbcc.org/hf/information/iotahelp.shtml .
The IOTA Contest is based on the RSGB Islands on the Air awards programme which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The IOTA idea was conceived in 1964 by British short wave listener Geoff Watts (SK), who imagined that those of us who live in crowded cities would love to set up a station on a sunny beach among palm trees. This prospect is appealing to Radio Amateurs, even if the island in question might not be further away from the UK mainland than the Isle of Wight!
Geoff realised that there were too many islands in the world to enumerate, so he grouped together islands, particularly when they were small. In the IOTA programme numbers are allocated to each group using a continental prefix. The basic IOTA award requires contacts with 100 islands and groups including at least one from each continent. Entrants can obtain award credit for QSOs made in the RSGB IOTA Contest.
The IOTA Reference, sent by Island Stations in the IOTA Contest, consists of two letters indicating the continent, and a number indicating the allocated reference within that continent.
For example:
EU115 EU = Europe Ireland
AF032 AF = Africa Zanzibar
AN003 AN = Antarctica Heard Island
AS020 AS = Asia Taiwan
NA107 NA = North America Martinique
OC225 OC = Oceania Turtle Islands
SA004 SA = South America Galapagos
This contest brings together those who like to put islands on the air, those who enjoy contesting, as well as those chasing islands for awards. Please join us for a great weekend!
Results: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the IOTA Contest
Getting started with the RSGB IOTA Contest
The IOTA website has a full list of IOTA islands, and other information relating to the IOTA program.
The RSGB shop (www.rsgb.org/shop) has the RSGB IOTA Directory.
To contact the IOTA Contest Manager, please email:
SSB is always the last full weekend of October.
2024: October 26 – 27
This is the Clubs only closed event for members and Guests only
The CQ WW is the largest Amateur Radio competition in the world. Over 35,000 participants take to the airwaves on the last weekend of October (SSB) and November (CW) with the goal of making as many contacts with as many different DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible.
https://www.cqww.com/rules.htm