Contest Update Issue

The ARRL Contest Update for December 4, 2024 undefined

December 4, 2024


	ARRL Home Page


	Contest Update Archive


	Contest Calendar

In this Issue:

Upcoming Contests – Things to Do
Contest Summary
Sights and Sounds
Results and Records
Technical Topics and Discussion
Contests
Log Due Dates

Upcoming Contests – Things to Do

ARRL 160- and 10-Meter Contests

December brings two ARRL-sponsored single-band contests. The ARRL 160-Meter Contest begins this Friday, December 6 at 2200 UTC and concludes on Sunday, December 8 at 1559 UTC. Stations in the US (including Alaska, Hawaii, and US possessions) and Canada can contact any station; stations located overseas can only contact US and Canadian stations. Contacts may be made using the CW mode only. See the contest rules at arrl.org/160-meter for more information.

Next weekend, the ARRL 10-Meter Contest begins on Saturday, December 14 at 0000 UTC (Friday evening in North America), and concludes on Sunday, December 15 at 2359 UTC. Stations may contact any other station, regardless of location, using CW and phone. All stations send a signal report. Stations located in the US and Canada (including Alaska and Hawaii) send their state or province; Mexican stations send their state; DX stations send a serial number. Contest rules are available at contests.arrl.org/10m.

FT Challenge

The new FT Challenge is this weekend, beginning on Saturday, December 7 at 1800 UTC, and concluding on Sunday, December 8 at2359 UTC. The contest organizers recommend using the suggested contest sub-bands published in the rules at rttycontesting.com/ft-challenge/rules. Doing so reduces QRM in the normal FT4 and FT8 sub-bands and the chance of contacting a station that’s not participating in the contest that might not be sending the required exchange info.

– Thanks to Don Hill, AA5AU, and Ed Muns, W0YK.

Contest Summary

December 5

December 6

December 7

December 8

QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Sprint

December 9

December 10

December 11

December 12

CWops Test (CWT)

December 13

December 14

December 15

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest

December 16

December 17

December 18

Sights and Sounds

Mike Chalup, KC7HF, and his new neighbor, Rob Maticic, KI7PLB, joined forces for the 2024 ARRL November Sweepstakes – Phone. They, along with fellow Valley Radio Club members Scott Rosenfeld, N7JI, and Gabe Padron, N7XAX, operated from a portable station trailer located in Rob’s driveway.

KC7HP’s portable ham station trailer. [Michael Chalup, KC7HP, photo]

Results and Records

2024 RAC Canada Day Contest Results

The 2024 Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Canada Day Contest results are available at wp.rac.ca/contesting-results. Certificates can be downloaded by visiting contest.rac.ca/certificates.php. The contest organizers thank all who participated and hope to see you in the Canada Winter Contest on Saturday, December 28.

– Thanks to Bart Ritchie, VE5CPU

2024 Arizona QSO Party Results

The 2024 Arizona QSO Party (AZQP) Results and certificates are available at www.azqp.org. Participants can view the results and download certificates, including those for contacting the two special event stations, K7A and K7UGA.

– Thanks to Bill Clark, K6WSC

2024 California QSO Party Results

The California CSO Party (CQP) Chairman Dean Wood, N6DE, announced that phase one of the 2024 CQP results have been published at cqp.org/Results.html. Dean also notes that additional results files including club scores, the Video Challenge results, and certificates, will be available in early 2025.

2024 ARRL November Sweepstakes – Phone Raw Scores

The 2024 ARRL November Sweepstakes – Phone raw scores are available at contests.arrl.org/rawscores. Raw scores are computed before any log checking score reductions. These scores may differ from the claimed scores calculated by your contest logging software. If you find any errors or have questions, contact the ARRL Contest Program Manager at contests@arrl.org.

CQ World Wide DX Contest – CW Raw Scores

CQ World Wide (CQWW) Contest Director John Dorr, K1AR, has announced that the raw scores for the 2024 CQWW DX Contest – CW are now available at cqww.com/raw.htm?mode=cw.

2024 Oceania DX Contest Raw Scores

The raw scores for the 2024 Oceania DX (OCDX) Contest have been published at oceaniadxcontest.com. The OCDX Contest Committee is working on the log-checking and will compile the final results shortly.

–Thanks to Brian Miller, VK3MI/ZL1AZE

Technical Topics and Discussion

Modular Breadboard Snaps You into Benchtop Tidiness

Solderless breadboards are a fantastic tool for stirring creative juices. You can go from idea to prototype in a few seconds without ever touching the soldering iron. You can read more on the Hackaday article by Dan Maloney at hackaday.com/2024/12/02/modular-breadboard-snaps-you-into-benchtop-tidiness.

That's all for this time. Remember to send contesting-related stories, book reviews, tips, techniques, press releases, errata, schematics, club information, pictures, stories, blog links, and predictions to contest-update@arrl.org.

73, Paul, N1SFE

Contests

December 5, 2024 – December 18, 2024

An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral is available as a PDF. Check the sponsors' website for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions.

HF CONTESTS

QRP ARCI Topband Sprint, Dec 5, 0000z to Dec 5, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160; ARCI: RST + (state/province/country) + ARCI No., non-ARCI: RST + (state/province/country) + power out; Logs due: Dec 17.

Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest, Dec 5, 0000z to Dec 6, 0300z; CW; Bands: 40; Maximum 13 wpm, RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power); Logs due: Dec 12.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 5, 0300z to Dec 5, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 7.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 5, 0700z to Dec 5, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 7.

NRAU 10m Activity Contest, Dec 5, 1800z to Dec 5, 2200z; CW, SSB, FM, Digital; Bands: 10; RS(T) + 6-character grid square; Logs due: Dec 19.

SKCC Sprint Europe, Dec 5, 2000z to Dec 5, 2200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Dec 12.

NCCC FT4 Sprint, Dec 6, 0100z to Dec 6, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: Dec 8.

Weekly RTTY Test, Dec 6, 0145z to Dec 6, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 8.

QRP Fox Hunt, Dec 6, 0200z to Dec 6, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Dec 7.

NCCC Sprint, Dec 6, 0230z to Dec 6, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Dec 8.

K1USN Slow Speed Test, Dec 6, 2000z to Dec 6, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 8.

ARRL 160-Meter Contest, Dec 6, 2200z to Dec 8, 1600z; CW; Bands: 160; W/VE: RST + ARRL/RAC Section, DX: RST; Logs due: Dec 15.

Kalbar Contest, Dec 7, 0000z to Dec 8, 2359z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 16.

Wake-Up! QRP Sprint, Dec 7, 0600z to Dec 7, 0800z; CW; Bands: 40, 20; RST + Serial No. + suffix of previous QSO ("QRP" for 1st QSO); Logs due: Dec 14.

PRO CW Contest, Dec 7, 1200z to Dec 8, 1159z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; CW Club Member: RST + Serial No. + "/M", non-Members: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 15.

INORC Contest, Dec 7, 1400z to Dec 8, 1359z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15; Naval: RST + Club + Member No., Independent: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Jan 3.

FT Challenge, Dec 7, 1800z to Dec 8, 2359z; FT8/FT4; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; signal report + 4-character grid square; Logs due: Dec 15.

QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Sprint, Dec 8, 2000z to Dec 8, 2300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + (ARCI number/power); Logs due: Dec 21.

K1USN Slow Speed Test, Dec 9, 0000z to Dec 9, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 11.

4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint, Dec 9, 0100z to Dec 9, 0300z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RS(T) + (State/Province/Country) + Member No., Non-member: RS(T) + (State/Province/Country) + Power; Logs due: Dec 11.

ICWC Medium Speed Test, Dec 9, 1300z to Dec 9, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Dec 12.

OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Dec 9, 1630z to Dec 9, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 13.

ICWC Medium Speed Test, Dec 9, 1900z to Dec 9, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Dec 12.

Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Dec 10, 0100z to Dec 10, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Dec 11.

ICWC Medium Speed Test, Dec 10, 0300z to Dec 10, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Dec 12.

NAQCC CW Sprint, Dec 11, 0130z to Dec 11, 0330z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Dec 14.

QRP Fox Hunt, Dec 11, 0200z to Dec 11, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Dec 12.

Phone Weekly Test, Dec 11, 0230z to Dec 11, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Dec 13.

A1Club AWT, Dec 11, 1200z to Dec 11, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Dec 16.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 11, 1300z to Dec 11, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 14.

Mini-Test 40, Dec 11, 1700z to Dec 11, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 13.

Mini-Test 80, Dec 11, 1800z to Dec 11, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 13.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 11, 1900z to Dec 11, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 14.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 12, 0300z to Dec 12, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 14.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 12, 0700z to Dec 12, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 14.

NCCC FT4 Sprint, Dec 13, 0100z to Dec 13, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: Dec 15.

Weekly RTTY Test, Dec 13, 0145z to Dec 13, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 15.

QRP Fox Hunt, Dec 13, 0200z to Dec 13, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Dec 14.

NCCC Sprint, Dec 13, 0230z to Dec 13, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Dec 15.

K1USN Slow Speed Test, Dec 13, 2000z to Dec 13, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 15.

ARRL 10-Meter Contest, Dec 14, 0000z to Dec 15, 2359z; CW, Phone; Bands: 10; W/VE: RST + State/Province, XE: RST + State, DX: RST + Serial No., MM: RST + ITU Region; Logs due: Dec 22.

PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint, Dec 14, 0000z to Dec 16, 2359z; PSK31; Bands: 160, 80, 40; RST + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 23.

TRC Digi Contest, Dec 14, 0600z to Dec 15, 1800z; RTTY; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; TRC Members: RST + Serial No. + "TRC", non-TRC Members: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 22.

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, Dec 14, 1200z to Dec 15, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Dec 22.

ARI 40/80 Contest, Dec 14, 1300z to Dec 15, 1300z; Phone, CW, Digital; Bands: 80, 40; RS(T) + 2-letter province car code; Logs due: Dec 20.

International Naval Contest, Dec 14, 1600z to Dec 15, 1559z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Naval Club Member: RS(T) + Club + Member No., non-Naval Club Member: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: Jan 31.

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest, Dec 15, 2300z to Dec 16, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + (Member No./power); Logs due: Dec 21.

K1USN Slow Speed Test, Dec 16, 0000z to Dec 16, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 18.

ICWC Medium Speed Test, Dec 16, 1300z to Dec 16, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Dec 19.

OK1WC Memorial (MWC), Dec 16, 1630z to Dec 16, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 20.

ICWC Medium Speed Test, Dec 16, 1900z to Dec 16, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Dec 19.

Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Dec 17, 0100z to Dec 17, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Dec 18.

ICWC Medium Speed Test, Dec 17, 0300z to Dec 17, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Dec 19.

NAQCC CW Sprint, Dec 18, 0130z to Dec 18, 0330z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Dec 21.

QRP Fox Hunt, Dec 18, 0200z to Dec 18, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Dec 19.

Phone Weekly Test, Dec 18, 0230z to Dec 18, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Dec 20.

A1Club AWT, Dec 18, 1200z to Dec 18, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Dec 23.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 18, 1300z to Dec 18, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 21.

Mini-Test 40, Dec 18, 1700z to Dec 18, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 20.

Mini-Test 80, Dec 18, 1800z to Dec 18, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Dec 20.

CWops Test (CWT), Dec 18, 1900z to Dec 18, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Dec 21.

VHF+ CONTESTS

VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Dec 11, 1700z to Dec 11, 2100z; FT8; Bands: 432 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Dec 16.

VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Dec 18, 1700z to Dec 18, 2100z; FT8; Bands: 1.2G; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Dec 23.

Log Due Dates

December 5

December 6

December 7

December 8

December 9

December 10

AWA Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party

December 11

December 12

December 13

December 14

December 15

December 16

December 17

December 18

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Acknowledgements

ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar.

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