The ARRL Contest Update for January 21, 2026 undefined

 

 

 

 

January 21, 2026

Editor:

iCom

 

In this Issue:

Upcoming Contests – Things to Do

Any resolution to become more proficient with CW should include some of the weekly , also known as CWT. The multiple 60-minute sessions happen during the week on Wednesday and Thursday, with different sessions favoring propagation to different areas. Just choose the ones that work for you. The exchange is first name and CWops member number; for non-members, first name and “state, province, or DX Country prefix.” Your frequent participation can even earn you a certificate or medal.

 

is this weekend, January 24 – 25. This event, organized by the Winter Field Day Association, encourages participants to be able to operate under adverse conditions, but participants can choose how much discomfort they experience with classes for Home, Indoor, Outdoor, and Mobile, and band choices from HF to UHF and satellite. As with any contest, see the rules for more information.

 

This is the 87th year for the , where the objective is for French amateurs to work everyone, and non-French amateurs to work French stations. Multipliers are a combination of metro departments, overseas territories, and for French operators, DX entities. The CW leg of this contest is the weekend of January 24 – 25.

 

The CQ 160-Meter CW contest starts at 2200z January 23. This is great for East Coast operators, since it starts at 5 PM their time, and gives them a solid start in darkness vs. the West Coast, where it will be 2 PM on a workday. The contest ends at 2200z January 25.

 

 

Contest Summary

January 21, 2026 - February 4, 2026

 

See the "Contests" section below for complete contest information.

 

January 21

January 22

January 23

January 24

January 25

January 26

January 27

January 28

January 29

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

 

RigSelect Radio Switch SO2R Controller

 

News, Press Releases, and Special Interest

Orlando, Florida, is bracing for the arrival of over 25,000 hams for the , to be held February 13 – 15, 2026. Though this year’s program is not yet available on the event website, you can . In past years there have been contest-related programs, and this year will likely also have them.

 

The Orlando Contest Dinner is on Friday, February 13, featuring Dave Pascoe, KM3T, as the speaker, and an emphasis on the support of WRTC 2026. ICOM is the major prize sponsor. See for more information.

 

It’s not too early to think about WRTC-2030! Doug, K1DG, writes:

 

“The WRTC Sanctioning Committee is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications to host the 2030 World Radiosport Team Championship.

 

At this time, any group or organization interested in hosting the next WRTC should submit a simple Letter of Intent, which includes the following:

 

a. identity of Organizing Committee

b. officers of the Organizing Committee

c. proposed time frame of event

d. proposed location of event

e. estimated budget and fundraising plan (this does not have to be exact at this time)

 

The Sanctioning Committee will review all letters received and provide prospective organizers with the WRTC Requirements and Guidelines which provides the list of detailed information to be included in a complete proposal.

 

The Letter of Intent must be submitted by February 15, 2026.

 

It is the goal of the Sanctioning Committee to award the hosting rights prior to WRTC2026 and announce the next host at the WRTC2026 Closing Ceremony.

 

Letters of Intent and/or any questions regarding the host selection process should be sent to

 

73,

 

Tine Brajnik, Chairman, WRTC Sanctioning Committee

Doug Grant K1DG, Secretary, WRTC Sanctioning Committee”

 

This year’s Dayton, Ohio, contesting activities at the Hope Hotel, coincident with the , are shaping up. Wednesday, May 13, through Saturday, May 16, the will host free pizza parties for “Contesters and DXers” from 7 PM to about 1 AM each night. The suite is sponsored by the Mad River Radio Club (MRRC), Frankford Radio Club (FRC), North Coast Contesters (NCC), and Kansas City DX Club (KCDXC). The pizza is sponsored by Dayton Contest University, the Society of Midwest Contesters (SMC), Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC), and Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC), and Contest University on Wednesday through Saturday nights, respectively.

 

Thursday, May 14, the day before Hamvention opens, will be held at the , located near the Wright Patterson AFB, 7 AM to 5 PM. This is a full day of sessions on all aspects of contesting, and attendees also have time to make personal connections with others and the “professors.”

 

Friday evening, May 15, the annual will be held at the Hope Hotel. In its 34th year, the speaker will be Jeff Briggs, K1ZM. Social hour starts at 6 PM, dinner at 7 PM.

 

Saturday evening, May 16, the annual will feature Mark Haynes, M0DXR, and Robert Kasca, S53R, as speakers. Doors open at 5:30 PM, dinner at 6:30 PM. The dinner is MCed by John Dorr, K1AR, and features the announcement of the 2026 CQ Contest Hall of Fame inductees.

 

Scott, N3FJP, announced that version 7.0.12 of Amateur Contact Log is available from the , along with upgrades to all of his other contest-specific programs. Changes include improvements in DX cluster functionality, CW sending, spot filtering, better contest statistics, and inclusion of custom ADIF tags in log uploads.

 

John, K3TN, noted in a recent post to CQ-Contest: “The December/January issue of NCJ had an error in the dates and will be updated. The correct date/time for the February CW Sprint is 0000Z Sunday 8 February (Saturday 7 February in NA). The correct date/time for the September CW Sprint is 0000Z Sunday 13 September (Saturday 12 February in NA).”

 

reports that the incoming QSL bureau for the RSGB has been outsourced to the DARC QSO Bureau. This means that as of January 16, to send a card to a UK amateur via bureau, the mailing address is:

 

DARC QSL-Service GmbH (for RSGB)

Lindenallee 4

34225 Baunatal

Germany

 

The Daily DX also maintains a list of QSL routes for DX stations at .

 

Word to the Wise

X-QSO — In a log file, the nearly universal format used for contest log submissions, a line starting with X-QSO denotes a contact that was made, but is not being claimed for credit in the contest. It is being submitted so it can count for the OTHER station. Reasons for this type of contact can include contacts made during sanctioned “off” periods, or contacts made for test purposes.

 

Club Focus

Your radio club can go head-to-head vs. other radio clubs as part of the and . Submissions for each must be made by January 30, 2026, 4 p.m. Eastern time. Winners will be notified in May 2026, with certificates and plaques awarded to the winners at the Huntsville Hamfest in August 2026.

 

Operating Tip

The ARRL Contest Advisory Committee released “” in 2014. It was updated in 2022 when self-spotting was allowed for ARRL HF contests: “The goal of this document is to provide guidance and advice, especially for new contesters, and to encourage contest operation that advances the spirit and integrity of radiosporting. The materials presented herein are facts, opinions, and best practices, as compiled by seasoned contesters who are members of the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee. Information presented in the document is not mandatory and the individual contest operator is free to accept or reject its wisdom. In all cases, contest rules take precedence, so our collective advice is to always read, understand, and follow the contest rules in both the letter and spirit of the rules.”

 

There is an abundance of operating tips in that document, for contesters new and old, casual and serious.

 

Technical Topics and Discussion

Every now and again, the question of how to connect and use a (presumably wide band) SDR receiver in conjunction with an HF Transceiver comes up. Many rigs have an IF frequency output, some have an RX antenna pass-through feature, and ALL radios could work with an external RF sensing SDR T/R switch and separate antenna.

 

Most recently, it , and was answered by Joe, W4TV:

“Optimum use of an SDR (for in-band operation) is from the ANT OUT/ANT IN loop using a passive splitter (the K3/K3S PREAMP 1/PREAMP 2 easily compensates for the splitting "loss"). If one wants to monitor a different band or multiple bands, then the best solution is an external, multi-band antenna with a T/R switch (to disconnect the antenna when transmitting) for the SDR.”

 

He also noted that even though the K3 has an IF output that could be used, the IF center frequency is affected by operator use of filters and IF shift, which is not anticipated by most, if any, SDR software.

 

The Desecheo 2026 DXpedition, currently underway, is using a packaged remote station to minimize human presence on the island, per the terms of their use permit. They monitor their equipment carefully, and , where you can see it too! (Dave Calder, N4ZKF, via CC-User email list)

 

Elecraft has released firmware version 1.27 for its KH1 portable radio. This version supports a new CAT command, FO, that can be used to directly change the transmitter frequency while the radio is transmitting, supporting direct generation of FT8 signals in conjunction with appropriate hardware and software like . According to Wayne, N6KR, “This is primarily intended for field self-spotting/ID via SOTAMAT, though full 2-way FT8 should also be possible in the future with smart phone or laptop apps.” Also, “The KH1 now also includes a full audio CW user interface, mostly for the benefit of blind operators. Audio CW feedback at 10 – 30 WPM is available on all switch functions and most menu entries. It can be used for VFO frequency checking, selecting crystal filters, changing bands, etc.” Full release notes are available on the .

 

Conversation

When Modern Radios Become Obsolete

 

The performance, features, reliability, and convenience of the radios that we use today would just not be possible without embedded processors and software. What happens when a manufacturer no longer provides software updates, doesn’t want to provide software updates, or when the manufacturer no longer exists? The answer can be complicated. Some believe the best possible scenario for those that want to continue to maintain and potentially improve end-of-life software is for the manufacturer to release the source code. This can be problematic for a number of reasons, such as those in this partial list:

  • The software can depend on licensed libraries or code that cannot be released.
  • The software contains intellectual property or trade secrets that are still being used in newer models of the equipment.
  • The software can depend on tools (e.g. compilers) that are not available.
  • Reviewing the source code for licensing issues and preparing for release is too expensive.
  • Programming the firmware may involve trade secrets or cryptographic keys which cannot be disclosed.

A knowledgeable and enthusiastic user community can “route around” issues like these and independently develop software that extends the life of the hardware. For example, there are a number of open-source firmware projects for WiFi access point hardware. Some are popular enough that new hardware is being manufactured to specifically use the open-source software.

 

A few models of currently manufactured amateur-band UHF/VHF hand-held radios have found favor with a generally younger, technology-savvy community. Community-developed firmware is encouraging experimentation and has added features and functions that the manufacturer had never envisioned. The manufacturer did not encourage or specifically enable this, but is benefiting from the increased popularity of those models.

 

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 .

 

73, Brian, N9ADG

 

Contests

January 21, 2026 - February 4, 2026

 

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

 

HF CONTESTS

 

, Jan 21, 0200z to Jan 21, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Jan 22.

 

, Jan 21, 0230z to Jan 21, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Jan 23.

 

, Jan 21, 1145z to Jan 21, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Jan 26.

 

, Jan 21, 1300z to Jan 21, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 24.

 

, Jan 21, 1700z to Jan 21, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Jan 23.

 

, Jan 21, 1800z to Jan 21, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Jan 23.

 

, Jan 21, 1900z to Jan 21, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 24.

 

, Jan 22, 0000z to Jan 23, 0300z; CW; Bands: 20; Maximum 13 wpm, RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power); Logs due: Jan 29.

 

, Jan 22, 0130z to Jan 22, 0330z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Jan 25.

 

, Jan 22, 0300z to Jan 22, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 24.

 

, Jan 22, 0700z to Jan 22, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 24.

 

, Jan 23, 0100z to Jan 23, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: Jan 25.

 

, Jan 23, 0145z to Jan 23, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 25.

 

, Jan 23, 0200z to Jan 23, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Jan 24.

 

, Jan 23, 0230z to Jan 23, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Jan 25.

 

, Jan 23, 2000z to Jan 23, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 25.

 

, Jan 23, 2200z to Jan 25, 2200z; CW; Bands: 160; W/VE: RST + (state/province), DX: RST + CQ Zone; Logs due: Jan 30.

 

, Jan 24, 0600z to Jan 25, 1800z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; French: RST + Department/Prefix, non-French: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 2.

 

, Jan 24, 1200z to Jan 25, 1200z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Serial No. (no signal report); Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 24, 1600z to Jan 25, 2159z; Any (see rules for exceptions); Bands: All, except WARC; Category + ARRL Section (or MX or DX); Logs due: Mar 1.

 

, Jan 25, 2200z to Jan 26, 1000z; CW, Phone, Digital; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + 4-character grid square; Logs due: Feb 3.

 

, Jan 26, 0000z to Jan 26, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 28.

 

, Jan 26, 1300z to Jan 26, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 26, 1300z to Jan 26, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Jan 29.

 

, Jan 26, 1630z to Jan 26, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Jan 30.

 

, Jan 26, 1900z to Jan 26, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 26, 1900z to Jan 26, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Jan 29.

 

, Jan 27, 0100z to Jan 27, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Jan 28.

 

, Jan 27, 0300z to Jan 27, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + Name + (state/province/country) + Rig; Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 27, 0300z to Jan 27, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Jan 29.

 

, Jan 28, 0000z to Jan 28, 0200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: Jan 31.

 

, Jan 28, 0200z to Jan 28, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Jan 29.

 

, Jan 28, 0230z to Jan 28, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: Jan 30.

 

, Jan 28, 1145z to Jan 28, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: Feb 2.

 

, Jan 28, 1300z to Jan 28, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 31.

 

, Jan 28, 1700z to Jan 28, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Jan 30.

 

, Jan 28, 1800z to Jan 28, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Jan 30.

 

, Jan 28, 1900z to Jan 28, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 31.

 

, Jan 28, 2000z to Jan 28, 2100z; CW; Bands: 80; 6-Character grid square; Logs due: Jan 28.

 

, Jan 29, 0130z to Jan 29, 0330z; CW; Bands: 160; RST + (state/province/country) + (NAQCC No./power); Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 29, 0300z to Jan 29, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 31.

 

, Jan 29, 0700z to Jan 29, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Jan 31.

 

, Jan 30, 0100z to Jan 30, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 30, 0145z to Jan 30, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 30, 0200z to Jan 30, 0330z; CW; Bands: 20; RST + (state/province/country) + name + power output; Logs due: Jan 31.

 

, Jan 30, 0230z to Jan 30, 0300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 30, 2000z to Jan 30, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 1.

 

, Jan 31, 0000z to Jan 31, 2359z; Feld Hell; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; (see rules); Logs due: Feb 4.

 

, Jan 31, 1300z to Feb 1, 1300z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; ON: RST + Serial No. + section, non-ON: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 8.

 

, Feb 1, 0000z to Feb 1, 0400z; SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20; [other station's call] + [your call] + [serial no.] + [your name] + [your state/province/country]; Logs due: Feb 8.

 

, Feb 1, 1300z to Feb 1, 2300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20; Marconi Club Member: RST + "MC" + Member No., non-Members: RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 8.

 

, Feb 2, 0000z to Feb 2, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: Feb 4.

 

, Feb 2, 1300z to Feb 2, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 5.

 

, Feb 2, 1630z to Feb 2, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 6.

 

, Feb 2, 1900z to Feb 2, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 5.

 

, Feb 2, 2000z to Feb 2, 2130z; SSB; Bands: 80; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: Feb 3.

 

, Feb 3, 0100z to Feb 3, 0300z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: Feb 5.

 

, Feb 3, 0100z to Feb 3, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: Feb 4.

 

, Feb 3, 0300z to Feb 3, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: Feb 5.

 

VHF+ CONTESTS

 

, Jan 21, 1700z to Jan 21, 2100z; FT8/4; Bands: 1.2G; 4-character grid square; Logs due: Jan 26.

 

Log Due Dates

January 21, 2026 – February 4, 2026

 

January 21

January 22

January 23

January 24

January 25

January 26

January 28

January 29

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

 

 

 

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