As of December 21, a record 4456 logs have been received for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. Contest Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, is happy to have sunspots back: "This just goes to show what sunspots can do for activity. For the last several years, Old Timers knew they'd have to wait for a while before Cycle 24 would kick in and band conditions would improve. Amateurs licensed around 2005-2006 have wondered what the OTs were talking about; with rare exception, 10 meters has been a place to listen for static, not DX. They'd never experienced 10 meters when it was truly open.

“When the solar flux climbed to 190 in September, it was like the first warm day after a long winter; people came out to play...and play they did, in unprecedented numbers! Activity during this contest season has been nothing short of tremendous, and it seems to have reached a zenith for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. Old-Timers and new licensees from all around the world got on the air and had one heck of a good time on 28 MHz the second weekend in December, shattering the participation record by over 1000 logs. And we still have over 2 weeks to go before the log submission deadline!”