April 29, 2026
Editor: Brian Moran, N9ADG [ mailto:brian.moran@gmail.com ]

ARRL Home Page
https://www.arrl.org/

Contest Calendar
https://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar

iCom
[https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/amateur/]


In this Issue:
?-?Upcoming Contests - Things to Do
?-?Contest Summary
?-?News, Press Releases, and Special Interest
?-?Word to the Wise
?-?Sights and Sounds
?-?Results and Records
?-?Operating Tip
?-?Technical Topics and Discussion
?-?Conversation
?-?Contests
?-?Log Due Dates

Upcoming Contests - Things to Do

You can get in shape for the ARRL 10 GHz and Up contest by testing your gear
in this weekend's San Bernardino Microwave Society 2.3 GHz and Up Contest
and Club Challenge [ https://w6ife.com/Page/2GHzContest ] . With the same scoring as the ARRL contest, you can concentrate on the gear aspect. This is not a contest you'll be able to participate in unless you're in the area
?-" last year, the longest contact was under 450 kilometers.


QSO-Party-esque fare this weekend includes the 7QP (7th Area QSO Party), Indiana, Delaware, and New England QSO Parties. You can log these four
contests in N1MM Logger+ in a single log! See the N1MM manual's special
section devoted to this event [ https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/manual-supported/contests-setup/setup-qsop-contests/#same-weekend-7qp-indiana-qso-party-new-england-qso-party-newe-delaware-qso-party

] .


Your DX contest opportunity this weekend is the ARI International DX Contest
[ https://www.ari.it/ ] . ARI is based in Italy.


The weekend of May 9, try the Volta RTTY Contest [ https://www.contestvolta.it/rules.pdf ] on 80 through 10 meters. Contacts are valid if they are between different DXCC entities or call sign areas for Australian, Canadian, Japanese, New Zealand, and US stations. Multipliers are per-band. For the purposes of this contest, US call sign areas are each distinct multipliers. There are other multiplier bonuses, see the rules.


The Central States VHF Society is the sponsor of the 50 MHz Spring Sprint [ https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/home/2026-information ] on
May 9. This one starts at 2300z, and goes for 4 hours, and all modes capable
of the exchange are allowed. Good thing that the exchange is a grid square.


The Canadian Prairies QSO Party on May 9 is 40 through 10 meters, CW, and SSB only. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are together on this one, providing 62 different "electoral district" multipliers [ https://cpqp.ve6hams.ca/multipliers/ ] .


[https://www.kf7p.com/KF7P/Dacron_Rope.html]


Contest Summary

April 30, 2026 - May 13, 2026

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

Note: Contest dates and times are in UTC. This means that a contest that is listed to start on a Saturday at 0000z, for example, really starts on a
Friday night in US time zones.


April 30
?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]
?-?RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data [ https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2026/r80mcc.shtml ]


May 1
?-?NCCC FT4 Sprint [ https://www.ncccsprint.com/ft4ns.html ]
?-?Weekly RTTY Test [ https://radiosport.world/wrt.html ]
?-?NCCC Sprint [ https://ncccsprint.com/rules.html ]
?-?AGCW QRP/QRP Party [ https://www.agcw.de/contest/qrp-qrp ]
?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]

May 2
?-?RCC Cup [ https://www.contest.ru/rcc-cup-rules/ ]
?-?SBMS 2.3 GHz and Up Contest and Club Challenge [ https://w6ife.com/Page/2GHzContest ]

?-?Microwave Spring Sprint [ https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/home/2026-information ]

?-?ARI International DX Contest [ https://www.ari.it/ ]
?-?F9AA Cup, PSK [ https://www.site.urc.asso.fr/index.php/om-yl/concours/trophee-f9aa ]

?-?7th Call Area QSO Party [ http://7qp.org/ ]
?-?Indiana QSO Party [ http://www.hdxcc.org/inqp/rules.html ]
?-?Delaware QSO Party [ https://www.fsarc.org/ ]
?-?New England QSO Party [ https://neqp.org/rules/ ]

May 3
?-?WAB 7 MHz Phone [ http://wab.intermip.net/Contests.php ]

May 4
?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]
?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]

?-?OK1WC Memorial (MWC) [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/
]

?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]

?-?MIE 33 Contest [
https://www.ztv.ne.jp/isoda/33/annual/48/48rule-e.html ]


May 5
?-?ARS Spartan Sprint [
http://ars-qrp.com/Spartan_Sprint/Spartan_Sprint.html ]

?-?Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]

?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]


May 6
?-?Phone Weekly Test [
http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf ]

?-?A1Club AWT [ https://a1club.org/contest/awt/ ]
?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]
?-?VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest [ https://ft8activity.eu/rules/ ]
?-?Mini-Test 40 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?Mini-Test 80 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]

May 7
?-?VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest-NA [ https://ft8activity-na.net/rules/ ] ?-?Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest [ https://qrpcontest.com/pigwalk40/ ] ?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]
?-?SKCC Sprint Europe [
https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/skse/ ]


May 8
?-?NCCC FT4 Sprint [ https://www.ncccsprint.com/ft4ns.html ]
?-?Weekly RTTY Test [ https://radiosport.world/wrt.html ]
?-?NCCC Sprint [ https://ncccsprint.com/rules.html ]
?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]

May 9
?-?Flemish Windmill Contest [ https://www.vlaamsemolencontest.be/contestreglement/ ]

?-?VOLTA WW RTTY Contest [ http://www.contestvolta.it/rules.pdf ]
?-?CQ-M International DX Contest [ https://cqm.srr.ru/en/rules/ ]
?-?SKCC Weekend Sprintathon [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/ ]

?-?Canadian Prairies QSO Party [ https://cpqp.ve6hams.ca/ ]
?-?50 MHz Spring Sprint [ https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/home/2026-information ]


May 11
?-?4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint [ http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules_revised_02_2026.pdf ]

?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]
?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]

?-?OK1WC Memorial (MWC) [
https://memorial-ok1wc.cz/index.php?page=rules2l ]

?-?RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB [ https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2026/r80mcc.shtml ]

?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]


May 12
?-?Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest [ https://wwsac.com/rules.html ] ?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]

?-?DARC FT4 Contest [ https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/conteste/ft4-contest/ft4-rules/ ]


May 13
?-?Phone Weekly Test [
http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf ]

?-?A1Club AWT [ https://a1club.org/contest/awt/ ]
?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]
?-?VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest [ https://ft8activity.eu/rules/ ]
?-?Mini-Test 40 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?Mini-Test 80 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]

RigSelect Radio Switch SO2R Controller
[https://rigselect.com/]


News, Press Releases, and Special Interest

Bob Evans, K5WA, took advantage of AI coding to develop his own 2BSIQ
training software: "... here is a 2BSIQ trainer following CT1BOH's 2017
2BISQ presentation as much as possible." He's aware that Morse Runner and
N1MM Logger+ can be combined to provide this functionality but he "wanted
an app that provided training wheels..." His software has a "Full Bore
mode" and a "Half Bore mode." He notes: "If you're like me, start at
Half Bore, Novice level and gradually work your way up by Increasing speeds
and levels as you get the basics down ... Claude.AI has been my Elmer for
this project and I lean on him for all coding issues... It is not meant to be as polished as global banking or Fortune 100 ERP software; it's just for fun and has no guarantees at all, however, in the limited test pool of folks that have tried it, we've found no showstoppers." Download here [ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CDUz7wSK2ZOb0c5iBFGQN9BLASBq_KjJ?usp=sharing

] .


The recently completed Helvetia Contest [ https://uska.ch/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-01-Rules-and-Regulations-for-Helvetia-Contest-issued-March-2026.pdf

] introduced real-time logging of contacts, and by renaming the traditional post-contest submission of logs as "Classic," is indicating where they
think the future is going.

According to the rules, "anyone participating in the Real Time Contesting
(RTC) must also submit their log to contestlog.uska.ch [ https://contestlog.uska.ch/ ] for the ?-?Classic' category."


Flexradio has an archive of articles [ https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/sections/200358248--How-To-Articles?utm_source=Contest_Update

] related to using their SmartSDR 4.2 software. Topics include everything
from installation of the software to using new band plan features.


Word to the Wise

Sprint

In radio contesting terms, Sprint is used as part of a contest name by
multiple different events that occur throughout the year. Most of the time, what makes a contest a Sprint is that it's of shorter duration than a
normal contest. Here's a breakdown (duration rounded to nearest hour):


The North American Sprints have other operating features (QSY rule,
proscribed exchanges) which increase the challenge.


SKCC's Sprintathons have distinct themes (from the SKCC website [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/ ] ):


January [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/Jan_wes.php

]

Winter Bands
160- and 80-meter SKCC QSOs are 5 bonus points each.

February [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/Feb_wes.php

]

Boat Anchors
Only the number of tubes received from the contacted SKCC station count as bonus points.


March [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/March_wes.php

]

Bug/Cootie
5 points for each Bug or Cootie (Sideswiper) QSO.

April [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/April_wes.php

]

Easter Egg Hunt
5 points for each Egg or Peter Rabbit QSO.

May [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/May_wes.php

]

First Year SKCC Members
Members with SKCC numbers less than 2546 are worth 5 bonus points.

June [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/June_wes.php

]

Old Timers and Summer Bands
If you held an amateur radio license 25 years ago or longer you will send
your name/XX (number of years licensed). You can collect an additional 5
points for each QSO by using the 'Summer Bands' during this SKCC event.


July [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/July_wes.php

]

13 Colonies
5 points for each of the 13 Colonies, plus UK and France.

August [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/Aug_wes.php

]

Home Brew Key
5 points for each QSO you make with your home-made key.

September [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/Sep_wes.php

]

Club Calls
5 bonus points for each unique KS1KCC, KS#KCC, or any other 'Club Station'
that has an SKCC number.


October [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/Oct_wes.php

]

TKA
5 points for each SKCC - TKA station worked on each band.

November [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/Nov_wes.php

]

Veterans
The bonus points received are for the number of years served by the SKCC Veteran operating. Veterans also receive 5 bonus points for each QSO.


December [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/Nov_wes.php

]

Reindeer Stations
5 points for each Reindeer, Santa, Scrooge, or Elf station.

Here's a bonus word: Portmanteau. "A word formed by blending parts of two
or more words to combine their meanings into a new, concise term." For
example, sprintathon, combining sprint and marathon. You'd think those two would cancel each other out in this example.


Sights and Sounds

Moments during the gathering of attendees of the recent Santa Maria
DX/Contest Convention [ https://socalcontestclub.org/SantaMaria2026/ ] were captured by Bob, N6TV. You can view them here [ https://bit.ly/Visalia2026 ]
.


Results and Records

2025's results for the CQ DX Marathon are now online at dxmarathon.com/results/2025 [ https://dxmarathon.com/results/2025/ ] . The event experienced strong growth in QSO totals, as well as number of participants.


Andy Blank, N2NT, says: "The results for the 2026 CQ 160 Contest are now complete and available on

our website: cq160.com/results [ https://cq160.com/results/ ] ."

2025's FT Challenge results [ https://www.rttycontesting.com/ft-challenge/2025-results/ ] are now
available. The contest results article notes that participation on the
contest frequencies was down this year, as was activity. (Ed, W0YK)


Operating Tip

Ed Muns, W0YK, provided a number of techniques and operating tips for better RTTY contest operating in his May 2025 presentation at Contest University [ https://www.contestuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Pg-32.-Tips-to-Improve-Your-RTTY-Contest-Performance-W0YK.pdf

] . Among them is learning to tune RTTY signals by ear, for quick acquisition during searching and pouncing.

Even in this age of clicking, rig variations, spotter inconsistencies, and other factors can land you off frequency.

Quickly getting the decode is key to a faster rate.

Technical Topics and Discussion

Gary, W1VE, has released an "RBN S-meter" ?-" a display of signal levels derived from RBN (Reverse Beacon Network) data, displayed in a graphical UI.

"This app gets data from the RBN for all modes the RBN supports, and
creates a sliding average of SNR values.

You select your vantage point as either a continent/part of a continent, or, you can specify a grid square and a radius around that." He further
describes his work, and how to access the web app, on his blog: blog.remote.radio/2026/04/16/an-rbn-s-meter [ https://blog.remote.radio/2026/04/16/an-rbn-s-meter/ ] .


Rudy Bakalov's, N2WQ, work on his modernized spot server software GoCluster
has been getting quite the workout.

You can track the discussions at groups.io/g/Go-Cluster [ https://groups.io/g/Go-Cluster ] , and use the cluster (via telnet) at cluster.n2wq.com port 8300 ?-" but it's really designed for feeding N1MM
and DXLog. Last week, he started ingesting spots from DXsummit.

Though there was skepticism from some that this would lower the quality of
the spots, Rudy mentioned that one user noted: "After processing several thousand DXSummit spots, the incremental coverage win rate has been running around ~23% +/- 3%, where:

win rate = unique DXSummit-only spots not seen by DXSpider / (total DXSpider spots + unique DXSummit-only spots) (RBN spots excluded)."


Rudy has also added a chatbot feature to the GoCluster: "To make support
faster and easier, I've created a simple AI chatbot [ https://chatgpt.com/g/g-69ed3521beb48191810ad961835fe31f-gocluster-support-agent

] that answers questions in plain language using the actual GoCluster code
and documentation. Give it a try! The quicker users can get answers, the more time I can spend building new features and improving GoCluster."


Conversation

Technical Debt

In the computer software industry, the term technical debt means the
remaining work required to take a hasty solution to a problem and turn it
into a more durable solution.

For example, it could be that some piece of software being used is wasteful
of computing resources, but a better-engineered solution would take longer,
and after all, since it's "working," it's good enough, for now.

Companies that expect to be around for the long term usually try to budget
some resources on addressing technical debt, and at least keep track of
things they know could be improved.

Startups typically don't, since they don't know how long they'll be
around, and if they do succeed, well, of course they'll have time and
resources then to address these issues.


"Quick and dirty fixes" is a less fancy term for about the same thing,
but applied to everyday things.


"Temporary Antenna" is a very specific term of art in our hobby, which in
a tongue-in-cheek fashion really means "forever, or until I'm done using
it," but gives cover to putting up something makeshift which isn't really expected to last. The problem is if it actually works well, then one may come to depend on it, and then of course Murphy will break it at the time it's needed most.


Thinking about all aspects of our contest stations, how many things are there that were done quickly to get on the air for a contest with the intention of improving it later that haven't been improved yet? Or things that we know
are flakey or on the way to being broken? Those PL-259 connectors that
aren't completely weatherproof? That droopy elevated radial that is a
hazard in the back yard? That mostly working power connector under the desk that cuts off when you touch it with your big toe two out of ten times? The knob on the radio that is cracked and about to fall off? Those logging
program features you keep meaning to learn but haven't made time for yet?


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 [ mailto:contest-update@arrl.org ] .


73, Brian, N9ADG

Contests

April 30, 2026 - May 13, 2026

An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral [ http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL

] is available as a PDF. Check the sponsors' website for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions.


HF CONTESTS

CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , Apr 30, 0300z to Apr
30, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member
No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 2.

[ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]
CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , Apr 30, 0700z to Apr
30, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member
No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 2.


RSGB 80m Club Championship [
https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2026/r80mcc.shtml ] , Data, Apr 30, 1900z to Apr 30, 2030z; RTTY, PSK; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: May 1.


NCCC FT4 Sprint [ https://www.ncccsprint.com/ft4ns.html ] , May 1, 0100z to
May 1, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: May 3.


Weekly RTTY Test [ https://radiosport.world/wrt.html ] , May 1, 0145z to May
1, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 3.


NCCC Sprint [ https://ncccsprint.com/rules.html ] , May 1, 0230z to May 1, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: May 3.


AGCW QRP/QRP Party [ https://www.agcw.de/contest/qrp-qrp ] , May 1, 1300z to May 1, 1900z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + QSO No. + "/" + Class ID (A/B); Logs due: May 15.

[ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]
K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ] , May 1, 2000z to May 1, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 3.


RCC Cup [ https://www.contest.ru/rcc-cup-rules/ ] , May 2, 0300z to May 2, 0859z; CW, SSB; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RCC Members: RS(T) + "RCC" +
member number, Non-Members: RS(T) + ITU Zone; Logs due: May 9.


ARI International DX Contest [ https://www.ari.it/ ] , May 2, 1200z to May 3, 1159z; Phone, CW, RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; I: RS(T) + 2-letter province, non-I: RS(T) + Serial No.; Logs due: May 9.

[ https://www.site.urc.asso.fr/index.php/om-yl/concours/trophee-f9aa ]
F9AA Cup [ https://www.site.urc.asso.fr/index.php/om-yl/concours/trophee-f9aa
] , PSK, May 2, 1200z to May 3, 1200z; PSK; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 2; RST
+ Serial No.; Logs due: Jun 3.

[ http://7qp.org/ ]
7th Call Area QSO Party [ http://7qp.org/ ] , May 2, 1300z to May 3, 0700z;
CW, Phone, Digital (no FT8); Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; 7th Area: RS(T)
+ 5-letter state/county code, non-7th Area: RS(T) + (state/province/DX); Logs due: May 13.


Indiana QSO Party [ http://www.hdxcc.org/inqp/rules.html ] , May 2, 1500z to May 3, 0300z; Phone, CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; IN: RS(T) + county, non-IN: W/VE: RS(T) + (state/province), DX: RS(T) + "DX"; Logs due: Jun 1.


Delaware QSO Party [ https://www.fsarc.org/ ] , May 2, 1700z to May 3, 2359z; Digital(CW/RTTY/Digital), Phone; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF; DE:
RS(T) + County, non-DE: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: Jun 2.


New England QSO Party [ https://neqp.org/rules/ ] , May 2, 2000z to May 3, 2359z; Phone, CW/Digital; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; CT,ME,MA,NH,RI,VT: RS(T)
+ state + county, non-NE: RS(T) + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: Jun 2.


WAB 7 MHz Phone [ http://wab.intermip.net/Contests.php ] , May 3, 1000z to
May 3, 1400z; SSB; Bands: 40; British Isles: RS + serial no. + WAB square, Other: RS + serial no. + country; Logs due: May 13.


K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ] , May 4, 0000z to May 4, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 6.

[ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]
ICWC Medium Speed Test [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ] , May 4, 1300z to May 4, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: May 7.


OK1WC Memorial (MWC) [ https://memorial-ok1wc.cz/index.php?page=rules2l ] ,
May 4, 1630z to May 4, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: May 8.

[ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]
ICWC Medium Speed Test [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ] , May 4, 1900z to May 4, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: May 7.


MIE 33 Contest [ https://www.ztv.ne.jp/isoda/33/annual/48/48rule-e.html ] ,
May 4, 2300z to May 5, 0300z; CW, Phone; Bands: All, except WARC; Mie: RS(T)
+ age + "ME", non-Mie JA: RS(T) + age + "MEJ", non-Mie non-JA: RS(T) + age; Logs due: May 31.


ARS Spartan Sprint [ http://ars-qrp.com/Spartan_Sprint/Spartan_Sprint.html ]
, May 5, 0000z to May 5, 0200z; CW; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + (state/province/country) + Power; Logs due: May 7.


Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest [ https://wwsac.com/rules.html ] , May 5, 0100z to May 5, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: May 6.


ICWC Medium Speed Test [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ] , May 5, 0300z to May 5, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + QSO No.; Logs due: May 7.


Phone Weekly Test [ http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf ] ,
May 6, 0230z to May 6, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: May 8.


A1Club AWT [ https://a1club.org/contest/awt/ ] , May 6, 1145z to May 6,
1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: May 11.


CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , May 6, 1300z to May 6, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 9.


Mini-Test 40 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ] , May 6, 1700z to May 6, 1759z;
CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: May 8.


Mini-Test 80 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ] , May 6, 1800z to May 6, 1859z;
CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: May 8.


CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , May 6, 1900z to May 6, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 9.


Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest [ https://qrpcontest.com/pigwalk40/ ] , May 7, 0000z to May 8, 0300z; CW; Bands: 40; Maximum 13 wpm, RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power); Logs due: May 14.


CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , May 7, 0300z to May 7, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 9.


CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , May 7, 0700z to May 7, 0800z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 9.


SKCC Sprint Europe [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/skse/ ] , May 7, 2000z to May 7, 2200z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: May 14.


NCCC FT4 Sprint [ https://www.ncccsprint.com/ft4ns.html ] , May 8, 0100z to
May 8, 0130z; FT4; Bands: (see rules); 4-character grid square; Logs due: May 10.


Weekly RTTY Test [ https://radiosport.world/wrt.html ] , May 8, 0145z to May
8, 0215z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 10.


NCCC Sprint [ https://ncccsprint.com/rules.html ] , May 8, 0230z to May 8, 0300z; CW; Bands: (see rules); Serial No. + Name + QTH; Logs due: May 10.


K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ] , May 8, 2000z to May 8, 2100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 10.


Flemish Windmill Contest [
https://www.vlaamsemolencontest.be/contestreglement/ ] , May 9, 0600z to May
9, 1000z; SSB, FM; Bands: 40, 2; Activator: RST + QSO No. + Mill Reference, Hunter: RST + QSO No.; Logs due: May 19.

[ http://www.contestvolta.it/rules.pdf ]
VOLTA WW RTTY Contest [ http://www.contestvolta.it/rules.pdf ] , May 9, 1200z to May 10, 1200z; RTTY; Bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RST + QSO No. + CQ Zone; Logs due: May 25.


CQ-M International DX Contest [ https://cqm.srr.ru/en/rules/ ] , May 9, 1200z to May 10, 1159z; CW, SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; RS(T) + Serial
No.; Logs due: May 20.


SKCC Weekend Sprintathon [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/ ] , May
9, 1200z to May 10, 2359z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (SKCC No./"NONE"); Logs due: May 17.


Canadian Prairies QSO Party [ https://cpqp.ve6hams.ca/ ] , May 9, 1700z to
May 10, 0300z; CW, Phone; Bands: 40, 20, 15, 10; VE4/5/6: RS(T) + district code, Non-VE4/5/6: RST + (state/province/"DX"); Logs due: May 25.

[ http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules_revised_02_2026.pdf ]
4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint [ http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules_revised_02_2026.pdf ] , May 11, 0000z to
May 11, 0200z; 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: May 13.

[ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]
K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ] , May 11, 0000z to
May 11, 0100z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Maximum 20 wpm, Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 13.


ICWC Medium Speed Test [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ] , May 11, 1300z to May 11, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name +
QSO No.; Logs due: May 14.


OK1WC Memorial (MWC) [ https://memorial-ok1wc.cz/index.php?page=rules2l ] ,
May 11, 1630z to May 11, 1729z; CW; Bands: 80, 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs
due: May 15.

[ https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2026/r80mcc.shtml ]
RSGB 80m Club Championship [
https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2026/r80mcc.shtml ] , SSB, May 11, 1900z to
May 11, 2030z; SSB; Bands: 80; RS + Serial No.; Logs due: May 12.

[ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]
ICWC Medium Speed Test [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ] , May 11, 1900z to May 11, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name +
QSO No.; Logs due: May 14.


Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest [ https://wwsac.com/rules.html ] , May
12, 0100z to May 12, 0159z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6; RS + age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth); Logs due: May 13.


ICWC Medium Speed Test [ https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ] , May 12, 0300z to May 12, 0400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Name +
QSO No.; Logs due: May 14.


DARC FT4 Contest [ https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/conteste/ft4-contest/ft4-rules/ ] , May 12, 1900z to May 12, 2029z; FT4; Bands: 80, 40; Signal report + 4-character grid square; Logs due: May 19.


Phone Weekly Test [ http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf ] ,
May 13, 0230z to May 13, 0300z; SSB; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15; NA: Name + (state/province/country), non-NA: Name; Logs due: May 15.


A1Club AWT [ https://a1club.org/contest/awt/ ] , May 13, 1145z to May 13, 1300z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: RST + Name; Logs due: May 18.


CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , May 13, 1300z to May
13, 1400z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member
No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 16.


Mini-Test 40 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ] , May 13, 1700z to May 13, 1759z; CW; Bands: 40; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: May 15.


Mini-Test 80 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ] , May 13, 1800z to May 13, 1859z; CW; Bands: 80; RST + Serial No.; Logs due: May 15.


CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ] , May 13, 1900z to May
13, 2000z; CW; Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10; Member: Name + Member
No./"CWA", non-Member: Name + (state/province/country); Logs due: May 16.


VHF+ CONTESTS

SBMS 2.3 GHz and Up Contest and Club Challenge [ https://w6ife.com/Page/2GHzContest ] , May 2, 0600 local to May 3, 2359
local; Any; Bands: 2.3 GHz and up; 6-character Maidenhead locator; Logs due: May 24.


Microwave Spring Sprint [ https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/home/2026-information ] ,
May 2, 0800 local to May 2, 1400 local; not specified; Bands: All above 902 MHz; 6-character grid square; Logs due: May 16.


VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest [ https://ft8activity.eu/rules/ ] , May 6, 1700z to May 6, 2100z; FT8/4; Bands: 144 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due:
May 9.


VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest-NA [ https://ft8activity-na.net/rules/ ] , May
7, 0000z to May 7, 0500z; FT8/4; Bands: 144; 4-character grid square; Logs
due: May 12.


50 MHz Spring Sprint [ https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/home/2026-information ] ,
May 9, 2300z to May 10, 0300z; Analog, Digital; Bands: 6; 4-character grid square; Logs due: May 23.


VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest [ https://ft8activity.eu/rules/ ] , May 13,
1700z to May 13, 2100z; FT8/4; Bands: 432 MHz; 4-character grid square; Logs due: May 16.


Also, see F9AA Cup [ https://www.site.urc.asso.fr/index.php/om-yl/concours/trophee-f9aa ] , PSK [ https://www.site.urc.asso.fr/index.php/om-yl/concours/trophee-f9aa ] , Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest [ https://wwsac.com/rules.html ] , SKCC Sprint Europe [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/skse/ ] , Flemish Windmill Contest [
https://www.vlaamsemolencontest.be/contestreglement/ ] , and SKCC Weekend Sprintathon [ https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/ ] ,
above.


Log Due Dates

April 30, 2026 - May 13, 2026

April 30
?-?Mississippi QSO Party [ https://www.arrlmiss.org/ ]
?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]

?-?Texas State Parks on the Air [ https://www.tspota.org/ ]

May 1
?-?Mini-Test 40 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?Mini-Test 80 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?Phone Weekly Test [
http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf ]

?-?OK1WC Memorial (MWC) [
https://memorial-ok1wc.cz/index.php?page=rules2l ]

?-?RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data [ https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2026/r80mcc.shtml ]


May 2
?-?Maundy Thursday Contest [ https://ibb.co/W27WY04 ]
?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]
?-?Samuel Morse Memorial Contest [ https://samuelmorsecontest.com/contest-rules.html ]


May 3
?-?NCCC Sprint [ https://ncccsprint.com/rules.html ]
?-?BARTG Sprint 75 [ http://bartg.org.uk/wp/bartg-sprint75-contests/ ]
?-?SP DX RTTY Contest [ https://pkrvg.org/strona,spdxrttyen.html ]
?-?NCCC FT4 Sprint [ https://www.ncccsprint.com/ft4ns.html ]
?-?Weekly RTTY Test [ https://radiosport.world/wrt.html ]
?-?QCX Challenge [ http://www.qrp-labs.com/party.html ]
?-?Quebec QSO Party [ https://quebecqsoparty.org/ ]
?-?Tipalayo DX Contest [ https://tipalayo.orlokpolman.id/ ]
?-?Georgia State Parks On the Air [ https://gaparks.org/rules-register/ ] ?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]

May 4
?-?A1Club AWT [ https://a1club.org/contest/awt/ ]
?-?Helvetia Contest [ https://uska.ch/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-01-Rules-and-Regulations-for-Helvetia-Contest-issued-March-2026.pdf

]

?-?Florida State Parks on the Air [ https://fspota.org/rules/ ]

May 5
?-?222 MHz Spring Sprint [ https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/home/2026-information ]

?-?International Vintage Contest HF [ https://vintagecontest.webnode.it/residenti/ ]


May 6
?-?Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest [ https://wwsac.com/rules.html ] ?-?UA1DZ Memorial Cup [ http://ua1dz.ru/articles.php?article_id=79 ] ?-?Florida QSO Party [ http://floridaqsoparty.org/rules/ ]
?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]

May 7
?-?ARS Spartan Sprint [
http://ars-qrp.com/Spartan_Sprint/Spartan_Sprint.html ]

?-?ICWC Medium Speed Test [
https://internationalcwcouncil.org/mst-contest/ ]


May 8
?-?Mini-Test 40 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?Mini-Test 80 [ http://minitest.narod.ru/ ]
?-?Phone Weekly Test [
http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf ]

?-?OK1WC Memorial (MWC) [
https://memorial-ok1wc.cz/index.php?page=rules2l ]


May 9
?-?CWops Test (CWT) [ https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/ ]
?-?ARI International DX Contest [ https://www.ari.it/ ]
?-?VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest [ https://ft8activity.eu/rules/ ]
?-?RCC Cup [ https://www.contest.ru/rcc-cup-rules/ ]

May 10
?-?NCCC Sprint [ https://ncccsprint.com/rules.html ]
?-?NCCC FT4 Sprint [ https://www.ncccsprint.com/ft4ns.html ]
?-?Weekly RTTY Test [ https://radiosport.world/wrt.html ]
?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]

May 11
?-?A1Club AWT [ https://a1club.org/contest/awt/ ]

May 12
?-?JIDX CW Contest [ http://www.jidx.org/jidxrule-e.html ]
?-?VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest-NA [ https://ft8activity-na.net/rules/ ] ?-?RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB [ https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2026/r80mcc.shtml ]


May 13
?-?7th Call Area QSO Party [ http://7qp.org/ ]
?-?432 MHz Spring Sprint [ https://sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints/home/2026-information ]

?-?WAB 7 MHz Phone [ http://wab.intermip.net/Contests.php ]
?-?4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint [ http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules_revised_02_2026.pdf ]

?-?Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest [ https://wwsac.com/rules.html ] ?-?K1USN Slow Speed Test [ http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html ]

ARRL Information

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Acknowledgements

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