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With hundreds of amateur radio contests held every year, keeping track of what is happening and when can be a challenge. Fortunately, several excellent resources maintain up-to-date contest calendars, and with a little planning you can build a contest schedule that fits your interests and availability.
These are the most widely used resources for finding contest dates, rules, and schedules:
The WA7BNM Contest Calendar (maintained by Bruce Horn, WA7BNM) is the single most comprehensive contest calendar in amateur radio. It lists virtually every contest worldwide, with dates, times, exchange information, and links to the full rules.
What it offers: searchable database of contests by date, mode, band, and type. Each listing includes a concise summary of the rules — exchange, scoring, multipliers, and categories — along with a link to the sponsor's official rules page. You can view the calendar by week, month, or customised date range.
How to use it: most operators check WA7BNM at the beginning of each month to see what is coming up. You can also subscribe to the calendar in iCal format, which integrates with most calendar applications.
The ARRL maintains a contest calendar focused on ARRL-sponsored events (Sweepstakes, ARRL DX, Field Day, and many others) as well as selected non-ARRL events. It is published monthly in QST magazine and updated online.
What it offers: dates and basic details for each event, with links to complete rules. The ARRL website also archives past contest results, which is useful for setting goals and comparing your performance year over year.
CQ Magazine publishes a contest calendar covering the major CQ-sponsored events (CQ WW, CQ WPX, CQ 160, CQ VHF, and others) as well as a broader listing of other events. It appears monthly in CQ Magazine and online.
The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) publishes a calendar focused on UK and European contests, including the many RSGB-sponsored events that run throughout the year. If you operate from the UK or are interested in working European stations, this is an essential reference.
Most national amateur radio societies maintain their own contest calendars. These are particularly useful for finding domestic events that may not appear in the larger international calendars:
The amateur radio contest calendar has a recognisable annual rhythm. Understanding this rhythm helps you plan ahead and avoid being caught off-guard by an event you wanted to enter.
| Month | Major Events |
|---|---|
| January | CQ 160 CW, NAQP SSB, NAQP CW, ARRL RTTY Roundup |
| February | CQ 160 SSB, ARRL DX CW, NAQP RTTY |
| March | ARRL DX SSB, CQ WPX SSB, BARTG RTTY |
| April | SP DX Contest, Yuri Gagarin DX Contest |
| May | CQ WPX CW, CQ-M International DX Contest |
| June | ARRL Field Day, All Asia DX CW, King of Spain Contest |
| July | IARU HF Championship, RAC Canada Day Contest |
| August | WAE DX CW, NAQP SSB, NAQP CW |
| September | CQ WW RTTY, WAE DX SSB, All Asia DX SSB |
| October | CQ WW DX SSB, Oceania DX Phone |
| November | ARRL Sweepstakes CW, ARRL Sweepstakes SSB, WAE DX RTTY, CQ WW DX CW |
| December | ARRL 10-Meter Contest, ARRL 160 Meter, Stew Perry Topband Challenge |
This is only a sampling — there are many more events each month, including VHF/UHF contests, state QSO parties, and regional events.
State QSO parties are domestic events where the goal is to work stations in a particular US state (or Canadian province). These are typically weekend events, and they occur throughout the year as each state takes its turn. State QSO parties are an excellent way to:
A complete schedule of state QSO parties is available on the WA7BNM calendar. Many operators try to participate in several each year, both from their home state (as the "DX") and working into other states.
While this wiki's contesting pages focus primarily on HF contesting, VHF and UHF contests are an active and growing part of the hobby. Major VHF/UHF events include:
VHF/UHF contesting involves different propagation modes — tropospheric ducting, sporadic E, meteor scatter, and moonbounce — and a different set of skills and equipment. The exchange typically includes a Maidenhead grid square rather than a zone or state.
A few practical tips for managing your contest schedule:
Mark the big ones early. At the beginning of the year, put the major contests you want to enter on your personal calendar. This avoids scheduling conflicts and gives you time to prepare.
Allow for recovery time. A 48-hour contest is physically and mentally demanding. Do not schedule two major contests on back-to-back weekends without expecting diminished performance in the second one.
Be selective. You do not have to enter every contest. Choosing a handful of events to take seriously — and operating them well — is more rewarding than spreading yourself thin across dozens of contests.
Track your results. Keep a simple record of which contests you entered, your score, and any notes about what went well or poorly. Over time, this becomes a valuable reference for improving your performance. See Contest Logging for more on post-contest analysis.
Several services can notify you about upcoming contests:
Email lists. The CQ-Contest mailing list and various national contest reflectors carry announcements, rule changes, and reminders for upcoming events.
Contest logging software. Some logging programs, including N1MM Logger+, include built-in contest calendars that show upcoming events and can pre-load the correct contest module.
Social media and forums. Amateur radio forums and social media groups often discuss upcoming contests and share tips and strategies. The r/amateurradio community on Reddit and the eHam.net forums are popular gathering places.