KE2YK This Week on the Air: September 28–October 4, 2026

California county hunting, vintage homebrew CW, worldwide phone and digital contests, and several notable DX operations make this a varied week on the bands.

This edition covers Monday, September 28, at 00:01 UTC through Sunday, October 4, at 23:59 UTC. All times are UTC.

Three Events Not to Miss

California QSO Party

The 61st California QSO Party runs from 16:00 UTC Saturday through 22:00 UTC Sunday. Stations outside California try to work as many of the state’s 58 counties as possible, while California operators can contact everyone.

CW and phone activity will be available on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters. QRP categories are included for both assisted and unassisted operators.

Read the official California QSO Party rules

Oceania DX Contest — Phone

The phone weekend begins Saturday at 06:00 UTC and continues for 24 hours. Operators worldwide can work stations throughout Oceania on 160 through 10 meters, excluding the WARC bands.

Visit the Oceania DX Contest website

George Batterson 1936 CW QSO Party

This unusual event celebrates homebuilt transmitters using designs, techniques and tubes available through 1936. It begins Friday at 23:00 UTC and continues beyond this newsletter’s Sunday cutoff.

Modern receivers are permitted, but qualifying contacts must involve period-style transmitters operating with no more than 50 watts input.

Learn about the George Batterson 1936 QSO Party

More Contest Activity

Digital operators can choose the RSGB FT4 Contest, Russian WW Digital Contest or two short International HELL Contest sessions. Other choices include the UKEICC 80m Contest, NRAU 10m Activity Contest and the IARU Region 1 UHF/Microwaves Contest.

DX Activity to Watch

9T0MD from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is scheduled to begin September 30, with activity announced on 160 through 6 meters using SSB, CW, FT8 and RTTY.

Other possibilities include 5W0AF from Samoa, C21DA from Nauru, OX3LX from Greenland, V61GSE from Micronesia, 8Q7JH from the Maldives and several stations operating from Ogasawara.

DX schedules can change because of travel, setup, local conditions and propagation.

Gary’s QRP Pick of the Week

The QCX Challenge is this week’s QRP pick. Three one-hour CW sessions are scheduled across September 28–29, giving operators in different regions an opportunity to participate.

The event welcomes QCX-family radios while still allowing contacts with other QRP stations. It is a natural fit for a compact five-watt station and a simple wire antenna.

View the QCX Challenge information

View the complete Weekly On-Air Events calendar

Schedules were checked September 27, 2026. Confirm the organizer’s latest information before operating.

73,
Gary, KE2YK