Looking for your next opportunity to get on the air? This week brings vintage homebrew CW, the California QSO Party, worldwide phone and digital contests, VHF/UHF activity, and several announced DX operations.
Coverage: Monday, September 28, at 00:01 UTC through Sunday, October 4, at 23:59 UTC. All operating times below are UTC, not local time. This is a selection of upcoming activity—not a complete calendar. Confirm the organizer’s rules and latest announcements before operating.
Featured Special Events
George Batterson 1936 CW QSO Party — October 2–5
This unusual CW event celebrates transmitters designed with techniques and tubes available through 1936. Participants build or operate qualifying period-style transmitters, then contact other “1936 stations” while modern or vintage receivers may be used.
The full event runs from October 2 at 23:00 UTC through October 5 at 03:00 UTC, continuing beyond this calendar’s Sunday cutoff. The exchange includes RST, name, location, the transmitter design year, transmitter type, and output power.
George Batterson 1936 QSO Party details and rules
California QSO Party — October 3–4
The 61st California QSO Party gives operators worldwide a chance to hunt California’s 58 counties. California stations work everyone, while stations outside California work California stations. CW and phone contacts are available on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters.
The event runs from October 3 at 16:00 UTC through October 4 at 22:00 UTC.
Official 2026 California QSO Party rules
Major Contests and QSO Parties
| Event | UTC operating period | Primary activity |
|---|---|---|
| QCX Challenge | 09/28, 13:00–14:00 and 19:00–20:00; 09/29, 03:00–04:00 | Three one-hour CW sessions for QCX-family and other QRP stations |
| RSGB FT4 Contest | 09/28, 19:00–21:00 | Two-hour FT4 contest on the HF bands |
| 222 MHz Fall Sprint | 09/29, 23:00–09/30, 06:00 | North American 1.25-meter activity; confirm the current sponsor rules before operating |
| UKEICC 80m Contest | 09/30, 20:00–21:00 | One-hour 80-meter contest using the organizer’s scheduled mode |
| NRAU 10m Activity Contest | 10/01, 17:00–18:00 CW; 18:00–19:00 SSB; 19:00–20:00 FM; 20:00–21:00 digital | Four consecutive mode sessions on 10 meters |
| Oceania DX Contest — Phone | 10/03, 06:00–10/04, 06:00 | Worldwide stations work Oceania on 160–10 meters, excluding WARC bands |
| Russian WW Digital Contest | 10/03, 12:00–10/04, 11:59 | Worldwide RTTY and BPSK63 activity on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters |
| IARU Region 1 UHF/Microwaves Contest | 10/03, 14:00–10/04, 14:00 | Region 1 contest activity on 435 MHz and higher bands |
| California QSO Party | 10/03, 16:00–10/04, 22:00 | California county hunting using CW and phone |
| International HELL Contest | 10/03, 16:00–18:00 (80m); 10/04, 09:00–11:00 (40m) | Two short Feld Hell digital-mode sessions |
For additional weekly tests and shorter events, see the WA7BNM five-week contest calendar. Always use the organizer’s current rules when the calendar and official source differ.
DX Activity to Watch
These announced operations overlap September 28–October 4. Dates are planned activity windows, not promises of continuous operation; travel, setup, propagation, and local conditions can change the schedule.
- V51WH — Namibia: Announced through October 10 on 160–6 meters, including 60 meters.
- V47YA and V47RCX — St. Kitts: Announced through September 30 on 160–6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8.
- D4SAL — Cape Verde: Announced through October 2 from Boa Vista Island, primarily HF SSB.
- 8Q7JH — Maldives: Announced through October 10 on 20, 15, and 10 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8.
- 5W0AF — Samoa: Announced through October 12, mainly SSB on 40–10 meters with possible 80-meter activity.
- C21DA — Nauru: Holiday-style SSB operation announced through October 5 on 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, and 10 meters.
- OX3LX — Greenland: Spare-time operation announced through October 4, mainly on 30–10 meters.
- JD1BON, JD1BOK, JE1NVD/JD1, and JI1CRM/JD1 — Ogasawara: Announced through October 6 on 160–6 meters using CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4.
- 9T0MD — Democratic Republic of the Congo: Announced September 30–October 11 on 160–6 meters using SSB, CW, FT8, and RTTY.
- V61GSE — Micronesia: Holiday-style operation announced October 1–7 on 80–6 meters using FT8, SSB, and CW.
- XR0Z — Juan Fernandez Islands: A ten-day operation is announced during October on 160–6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8; exact dates remain subject to team updates.
- H44MS — Solomon Islands: Announced beginning October 3, mainly FT8 with some SSB on 80–10 meters.
See NG3K’s announced DX operations for operator information, bands, QSL routes, and updates. Where a team’s own announcement differs from the calendar, use the team’s latest information.
A Great Week to Get On the Air
Start the week with one of the short QRP or data sessions, then choose among California counties, Oceania phone activity, worldwide digital contacts, microwave competition, or vintage CW during the weekend. Read the exchange before calling, keep your log in UTC, and enjoy the contacts. 73!
Schedules checked September 27, 2026. Sources: WA7BNM Contest Calendar, NG3K, and the organizer announcements and rules linked above. Operating schedules can change; log-submission deadlines are not event dates.
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