October, the month where things go bump in the night or kerchunk on the repeater, is upon us. It’s the time when non-hams may have nightmares about ghosts and goblins while the rest of us can awake in cold sweats from bad dreams about dreaded Wouff-Hongs, terrifying Rettysnitches, and lids mucking up the bands. The good news is that it’s also time for some of the mega-events we’ve had circled on our calendars for months. So never fear—Contesting Season is here!
PODXS 070 Club 160M Great Pumpkin Sprint: October 8, 2000Z to October 9, 2000Z. Participants choose a six-hour block between the contest times to work as many stations as possible on 160M using PSK31 mode. Also choose from four power categories: 5W, 25W, 50W, and 100W. Click here for a history of the PODXS 070 Club.
QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party: October 8, 0000Z to 2359Z. The QRP Amateur Radio Club International kicks off autumn in their usual manner—by doing more with less! This club for low-power enthusiasts worldwide sponsors various contests and events that promote QRP operating and related activities, such as building minimalist radios, portable ops, and antenna experimentation. Like much of the club’s activities, its Fall QSO Party (HF CW only) is a test of ingenuity and skill, as operators make QSOs using anywhere from 55 mW or less to 5W.
ARRL School Club Roundup: October 17, 1300Z to October 21, 2359Z. This bi-annual event is designed to foster contacts with and among school radio clubs. Participants can exchange QSO information with any amateur radio station, so non-school clubs and individuals are encouraged to participate as well. All amateur bands except 60, 30, 17, and 12 meters are permitted.
ARRL’s EME—50 to 1296 MHz: October 15, 0000Z to October 16, 2359Z. Work as many amateur stations as possible via the earth-moon-earth path on designated frequencies. This portion of the ARRL EME event continues on November 12-13.
Stew Perry Topband Challenge: October 22, 1500Z to October 23, 1500Z. Here’s a popular event 160M fans won’t want to miss. Point value of QSOs depends on the distance between the two stations. Participants are given one point plus another point for each 500km of distance. Points are also multiplied for lower power categories—for both the sending and receiving station.
Telephone Pioneers QSO Party: October 21 to October 23. This will mark the 58th annual running of the TPQSO Party. October 21, 1700Z to 2000Z will be CW and digital only; October 21, 2200Z to October 22, 0100Z will be SSB only; October 22, 1700Z to 2000Z will be SSB only; and October 22, 2200Z to October 23, 0100Z will be CW and digital only. Find all the details here.
CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB: October 29, 0000Z to October 30, 2359Z. This is why they call this time of year Contesting Season! The CQ Worldwide DX Contest is the largest amateur radio contest in the world with over 35,000 participants. The challenge is to make as many contacts with as many DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible, while competing against the world’s elite contesters. Not into SSB? The CW portion of the contest is November 26-27.
In addition, look out for these state QSO parties:
- Nevada: October 8, 0300Z to October 9, 2100Z
- Arizona: October 8, 1500Z to October 9, 0500Z
- Pennsylvania: October 8, 1600Z to October 9, 0400Z, and October 9, 1300Z to 2200Z
- South Dakota: October 8, 1800Z to October 9, 1800Z
- New York: October 15, 1400Z to October 16, 0200Z
- Illinois: October 16, 1700Z to October 17, 0100Z
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