It’s September—the time of year when gridiron giants strap on helmets and shoulder pads while us amateurs strap on headphones and fill our cups with high-octane java for some serious on-air sessions. September kicks off the Fall Contesting Season, including the popular November Sweepstakes for CW (Nov. 2-4) and Phone (Nov. 16-18). Here are a few highlights for this month:
- September VHF (Sept. 14-26): Work as many amateur stations in as many different 2 degrees x 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz.
- 10 GHz and Up Round 2 (Sept. 21-22): North American amateurs work as many amateur stations in as many different locations as possible in North America on bands from 10-GHz through Light.
- EME—2.3 GHz and Up (Sept. 21-22): Work as many amateur stations as possible via the earth-moon-earth path on any authorized amateur frequency above 50 MHz.
- CQ World Wide RTTY DX Contest (Sept. 28-29): This event draws more than 15,000 RTTY enthusiasts annually.
In addition, look out for state QSO parties in Alabama, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and Texas. And be sure to check out Ohio State Parks on the Air on September 7!
Ready to upgrade your station for better results this year? Whether you’ll be working HF or VHF, contact DX Engineering at Elmer@DXEngineering.com for expert advice on the gear you need to move up in the rankings. Or visit DXEngineering.com for antennas, transceivers, amplifiers, headsets, microphones, footswitches, keys, and contesting accessories like our RXSHARE Audio Switch.
