OnAllBands is excited to kick off 2025 with our first contest guide of the new year. This promises to be another fruitful trip around the sun for amateur operators thanks to already stellar Solar Cycle 25.
In October 2024, representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the international Solar Cycle Prediction Panel, and NASA reported that the sun had entered its solar maximum period, marking the highest rate of solar activity during the sun’s 11-year cycle. The organizations announced that this period “could continue for the next year”—hopeful news for hams everywhere.
From NASA’s website: “During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases,” said Jamie Favors, director, Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to learn about our closest star— but also causes real effects at Earth and throughout our solar system.”
One of the effects of this intensified solar activity is improved radio wave propagation. The presence of sunspots indicates solar activity which affects the ionosphere’s ability to refract radio signals back to Earth.
In May of last year, the ARRL reported that extreme solar activity affecting the ionosphere produced both good and bad news for radio amateurs—a rare opportunity for many to view the aurora borealis for the first time, radio blackouts on the sunlit side of the Earth, a boost in 2M and 6M activity, degraded propagation on over-the-pole paths, and coronal mass ejections that hindered high-frequency propagation.
As DX Engineering kicks off its 25th anniversary of serving the ham radio community (more about that later this month), we wish all our DXing and contesting friends loads of sunny days ahead, ample openings, exceptional high-band skip propagation, and logbooks filled with QSOs courtesy of Solar Cycle 25, which we’ll doff our hat to now:
Here are a few events for the remainder of the month to get the new year started on the sunny side of your station:
North American QSO Party, CW, Jan. 11, 1800Z to Jan. 12, 0559Z. From the National Contest Journal: “The North American QSO Parties are favorites of beginners and seasoned operators alike. The NAQPs are low-power only (no amplifiers allowed) which makes for a lot more breathing room on the bands. Small stations can generate very effective ‘runs’ in the NAQP contests. Multipliers count once per band, which makes for an exciting format, as multipliers can be ‘moved’ from band to band. The NAQPs allow stations from all parts of North America to be in the running for the top spots.”
CW not your thing? The SSB portion of the contest runs Jan. 18-19, 1800Z to 0559Z. The North American Collegiate Championship, SSB, is scheduled to run simultaneously with the North American QSO Party. Read more about this annual event here.
YB DX Contest, Jan. 11, 0000Z to 2359Z. This SSB contest is hosted by the YB Land (Indonesia) DX Club and is open to amateurs around the world.
Antique Wireless Association (AWA) Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest, Jan. 15-16 and 18-19, 2300Z to 2300Z. This event honors the memory of Linc Cundall, W2QY/W2LC (SK), one of three founders of the AWA back in 1952. From the AWA website: “This contest is designed to favor those using low power equipment constructed before 1950. As with other on-air events, you do not need to be an AWA member to participate.”
Participants are encouraged to send in photos of the gear used during the event, as the website reads: “This is a great opportunity to get that World War II surplus gear on the air!” For more details on the AWA, check out the AWA website.
Hungarian DX Contest, Jan. 18, 1200Z to Jan. 19, 1159Z. This SSB and CW event is open to licensed operators around the world. Find all the rules here.
ARRL January VHF Contest, Jan. 18, 1900Z to Jan. 20, 0359Z. For amateurs in the U.S. and Canada (and their possessions) to 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.
CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW, Jan. 24, 2200Z to Jan. 26, 2200Z. For amateurs around the world to contact other amateurs in as many U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and countries as possible utilizing the 160-meter band.
You’ll find plenty of help for your 160M pursuits at DX Engineering, including 160-meter preamps, DX Engineering 160M THUNDERBOLT® Antenna, Butternut 160M add-on kit, DXing on the Edge, the Thrill of 160 Meters by Jeff Briggs, K1ZM, and more.
Australia Day Contest, Jan. 25, 2200Z to Jan. 26, 1000Z. Hosted by the Wireless Institute of Australia, this event is held annually on Australia Day (January 26), the country’s official national day which marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and the raising of the Union Flag. Records of celebrations on Jan. 26 date back to 1808.
Per the contest’s website, “Amateurs in VK will endeavor to contact other amateurs around the world. Some VK operators will be using the AX prefix to celebrate Australia day, as it’s wanted by many amateurs around the world. Scoring is distance based and calculated using 4-character grid squares.”
If you’re looking to boost your station’s capabilities, we recommend the Australian-made Monitor Sensors Power and SWR Meter—an innovative, compact, well-built, and powerful device that complements both high-powered stations and portable QRP setups. It features frequency coverage from 130 kHz to 30 MHz and a power range from 10mW to 2,000W. One customer noted, “Not only does it provide an excellent readout of power, but the Alarm contact is a great way to protect your amp from damage in the event of high SWR.”
Winter Field Day, Jan. 25, 1600Z to Jan. 26, 2159Z. The first Winter Field Day was held the weekend of Jan. 13-14, 2007. Since then, thousands of participants have bundled up and schlepped their gear into the cold to practice portable emergency communications in winter environments. If you truly want to be prepared for the worst, you should too. Read about what’s new for Winter Field Day 2025 in this OnAllBands post.
