Today is a lighter contest day, but it is a good setup day for a busy radio weekend. The main items to watch are several short CW and digital events today, followed by the World Wide VHF Digital Contest and North American QSO Party RTTY on Saturday.
Today, Thursday, July 16
- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest-NA: 0000Z-0500Z, 1296 MHz, FT8/FT4, exchange is 4-character grid square.
- NAQCC CW Sprint: 0030Z-0230Z, 80/40/20 meters, CW, low-power friendly, exchange is RST plus QTH and NAQCC number or power.
- CWops CWT: 0300Z-0400Z and 0700Z-0800Z, CW, 160 through 10 meters. Good quick practice if you enjoy fast-paced CW.
- NTC QSO Party: 1900Z-2000Z, CW, 80/40/20 meters.
Coming Up This Weekend
- World Wide VHF Digital Contest: 1400Z Saturday, July 18 to 1400Z Sunday, July 19. Digital modes on 6 meters and 2 meters. Exchange: 4-character grid square. This is probably the best weekend highlight for VHF/digital operators.
- North American QSO Party, RTTY: 1800Z Saturday, July 18 to 0559Z Sunday, July 19. Bands are 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Exchange: name plus state, province, or country.
- LABRE DX Contest: 0000Z July 18 to 2359Z July 19. CW and SSB on 160 through 10 meters, with Brazil as the focus.
- RSGB International Low Power Contest: Sunday, July 19, 0900Z-1200Z and 1300Z-1600Z. CW on 80/40/20 meters.
- YOTA Contest: Sunday, July 19, 1000Z-2159Z. CW and SSB on 80/40/20/15/10 meters.
Quick Operating Notes
- For Southern California operators, 1400Z Saturday is 7:00 AM Pacific time, and 1800Z Saturday is 11:00 AM Pacific time.
- For the VHF Digital weekend, have your 4-character grid square ready and check 6 meters for openings.
- For NAQP RTTY, confirm your macros before the start: name plus state/province/country is the core exchange.
- Always check the sponsor rules before operating, especially for allowed bands, modes, power, categories, and log deadlines.
Sources: WA7BNM Contest Calendar; VHF contest rules; NAQP Rules.
