Here is today’s practical contest snapshot for Saturday, July 25, 2026, anchored to Pacific local time with contest windows shown in UTC/Zulu. PDT is UTC-7.
Today
Phone/SSB
- RSGB IOTA Contest — 1200Z July 25 to 1200Z July 26 (5 AM Saturday to 5 AM Sunday Pacific). CW and SSB on 80-10m; island stations send an IOTA reference with their serial number.
- Alabama QSO Party — 1500Z July 25 to 0300Z July 26 (8 AM-8 PM Pacific Saturday). Phone and CW on 80-10m; non-Alabama stations send state, province, or country. WA7BNM currently marks this listing historically active but unconfirmed, so check the sponsor before operating.
CW
- RSGB IOTA Contest — 1200Z July 25 to 1200Z July 26 (5 AM Saturday to 5 AM Sunday Pacific). Work island stations on 80-10m for IOTA multipliers.
- Alabama QSO Party — 1500Z July 25 to 0300Z July 26 (8 AM-8 PM Pacific Saturday). CW and Phone categories; the calendar status is unconfirmed, so verify with the sponsor.
Digital
No digital contest is listed for Saturday local daytime/evening.
Tomorrow Look-Ahead
CW
- ARS Flight of the Bumblebees — 1700Z-2100Z July 26 (10 AM-2 PM Pacific Sunday), portable QRP CW on 40/20/15/10m with 5 watts maximum. WA7BNM marks this listing historically active but unconfirmed; check the sponsor before heading out.
Operating note: For IOTA, have your serial number ready and listen for island-reference exchanges. For the Alabama QSO Party, set your state/province/country exchange in the logger before the 1500Z start.
Sources
WA7BNM Contest Calendar, RSGB IOTA rules, listed sponsor rules, and an ARRL Contest Calendar cross-check.
