Author Archives: eudxcc

CQ WW RTTY DX Contest 2026: September Dates and Two Rules to Check

The CQ WW RTTY DX Contest returns on 26–27 September 2026, from 00:00 UTC Saturday to 23:59 UTC Sunday. With stations around the world active on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres, it is one of the highlights of the autumn DX contest season. Official contest calendar

Operators should check the 2026 rules before the weekend. Logs are due by 23:59 UTC on 29 September, just 48 hours after the contest ends. A late log may appear in the results, but it will not be eligible for an award.

The rules also explicitly prohibit autonomous operation. A human operator must initiate frequency changes, calls to other stations and the logging of each QSO. Software remains central to RTTY contesting, but those operating decisions must stay with the operator.

For anyone more familiar with CQ WW SSB or CW, the RTTY scoring has a feature worth remembering: alongside countries and CQ zones, continental US states and Canadian call areas count as multipliers. The exchange is an RST report and CQ zone; stations in the continental USA and Canada also send their state or call-area abbreviation.

There is still time to check the station setup, confirm the logging software is configured for CQ WW RTTY, and decide which bands offer the best opportunities for DX and multipliers. Then, after the final QSO, leave enough time to review and upload the Cabrillo log before Tuesday’s deadline.

Good luck to everyone taking part. We look forward to hearing your stories from the weekend!

73,
EUDXCC – European DX Contest Club

Remote Switch Controller: From a Personal Station to a Multi-Multi Setup, All Antennas Under One Control System

A conversation with Fabio Schettino, I4UFH, creator and manufacturer of the RSC system

A few days ago, I had a long and very interesting conversation with Fabio Schettino, I4UFH, the creator and manufacturer of the Remote Switch Controller system, better known simply as RSC.

Fabio Schettino is a fascinating figure in the world of amateur radio contesting. With more than 45 years in the hobby, he has continually pushed the boundaries of competitive operating—from masterminding major Multi-Multi operations at IG9A on the island of Lampedusa to contributing to record-setting performances from the renowned D4C contest station in Cape Verde.

He is not only a top-tier contester but also a skilled technical innovator. Over the years, Fabio has developed log-analysis software and SO2R switching devices that have helped raise operating standards and improve station efficiency for contesters around the world.

His international contesting record includes second place worldwide in 1995, operating as IG9R in the Single Operator Single Band 20 Metres category, followed by first place worldwide the following year as IG9/I4UFH in the Single Operator Single Band 80 Metres category.

Fabio’s career is also closely connected with the World Radiosport Team Championship, or WRTC, where he has served in several roles over the years: competitor, referee, organiser and member of the Judging Committee for WRTC 2022 in Italy. His long involvement with WRTC further confirms his standing within the international contesting community and his deep understanding of both high-level operating and competition integrity.

This combination of practical contesting experience and technical expertise is essential to understanding the philosophy behind RSC. It is not merely an antenna switch that can be operated remotely. It is a complete control system designed by someone who understands the real requirements of a contest station: sharing antennas between different radios, managing increasingly complex RF paths and performing fast, safe and clearly controlled band changes.

During our conversation, Fabio explained how the idea originated, how it gradually developed and how the system can be implemented step by step: starting with a simple remote switch controlled from a computer, progressing through dedicated panels and interfaces, and eventually reaching a Dashboard or smartphone application capable of performing the same operations from a different position.

The underlying principle is simple: the operator should concentrate on the radio, the pile-up and the contact, while the system takes care of relays, signal paths, cables and switching sequences.

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2026 ARRL International DX Phone Contest Results

High Bands Still Rule as Italy and Europe Deliver Strong Performances

The final results of the 2026 ARRL International DX Phone Contest are now available, providing an interesting snapshot of international SSB contesting near what ARRL describes as one of the last editions to benefit from the exceptionally favorable high-band propagation of the current solar cycle.

The contest was held on March 7–8, 2026, with thousands of stations from around the world once again filling the HF bands in the traditional confrontation between W/VE stations and the rest of the DX world. The next edition is scheduled for March 6–7, 2027.

And while the absolute participation figures show a clear decline compared with the previous two editions, the competition at the top remained extremely intense.

3,822 logs and more than 1.24 million QSOs

ARRL received 3,822 logs for the 2026 Phone contest, compared with:

YearLogs received
20263,822
20254,646
20245,193
20234,844
20223,976
20213,737

This represents a drop of approximately 17.7% compared with 2025 and more than 26% compared with 2024.

Nevertheless, activity remained substantial: the submitted logs contained no fewer than 1,246,268 contacts. ARRL also notes that several operators reported declining rates during parts of the weekend and fewer W/VE stations available for DX competitors to work.

The fall in submitted logs is therefore one of the most significant statistical elements of the 2026 edition and will be worth watching closely in 2027.

10 and 15 metres dominate the contest

Propagation was still strongly influenced by the favorable phase of the solar cycle.

According to the official ARRL analysis, approximately 60% of all contacts were made on 15 and 10 metres. Active thunderstorms during the weekend negatively affected the lower bands, particularly 40 metres.

This explains many of the remarkable scores produced from the Caribbean, Central America, South America and southern Europe.

ARRL already anticipates a different scenario for 2027: as solar conditions gradually decline, the balance could begin shifting back toward 40, 80 and even 160 metres.

For serious contest stations, this is an important point. The exceptionally productive 10- and 15-metre openings seen during the peak years of Solar Cycle 25 cannot be assumed to continue indefinitely.

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From Paper to Computer: The Origins of Contest Logging

1977: When Electronic Logging Was Still Science Fiction

To understand just how profoundly computers transformed contesting, we need to go back to the second half of the 1970s.

In a contest station of that era, there were no band maps, CAT control, DX clusters, or callsign databases. On the operator’s desk were the transceiver, keyer, clock, paper log, and, above all, the dupe sheets used to check whether a station had already been worked on the same band.

During a pile-up, checking a callsign, updating the dupe sheet, and filling in the log at the same time could become one of the most demanding parts of operating a contest.

Yet, as early as 1977, someone had already realized that a computer could eliminate a significant part of this work.

One of the best-documented early experiments is the one described by Ron, VE3VN. During the first IARU Radiosport Contest in 1977, at the University of Manitoba club station using the special callsign VC9UM, a contest logging program was developed to run on a PDP-11.

The system essentially performed two tasks: it logged QSOs and automatically checked for duplicates.

The operator entered a callsign and the computer checked whether it was already in the log. In the event of a duplicate, it could even indicate when the previous contact had taken place.

This was not, however, a commercial contest logger or a program distributed among the amateur radio community. It was an experimental system developed for a specific purpose, using a minicomputer accessed by the station through a terminal.

The radio itself remained independent: there was no frequency control, automatic CW, or CAT interface.

But the fundamental concept had been established: the contest log could become a database managed in real time.

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CQ WW 2026 – IMPORTANT RULES UPDATE

The CQ WW Contest Committee has announced two important rule changes for the 2026 CQ World Wide DX Contest, bringing the rules in line with those already adopted for the WPX and WW Digital contests.

48-HOUR LOG DEADLINE

The deadline for submitting logs has been reduced from 5 days to 48 hours after the end of the contest.

For 2026:
• SSB: logs must be submitted by 23:59 UTC, October 27
• CW: logs must be submitted by 23:59 UTC, December 1

Logs resubmitted after the deadline will be considered late logs.

AUTONOMOUS / ROBOT OPERATION PROHIBITED

The rules now explicitly require a human operator to initiate, at all times:

• changes of receive or transmit frequency
• calls to another station
• logging of a QSO

Autonomous systems or robots that emulate these actions are therefore not permitted.

This is an interesting and important clarification at a time when automation and AI-assisted technologies are rapidly evolving.

The principle remains clear: technology can assist the operator, but the operator must make the QSO.

What do you think about these changes?

73
EUDXCC – European DX Contest Club

UKEICC Changes the Rules: Is Assisted Contesting Entering a New Era?

Self-spotting, automated logging and rapid log checking are forcing contest organizers to rethink the traditional boundary between Assisted and Unassisted contesting.

The new UKEICC 80m Contest Series has opened the 2026–27 season with a number of changes that deserve attention well beyond the United Kingdom and Ireland.

At first sight, the changes may appear to concern only a relatively short 80-metre contest. In reality, they touch on one of the most important questions facing modern amateur radio contesting:

Where should we draw the line between human operation and technological assistance?

The United Kingdom and Ireland Contest Club (UKEICC) has explicitly highlighted changes to its 2026–27 80m series, which began on September 2, 2026.

The UKEICC approach is particularly interesting because it combines technological assistance with increasingly sophisticated automated adjudication.

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WRTC 2026 Rescored: Disqualifications and a New Final Podium After Post-Contest Investigation

The World Radiosport Team Championship 2026 has undergone a major and highly unusual revision of its results.

On September 1, 2026, the WRTC 2026 Judging Committee published a detailed rescoring document following an investigation triggered by information received from members of the public after the Awards Ceremony.

The consequences are significant: four teams have been disqualified, hundreds of contacts involving alleged pirate stations have been removed, and the final podium has changed — including the identity of the WRTC 2026 winner.

According to the official WRTC report, the investigation uncovered what the Committee describes as a coordinated system capable of artificially influencing scores through multiplier-producing contacts and advance disclosure of some teams’ identities.

A New WRTC 2026 Podium

Following the rescoring, the new top three are:

1st – MB5O – DJ5MW / DM5EE – 7,310,308 points

2nd – MB4G – N6MJ / KL9A – 6,955,083 points

3rd – MB1T – K5ZD / W2SC – 6,836,480 points

MB5O, operated by DJ5MW and DM5EE, therefore becomes the WRTC 2026 winning team.

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All Asian DX Contest Phone 2026 – Asia on the Air This Weekend

One of the traditional DX contests of the international contesting calendar returns this weekend: the 67th All Asian DX Contest – Phone, organized by the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL).

The SSB leg will take place on September 5–6, 2026, running for the full 48 hours from 00:00 UTC Saturday to 24:00 UTC Sunday.

For European and other non-Asian operators, the objective is very simple: work as many Asian stations and Asian prefixes as possible.

Contest Period

September 5–6, 2026
00:00 UTC Saturday – 24:00 UTC Sunday

Mode: Phone / SSB

Bands:

160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres

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WW Digi DX Contest 2026: Operating Strategy for FT4 and FT8

The World Wide Digi DX Contest returns this weekend, from 12:00 UTC Saturday, August 29 to 11:59 UTC Sunday, August 30, 2026.

Unlike a normal FT8 or FT4 session, successful digital contesting requires much more than simply enabling automatic sequencing and waiting for QSOs. Choosing the right mode, finding a clean transmit frequency, managing the odd/even periods and knowing when to abandon an unsuccessful QSO can make a significant difference over 24 hours.

The official WW Digi Operating Tips provide some useful guidance on how to operate efficiently. Here are some of the most important points to consider before the contest.

FT4 or FT8? It is a strategic decision

One of the most interesting aspects of WW Digi is that FT4 and FT8 are not simply two alternative modes: choosing between them is part of the contest strategy.

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2026 Marconi Memorial Contest HF CW – Final Results

The final results of the 2026 Marconi Memorial Contest HF CW have been published by the ARI Fano contest committee.

The 2026 event marked the 30th edition of the Marconi Memorial Contest, a worldwide CW competition that has been held since 1996.

This year’s contest took place on July 4–5, 2026, with activity on the traditional HF contest bands from 160 through 10 metres.

2026 All-Band Results

In the Single Operator All Band High Power (SOAB-HP) category, HG5D finished first with 1,083 QSOs, 244 multipliers and 264,252 points.

E7Y took second place with 245,582 points, while RG9A completed the podium with 236,534 points.

The top five was completed by EU8U, fourth with 187,272 points, and SM7T, fifth with 186,270 points.

The best Italian result in SOAB-HP came from IT9IVU, who finished 14th worldwide with 667 QSOs, 189 multipliers and 126,063 points.

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