Almost before we had time to realize it, the EA RTTY Contest had come to an end, and the Su Majestad el Rey CW Contest (SMR CW) was already upon us.

As every year, this is an exciting and eagerly awaited moment for everyone who enjoys Morse code. It is also an opportunity to once again meet fellow operators whom we may not have heard for some time, get back into the rhythm of the key, and enjoy the gradual arrival of new operators joining the contesting community.

The 2026 edition continues to show the international appeal of SMR CW. A total of 1,255 logs were received, which is 103 more than in the 2025 edition. Of these, 174 logs came from EA stations, while 1,081 were submitted by DX stations.

1,255 Logs Submitted

A total of 1,255 logs were received by the contest committee, 103 more than in the 2025 edition.

Of these submissions:

• 174 were from Spanish (EA) stations
• 1,081 were from DX stations

The official statistics report 3,401 participants and a total of 242,257 QSOs, with 6.39% of contacts subsequently cancelled during the checking process.

These figures underline the international character of the contest, with the large majority of submitted logs coming from stations outside Spain.

High-Power Single Operator Categories

The Single-Op All High category was won by ED7W, with 1,902 valid QSOs, 2,095 points and 357 multipliers, for a final score of 747,915 points.

Single-Op All High

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	ED7W	2,019	1,902	2,095	357	747,915
2	ED7K	1,438	1,371	1,513	278	420,614
3	ED8M	1,339	1,142	1,308	262	342,696

In the corresponding DX category, P3X took first place with an impressive 1,960 valid QSOs, 2,498 points and 395 multipliers, resulting in a final score of 986,710 points.

Single-Op All High DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	P3X	2,048	1,960	2,498	395	986,710
2	EU4E	972	956	1,342	306	410,652
3	S53M	951	918	1,274	302	384,748

Low Power and QRP

Low-power operation continues to demonstrate the versatility of amateur radio contesting.

Single-Op All Low

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EF5U	1,558	1,476	1,634	294	480,396
2	EF5Q	1,391	1,335	1,474	279	411,246
3	EC3A	1,242	1,204	1,364	278	379,192

Single-Op All Low DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	LY4L	1,411	1,368	1,842	335	617,070
2	HG5D	1,140	1,108	1,512	361	545,832
3	9A3B	1,103	1,068	1,484	320	474,880

Single-Op All QRP

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EA4BAS	562	535	619	190	117,610
2	EA5O	342	334	387	135	52,245
3	EA1MX	352	332	382	96	36,672

Single-Op All QRP DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	UR2Y	657	622	954	268	255,672
2	IZ8JFL	626	591	817	210	171,570
3	OK6OK	454	440	544	169	91,936

Youth Categories

The contest also continues to provide space for younger operators.

Single-Op All Youth

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EA2ESK	424	406	442	127	56,134

Single-Op All Youth DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	9A3SMS	415	386	532	142	75,544
2	R3MDL	266	241	325	99	32,175
3	R3MDT	244	227	333	92	30,636

Multi-Operator Competition

The high-power DX Multi-Multi category produced a particularly close battle.

Multi-Multi All High DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	9A0BB	2,150	2,006	2,654	427	1,133,258
2	LZ5R	2,294	2,205	2,777	405	1,124,685
3	HA3DX	1,467	1,397	1,933	363	701,679

In the low-power DX Multi-Multi category, 9A7T finished first with 589,475 points, followed by EW2ZC and DL3A.

Multi-Multi All Low DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	9A7T	1,149	1,119	1,615	365	589,475
2	EW2ZC	334	317	455	143	65,065
3	DL3A	101	53	53	35	1,855

No logs were received in the Multi-Multi All High or Multi-Multi All Low Spanish categories.

Single-Band Categories

The single-band categories once again provided opportunities for operators focusing their efforts on individual bands.

Single-Op 10M DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	F8AKC	35	33	41	17	697
2	OH1NOA	37	36	40	15	600
3	YO3AK	29	28	30	12	360

No Spanish entries were received in the Single-Op 10M category.

Single-Op 15M

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EA6SX	278	263	278	61	16,958
2	EA4RKC	167	162	164	41	6,724
3	EA1L	10	10	11	8	88

Single-Op 15M DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	HA3NU	472	447	625	88	55,000
2	LZ6K	408	393	501	74	37,074
3	UT3EV	276	258	368	74	27,232

Single-Op 20M

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EC5K	900	848	896	83	74,368
2	EA3AR	769	736	792	92	72,864
3	EB7KA	423	402	415	53	21,995

Single-Op 20M DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	SN1T	612	596	778	100	77,800
2	IT9WDC	586	572	756	92	69,552
3	SM5X	664	620	762	81	61,722

Single-Op 40M

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EA3X	641	598	710	84	59,640
2	EC6AAE	340	303	407	69	28,083
3	EB5A	246	241	295	72	21,240

Single-Op 40M DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	9A7Z	733	687	881	90	79,290
2	YT4T	631	610	808	89	71,912
3	HA2KMR	643	597	785	82	64,370

Single-Op 80M

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EA5C	273	258	308	66	20,328

Single-Op 80M DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	S51DX	449	388	478	67	32,026
2	YU0U	302	289	369	61	22,509
3	HA4A	302	290	366	61	22,326

Single-Op 160M

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	EE4Y	61	41	52	27	1,404
2	EA4/N9SM	54	47	48	18	864
3	EA3OH	26	24	32	17	544

Single-Op 160M DX

Pos.	Callsign	QSOs	Valid	Points	Multis	Score
1	OM2VL	144	137	171	49	8,379
2	9A2AJ	139	135	167	48	8,016
3	S51W	110	109	133	43	5,719

The Importance of Sending Your Log

One of the most important messages from the contest organizers concerns log submission.

Although 1,255 logs were received, the organizers point out that more than 2,000 participants did not submit a log.

Submitting a log is not simply about competing for a position in the final standings. It is also part of contesting etiquette.

As the organizers emphasize, submitting a log allows the contacts made during the contest to be properly credited to the other stations involved. Without the log, a QSO may not count toward the correspondent’s final score or multiplier totals.

This is an important point for the entire contesting community: if you participate in a contest, sending your log is part of the participation itself.

Electronic QSL platforms may provide confirmation of individual contacts, but they cannot replace the role of the official contest log in the checking process.

EF0F: 2,332 Contacts

The organizers also expressed their appreciation to the operators who made the special callsign EF0F possible.

The station completed an impressive 2,332 contacts during the contest, with the team consisting of EA1X, EA5KA and EC2DX.

Special stations such as EF0F add another dimension to contests, creating additional interest and giving operators around the world another reason to get on the air.

Looking Ahead to SMR CW 2027

With the 2026 edition now complete, attention naturally turns to next year’s contest.

The increase of 103 submitted logs compared with 2025 is a notable feature of this year’s edition, while the more than 242,000 QSOs recorded demonstrate the level of activity generated by SMR CW.

For CW enthusiasts, the contest remains an opportunity to combine competition, operating skill and the simple pleasure of making contacts using Morse code.

The organizers have already issued their invitation:

See you next year!

HF Contest Committee – EB4Z Joaquín and CT1DRB David.

---