Objective: To encourage W/VE stations to expand knowledge of DX propagation on the HF and MF bands, improve operating skills, and improve station capability by creating a competition in which DX stations may only contact W/VE stations.

W/VE amateurs: Work as many DX stations in as many DXCC entities as possible on the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands.  

DX stations: Work as many W/VE stations in as many of the 48 contiguous states and provinces as possible.

Date: First full weekend in March (March 7-8, 2020).

Contest Period: 48 hours. Starts 0000 UTC Saturday; ends 2359 UTC Sunday.

Contest Exchange:

  • W/VE stations send signal report and state or province.
  • DX stations send signal report and power (number or abbreviation indicating approximate transmitter output power).

For more information, please visit: http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx

 

Update: there are a number of "open shacks" this weekend. If you'd like to try out some HF phone contesting on a really busy weekend (you're sure to make some QSOs), come on out to one of these events:

  • OCARC Chute Lake Shack Gathering, 11 am to sometime, Saturday at 5160 Chute Lake Road, Kelowna.
    Come visit the shack, use the radios and eat some donuts/sip some coffee with the group.
    Pre-event meet up at McLean's Cafe in Hunter Court at 9 am for breakfast as well.

  • Jerome VE7JAR, Jake VE7WEA, Kevin VE7XY and Mike VE7KPZ's Party In The Woods, 9 am to sometime, Sunday at location TBD (in a clearing/cut block up on the Aberdeen plateau heading in through Bluenose Road). Come check out some of Jerome's and Mike's portable antennas, hang by the fire (roast some dogs) and work a little 20m DX phone. Meet up at the Lavington Petrocan at 8:30 AM, track us down via APRS.fi by following callsign VE7KPZ on the morning of (VE7KPZ will track his drive to the location - do NOT follow an older track of his - check the date on the beacons eh), or give us a call on VE7RSS 146.880- where we'll be monitoring all day.

 

Note: If you don't yet have a license/callsign yet (ie: you are in the current Basic course), come join us (at either  event) and get on the air as a third-party operator. As long as you are supervised by a licensed HAM with Basic with Honours or better, you can get on the air and try a little contesting.