Section 8.4: DX and Contest Operating #

A distant station may attract several callers at once, leaving each operator only a brief opportunity to complete an exchange. DX operating focuses on reaching distant stations; a contest gives contacts a defined format and a score. They often overlap, but neither requires you to spend an entire weekend at the radio.

The procedures from the previous sections still apply. The new challenge is recognizing which calls the station wants, when it is listening, and what information it expects.

Recognizing a Call for DX #

An ordinary CQ welcomes any station. CQ DX narrows that invitation:

Key Information: Generally, stations outside the lower 48 states should respond when a station in the contiguous 48 states calls “CQ DX.”

For that call, a station in Canada or Alaska qualifies even though neither contact crosses an ocean. Listen for any further restriction, such as a call for a particular region, and answer only when your station fits the request. If it does not, leave the opportunity for the stations being called.

Voluntary band plans sometimes provide operating windows for DX as well. One example is on 6 meters, beyond the HF bands:

Key Information: Under the voluntary band plan, US stations within the 48 contiguous states operating from 50.1 to 50.125 MHz should make only contacts with stations outside the 48 contiguous states.

The restriction concerns location, not whether the path crosses an ocean. Use the window for those contacts and conduct other conversations elsewhere, while still checking for existing activity.

Finding an Antenna Heading #

If you use a directional antenna, an ordinary rectangular world map may not show the heading you need. The shortest path over Earth’s surface can point in a different direction from the line you would draw on that map.

Key Information: An azimuthal projection map shows true bearings and distances from a specific location.

The station-centered map used for this purpose is an azimuthal equidistant map. Choose one centered on your location, then read the bearing from its center to the destination. A map centered elsewhere will not provide your station’s bearings. The heading refers to true north, so account for magnetic declination if you use a magnetic compass to align the antenna.

Sometimes propagation supports the longer route around Earth instead:

Key Information: For a long-path contact, point a directional antenna 180 degrees from the station’s short-path heading.

If the short-path heading is 70 degrees, the long-path heading is 250 degrees. Compare reception in the two directions to find which path, if either, supports the contact.

Calling Among Other Stations #

Before answering a station with a pileup, listen through several exchanges. Identify its call sign, determine whether it is working split, and note any instructions. Apply Section 7.3’s split-operation checks to the transmit VFO: a station you may legally receive is not necessarily on a frequency where you may transmit.

Call during the listening period, then listen for the reply. If the operator answers a different callsign or asks for a partial call that does not match yours, leave the exchange clear. Repeated calls during someone else’s reply make it harder for both stations to finish.

An unsuccessful call is not a reason to keep raising power. Another caller may have been selected, or the station may be listening elsewhere. You can try again at a suitable pause or return later. Use only the power needed for the communication, within your equipment and license limits.

Conditions can also bring previously separate contacts into one another’s receivers. Neither group may have heard the other when it began:

Key Information: If propagation changes during a contact and creates interference from other stations on the frequency, attempt to resolve the problem with them in a mutually acceptable manner.

One group may move to another clear frequency, or the operators may arrange to take turns. Agree on the change and check the new frequency before using it. A scheduled net, DX operation, or contest does not grant exclusive access to a frequency.

Completing a Contest Exchange #

A contest specifies which contacts count and what information must be exchanged. Before calling, read its rules for bands, modes, operating times, and entry categories. The exchange might include a signal report plus a state, zone, or serial number; the details depend on the event.

Suppose a voice contest requires a report and a serial number. After exchanging callsigns, the other operator sends “five nine, one four two.” You record report 59 and their serial number 142. If this is your seventh contact, your reply might be “five nine, zero zero seven.” Your number records your own sequence, not a copy of theirs.

You will often hear standard 59 or 599 reports in contests. Do not treat those brief exchanges as detailed evaluations of your signal. If you miss a callsign or number, request a repeat before the contact ends. Copying the required information accurately matters more than avoiding an extra transmission.

A faster exchange does not change the station-identification requirements:

Key Information: When participating in a contest on HF frequencies, identify your station according to normal FCC regulations.

Identify at least every ten minutes during a communication and at its end. Do not assume that the pace of the contest or another station’s use of your call satisfies your own obligation. Contest rules may impose additional operating requirements.

Power categories are another event-specific choice:

Key Information: QRP operation means low-power transmit operation.

Some contest QRP categories have a 5-watt limit, but definitions and categories vary. Check the rules for the event you are entering. Low power may also suit portable operation, though it can make some contacts harder to complete. Choose an activity and operating goal that fit the station you have.

Keep an Accurate Record #

A contest log records the date and time in UTC, band or frequency, mode, callsign, and required exchange. The same basic record can be useful for ordinary contacts:

Key Information: Many amateurs keep a station log to help with a reply if the FCC requests information about their station.

There is no general requirement to log every amateur contact, but specific activities may have recordkeeping requirements. For a contest, use its required format and submission procedure. Record what you actually copied rather than filling gaps from an online listing, and follow the event’s rules about corrections and outside assistance.

A contest calendar or local club can help you find an event to try. Listen to a few exchanges and prepare the information you will send. You can make a handful of contacts without aiming for a competitive score. In digital operation, software takes on more of the exchange, but the operator still needs to recognize what is happening.