ARRLDX-CW 2026

**“The ARRL contests have been my favourites for a very long time.

Back in 1980 we operated in the Multi category as PA0GN logging was done by hand.

No computers, hand logging. I used the memory keyer , built from WB4VVF 's article in QST.

Still have that keyer on the shelf..

The ARRL CW and SSB contests then took two full weekends — 48 hours each.

Paper logs and dupe sheets had to be send by air mail in a big envelope and many months later we could read the result in QST..…”**

Nowadays, with the help of cluster spots that highlight workable new calls on the bandmap, I can work more stations on my own than we ever managed in the 1980s with multiple operators.

This weekend Saturday morning brought exceptionally good 40m propagation strong signals from W6, W7, VE7, and VE6. ( map below)

But the next day the K‑index rose to 5, and the higher bands closed early.

**“I ended place 4 on the realtime contest scoreboard. section SO LOW ALL Europe I had been in 3rd place, but by the end I dropped to 4th.

After the contest I sent my log to the ARRL, but I accidentally opened an empty log file and later deleted it.

Since then my callsign appears in red at the bottom of the list with no points, and it will no longer update because the contest is now closed.”**

My section is SO ALL LOW

“Rig: Elecraft K3, 100 W, 3‑element SteppIR, and dipoles. On 160 m with the inverted‑L, no QSOs were possible this time. I heard VE3 and very weak K1TTT, but could not work them. Propagation on the low bands was very poor Sunday early morning. My 3‑element SteppIR did work again once the temperature rose above zero

maps: ADIF to Karte by cqGMA / UDXSoft