In this Youtube video, nine year old Yoshiki KH0UA operates in the 2010 CQ World-Wide WPX Contest from Saipan in the Mariana Islands!
Amateur Radio Contesting? What’s this all about?
It’s probably one of the most fun parts of the amateur radio hobby and…highly addictive!
Unlike most competitive activities, you don’t need an entrance fee and you don’t need to “qualify” in order to participate. All you’ve got to do is turn on your radio, jump in the fray and start making contacts.
99% of all ham radio contests take place on weekends. In fact on some weekends there may be as many as a dozen different contests taking place around the world.
There are “small” regional contests like the provincial and state “QSO parties” along with globe-spanning world-wide contests where the bands are filled from one end to the other with folks calling “CQ Contest”.
Some contests take place on all of the “HF” bands, while some are “band specific” i.e. restricted to one or two bands or restricted to the “VHF/UHF” bands.
Some contests will last just three or four hours while others will run a gruelling 48 hour period.
The regional contests will usually be sponsored by a regional ham radio club or organization while the larger contests will be sponsored by national organizations like the ARRL. Many contests are also sponsored by the U.S.-based commercial amateur radio publication “CQ Magazine“.
WA7BMN 12 Month Contest Calendar
NG3K Amateur Radio Contest Resources
