One of the more popular annual operating events is the ARRL 10 Meter Contest, which is just ahead — December 10-11, beginning at 0000 UTC on Saturday (Friday at 7 PM EST for US hams) and winding up 48 hours later at 2359 UTC on Sunday. The object is simple: Exchange contact information with as many stations as possible on 10 meters. The ARRL 10 Meter Contest is open to all radio amateurs, because Technician licensees have access to the band. More contest newbies are active in the 10 Meter Contest than in any other event, and it’s a good time to get acquainted with contesting techniques too.

Those submitting logs for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest are urged to take advantage of the new web upload app. This app makes it easy to submit a Cabrillo-formatted log, plus it makes sure the log is properly formatted before it’s accepted. The article, “Online Log Upload for ARRL Contests,” on page 82 of the November issue of QST, explains how to use the app.

A wide range of entry categories are available for this event, from QRP to High Power, Single Operator, Multioperator, and several in between. You can operate CW, SSB, or both. Stations in the US and Canada send a signal report and state or province. Alaska and Hawaii count as states; this is also one contest where the District of Columbia (DC) also counts as a multiplier. DX stations — including KP2, KP4, etc. — send a signal report and a sequential serial number starting with 001. Stations in Mexico transmit a signal report and state. Maritime mobile stations send a signal report and their ITU region (R1, R2, or R3).

In this contest, multipliers count twice — once on phone and once on CW — so there’s an extra incentive to give both modes a try, even if you’re a CW beginner!

The ARRL 10 Meter Contest map and list of Mexican districts have been updated to reflect the change in name last January from Distrito Federal (DF) to its new name, Ciudad de Mexico (CMX). Participants should update their logging software and any supporting files to include these changes. Operators may log “CMX” if the Mexican station sends either “CMX” or “DF.” If your logging software will not accept “CMX,” entering “DF” is acceptable.

No matter how many — or few — contacts you make, submit a log. This helps to improve the quality of log checking, and you might even find yourself in line for a certificate! If you’re lucky, you could take a shot at one of the contest records. Post contest comments and photos of you and your station to the ARRL Soapbox page. Your story could be included in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest results article in QST.