ARRL 160-Meter Contest: Exchange, Scoring and Strategy

Every December, the quietest and most demanding band in amateur radio gets a weekend of concentrated activity. The ARRL 160 meter contest is a CW-only event on 1.8 MHz, and it is one of the few contests where a modest antenna, a dark winter evening and a good receiver can matter more than raw power. This guide explains the dates and hours, the exchange, how the points and multipliers work, the categories, the log rules and the practical choices that decide a score on Top Band. Everything about the rules comes from the official ARRL contest page and the rules document published there; check the current version before you operate, because the details are revised from time to time.

What the Contest Is

According to the ARRL 160 Meter contest page, the objective is for amateurs worldwide to exchange information with W/VE amateurs on 160 meter CW. That wording matters, because it sets up an unusual structure. W/VE stations, meaning stations in the continental United States and Canada, may work anyone. DX stations may work only W/VE stations. A contact between two DX stations does not count for contest credit, however good the signal was.

The contest uses only the 1.8 MHz band and only CW. There is no phone section and no digital section. It is a good first step if you want to see how a contest feels at a slower pace than the big 48-hour events, but the band itself is not forgiving, which is why the event has a loyal following among operators who enjoy low-band challenges. If you are new to the band, our practical guide to 160 meter DXing covers the propagation basics.

Dates and Operating Hours

The contest is held on the first full weekend in December. It begins at 2200 UTC on Friday and ends at 1559 UTC on Sunday, a period of 42 hours. In 2026 the first full weekend of the month falls on 5 and 6 December, so the contest starts on Friday 4 December at 2200 UTC. The ARRL maintains the official dates in its contest calendar, and the independent contest calendar lists the same weekend alongside other events, so confirm the dates there before you plan your station time.

There is no operating time limitation in any category. You can operate all 42 hours if you wish, and many serious entrants concentrate their effort on the dark hours at their location and at the DX end, which is the part of each night when the band comes alive. Because the contest spans two nights in the northern hemisphere, it includes two sunsets and two sunrises, and those are the periods when signals tend to be strongest and the gray line can give an advantage on long paths.

The Exchange

The exchange is short. W/VE stations send a signal report and their ARRL or RAC section. DX stations send only a signal report. In practice the report is always 599 in CW contests, which is covered in our article on cut numbers and CW contest exchanges. A typical contact between a W1 station and a W/VE caller sounds like this: the station calling CQ sends the caller’s call sign, then 599 and the section, for example CT, and the caller replies with 599 and a section such as EMA.

Maritime mobile stations, and aeronautical mobile stations outside W/VE, also send their ITU region. Canadian stations in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut send TER as their section, as the ARRL page points out. The list of abbreviations is published by the ARRL as the contest multipliers list, and you should load it into your logging program or keep it beside the radio. Your logging software should already know the sections, but check that it is up to date before the weekend.

Who Works Whom

The structure creates three different experiences depending on where you are.

• W/VE stations can contact other W/VE stations and DX stations. Both count.
• DX stations can contact only W/VE stations. They can work every section, and there is no benefit to calling another DX station.
• Overseas and non-contiguous US territories are special. Alaska (KL7), Hawaii (KH6), the Caribbean US possessions (KP1 to KP5) and the Pacific territories (KH0 to KH9) count as ARRL sections and can work both domestic and DX stations. Make sure your logging software accepts these contacts, as the ARRL advises on its page.

The rules also say that the 1830 to 1835 kHz window is no longer reserved for W/VE-to-DX contacts in this contest. Older articles about the event sometimes mention a DX window, so be careful with advice that predates the current rules.

Scoring: QSO Points and Multipliers

The scoring has two parts. Each contact between W/VE stations counts for two QSO points. Each contact with a DX station counts for five points. The final score is the total of the QSO points multiplied by the number of multipliers.

• W/VE stations count ARRL and RAC sections, plus the northern territories, plus DXCC entities.
• DX stations count ARRL and RAC sections only.

Each multiplier counts once, because there is just one band. The ARRL page notes that the list of 85 multipliers is the same as the one used in Sweepstakes and Field Day. The table below summarizes the structure.

The point values tell you something about strategy. A DX contact is worth two and a half times a domestic one, and every new DXCC entity adds a multiplier, so a W/VE station gains much more from one new country than from several more domestic contacts in a section it has already worked. A DX station, on the other hand, has a fixed set of multipliers to chase, which is the list of sections, and its challenge is to be heard in each part of North America.

Categories and the Limited Antennas Overlay

The rules offer three main categories. Single Operator is for one person who does all the operating, logging and station adjustments, with no spotting assistance. Single Operator Unlimited allows spotting assistance. Multioperator, Single Transmitter allows several operators, also with spotting assistance, but only one transmitted signal at any time. Within the single-operator categories there are three power levels, defined in the rules as QRP at 5 watts PEP output or less, low power at 100 watts or less and high power at 1500 watts or the national limit, whichever is less. The multioperator category has low and high power. For a broader view of how categories work in all contests, see our guide to contest categories explained.

The rules also include a Limited Antennas Overlay. Any Single Operator or Single Operator Unlimited entrant can enter with it. Operation is limited to single-element antennas, such as a single vertical, an end-fed wire or a single dipole, no more than 50 feet above ground at its highest point. A multiband vertical or a dipole built with a fan or trap design is acceptable. This overlay is especially useful on 160 meters, where many stations cannot erect a large array. It lets a station with a simple wire compete against others with similar antennas rather than against a farm of towers and Beverages.

Spotting Assistance

The difference between the single-operator categories comes down to spotting assistance. In the Single Operator category, any technology that identifies a call sign or multiplier on a signal is prohibited. The rules define this widely: it includes telnet clusters, DX spotting websites, packet, automated multichannel decoders such as CW Skimmer, reverse beacon networks, and arrangements with other people such as alerting nets or chat rooms. The Single Operator Unlimited and multioperator categories may use them, with spotting information taken from sources open to the general public.

If you are unsure which category fits, ask whether anything outside your own ears and your own station helped you find a station. If it did, you belong in the Unlimited category. Our explainer on the reverse beacon network and CW Skimmer describes the tools that count as assistance.

Antennas and Receiving on Top Band

The 160 meter band has a reputation for punishing small antennas, and a contest highlights the problem. A full-size half-wave dipole on this band is more than 250 feet long, so most operators use a vertical, an inverted L or a loaded wire, with a radial system or other ground. Our guide to the inverted L antenna explains one of the most popular choices.

The bigger issue is often reception rather than transmission. Local noise can make an otherwise good signal impossible to copy, and in a CW contest a weak signal in the noise may be lost altogether. Many top operators use separate low-band receiving antennas such as Beverages or small loops, and the improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio can be dramatic. If you want to hear stations that others cannot, read our article on low band receive antennas.

For a typical home station, here are the preparation steps that pay off most:

• Check the SWR across the CW part of the band. Top Band antennas are narrow, and an antenna tuned for 1.83 MHz may be poor at 1.85 MHz.
• Walk around the house with a portable receiver and find the sources of noise before the contest, not during it.
• Test your ground system and radials after the autumn weather.
• Confirm that the section list and DXCC data in your logger are current.
• Keep the station powered and warm. Winter operating conditions are harsh on feed lines and connectors.

Operating Strategy

A 42-hour contest on one band rewards patience. A few ideas are worth considering.

Concentrate on the Dark Hours

Signals on 160 meters depend heavily on darkness along the path. The best conditions at your station will normally be around local sunset through sunrise, with enhanced openings around the grayline periods at either end. The daytime hours are typically slow, which makes them a natural time to rest, eat and repair. Our guide to rest and time management in long contests can help you plan your sleep.

Decide Between Running and Searching

With only one band, the main choice is how much time to spend calling CQ and how much to spend tuning. A strong station can run a frequency and let the callers come, while a weaker station is usually better off tuning across the band to find multipliers and answering them. Mixing the two is common: run when the rate is good, then search for new sections or countries when the rate falls.

Keep the Exchange Clean

The exchange is short, which means errors in call signs are the main way to lose points. Log checking removes any contact with a busted call sign or a contact that is not found in the other station’s log, and it also imposes a penalty equal to the point value of that contact. Contacts with an incorrect exchange are simply removed. Duplicate contacts are removed without an additional penalty. In other words, a doubtful call sign deserves a repeat before you move on.

Logs and Submission

The official ARRL format is Cabrillo. Logs are due seven days after the contest ends, which is based on the end time at 1559 UTC on Sunday, and must be uploaded through the ARRL web application. The ARRL page also points out that for all ARRL and IARU HF contests, beginning 30 September 2026, only online log submission is accepted, so plan to upload your Cabrillo file rather than mail a paper log. If you need to convert a log, the page links to a Cabrillo form tool. Multioperator logs must list all operators in the operators field. For a walk-through of the format and the log checking steps, see our article on Cabrillo logs and the UBN process.

You can also assign your score to an ARRL-affiliated club by selecting the club name when you upload the log, which contributes to the Affiliated Club Competition. The ARRL awards certificates to the top QRP, low-power and high-power single operators in each ARRL or RAC section and DXCC entity, and to the top multioperator stations in each ARRL division and continent. Printable certificates are available online.

Rules You Should Not Overlook

A few general conditions apply to every ARRL contest and are easy to forget in a quiet band. All transmitters and receivers must be located within a circle 500 meters in diameter, excluding antennas, and remote receiving sites outside that circle are not allowed. Only one transmitted signal is permitted at any time. Alternating CQs on two frequencies on the same band is prohibited. Each contact needs direct initiation by both operators, either locally or by remote control. All contact elements must be exchanged over amateur radio, not by a chat room or telephone. You must identify your transmissions, and the rules treat failing to identify for more than a minute as prohibited conduct. The full list is in the ARRL rules, which you can read in the official 160 meter rules document.

The Bottom Line

The ARRL 160 meter contest is a compact, CW-only test of low-band skill: send 599 and a section if you are W/VE, send 599 if you are DX, score two or five points per contact, and multiply by sections and DXCC entities. The categories and the Limited Antennas Overlay make it welcoming to simple stations, and the long operating window gives you time for two good nights. Prepare your antenna and receive noise before the weekend, keep your call sign copy accurate, and upload a Cabrillo log within seven days.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the ARRL 160 meter contest?

It takes place on the first full weekend in December, from 2200 UTC on Friday to 1559 UTC on Sunday. Check the ARRL contest calendar for the exact dates in your year.

What is the exchange?

W/VE stations send a signal report and their ARRL or RAC section. DX stations send a signal report. Maritime mobile stations also send their ITU region.

Can DX stations work each other for points?

No. DX stations may work only W/VE stations for contest credit, and a contact between two DX stations does not count.

How is the score calculated?

Each W/VE to W/VE contact is worth two points and each contact with a DX station is worth five points. The total is multiplied by the number of multipliers. W/VE stations count sections and DXCC entities, and DX stations count sections.

What is the Limited Antennas Overlay?

It is an optional overlay for single-operator entrants who use only single-element antennas, such as a vertical, an end-fed wire or a dipole, no more than 50 feet above ground at its highest point.

How do I submit my log?

Upload a Cabrillo file through the ARRL log submission web application within seven days after the contest ends. The ARRL notes that online submission is the only method accepted for ARRL and IARU HF contests from 30 September 2026.