Weekly CW Contests: CWT, SST and NCCC Sprint for Fast Practice

Big weekend contests are exciting, but they demand a full weekend, a well-prepared station and a lot of stamina. Weekly CW contests offer something different. They last thirty minutes or an hour, they run every week, and they let you practise exactly the skills that matter in a major contest: copying a call sign on the first pass, sending an exchange cleanly, logging as you go, and keeping a steady rate. You can join for ten minutes or for the full session, with a simple station, and nobody minds.

This guide introduces the three best-known weekly CW events: the CWops Test (CWT), the K1USN Slow Speed Test (SST) and the NCCC Sprint (NS). It explains when each one runs, what the exchange looks like, how scoring and reporting work, and how to use them to build speed and confidence before a larger event.

Why Short Weekly Contests Are Worth Your Time

A long contest gives you hours to settle into a rhythm. A short one forces the rhythm on you right away, and that is exactly why it is useful. In one hour you will call CQ, answer other stations, correct a mistaken call sign, handle a duplicate, and see how your logger and keyer behave under pressure. Each of those small events is a lesson.

Short weekly events also have several practical advantages:

• Low commitment. You can join a single session after work without planning a weekend around it.
• Frequent repetition. Because the events recur weekly, you can see your own improvement over a few months.
• Friendly atmosphere. Many participants are happy to slow down for beginners and to help with an exchange.
• Software practice. You can test your logging program, call history files and keyboard shortcuts on live traffic before they matter.

If you are still choosing which contests to enter at all, our guide to the ham radio contest calendar shows how the major events fit together, and weekly events fit in around them.

The Three Weekly Events at a Glance

The table below summarises the three events, using the information published by each organiser. Always check the organiser’s page before you operate, because times, rules and details can change.

CWT: The CWops Test

The CWops Tests are 60-minute events held on Wednesday and Thursday every week. There are four sessions each week, at times that favour different parts of the world: Wednesdays at 1300 to 1400 UTC and 1900 to 2000 UTC, and Thursdays at 0300 to 0400 UTC and 0700 to 0800 UTC. Everyone is welcome, and you do not have to be a CWops member to take part. Six bands are used: 10, 15, 20, 40, 80 and 160 metres, with suggested frequencies from 28 to 45 kHz above the band edges.

The calling procedure is simple. Call “CQ CWT”. The exchange is your first name and your CWops member number. If you are not a member, you send your first name and your state, province or DX country prefix. Students of the CW Academy send “CWA” in place of the location. Because the exchange is short and personal, it fits any general-purpose logging program or even a paper log.

Scoring is easy to follow. You get one point per QSO, working each station once per band, and you multiply the total by the number of unique call signs worked. The organisers give an example: 75 QSOs with 40 different call signs gives 75 times 40, or 3000 points. You state your power class (QRP, low power or high power), and spotting by packet, skimmer and the Reverse Beacon Network is allowed, as is self-spotting.

The CWT also has a participation award. In North America and Europe you earn a point for each session in which you make ten or more contacts, while operators on other continents need five. Certificates are available to all participants. The organisers stress that the aim is to encourage participation, so you do not need to be competitive to earn points.

CWT sprints are usually fast. The K1USN page describes the CWops sprints as 25 to 40 and more words per minute events, which is why the slower events below exist. If you are not ready for those speeds, you can still listen, and calling stations at your own speed often gets a slower reply.

SST: The K1USN Slow Speed Test

The K1USN Slow Speed Test was created for operators who are learning CW and are not yet comfortable at CWT speeds. It has a speed limit of 20 words per minute, short and easy exchanges, simplified scoring and the same six bands as the CWT: 10, 15, 20, 40, 80 and 160 metres. The first SST was held on 14 September 2020, and a second weekly session was added in February 2021 to suit European operators. Since then the events have run twice a week, at 0000 UTC on Mondays, which is Sunday evening in North America, and at 2000 UTC on Fridays. According to the organisers, the twice-weekly sessions have often attracted a total of 200 or more operators.

The event is explicitly designed to build CW skills and confidence. The organisers created it after a survey of CW Academy students and graduates showed strong interest in more slow-speed activity. There is no formal log submission: participants who make at least one contact upload their totals to the 3830 scores website. Several loggers support the event, and N1MM Logger+ has a call history file for it.

If you are new to Morse code, the SST is one of the friendliest places to try your first on-air contacts. Our guide to learning Morse code and building CW speed explains how to prepare, and the SST gives you a safe place to use what you have learned.

NS: The NCCC Sprint

The Northern California Contest Club sponsors Thursday evening practice sessions, described on the NCCC Sprint website. On most Thursday evenings, in North American local time, the format is the NS, or NCCC Sprint, a snappy, concise contest that began in the summer of 2004. Each session lasts 30 minutes, and the power limit is 100 watts. On the Thursday before a major contest weekend, the practice format follows the upcoming contest instead, which makes it useful preparation.

The rules can vary from week to week according to announcements, so read the announcement for each session before you begin. Occasionally a variety week is announced, in which participants are encouraged to use QRP or mechanical keying. Scores for any NS sprint are reported to the 3830 scores website. The club also runs ladder competitions several times a year, in which a series of sprints are combined and ranking is based on your best scores, and it sponsors RTTY and FT4 sessions on Thursday evenings alongside the CW one.

Getting Your Station and Software Ready

You do not need a big station for any of these events, but a few preparations make them far more enjoyable:

1. Set up your logger. N1MM Logger+ and other programs support these events, and some have dedicated modules or call history files. Our N1MM Logger+ setup guide shows how to configure a contest and use function keys.
2. Program your function keys. Messages for CQ, your exchange, a repeat request and a thank-you are enough. Keep them short.
3. Check your keyer. If you send with paddles, make sure your timing and weighting are comfortable. Our article on iambic keying modes explains the options.
4. Prepare your audio. A comfortable headset and a way to key hands-free reduce fatigue. See the guide to the contest headset and footswitch for ideas.
5. Pick your power class. QRP, low power and high power are all welcome in the CWT, and NS has a 100 watt limit. Start with whatever you have.

Operating Strategy for a Short Sprint

Because sprints are short, small decisions have a large effect. A few principles apply to all three events:

• Mix running and searching. Calling CQ on a clear frequency produces a steady rate, and tuning across the band to answer other stations picks up new contacts and multipliers. Our guide to run or search and pounce explains when each approach pays.
• Send at a speed the other station can copy. If a station calls you slowly, answer slowly. The CWT page explicitly asks participants to slow down when called at a slower speed.
• Log as you go. Enter the call sign while the other station is still sending the exchange, so you only need to confirm and press enter.
• Do not fix every mistake in real time. A wrong letter in a name costs far less than a long pause. Note it, and correct it after the session if needed.
• Be considerate. The CWT organisers ask participants to respect ongoing QSOs and to be mindful of DXpeditions, SOTA and POTA operations, bulletins and code practice transmissions.

Reporting Your Results

All three events use the same reporting site. Scores are submitted to 3830scores.com, a shared site where operators post their results for contests of all sizes. For the CWT, report each session separately, for example CWT-1300, CWT-1900, CWT-0300 or CWT-0700, and aim to submit within 48 hours to be sure of being counted towards participation awards. If you use a call sign other than your regular one, include your home call sign in the operator field so your participation is recorded correctly.

Reporting is worth doing even if you only made a handful of contacts. It shows the organisers that the session is active, and it lets you compare your results from week to week.

Turning Practice Into Progress

The real value of weekly events is repetition with feedback. Treat each one as a small experiment:

1. Set one goal per session. It might be copying calls on the first pass, using only function keys, or keeping a steady rate for twenty minutes.
2. Review afterwards. Look at your log for errors, long gaps and missed multipliers.
3. Increase speed gradually. Move from the SST to CWT-style speeds when you are copying comfortably.
4. Join a bigger event. When you feel ready, enter a full contest. Our guide to your Cabrillo logs and the UBN process explains what happens after a big contest, and the skills you built in the weekly events will already be in place.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Waiting until you feel ready. Nobody feels ready for the first session. Join, make three contacts, and you have already started.
• Sending too fast. A clean exchange at a modest speed beats a rushed one that needs three repeats.
• Forgetting the exchange differs by event. The CWT exchange is a name plus a member number or location, so read the rules for each event and set your function keys to match.
• Ignoring the clock. Sessions start and end on the hour in UTC, so check your time zone, especially after clocks change.
• Not reporting. A few minutes spent posting your score keeps the events alive and your participation points counted.

The Bottom Line

Weekly CW contests are the easiest way to build real contest skills. The CWops Test runs four 60-minute sessions a week at faster speeds, the K1USN Slow Speed Test caps speed at 20 words per minute and welcomes learners, and the NCCC Sprint offers a 30-minute, 100 watt format on Thursday evenings. All of them are friendly, all report to the same scoring site, and all reward consistency over raw power. Pick one, set up your logger, and join for even a few minutes this week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main weekly CW contests?

The best known are the CWops Test (CWT), the K1USN Slow Speed Test (SST) and the NCCC Sprint (NS). The CWT and SST run in the hour-long format, and the NS is a 30-minute sprint with a 100 watt limit.

Do I need to be a CWops member to join the CWT?

No. Everyone is welcome. Members send their first name and member number, and non-members send their first name and their state, province or DX country prefix.

What speed is the Slow Speed Test?

The SST has an upper speed limit of 20 words per minute and uses short, easy exchanges, which makes it suitable for operators who are still building confidence in CW.

How are CWT scores calculated?

You get one point per QSO, working each station once per band, and multiply the total by the number of unique call signs you worked. For example, 75 QSOs with 40 different calls gives 3000 points.

How do I submit my results?

Scores for these events are posted on the 3830scores website. There is no formal log submission for the SST, and for the CWT you report each session separately, ideally within 48 hours.

Can I use spotting networks in these events?

For the CWT, the organisers state that packet, skimmer and Reverse Beacon Network spotting are allowed, as is self-spotting. For other events, check each organiser’s rules.