WAL Contest: Work All Lithuania With Mobile and Portable Stations
Contests are usually won by the biggest stations, but the WAL contest turns that idea upside down. It is a Lithuanian event on the 80 meter band in which the stars are mobile and portable stations: a contact with a station in a moving car is worth five points, a contact with a portable station is worth three points, and every fixed station contact is worth just one. The name stands for Work All Lithuania, and the country is divided into 394 territorial squares that the participants try to work or to activate. If you live in or near Lithuania, it is a lively way to spend a summer morning with a mobile whip on the car. If you live farther away, it is a chance to collect a rare square on 80 meters. This guide follows the rules published on the LRMD website on 27 October 2026.
Where the Contest Comes From
The organizer is the Lithuanian Amateur Radio Society, LRMD. The English WAL contest page lists results going back to 1996, with records for mobile and portable stations and files for N1MM, TR4W and DXlog. The society describes the event on its HF page as the Lithuanian championship of mobile and portable stations, held on the first Saturday of June from 0900 to 1159 local time, which is 0600 to 0859 UTC in summer. The 2026 edition took place on Saturday 6 June, and the society thanked all the participants and published the results in June. If the same pattern holds, the next one falls on the first Saturday of June 2027, which is 5 June. Always check the rules page for the final date.
The contest is mainly for 80 meter operators. On a summer morning 80 meters is a regional band, which suits a country the size of Lithuania, and even a modest mobile whip can be heard across a large part of it. Our guide to the 80 meter band explains why the band is so useful for this kind of regional activity.
Frequencies, Power and Periods
The contest uses CW from 3530 to 3600 kHz and SSB from 3600 to 3700 kHz. The segment 3600 to 3610 kHz is reserved for mobile stations to call CQ, and the rules ask other stations not to call CQ on those frequencies. Transmitter output must not exceed 100 watts. Foreign and Lithuanian amateurs may take part, except for stations from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, which are listed in the rules as aggressor countries. Remote operation through the internet or other tools is strictly prohibited.
The three-hour contest is divided into three periods of one hour each: 0600 to 0659, 0700 to 0759 and 0800 to 0859 UTC. In each period you may work the same station twice, once in SSB and once in CW. If a mobile or portable station changes its WAL square, it automatically becomes a new correspondent for the same period, which permits up to two more contacts with the station until the end of that period. That rule explains why mobile stations try to move constantly: every new square gives them new contacts and new multipliers, and it gives the hunters a second chance to work the same call sign.
The WAL Squares and the Exchange
The territory of Lithuania is divided into 394 territorial WAL squares. Each square has a code, such as E21, which you send as part of the exchange. Lithuanian participants send a signal report and the number of their square, for example 599 E21. Foreign stations send the report and the letters DX, for example 599 DX. This is simple compared with a locator exchange: if you are in Lithuania, you must know your square before the contest, and if you are a mobile operator, you must know it at every moment. The WAL contest file for your logging program has the list, and the society publishes a map.
The square system is separate from the Maidenhead locator system, although both divide the map into small cells. Maidenhead locators are used in the Vytautas Magnus Contest and many VHF contests, so do not mix up the two when you fill in the exchange.
Points and Multipliers
The scoring is the reason to take part. Each contact with a mobile station, that is, a station using a /M callsign, gives five points. Each contact with a portable station, signing /P, gives three points. All other contacts give one point. The multiplier is the number of different WAL squares and DXCC countries worked during the contest. Mobile and portable stations receive an additional multiplier for each different WAL square from which they operated. For SWL stations, the multiplier is the number of different WAL squares and DXCC countries logged. The total score is the sum of the QSO points multiplied by the sum of the multipliers.
| Contact with | Points |
|---|---|
| Mobile station (/M) | 5 |
| Portable station (/P) | 3 |
| Any other station | 1 |
In the event of a draw, the higher rank goes to the station that made more contacts with mobile and portable stations and has the higher percentage of confirmed contacts. The tie-break shows what the organizers value: activity from the field, and accuracy. A fixed station can still do well by working every mobile and portable station that it can hear, in every period, and by logging each one correctly each time the call sign moves to a new square.
Categories
The categories are designed so that each type of station competes with its own kind:
- M, mobile stations. A maximum of three operators. A mobile station is installed in a vehicle and can really move at any moment, so that the vehicle operator can use it while driving. The vehicle and the antenna connection must occupy no more than one WAL square, the station must always sign /M, and it must change WAL square at least three times during the contest.
- P, portable stations. A maximum of three operators. A portable station is installed temporarily at a fixed location, with its antenna within one WAL square, and it must sign /P.
- S, fixed stations. Regular home stations in Lithuania.
- F, foreign stations. Stations outside Lithuania, who send DX in the exchange.
- SWL. Listeners, who log both callsigns and the exchange.
- Club entry. The log must state the club that is to receive the points.
If you plan to enter as mobile, read the definition carefully. The point of the category is to move: three changes of square is the minimum. A mobile station that parks for the whole contest is not mobile in the sense of the rules. For ideas on installing an antenna and coping with vehicle noise, see our article on mobile HF installation, and for a guide to the suffixes, see portable callsign suffixes.
Practical Tips for Mobile and Portable Operators
A mobile station on 80 meters is a compromise. A short whip with a loading coil is the usual antenna, and its efficiency is low, so choose a place for the antenna on the car where noise pickup is lowest, and always follow the traffic law of your country when you operate. Plan a route in advance through at least four squares, so that the minimum of three changes is certain, and note down the code of each square on a card or in the log software. Prepare short messages for the voice keyer, if you use one, and keep the CW speed moderate. Our article on the choice of a contest logger shows what a program should offer in a field operation.
For a portable station, the main advantage is a better antenna than a vehicle can carry: a dipole on a push-up mast or an inverted L is far more efficient than a mobile whip. The disadvantage is that the station stays in one square, so there is only one multiplier from your location. A group of three operators, the maximum allowed in the P category, could split the time among CW, SSB and logging, and a good plan of one hour per period gives a regular structure to the whole morning. In both categories, safety comes first: do not operate a radio while driving in a way that is unsafe or against the law, and keep a record of your location as you move.
A Typical Morning: Strategy for a Fixed Station
If you operate from home, your best plan is to treat the three periods as three separate games. In each period, start by listening to the first minutes across the CW and SSB segments and write down every mobile and portable callsign that you hear, because those contacts are worth three to five times more than the rest. Work them first, and then fill in the gaps with fixed stations for the multipliers. Because each mobile or portable station that changes squares becomes a new correspondent in the same period, you should return to the same callsign several times during the hour: each new square gives you another contact and another multiplier. Keep an eye on the calling segment from 3600 to 3610 kHz, where the mobile stations are asked to call CQ, and avoid transmitting there yourself.
A second point is accuracy. The tie-break uses the percentage of confirmed contacts, and a moving station can be hard to copy when it fades. Ask for a repeat when you are not sure of a square code, instead of guessing. A wrong square code means a lost contact and, in the cross-check, a lost multiplier. Because the exchange is only a report and a code, a mistake costs a lot compared with its size, and a log that is slightly shorter but clean usually beats a long log with many errors. At the end of the contest, go through your log once before you export it, check that every mobile and portable callsign has its suffix and its new square, and send the file well before the deadline.
Logs and Awards
Logs must be in Cabrillo format and sent by e-mail to the contest address within two weeks, 14 days. A log has to contain the callsign and name of the participant, the contest category and the name of the club entry, if any. To avoid errors in the header, review our article on Cabrillo logs and the UBN process. Diplomas are given to the top three in the mobile, portable and fixed categories and in the club competition, to the SWL winner, to the winner of the QRP entry, to the youngest participant, to the best-scoring YL and to all foreign participants. That last award is a nice gesture: if you enter from abroad, you can expect a diploma.
Why Foreign Stations Should Try It
For a DXer outside Lithuania, the contest has a charm that is hard to match. In three hours, you can work many different mobile and portable stations, each one from a separate square, and you collect a unique mixture of contacts that is not available on a normal day. The exchange is as short as 599 and DX, and the foreign category is separate. If you are within range of 80 meters, with a decent antenna and a clear path, you can compete, and you will be welcome. The contest is also useful for operators who need to practice copying callsigns with a moving mobile signal, which fades and changes strength as the car moves.
The Bottom Line
The WAL contest is a regional radiosport event with a clear idea: reward the stations that go out and operate from the field. It is held on 80 meters in three one-hour periods, it divides Lithuania into 394 squares, and it gives five points for each mobile contact and three for each portable contact. Mobile stations must change squares at least three times, foreign stations send DX, and logs are due within 14 days in Cabrillo format. Whether you drive around the country or work from your home station, the event is a fine way to start the summer on the air.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does WAL stand for?
Work All Lithuania. The contest divides the country into 394 territorial WAL squares and rewards contacts with mobile and portable stations.
When is the WAL contest?
On the first Saturday of June, from 0600 to 0859 UTC, which is 0900 to 1159 local summer time. The 2026 edition was on 6 June.
What band is used?
80 meters: 3530 to 3600 kHz for CW and 3600 to 3700 kHz for SSB, with 3600 to 3610 kHz reserved for mobile stations calling CQ.
How many points is a mobile contact worth?
Five points. Portable stations give three points and all other stations one point.
What do foreign stations send?
A signal report and the letters DX, for example 599 DX. Lithuanian stations send a report and their WAL square number, for example 599 E21.
How many times must a mobile station change squares?
At least three times during the contest, and it must always sign with /M.