While contesters the world over await the SSB portion of the CQ Worldwide DX Contest at the end of the month, OnAllBands has chosen October to celebrate the special event stations that keep the bands hopping by highlighting everything from mashed potatoes to significant milestones in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces. Here are a few favorites:
- On Oct. 18, 1500Z-2200Z, the Central Sands Amateur Radio group will be operating special event station W9P in celebration of National Mashed Potato Day. The operation will be conducted from the Food and Farm Exploration Center in Plover, Wisconsin. The center features the World’s Largest Potato Masher, a must-see for those travelers who revel in the roadside oddities that make family vacations memorable (spend six minutes with Weird Al’s ode to off-the-beaten-path destinations, “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota,” here).
In addition to the station (14.320 MHz, 40/15M depending on band conditions), the event will feature a mashed potato bar, mashed potato sculpting contest for all ages, potato sack races, and plenty of chances to get your picture taken with the 39-foot-tall, 7,500-pound stainless steel potato masher sculpture outside the center. Hear about the masher in the video below:
If you’re curious—likely not by this point—the Guinness World Record for the heaviest potato is 10 pounds, 15 ounces. The hefty spud belonged to Peter Glazebrook of the UK, who grew the tuber in 2011.
- Celebrate one of the greatest of all overreactions by contacting the W0W War of the World’s special event station Oct. 26, 1600Z-2100Z. The Delaware Valley Radio Association of Ewing, New Jersey, will be commemorating the Orson Welles’ 1938 “War of the Worlds” Halloween radio broadcast that sent panicked listeners packing up their Chevrolet Masters and heading for the hills. The association will be setting up a temporary station in Grovers Mill, New Jersey, where the fictional Martian invasion took place. Founded in 1930, the Delaware Valley Radio Association has more than 150 members and was the Dayton Hamventionâ 2023 Club of the Year.
Read this OnAllBands post discussing how the “War of the Worlds” broadcast has ties to amateur radio.
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Several special event stations are honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy, which was officially founded on October 3, 1775.
- Battleship Iowa, NI6BB, Oct. 4-19, 1400Z-2359Z. See website for frequencies and more details.
- USS Midway Museum Ship, Oct. 11, 1600Z-2300Z, 14.320, 7.250, 14.070, PSK31, D-STAR on Papa System Repeaters.
- Great Lakes Radio Club, Salem, Wisconsin, K9NBH, Oct.13-14, 1000Z-0300Z, 7.225 and 14.250.
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Now that you’ve had fun some with U.S. naval history, scary broadcasts, and pulverized spuds, here are a few contests to put on your calendar:
- Oceania DX Contest, CW: Oct. 11, 0600Z to Oct. 12, 0600Z. The 82nd running of this contest promotes HF contacts to and from stations in the Oceania region as well as contacts between stations in Oceania. Find complete rules here.
- QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party: Oct. 11, 0000Z to 2359Z. The QRP Amateur Radio Club International kicks off autumn in their usual manner—by doing more with less! This club for low-power enthusiasts worldwide sponsors various contests and events that promote QRP operating and related activities, such as building minimalist radios, portable ops, and antenna experimentation. Like much of the club’s activities, its Fall QSO Party (HF CW only) is a test of ingenuity and skill, as operators make QSOs using anywhere from 55 mW or less to 5W.
- ARRL’s EME—50 to 1296 MHz: Oct. 11, 0000Z to Oct. 12, 2359Z. Work as many amateur stations as possible via the earth-moon-earth path on designated frequencies. This portion of the ARRL EME event continues on November 8-9.
- Stew Perry Topband Challenge: Oct. 18, 1500Z to Oct. 19, 1500Z. Here’s a popular event 160M fans won’t want to miss. Point value of QSOs depends on the distance between the two stations. Participants are given one point plus another point for each 500km of distance. Points are also multiplied for lower power categories—for both the sending and receiving station. Looking to boost your top band capabilities? Read this article on the effectiveness of the DX Engineering 160M THUNDERBOLT Vertical Antenna.
- ARRL School Club Roundup: Oct. 20, 1300Z to Oct. 24, 2359Z. This bi-annual event is designed to foster contacts with and among school radio clubs. Participants can exchange QSO information with any amateur radio station, so non-school clubs and individuals are encouraged to participate as well. All amateur bands except 60, 30, 17, and 12 meters are permitted.
- CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB: Oct. 25, 0000Z to Oct. 26, 2359Z. This is why they call this time of year Contesting Season! The CQ Worldwide DX Contest is the largest amateur radio contest in the world with over 35,000 participants. The challenge is to make as many contacts with as many DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible, while competing against the world’s elite contesters. Not into SSB? The CW portion of the contest is Nov. 29-30.
Also check out these State QSO Parties:
- Nevada: Oct. 11, 0300Z to Oct. 12, 2100Z
- Arizona: Oct. 11, 1500Z to Oct. 12, 0500Z
- Pennsylvania: Oct. 11, 1600Z to Oct. 12, 0400Z, and Oct. 12, 1300Z to 2200Z
- South Dakota: Oct. 11, 1800Z to Oct. 12, 1800Z
- New York: Oct. 18, 1400Z to Oct. 19, 0200Z
- Illinois: Oct. 19, 1700Z to Oct. 20, 0100Z
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