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Activities Calendar
To see reports and tables of results, visit the
Brasspounder Newsletters
page.
The free
FISTS Log Converter
program for Windows can be used to create entries for all the applicable FISTS activities below.
Details are available for
2024
2023
2022
Older
Ongoing, Upcoming & Recent
Call that an Aerial? | 01 July - 30 November UTC |
Vintage Chirp n Drift Week 2024 | 06 October - 13 October UTC |
Bonfire Night Valves 2024 | 01 November - 10 November UTC |
Ladder 2024 |
2nd and 4th Sundays, January - December 2024, 14:00-15:59 & 18:00-19:59 UTC |
Dave Dixon G0AYD Memorial | Finished |
Straight Eight Reprise 2024 | Finished |
30m Activation 2024 | Finished |
Mechanical Key Week | Finished |
European Tour | Finished |
Top Gun | Finished |
Win Copy of Roger So Far | Finished |
Straight Eight 2024 | Finished |
60m Activation 2024 | Finished |
Activities Calendar 2024
See the Upcoming Events page for a full list of dates and times for these and some other on-air activities.Call that an Aerial? | 01 July - 30 November UTC |
Vintage Chirp n Drift Week 2024 | 06 October - 13 October UTC |
Bonfire Night Valves 2024 | 01 November - 10 November UTC |
Ladder 2024 |
2nd and 4th Sundays, January - December 2024, 14:00-15:59 & 18:00-19:59 UTC |
Dave Dixon G0AYD Memorial | Finished |
Straight Eight Reprise 2024 | Finished |
30m Activation 2024 | Finished |
Mechanical Key Week | Finished |
European Tour | Finished |
Top Gun | Finished |
Win Copy of Roger So Far | Finished |
Straight Eight 2024 | Finished |
60m Activation 2024 | Finished |
60M ACTIVATION 2024 | |
DESCRIPTION | Let's get busy on 60m in February with 2 weeks of CW QSOs with anyone on the band (no scores, no results tables!) |
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21 LOCAL TIME PLEASE
(if you want to work Dx then adjust accordingly).
Also try different times of the day and night to learn about propagation. Monday 12th Feb to Monday 26th Feb - 2 weeks activity. |
FREQUENCIES |
Any 60m frequency you are licensed to use for CW.
|
EXCHANGE | There is no minimum exchange. |
SCORING | There are no points. |
LOGS | In order to assess the success or otherwise of this event I would appreciate soapbox comments and total number of QSO please to . |
STRAIGHT EIGHT 2024 (SK8) | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
Straight Eight runs for 8 days in March.
You must send CQs and have QSOs using a straight ("up & down") key or a sideswiper (aka "cootie") key; no semi-automatic (aka "bug") keys, fully-automatic keys or electronic keyers. If in doubt about the eligibility of your key, please ask. It does not matter what type of key your QSO partner uses. Call "CQ SK8" |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your SK8 activity around the cardinal hours it will improve chances…maybe! So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:01 UTC Friday 1st March to 23:59 UTC Friday 8th March. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 2 FOR QSO WITH A DIFFERENT FISTS CHAPTER. E.g. 6 points for a European member contacting an Americas member. |
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LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last day. Entries must be received by 15TH MARCH 2024 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
|
WIN COPY OF ROGER SO FAR | |
DESCRIPTION |
Win a copy of the book "Roger So Far - The first 100 years of the Royal Corps of Signals" by achieving the highest number of CW QSOs
in any single 100 minute period of your choice during March 2024. "Roger So Far", written by Nick Kendall Carpenter, celebrates The Royal Corps of Signals' 100 years of service, innovation and achievement. Note: Open to FISTS CW Club members only. In the event of a tie, a winner will be chosen at random. |
DATES and TIMES |
00:00Z Friday 1st March to 23:59Z Sunday 31st March. Once you have begun your challenge attempt you have 100 minutes to complete it. It is a race against the clock. All QSOs in your submitted log must begin within the same period of 100 minutes from the time of the start of the first QSO. Remember that you can have as many attempts as you like before submitting your best 100 minutes but you may only submit ONE logged period to enter. |
FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
|
EXCHANGE | No minimum exchange. |
SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator. Scoring: 1 point per QSO. |
LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than 7th April 2024 and
must include your callsign, name and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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TOP GUN 2024 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
Top Gun 24 is an activity designed for those who built and operate the
Kanga Products
Rooster kit as part of the
FISTS club project.
As with all FISTS Europe activities, it is a relaxed and sociable activity and anyone can join in regardless of rig.
I hope someone can figure out why ‘TopGun’! (TG Maverick…more of a clue.)
The results at the end of the activity will list the leading three entries in two categories.
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DATES and TIMES |
QSOs must take place on May bank holiday weekend, May 4th – 6th (a
Welsh & English bank holiday
but the activity is not limited to Welsh & English entrants). 00:01 UTC Saturday 4th May to 23:59 UTC Monday 6th May. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, Rig, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 2 FOR QSO WITH A DIFFERENT FISTS CHAPTER. E.g. 10 points for a European member contacting an Americas member who was using a kit-built Elecraft K2. |
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LOGS |
Entries must be no later than 7TH JUNE 2024 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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EUROPEAN TOUR 2024 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION | Euro Tour ’24…an activity to include the whole of the European FISTS community. The task is to work as many FISTS from different Euro countries as possible. A ‘country’ is a DXCC entity, to keep it straightforward and apolitical. | ||||||||||
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your tour activity around the cardinal hours it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21 UTC. 00:01 UTC Saturday 1st June to 23:59 UTC Sunday 30th June. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
So, if a DL works members 1 x G, 2 x GW, 1 x F, 3 x EA = 7 QSO x 2 = 14pts PLUS 4 x 5 pts for 5 entities = 14 plus 20 = 34pts total. |
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LOGS |
Electronic logs only. Entries must be received no later than 7TH JULY 2024 and must include your callsign, name and email address. The email address for questions and entries is .
|
DAVE DIXON G0AYD MEMORIAL 2024 | |||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
An activity to give away a brand new Rooster kit from the estate of Dave, G0AYD, SK Entrants MUST be using “off grid and non-engine powered electricity” powered portable stations and MUST be signing /P. Entrants MUST be running 15 watts or less.. You may use batteries, waterwheels, wind generators, solar panels or dilithium crystals if you can get ‘em…just not a petrol / diesel generator or your car / caravan (even if on batteries) etc. THE SPIRIT IS TO BE IN THE FIELD. It is accepted that some FISTS might wish to enter but through no personal lack of effort cannot venture forth, so there is a category for stations based at home who wish to enter. They must log /P stations only. The prize of the Rooster will go to an actual field station but I’m sure we will rustle something for fixed base stations working only /P as well. |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21 UTC. 00:01 UTC Saturday 1st June to 23:59 UTC Monday 30th September. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH.
|
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
|
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LOGS |
Electronic logs only. Entries must be received no later than 7TH OCTOBER 2024 and must include your callsign, name and email address. Log formats:
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CALL THAT AN AERIAL? 2024 | |||||
DESCRIPTION | An activity to promote unusual radiators and let entrants win a SARK aerial analyser. Entrants should attempt to gain QSO using unusual radiators. UNCONVENTIONAL AERIAL SYSTEM ONLY PLEASE. DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE USING A “NORMAL” OR CONVENTIONAL AERIAL SYSTEM. Any method of loading is acceptable, it’s the radiator wot does it!! | ||||
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21 UTC. 00:01 UTC Monday 1st July to 23:59 UTC Saturday 30th November. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH.
|
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
|
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LOGS |
Electronic logs only. Entries must be received no later than 7TH DECEMBER 2024 and must include your callsign, name, email address and MUST be accompanied by soapbox comments on your aerials. Photographic evidence to support will be greatly appreciated!! Even phone shots to please. Log formats:
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MECHANICAL KEY WEEK 2024 | |||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
Mechanical Key Week runs for 11 days in August.
You must send CQs and have QSOs using a straight ("up & down") key, sideswiper (aka "cootie") key, semi-automatic (aka "bug") key or fully-automatic mechanical key;
no electronic keyers.
If in doubt about the eligibility of your key, please ask.
It does not matter what type of key your QSO partner uses. Call "CQ MKW" |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your MKW activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:00 UTC Thursday 1st August to 23:59 UTC Sunday 11th August. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
|
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
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LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than 7TH SEPTEMBER 2024 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one).
The email address for questions and entries is
.
You must include this in your log's 'Comment' (or similar) field: MKW
|
STRAIGHT EIGHT REPRISE 2024 (SK8) | |||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
Straight Eight Reprise runs for 8 days in September.
You must send CQs and have QSOs using a straight ("up & down") key or a sideswiper (aka "cootie") key; no semi-automatic (aka "bug") keys, fully-automatic keys or electronic keyers. If in doubt about the eligibility of your key, please ask. It does not matter what type of key your QSO partner uses. Call "CQ SK8" |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your SK8 activity around the cardinal hours it will improve chances…maybe! So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:00 UTC Sunday 8th September to 23:59 UTC Sunday 15th September. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
|
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
|
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LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than 7TH OCTOBER 2024 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one).
The email address for questions and entries is
.
You must include this in your log's 'Comment' (or similar) field: SK8
|
BONFIRE NIGHT VALVES 2024 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
Bonfire Night Valves runs for 10 days in November.
A time to dust off the valve gear, or try to work as many valve sets as you can. Call "CQ VALVES" |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:00 UTC Friday 1st November to 23:59 UTC Sunday 10th November. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name and QTH.
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns. “Valve gear” can be a separate TX, separate RX or transceiver that contains at least one valve. Score per QSO is one of the following:
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LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than 7TH DECEMBER 2024 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one).
The email address for questions and entries is
.
|
LADDER 2024 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
The Ladder is a monthly activity with two, two-hour sessions on the 2nd and 4th
Sunday in a month. As with all FISTS Europe activities, it is a relaxed and sociable activity. The results at the end of the year will list the leading three entries in two categories:
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DATES and TIMES |
QSOs must start between 14:00–15:59 UTC and 18:00–19:59 UTC on the following Sundays: 14/28 January, 11/25 February, 10/24 March, 14/28 April, 12/26 May, 09/23 June, 14/28 July, 11/25 August, 08/22 September, 13/27 October, 10/24 November, 08/22 December. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
There are four 2-hour sessions in each month of which at most two can be claimed.
Within each claimed session, a station can be worked once;
it follows that a station can earn points at most twice (once per claimed session).
Scoring:
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LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last session in a month.
Entries must be received no later than the 7th of
the following month and must include your callsign, name,
and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
|
30M ACTIVATION 2024 | |
DESCRIPTION | Let's get busy on 30m in September with a week of CW QSOs with anyone on the band (no scores, no results tables!) |
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21 LOCAL TIME PLEASE
(if you want to work Dx then adjust accordingly).
Also try different times of the day and night to learn about propagation. Sunday 25th August till Saturday 31st August. |
FREQUENCIES | Remember the FISTS Centres of Activity (CoA) are 10.118 & 10.128 and the most used QRP CoA is 10.116. |
EXCHANGE | There is no minimum exchange. |
SCORING | There are no points. |
LOGS | In order to assess the success or otherwise of this event I would appreciate soapbox comments and total number of QSO please to . |
VINTAGE CHIRP N DRIFT WEEK 2024 | |
DESCRIPTION | CW QSOs using all old, valve, vintage or modern rebuilds welcome. No commercial equipment built nor home made kit from designs after 1985. |
DATES and TIMES |
00:00Z Sunday 6th October to 23:59Z Sunday 13th October. |
LOGS | No logs BUT please send reports and photos to . |
Activities Calendar 2023
See the Upcoming Events page for a full list of dates and times for these and some other on-air activities.Win RSGB Yearbook | Finished |
Mechanical Key Week | Finished |
100 Years of Big Ben on the Wireless | Finished |
Ladder 2023 | Finished |
Winter Warmer 2023 | Finished |
60m Activation | Finished |
30m Activation | Finished |
Act Your Age Week 2023 | Finished |
Straight Eight 2023 | Finished |
Chadburn Cup for Affiliated Clubs 2023 | Finished |
WIN RSGB YEARBOOK | |
DESCRIPTION |
Win an RSGB Yearbook by contacting RSGB members and collecting their RSGB member numbers.
Highest number of QSOs wins! The Yearbook:
|
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:01Z Friday 1st December to 23:59Z Sunday 31st December. |
FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
|
EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange you SEND is: If you are an RSGB member, your RSGB member number.
The minimum exchange you RECEIVE is: RSGB member number.
|
SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given RSGB member per day regardless of callsign. Scoring: 1 point per QSO. |
LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than 7th January 2024 and
must include your callsign, name and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
|
30M ACTIVATION | |
DESCRIPTION | Let's get busy on 30m in September with 3 weeks of CW QSOs with anyone on the band (no scores, no results tables!) |
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21 LOCAL TIME PLEASE
(if you want to work Dx then adjust accordingly).
Also try different times of the day and night to learn about propagation. Monday 4th September till Monday 25th September - 3 weeks activity. |
FREQUENCIES | Remember the FISTS Centres of Activity (CoA) are 10.118 & 10.128 and the most used QRP CoA is 10.116. |
EXCHANGE | There is no minimum exchange. |
SCORING | There are no points. |
LOGS | In order to assess the success or otherwise of this event I would appreciate soapbox comments and total number of QSO please to . |
60M ACTIVATION 2023 | |
DESCRIPTION | Let's get busy on 60m in October with 3 weeks of CW QSOs with anyone on the band (no scores, no results tables!) |
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21 LOCAL TIME PLEASE
(if you want to work Dx then adjust accordingly).
Also try different times of the day and night to learn about propagation. Monday 2nd October till Monday 23rd October - 3 weeks activity. |
FREQUENCIES |
Any 60m frequency you are licensed to use for CW.
|
EXCHANGE | There is no minimum exchange. |
SCORING | There are no points. |
LOGS | In order to assess the success or otherwise of this event I would appreciate soapbox comments and total number of QSO please to . |
WINTER WARMER 2023 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION | November is here, winter must be acknowledged! What summer we had is now a memory but for amateurs it means top band and 80m are our playground again. And if it’s chilly…get the valve amps out and have a real warm up… | ||||||||||
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:01Z Wednesday 1st November to 23:59Z Thursday 30th November. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 2 FOR QSO WITH A DIFFERENT FISTS CHAPTER. E.g. 6 points for a European member contacting an Americas member. |
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LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than 7th December 2023 and
must include your callsign, name and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
|
MECHANICAL KEY WEEK 2023 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
Mechanical Key Week runs for 7 days in December.
You must send CQs and have QSOs using a straight ("up & down") key, sideswiper (aka "cootie") key, semi-automatic (aka "bug") key or fully-automatic mechanical key;
no electronic keyers.
If in doubt about the eligibility of your key, please ask.
It does not matter what type of key your QSO partner uses. Call "CQ MKW" |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your MKW activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:01 UTC Monday 11th December to 23:59 UTC Sunday 17th December. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
|
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 2 FOR QSO WITH A DIFFERENT FISTS CHAPTER. E.g. 6 points for a European member contacting an Americas member. |
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LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last day. Entries must be received by 7th January 2024 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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100 YEARS OF BIG BEN ON THE WIRELESS | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
100 years ago this month, on 31st December 1923 the
BBC
broadcast the sound of
Big Ben
for the very first time…and
hasn’t stopped since.
Big Ben, iconic bell in the Elizabeth Tower in the Palace of Westminster weighs in at almost 14 tons,
and is known around the globe.
Join us for this one day commemoration of Big Ben’s wireless debut!
We are using ONLY 80m and 20m, good winter night and day bands.
AND they add up to 100!! Call "CQ BigBen" |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running for 24 hours BUT if you concentrate your activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:01Z to 23:59Z Sunday 31st December. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
|
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 2 FOR QSO WITH A DIFFERENT FISTS CHAPTER. E.g. 6 points for a European member contacting an Americas member. |
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LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than 7th January 2024 and
must include your callsign, name and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
|
ACT YOUR AGE WEEK 2023 (AYAW) | |
DESCRIPTION |
Act your Age Week runs for 7 days in July.
Any QSO counts but the important thing is the other person's age.
They must send their age because this is how points are scored.
Please ask them AT MOST ONCE; not everyone will be willing to reveal their age. Any radio, any key, any band listed below under FREQUENCIES so long as the entire QSO is conducted in Morse code. Call "CQ Age” or simply "CQ". |
DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your Age activity around the cardinal hours
it will improve chances…maybe!
So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:01 UTC Monday 3 July to 23:59 UTC Sunday 9 July 2023. |
FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
|
EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name and Age.
Age is sent as a whole number of years, e.g. 54
|
SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
QSO with someone aged 59 at 17:20 is 59 points (59 + no bonus). QSO with someone aged 64 at 18:10 is 70 points (64 + bonus of 6). QSO with someone aged 65 at 18:30 is 72 points (65 + bonus of 7). |
LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last day. Entries must be received by 31 July 2023 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
|
STRAIGHT EIGHT 2023 (SK8) | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
Straight Eight runs for 8 days in May. You must send CQs and have QSOs using a straight ("up & down") key or a sideswiper (aka "cootie") key; no semi-automatic (aka "bug") keys or electronic keyers. If in doubt about the eligibility of your key, please ask. It does not matter what type of key your QSO partner uses. Call "CQ SK8" |
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DATES and TIMES |
Continuous running, 24/7 from start to finish BUT if you concentrate your SK8 activity around the cardinal hours it will improve chances…maybe! So, operate any time at all but try to be on at
00, 03, 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21. 00:01 UTC Monday 1st May to 23:59 UTC Monday 8th May. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 2 FOR QSO WITH A DIFFERENT FISTS CHAPTER. E.g. 6 points for a European member contacting an Americas member. BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 3 FOR QSO WITH CORONATION RSL “R”. e.g GR4YVM, MR0ABC, 2R0PEC. |
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LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last day. Entries must be received by 15TH MAY 2023 and must include your callsign, name, and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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CHADBURN CUP FOR AFFILIATED CLUBS 2023 | |
DESCRIPTION |
There are many Clubs who choose to be affiliated to FISTS,
so this cup is for them and their members.
Anyone can enter the cup challenge provided they are a member of an affiliated club and
the more members of an affiliated club who enter,
the better the chances of that club winning. Please note: overseas clubs may enter. The cup is open to all affiliated clubs. The challenge runs from January to December each year and it is a simple challenge: the more points a club team gains the better its chances of winning. The winning club is the club with most points at the end of the year. Operators may belong to and operate for more than one club, as many members already do. Team members MUST operate using their club callsigns. I.e. ANY club member, and any number of club members can operate for the award but they MUST use the club callsign whilst on air. |
DATES and TIMES |
Ended early in September 2023. 7 days a week, continuous running. Starting 0000Z January 1st each year and running till 2359Z December 31st of the same year. |
FREQUENCIES | 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 10m & 2m. |
SCORING |
All QSOs made for the purposes of the award must be made using a club callsign registered with FISTS CW Club. Clubs with multiple callsigns MAY be worked more than once per day provided each QSO is with a different operator and is on a different band – so you can’t count Fred, who is using GX0ABC and then simply changes to GX0ARC for the same club, twice. Working GX0ARC twice on one day is not permitted, working GX0ARC on 20m and working GX6ARC on 80m in the same day IS permitted. A member callsign (rather than a club callsign) may NOT be worked more than once per day. Note that "callsign" means a main callsign. For example G4YVM/P counts as the main callsign G4YVM. Contest QSOs are permitted because we can’t police them but FISTS numbers MUST be transmitted during the QSO. Also see the note re club calls: if you work the contest as a club, fine, if you work it as yourself or as a Specific contest call, not fine. As ever, honesty to the fore please. Points will be awarded as follows:
QSO must be held both ways in Morse code. |
LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than the 7th of the following month and include:
Clubs must be affiliated to enter the cup challenge. Logs of non-affiliated clubs will not be counted. Clubs MAY affiliate part way through the event but must be aware that no logs from the period pre-affiliation will be counted. Log formats:
The email address for questions and entries is . |
PRIZES | Each year the affiliated club with most points will be awarded "the" Chadburn cup to retain as well as an electronic certificate which they can print for each club participant. |
LADDER 2023 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
The Ladder is a monthly activity with two, two-hour sessions on the 2nd and 4th
Sunday in a month. As with all FISTS Europe activities, it is a relaxed and sociable activity. The results at the end of the year will list the leading three entries in two categories:
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DATES and TIMES |
Session times are 14:00-16:00 UTC and 18:00-20:00 UTC on the following Sundays: 08/22 January, 12/26 February, 12/26 March, 09/23 April, 14/28 May, 11/25 June, 09/23 July, 13/27 August, 10/24 September, 08/22 October, 12/26 November, 10/24 December. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
There are four 2-hour sessions in each month of which at most two can be claimed.
Within each claimed session, a station can be worked once;
it follows that a station can earn points at most twice (once per claimed session).
Scoring:
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LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last session in a month.
Entries must be received no later than the 7th of
the following month and must include your callsign, name,
and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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Activities Calendar 2022
To see a list of dates and times for these and some other on-air activities, please visit the Upcoming Events web page.Straight Key Week 2022 |
Autumn Party |
Royal Platinum Jubilee Weekend Celebration |
35th Anniversary Challenge 2022 |
Ladder 2022 |
2m Chronophage 2022 |
STRAIGHT KEY WEEK 2022 (SKW) | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION | Straight Key Week runs for 7 days in November. You must send CQs and have QSOs using a straight ("up & down") key or a sideswiper (aka "cootie") key; no semi-automatic (aka "bug") keys or electronic keyers. If in doubt about the eligibility of your key, please ask. It does not matter what type of key your QSO partner uses. | ||||||||||
DATES and TIMES |
ONE hour periods commencing at the cardinal times of the clock (think radio room clock silence periods), 12, 3, 6, 9.
Twice per 24hrs, so EIGHT x ONE hour operating periods per 24hrs. 00:01 UTC Monday 14 November to 23:59 UTC Sunday 20 November. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
You may claim only ONE QSO with any given operator per day,
i.e. all QSOs claimed each day must be unique callsigns.
Scoring:
BONUS MULTIPLIER: QSO SCORE X 2 FOR QSO WITH A DIFFERENT FISTS CHAPTER. E.g. 6 points for a European member contacting an Americas member. |
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LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last day. Entries must be received by 07 December
2022 and must include your callsign, name,
and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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AUTUMN PARTY | |
DESCRIPTION |
We are having a meet-up on the bands this autumn.
Not a ladder, not an award or other points collection, just a FISTS gathering. As far as can be seen from contest calendars, there’s very little CW going on, so let’s wheel out the homebrew, the military gear, the old stuff and the new and let's just chat to each other. No points, any bands, just around the FISTS Centre of Activity frequencies, shall we? |
DATE & TIME | Saturday October 22nd at 1900Z to 2359Z. |
ROYAL PLATINUM JUBILEE WEEKEND CELEBRATION | |
INTRODUCTION |
FISTS CW Club is celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth over the holiday weekend at the beginning on June 2022. The celebration will take the form of an international on-air activity and culminates in the award of commemorative plaques to two participants. |
OVERVIEW |
An on-air activity on the days Friday, 3. June; Saturday, 4. June; Sunday, 5. June 2022. UK stations may use the RSL 'Q' per Ofcom regulation. NoV applications can be made on the RSGB NoV web page. |
ACTIVITY |
The activity is open to all licensed radio amateurs. Work as many stations as you can over the three days – starting at 0001UTC on Friday, 3. June 2022 and ending at 2359UTC on Sunday, 5. June 2022. All HF bands from 160m to 10m, excluding WARC bands and 60m: That is, CW contacts on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m. Each contact must include the exchange of callsigns and, as a minimum, must also include signal reports, operators’ names, location of stations and – as applicable – each operator’s FISTS number. |
SCORING |
Only CW contacts may be counted for scoring purposes. 1 point for each QSO per station contacted per band per day (One callsign only once per band on each of the three days). One QSO point plus bonus points added.
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AWARDS | Two awards will be presented: one for the highest scoring UK station using 'Q' RSL; one for a station – UK-based or elsewhere – being the station, not using 'Q' RSL, with most points. These awards will be commemorative plaques, engraved with the recipient’s callsign and name. |
LOGS |
Logs must be submitted before the end of Monday, 13. June 2022 using FISTS Log Converter or by email
in one of the following formats (paper logs cannot be accepted).
The email address for questions and entries is . |
35TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
A cunning way to celebrate 35 glorious years of FISTS with a fantastic prize at the end worth at least a few bob! Stations do not have to be members to join in or count for points. Whilst manual Morse is to be preferred, any form of coding / decoding is permitted. The challenge is to accrue points throughout the year. Points are accrued by a simple summation of the callsign numbers. All the digits in the callsign are added (so S53 for example is NOT worth fifty three but eight). Callsigns that are exclusively zeros, e.g 2E0ABC, will score the number of points equivalent to the date: 2E0ABC is worth 1pt on the 1st, 7pts on the 7th and 31pts on the 31st. So if you work G4, DL7 and IK6 you accrue 17 points. If you work G3, F6 and W0AB you get 3+6+the date’s number! Extra secondary locators or other digits separated by slashes will not count. G4YVM is four points. F4/G4YVM is still four points. However, you can count a maximum of 35 points each day (if you get more than 35 points in any one day, the excess do not count). If you get 65 points today and no points for the rest of the month, you score 35. These points will add up to quite a lot over time!
Max aggregate = 8575. |
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DATES and TIMES |
7 days a week, continuous running. Starting 0000Z May 1st 2022 and running till 2359Z December 31st 2022. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FREQUENCIES | 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 10m & 2m. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SCORING |
No station may be counted more than once per day.
“Station” means main callsign…G4YVM and G4YVM/P may NOT be worked on the same day. Stations can be members or non-members. QSO must be held both ways in Morse code. |
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LOGS |
Entries must be received no later than the 7th of
the following month and must include your callsign, name,
and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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PRIZES | As well as a very nice anniversary mug for the winner. There is one mug for the FISTS member winner and one for the winning NON-MEMBER. Chris G5VZ has donated a plaque for the winner and the runner up and these will be awarded to members only. Entrants do not need to state which section they enter, there is ONE section. The winning member will be the member with most points and the winning non-member will be the non-member with most points at the close of the activity 2359Z December 31st 2022. In the event that no non-members their prizes will not be issued. In the event of a tie normal joint-prizes will be issued. |
LADDER 2022 | |||||||||||
DESCRIPTION |
The Ladder is a monthly activity with two, two-hour sessions on the 2nd and 4th
Sunday in a month. As with all FISTS Europe activities, it is a relaxed and sociable activity. The results at the end of the year will list the leading three entries in two categories:
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DATES and TIMES |
Session times are 14:00-16:00 UTC and 18:00-20:00 UTC on the following Sundays: 09/23 January, 13/27 February, 13/27 March, 10/24 April, 08/22 May, 12/26 June, 10/24 July, 14/28 August, 11/25 September, 09/23 October, 13/27 November, 11/25 December. |
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FREQUENCIES |
The following rules apply only if you are sending in an entry:
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EXCHANGE |
The minimum exchange is: RST, Name, QTH, and FISTS member number (if applicable).
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SCORING |
There are four 2-hour sessions in each month of which at most two can be claimed.
Within each claimed session, a station can be worked once;
it follows that a station can earn points at most twice (once per claimed session).
Scoring:
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LOGS |
Send in your entry after the last session in a month.
Entries must be received no later than the 7th of
the following month and must include your callsign, name,
and email address (if you have one). Log formats:
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2M CHRONOPHAGE 2022 | |
DESCRIPTION |
Named after the
eponymous clock in Cambridge,
the chronophage is a fun event on 2m CW.
Most folks these days have only vertical antennas, so try both polarisations if you have the choice!
No points, no contest mode. Licence power limits. |
DATES and TIMES |
February 27th to March 6th Sunday. Tuesday. Thursday. Saturday. Sunday. NB the Tuesday is planned to coincide with the UKAC contest 1st March 2000 – 2230Z. This is intentional to introduce people to it and to maximise chances of a QSO. All day each day. |
FREQUENCIES | 2m, 144.050 or 144.058. During UKAC it will be all over the band. |
LOGS and COMMENTS | Logs and comments welcome to ...let's have some VHF fun. |
Details of earlier activities are available on the Activities Calendar Archive web page.