Swiss Amateur Radio Union

Contests

Swiss radio contests on HF and VHF — from a few hours to 48 hours. Goal: as many contacts and points as possible according to the respective rules.

  • Realistische KW-Conteststation mit Funkgerät, Logbuch und Antenne

Helvetia Contest

The USKA’s long-standing Helvetia Contest takes place annually at the end of April on the shortwave bands. Over a 24-hour period, contacts are made with Swiss and foreign stations in CW, SSB and digital modes. The rules are available in five languages (DE / FR / IT / EN / SP). The annual results, diplomas and Soapbox contributions are documented below.

  • Portable Field-Day-CW-Funkstation mit Morsetaste, Batterie und Drahtantenne

Field Day CW

Field Day CW is an international contest organised by IARU Region 1, in which radio amateurs from across Europe make contacts with one another using Morse code on the classic shortwave bands under field conditions — that is, with portable stations and independent power supplies. The contest lasts 24 hours, from Saturday 15:00 UTC to Sunday 14:59 UTC, and takes place annually on the first full weekend in June.

  • NMD — National Mountain Day

NMD — National Mountain Day

National Mountain Day (NMD) is an annual competition organised by the USKA, in which Swiss radio amateurs conduct radio operations from mountain summits and aim to make as many contacts as possible from exposed locations. NMD combines outdoor activity with radio technology and is a highlight of the Swiss amateur radio calendar.

  • Portable Field-Day-SSB-Funkstation mit Mikrofon, Batterie und Antennenmast

Field Day SSB

Field Day SSB is an international contest organised by IARU Region 1, in which radio amateurs from across Europe make contacts with one another on the classic shortwave bands using single-sideband (SSB) voice transmission under field conditions — that is, with portable stations and independent power supplies. The contest lasts 24 hours, from Saturday 13:00 UTC to Sunday 12:59 UTC, and takes place annually on the first full weekend in September.

  • Weihnachts-Conteststation für SSB und Digitalbetrieb mit Funkgerät und Winterantenne

Christmas Contest SSB/Digi

The USKA Christmas Contest in the SSB and digital modes takes place annually on the first weekend in December. ‘Digital’ refers to RTTY, PSK31, PSK63, FT8 etc. — one QSO per station and band is permitted for each digital mode. The same software used for the Helvetia Contest can be used for logging.

  • Weihnachts-Conteststation für CW und Digitalbetrieb mit Morsetaste und Winterantenne

Christmas Contest CW/Digi

The USKA Christmas Contest in the CW and digital modes takes place annually on the second weekend in December. ‘Digital’ refers to RTTY, PSK31, PSK63, FT8 etc. — one QSO per station and band is permitted for each digital mode. The same software used for the Helvetia Contest can be used for logging.

  • KW-Contest-Champion Funkstation mit Resultaten, Auszeichnung und Kurzwellenanlage

KW Contest Champion

The KW Contest Champion is the annual overall ranking across all USKA shortwave contests. The Single-Operator (SO) and Multi-Operator (MO) rankings are published at the end of the year; a summary is also published as an HBradio article. Rules, detailed annual rankings and HBradio analyses are linked below. For the individual shortwave contests (Helvetia Contest, Field Day CW/SSB, NMD, Christmas Contest), see the respective subpages.