If you enjoy digital operating—or you’ve been thinking about trying RTTY—the CQ World Wide RTTY DX Contest this weekend is a good opportunity to see what you can do with five watts.
The 2026 contest runs from 0000 UTC Saturday, September 26, through 2359 UTC Sunday, September 27. Stations around the world will be trying to work as many different CQ zones, countries, and U.S. and Canadian locations as possible.
And there is a place specifically for QRP.
QRP Has Its Own Categories
CQ WW RTTY includes Single Operator QRP and Single Operator Assisted QRP categories. In both, transmitter output is limited to 5 watts. Operators can enter all-band or select a single band.
That’s one of the things that makes a contest like this interesting to me. You don’t have to compete against a 100-watt or high-power station and pretend you’re operating under the same conditions. QRP is recognized as its own category.
You also don’t have to operate the entire 48 hours.
Spend an hour at the radio. Work one band for an afternoon. Chase some DX. Or make a serious effort and see where your score ends up.
For someone who hasn’t tried RTTY at five watts before, a weekend with this much activity is a pretty good time to find out what your station can do.
One Important Change: Don’t Miss the Log Deadline
If you’ve operated CQ contests for years, pay particular attention to this one.
Your log must be submitted by 2359 UTC Tuesday, September 29, 2026—just 48 hours after the contest ends.
That’s worth emphasizing because experienced contest operators may remember considerably longer submission periods from years past. Don’t finish the contest Sunday, put the log aside and plan to deal with it next weekend.
The deadline is Tuesday.
According to the rules, logs received after the deadline may still appear in the results, but they are not eligible for awards.
If you’re operating this weekend, my suggestion is simple: check your log and submit it while the contest is still fresh in your mind.
A Few Things to Know Before You Start
CQ WW RTTY uses 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters. The exchange includes an RST report and CQ zone. Stations in the continental United States and Canada also send their state, province or other specified QTH abbreviation.
There is also an important distinction between the two QRP categories.
Single Operator QRP does not permit QSO-finding assistance. Single Operator Assisted QRP does. If you’re using spotting networks, RTTY Skimmer, multi-channel decoders or similar assistance, check the rules and make sure you’re entering the correct category.
The contest specifies 45.45-baud, 170-Hz-shift ITA2 RTTY. Autonomous operation is prohibited; the operator must initiate actions such as frequency changes, calling another station and logging contacts.
See What Five Watts Can Do
The CQ WW RTTY website maintains records for the QRP categories, and they’re worth looking through before the contest.
You can explore records geographically rather than comparing yourself only with the largest scores in the world. That can give you a much better idea of what QRP operators have accomplished from different areas and on individual bands.
But a record doesn’t have to be the reason to get on the air.
If you’re already a RTTY operator, try turning the power down to five watts for a while. If you’re already a QRP operator but haven’t done much RTTY, this is an opportunity to try another part of the hobby.
And if you’re already a serious QRP RTTY contester, I’d like to hear how you do.
You don’t need 48 hours in the chair to participate. Get on the air for whatever time you have and see what happens.
If you operate QRP in CQ WW RTTY this weekend, send me a note afterward and tell me how it went. I’d especially like to hear from anyone trying QRP RTTY for the first time.
Just remember one thing when you’re finished:
Get that log submitted by Tuesday.
Build. Operate. Compete. Connect.
CQ WW RTTY Resources
CQ World Wide RTTY DX Contest
2026 CQ WW RTTY Rules
CQ WW RTTY Records