The weekend of October 17 and 18 is shaping up as one of the busiest on-air weekends of the fall, with a major digital contest, a 160-meter classic, and a fresh DXpedition to a rare Atlantic entity all landing on the same two days. Here is what to line up in your shack this week.
The JARL WW RTTY Contest runs from 0000Z Saturday through 2400Z Sunday on 80 through 10 meters, open to the world. Share the bands with the Stew Perry Topband Challenge, the classic 160-meter CW event, running 1500Z Saturday to 1500Z Sunday. The Worked All Germany Contest occupies the same weekend on CW and SSB, and state QSO party chasers get two bites: the New York QSO Party from 1400Z Saturday to 0200Z Sunday, and the Illinois QSO Party from 1700Z Sunday to 0100Z Monday on bands from 160 meters to 2 meters. VHF and up fans get the 902 MHz and Up Fall Sprint from 0800 to 1400 local time Saturday, while the UBA ON Contest works 2-meter CW and phone Sunday morning from 0700Z to 1000Z. Weekday sprints include the NAQCC CW Sprint on Wednesday and the VHF-UHF FT8 Activity on Thursday.
DX hunters should mark Saturday for the arrival of S9R, a six-operator team heading to Sao Tome and Principe with multiple stations on HF bands and modes through October 31. Also starting this week are S21HRG from Tetulia, Bangladesh (October 16-20, 80 through 10 meters on SSB, FT8 and CW) and KH8/AG4ZP from American Samoa (October 15-18, 40 through 10 meters, mostly FT8 and FT4). Already on the air: 6O2M in Somalia through October 25, the rare VK9WX on Willis Island through October 31, 3D2HM in Fiji through October 22, and FW1P in Wallis and Futuna in its final days.
The hamfest calendar is just as full. Pacificon, the ARRL Pacific Division Convention, runs October 16-18 at the San Ramon Marriott in San Ramon, California. Hamfest Chattanooga 2026 is October 16-17 at the Catoosa County Colonnade in Ringgold, Georgia, an ARRL-sanctioned event with forums, vendors, FCC testing, and ten-dollar admission good for both days. Also on Saturday: the Slidell EOC Hamfest in Louisiana, the Short Mountain Repeater Club Hamfest in Wartrace, Tennessee, Swaptoberfest in Rickreall, Oregon, and the Muskegon Color Tour Hamfest in Michigan. The same weekend brings JOTA-JOTI, October 16-18, the world's largest Scouting event, with more than eleven thousand stations expected across over 150 countries. If a club near you is putting youth on the air, this is the weekend to lend your station and your patience.
On the GMRS side, the Southwest Community Radio System has opened four Arizona repeaters to all licensed GMRS users with no membership required: Heliograph 700, Guthrie 600, Alpine 725, and Nutrioso 550. It is a welcome contrast to the ongoing federal enforcement story, where the FCC has issued a Notice of Violation to the North Georgia GMRS linked repeater network for violating rule 95.1749, and the Texas GMRS, Midwest GMRS, and nationwide myGMRS linked networks have shut down their internet linking. Weekly nets continue apace, including the OKC GMRS net Sundays at 7 PM on OKC-650.
Finally, the space weather looks cooperative for the weekend. NOAA's 27-day outlook shows the solar flux at 120 today, sliding to 95 by Saturday, with a quiet weekend forecast of planetary A-index 5 and Kp 2. One bump to watch mid-week: a G1 minor geomagnetic storm is possible Tuesday as the A-index spikes to 28. Once that passes, expect settled, usable HF conditions. Get the antennas checked now, and enjoy a packed weekend on the air.