UBA DX contest 2026

Rádioamatérske súťaženie (contesting) je fascinujúca disciplína, ktorá spája technickú zdatnosť, strategické myslenie a vytrvalosť. Medzi najvýznamnejšie podujatia v kalendári každého rádioamatéra patrí už tradične UBA DX contest. Rok 2026 prináša nielen pokračovanie tejto tradície, ale aj výnimočný status, keďže súťaž sa koná pod záštitou Európskej komisie pre komunikáciu, informácie a kultúru.

This article will provide you with a detailed look at the rules, categories, and specifics of the 2026 edition, which promises high activity and a chance to win prestigious awards.

Significance and prestige: Patronage of the European Union

UBA (Union Belge des Amateurs-Emetteurs) has the honor this year to announce that the competition is covered patronátom Európskej komisie. Toto uznanie podčiarkuje kultúrny a komunikačný význam rádioamatérstva v rámci zjednotenej Európy.

S tým súvisí aj udeľovanie 39th edition of the European Union Trophy.. Táto prestížna trofej bude udelená staniciam z členských štátov EÚ v kategóriách Single Operator High Power a Single Operator Low Power, ktoré dosiahnu najvyššie kombinované skóre z CW aj SSB časti súťaže. Je to motivácia navyše pre všetkých operátorov z Európskej únie, aby ukázali svoje kvality v oboch módoch prevádzky.

Moral stance and restrictions (Russia and Belarus)

In the context of current global events, the UBA leadership has made an important decision regarding participation. In accordance with the measures of several sister associations IARU a športových organizácií sú rádioamatéri z Ruskej federácie a Bieloruska vylúčení z účasti v súťažných aktivitách organizovaných UBA, a to až do odvolania.

UBA emphasizes that although IARU declares the apolitical nature of amateur radio, this decision is perceived as morálna, nie politická otázka. V praxi to znamená:

• Spojenia (QSO) s ruskými a bieloruskými stanicami majú hodnotu 0 points.

• These stations do not count even as násobiče.

• It is recommended not to log these connections, or to consider that they will be canceled upon inspection.

Dates and times of the competitions

UBA DX contest je rozdelený na dve samostatné časti podľa módu prevádzky. Obe časti trvajú 24 hodín, vždy od soboty 13:00 UTC do nedele 13:00 UTC.

SSB part (Phone)

• Termín: January 31 – February 1, 2026.

• (Traditionally starts on the last Saturday of January).

CW part (Telegraphy)

• Termín: February 28 – March 1, 2026.

• (Traditionally starts on the last Saturday of February).

Competition categories

The rules distinguish between stations located in Belgium and stations from the rest of the world.

For stations outside Belgium (DX stations):

Operators can choose from the following categories:

• Single Band (10m, 15m, 20m, 40m, 80m): Divided into High Power (HP) and Low Power (LP). In these categories, a full 24 hours of operation is allowed.

• All Band (CHP / CLP): All bands, High Power (>100W) or Low Power (max. 100W).

• Multi Operator (D): Multiple operators, one radio (10-minute rule applies for band changes, except for multiplier stations).

• QRP (E): Maximum power 5W (CW) or 10W (SSB). Max. 18 hours of operation.

• SWL (F): Listeners (detailed rules in section 12).

For Belgian stations (QTH in Belgium):

Belgians have specific time limits (6, 12, or 24 hours) and categories tailored to their type of license (HAREC, ON2, or Basic License ON3).

Bands and frequency plan

Súťaží sa v klasických KV pásmach: 80, 40, 20, 15 a 10 metrov. Upozornenie: It is essential to strictly adhere to the IARU frequency plan. Contestants should avoid frequencies reserved for digital modes (e.g. FT8 segmenty). Porušenie bandplánu môže viesť k diskvalifikácii. Organizátori apelujú na ohľaduplnosť voči nesúťažiacim rádioamatérom.

Contest code (Exchange)

• CW volanie: "TEST UBA"

• SSB call: „CQ UBA“

Exchanged code:

1. Stanice na území Belgicka: RS(T) + poradové číslo od 001 + skratka sekcie UBA (e.g. 59 001 ACC). Stations that are not members of the UBA broadcast the abbreviation XXX. Národné stanice (ON4UBA, ON4DIG, ON4YLC) používajú skratku UBA.

2. Stanice mimo Belgicka: RS(T) + serial number starting from 001 (e.g. 599 001).

Scoring and multipliers

The scoring system is designed to encourage connections with Belgian stations, which are the main target of the contest.

Scoring for stations outside Belgium:

• Spojenie s a Belgian station (ON): 10 bodov.

• Spojenie s krajinou of the European Union (EU): 3 body.

• All other connections: 1 bod.

Bonus pre mimobelgické stanice: UBA zaviedla zaujímavý bonusový systém. K celkovému počtu bodov za spojenia sa pripočíta percentuálny bonus na základe pomeru belgických staníc v denníku. Príklad: If you have 50 connections with Belgium (500 points) out of a total of 320 connections, your share of ON stations is 15.6%. An extra bonus of 78 points (15.6% of 500) will be added to the total score. This calculation will be performed automatically by the software when checking logs.

Multipliers for stations outside Belgium:

Multipliers are calculated separately for each band:

1. Každá sekcia UBA (e.g. ACC, LGE, etc.). Note: XXX is not counted as a multiplier.

2. Každý belgický prefix (ON, OO, OP, OQ, OR, OS, OT).

3. Každá Member state of the European Union (zo zoznamu DXCC).

Poznámka: One connection with a Belgian station can bring you up to two multipliers (section and prefix) on that band.

List of European Union multipliers

For better orientation during the contest, we provide a list of DXCC entities that are considered EU multipliers in 2026: 5B, 9A, 9H, CT, CT3, CU, DL, EA, EA6, EA8, EI, ES, F, FG, FM, FR, FY, HA, I, IS, LX, LY, LZ, OE, OH, OH0, OJ0, OK, OM, OZ, PA, S5, SM, SP, SV, SV5, SV9, SV/A, TK, YL and YO.

Technical conditions and Remote stations

• DX cluster: Using the cluster is allowed for all categories. However, 'decent' use is recommended - that is, spotting DX stations and new multipliers. 'Friendly spotting' (agreed spotting of friends for the purpose of advantage) is prohibited and harms the operator's reputation.

• Remote stanice: All transmitting and receiving equipment must be at one location. Remote receivers (Remote RX) are only allowed up to 500 meters from the transmitter.

Logs and software support

UBA DX contest akceptuje už len elektronické denníky vo formáte Cabrillo. Papierové denníky nie sú prijímané.

• Termín na odoslanie: Do 7 dní after the end of the contest.

  • For SSB: February 8, 2026, 23:59 UTC.

  • For CW: March 8, 2026, 23:59 UTC.

• Odoslanie: Exclusively via web upload: https://contestupload.uba.be/.

Recommended software: Väčšina moderných súťažných denníkov podporuje UBA DX Contest. Medzi najpopulárnejšie patria:

• N1MM Logger+ (free, the latest version is recommended).

• DxLog.net (excellent support for UBA rules).

• UCXLog alebo SD from EI5DI.

Before submitting, check the header of the Cabrillo file, especially the category and power, to avoid being mistakenly classified into a higher category (e.g., Multi-Operator).

Rules for listeners (SWL)

SWL stations are welcome in this contest. The log records: time (UTC), the call sign of the station heard, the complete code that this station sent, and the call sign of the station it worked with. A station can be logged as 'heard' only once on a band. In the 'worked with' column, the same call sign can appear a maximum of 10 times on the band. Software is recommended. SWL_dqr_Log od SP7DQR.

Awards and certificates

• Certifikáty: Each participant will be able to download a certificate in electronic form.

• Trophy: Belgian winners (UBA members) can receive physical trophies upon achieving a sufficient number of QSOs.

• EU Trophies: The most prestigious awards for HP and LP stations from EU member states.

Penalties and ethics

UBA cares about the integrity of the contest. Connections with incomplete or incorrect codes will be canceled (0 points), but without additional penalties. Diskvalifikácia hrozí za:

• Podvádzanie a vymýšľanie spojení (imaginary logging).

• Repeated and intentional violations of the IARU rules or band plan.

• Unsportsmanlike behavior.

By submitting the log, the operator confirms that they understood the rules, adhered to the conditions of their license, and accepts the decisions of the contest committee as final.

Conclusion: Why participate?

UBA DX contest 2026 nie je len ďalším víkendom stráveným pri rádiu. Je to príležitosť zapojiť sa do podujatia s vysokou diplomatickou a spoločenskou hodnotou. Pre slovenské a české stanice je to vynikajúca šanca na „ulovenie“ vzácnych belgických sekcií a prefixov, ktoré sú potrebné do viacerých diplomov.

Thanks to the scoring advantage for Belgian stations, the band is full during the contest. Whether you are experienced contestman attacking on European Union Trophy, alebo začínajúci operátor s výkonom 100W a dipólom, UBA DX Contest vám ponúka férové podmienky a skvelú rádioamatérsku zábavu.

Don't forget to update your contest software and check antennas before the contest. See you on the band in January and February 2026!

73 a veľa úspechov v UBA DX Conteste 2026!