DA-RC Christmas Contest 2026 Regulations
ENGLISH | Rules
Dates and participation
The contest is open to all operators, regardless of group affiliation.
It begins on 10 December 2026 at 00:00 UTC and ends on 31 December 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
Band and operating modes
Activity must take place on the 11-metre band, exclusively within the following frequency ranges:

• 27.400-27.495 MHz
• 27.600-27.900 MHz
  Contacts made outside these ranges will not be considered valid. Only voice operation is
  permitted.
  Categories
  There are three categories: ACTIVATOR, HUNTER and JOKER.
  ACTIVATOR
  This category includes DA-RC operators who have applied to gae1da001@gmail.com and received
  a special contest callsign, for example 1DA/XC, where XC stands for Xmas Contest.
  The objective is to contact as many Hunters as possible.
  Each Activator may also participate as a Hunter, using their personal DA-RC callsign, for example
  1DA001.
  Contacts between Activators, or between Activators and Joker stations, using the special contest
  callsign are not permitted. These contacts may only be made as a Hunter, using the operator’s
  personal DA-RC callsign.
  Each Activator may log the same Hunter only once during the entire contest, even if that Hunter
  uses multiple callsigns (multicall).
  HUNTER
  This category includes operators from any group. The objective is to contact as many Activators
  and Joker stations as possible.
  Each Activator may be contacted only once during the entire contest.
  JOKER
  This category includes DA-RC HQ members, who will use callsigns in the format XXXDA/JOKER.
  Joker station operators may also participate as Hunters, using their personal DA-RC callsigns.
• Scoring
• HUNTER
• 1 point for each Activator contacted.
• 2 additional points for each new country contacted.
• 5 points for each Joker station contacted.
• 10 bonus points for contacting all Joker stations.
  ACTIVATOR/JOKER
• 1 point for each Hunter contacted.
• 3 additional points for each new country contacted.
  Prizes
  Prizes will be awarded to the top three in the Activator/Joker ranking and the top three in the
  Hunter ranking.
  Prizes will consist of a Christmas-themed plaque, a cup or an equivalent award.
  Log management and submission
  Activators and Joker stations must use the new platform in online mode:
  https://da-rc-xmas-contest.netlify.app/
  If online operation is not possible, the log must be uploaded to the system or sent in CSV format
  to gae1da001@gmail.com no later than 31 January 2027.
  Activators and Joker stations that do not submit their logs will not be admitted to future editions of
  the contest.
  Spots on clusters and on the portal
  Self-spotting on clusters is prohibited for Activators and Joker stations.
  On the DA-RC Xmas Contest Management portal, spotting is permitted exclusively for Activators.
  This option is not available to Joker stations.
  Activator eQSLs and QSLs
  Hunters can download the eQSL for a contact with an Activator or Joker station from the DA-RC
  Xmas Contest Management system.
  Activators may also, at their discretion, send their own eQSL and/or paper QSL to Hunters who
  request them.
  Contest QSL card
  A double QSL card will be available and can be requested via PayPal at gae1da001@gmail.com at
  the following cost:
• 3 euros for Europe
• 4 euros for the rest of the world
  Simply include the operator’s callsign and name in the request.