The ARRL HF Contesting Guidelines have been revised, and the latest edition now is available. The latest guidelines, updated by an ARRL Contest Advisory Committee (CAC) team, address changes in technology that have affected contesting in recent years — including remote station operation — and present a current understanding of contesting standards and practices. Some sections also have been rewritten and reorganized to improve readability. George Wagner, K5KG, a member of the CAC team that undertook the update, said the goals of the revised ARRL HF Contesting Guidelines are to provide guidance and advice — especially for new contesters — and to encourage contest operation that advances the spirit and integrity of radiosport.

“The materials presented are facts, opinions and best practices,” Wagner said. “Information presented in the document is not mandatory, and the individual contest operator is free to accept or reject its wisdom. In all cases, contest rules take precedence, so the collective advice is to always read, understand and follow the contest rules in both the letter and spirit of the rules.”

The document is organized into these chapters:

• Pre-Contest
• Post-Contest
• Operation During the Contest
• Interacting with Other Contesters
• Interacting with Non-Contesters
• Spotting and Use of Spots
• Soliciting QSOs — Single Band Entries
• Remote Stations
• Additional Contesting Resources

The Guidelines document presents frequently asked questions and answers and additional material about common situations encountered in HF contesting. The questions and responses only address HF contesting, and not VHF+ contesting.

A PDF version of the Guidelines is available for download. Address comments and suggestions about the HF Contesting Guidelines to the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee member from your ARRL Division.

In addition to Wagner, other members of the ARRL HF Contesting Guidelines revision team included James George, N3BB; Charles Fulp Jr, K3WW, and Dennis Egan, W1UE.