About
Contest Objective: Amateurs worldwide contact and exchange QSO information with other amateurs using only the Radioteletype (RTTY) mode on the 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands. Any station may work any other station. Stations may be worked once per band, regardless of mode. Automated operation is not permitted, each claimed contact must include contemporaneous direct initiation by the operator on both sides of the contact.
Dates: First full weekend of January, but never on January 1. (January 4-5, 2025).
Contest Period: Begins 1800 UTC Saturday, ends 2359 UTC Sunday,
NOTE: Only contacts using Radioteletype (RTTY) mode are allowed. The new ARRL International Digital Contest has been created as an event in which participants using digital modes (excluding RTTY) may compete.
Click Here for the Complete ARRL RTTY Roundup Rules (PDF)
For contest information contact contests@arrl.org or (860) 594-0232
Log Submission Deadline
Logs are due within SEVEN (7) days after the event is over. Logs may be submitted either online or via mail, but electronic Cabrillo logs are the preferred method. Electronic logs must be submitted via our web app at contest-log-submission.arrl.org/
Logs that have been submitted electronically are listed on the Logs Received page. Click the contest name to see a list of submitted logs sorted by call sign and club name.
Online Log Submission - Cabrillo formatted logs must be uploaded via our web app at contest-log-submission.arrl.org.
Submitting Paper Logs By Mail - Be sure to mail your completed Summary Sheet and Log Sheets postmarked before the log submission deadlines.
Paper Entry Forms:
Send completed Summary Sheets and logs to:
ARRL - RTTY Roundup Contest, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111
If submitting a paper log, it is strongly suggested you use a delivery method that offers a tracking number.
If you wish to convert your log into a Cabrillo formatted log for electronic submission, visit www.b4h.net/cabforms/ and select the event of interest. You can input your log data which will be converted to a Cabrillo formatted log for you (it will generate a log and return it to you), and then you can in turn submit your Cabrillo log online via the web app at contest-log-submission.arrl.org/.
Awards:
Certificates will be awarded to: Top high power, low power and QRP Single Operator scorers; and top high power and low power Multioperator scorers in each ARRL/RAC Section and DXCC country (other than W/VE). Printable certificates will be downloadable from contests.arrl.org/certificates.php.
Plaques, if sponsored, will be awarded to the top scoring low and high power entrant in each category overall, each ARRL Division, and Canada. Unsponsored plaques may be purchased from the ARRL. For details on plaque sponsorship, contact the ARRL Contest Program at contests@arrl.org or (860) 594-0232.
Club Competition:
There are ten ARRL-sponsored contests that are designated as Affiliated Club Competitions (ACC) for ARRL and RAC affiliated clubs:
- RTTY Roundup
- January VHF Contest
- International DX Contest
- International Digital Contest
- June VHF Contest
- 222 MHz and Up Distance Contest
- September VHF Contest
- November Sweepstakes
- 160-Meter Contest
- 10-Meter Contest
For full club competition rules, please see the link below:
Additional Information
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Single Operator stations may operate up to 24 hours out of the 30-hour contest period. Multioperator stations may operate the entire 30 hours. See "Special RTTY Roundup Rules" in the complete rules document.
Following the first QSO, up to 6 hours of off-time may be taken in one or two breaks before the final QSO is logged. Each off-time must be at least 30 minutes long. The log checking software will count the 2 longest breaks in your log and use those as the 2 off-times. Additional breaks, and breaks shorter than 30 minutes are ignored. The time before your first QSO and the time after your last QSO don't count as these two off-times.
The log checking process will check your QSOs and calculate your score over the first 24 hours of operating time. You are encouraged to continue operating if you like - there won't be any penalty for doing so and those QSOs will count for the other operators. Don't delete any QSOs after the 24-hour limit so the other stations get credit for your contact.
The intent of the "two break" rule is to add another element of strategy to the contest. By limiting off-time to no more than two blocks, you can't take a bunch of short breaks. You have to decide based on local propagation, need for sleep, etc. For Single Operator entrants, only 24 hours of the 30 hours count towards your score.
These examples satisfy the rules:
- start at 1800 Sat and operate 24 hours straight
- start an hour late at 1900, take 2 two-hour breaks, end at 2300 one hour early
- start at 1800, operate 12 hours, sleep 5.5 hours, finish at 2330 one half-hour early
If you take several 30-minute off-times, even if they total 6 hours or more, only the first two will be counted toward the 6 hours of required off-time. -
Tell us how you did! Send us feedback and photos! Tell us what fun you had, and how you did, what challenges you faced, via our contest Soapbox page.
Send us your photos! Please, send us your high-resolution photos – especially youth! Kids (and us adults wanting to regain our youth!) We love to see activity photos – Kids and adults having fun, operating, setting up antennas! For higher resolution, please send your photos as 500kb to 3mb in size. ARRL is always looking for youth activity photos for Write-Ups, Strays and Upfront in QST!
Please be sure to send a Photo Release for each person shown when submitting youth photos - found at www.arrl.org/photo-video-release-form.
