Penn Wireless Association

The Year Ahead

Everything Penn Wireless has on the calendar from now through the end of 2027 — eight special event stations, seven contests, Field Day, Hams in the Park, and a few new ideas. Pick one thing and say “I’ll take that one.”

Eight special event stations

W3S this December, then seven stations in 2027: Flag Day and six anniversaries. Short events, clear sign-ups, and a real job for anyone who shows up.

See the stations →

Seven contests to try

Four on HF and three on VHF/UHF for members without HF — the ARRL VHF contests have an FM Only category, so a handheld or mobile rig is enough. On top of Field Day, Winter Field Day, and the PA QSO Party.

How the PA QSO Party went →

Younger operators, on purpose

Kids Day in June, a youth-run Field Day station, a full station for Jamboree on the Air in October, and a Radio Merit Badge day for local Scouts in the spring.

New to ham radio? →

Rest of 2026

  • Nov 21 – 23

    ARRL November Sweepstakes, PhoneContest

    HF contest. A first club entry on HF — work as many ARRL/RAC sections as you can.

  • Dec 12 – 13

    ARRL 10 Meter ContestContest

    HF contest that Technicians can work: 10 meter SSB is in the Tech phone allocation.

  • Sat, Dec 19

    W3S — U.S. Steel Fairless WorksSpecial event station

    Single-day special event station honoring the steel mill that built Lower Bucks County. Operators needed now.

  • Thu, Dec 31

    11 PM to midnight

    New Year's Eve countdown netOn the air

    On the W3SK repeater — ring in 2027 with the club.

2027

January to March

  • Sat, Jan 16

    2 PM

    Holiday partyClub event

    The club's holiday get-together, moved to January so nobody has to choose between us and family in December.

  • Jan 16 – 18

    ARRL January VHF ContestContestexpected date

    VHF/UHF contest with a Single Operator, FM Only category — an FM rig is enough. Simplex only. Starts 2 PM Saturday, so Sunday is the operating day.

  • Jan 23 – 24

    Winter Field DayContest

    To be decided: Club effort, from home, or skip — the board decides.

  • Sat, Feb 13

    World Radio Day on-air dayOn the air

    Everyone operates from home. Make a contact, any band, any mode, and say where you heard about it.

  • Mar 6 – 7

    ARRL International DX Contest, PhoneContestexpected date

    HF contest. Work the world from home.

  • Sun, Mar 14

    Pi Day build dayClub event

    Members build an OpenHamClock on a Raspberry Pi. Bring a Pi, leave with a clock.

April to June

  • Sun, Apr 18

    ARRL Rookie Roundup, SSBContestexpected date

    HF contest for newer licensees (licensed 2024 or later), in teams of up to five. The day before W3D.

  • Mon, Apr 19

    W3D — The Simpsons, 40th anniversarySpecial event station

    Single-day special event station. Springfield on the air.

  • Tue, May 25

    K3J — Star Wars, 50th anniversarySpecial event station

    Single-day special event station, fifty years to the day after Star Wars opened.

  • Jun 13 – 14

    W3F — Flag DaySpecial event station

    Special event station honoring the flag, on the air Sunday and Monday.

  • Sat, Jun 19

    ARRL Kids DayOutreachexpected date

    A club station open to members' kids and grandkids. ARRL sets the summer date for the third Saturday of June.

  • Wed, Jun 23

    W3H — Harry Potter, 30th anniversarySpecial event station

    Single-day special event station.

  • Jun 26 – 27

    ARRL Field DayClub event

    The big one. A station run by younger operators is on the plan — Field Day rules award bonus points for youth who make a contact.

July to September

  • July

    CQ World Wide VHF ContestContestexpected date

    6 and 2 meters, FM allowed. July — exact dates not yet announced.

  • Mon, Jul 12

    W3C — Contact, 30th anniversarySpecial event station

    Single-day special event station.

  • Sun, Aug 1

    Hams in the ParkOutreach

    Tyler State Park

    Now an annual event. Talk radio all day, QRP hours, a gear swap, and an info table for anyone curious about getting licensed.

    To be decided: Hickory Nut grove or Upper Plantation — site to be reserved.

  • Sep 11 – 13

    ARRL September VHF ContestContestexpected date

    Same categories as January, including FM Only.

  • Fri, Sep 24

    W3I — The Princess Bride, 40th anniversarySpecial event station

    Single-day special event station.

October to December

  • Oct 9 – 10

    PA QSO PartyContest

    Pennsylvania's own operating event. Every member log counts toward the club score.

  • Oct 15 – 17

    Jamboree on the AirOutreach

    A full Penn Wireless station for Scouts, proposed for 2027.

  • Tue, Nov 16

    W3T — Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 50th anniversarySpecial event station

    Single-day special event station, fifty years to the day after the film opened.

  • Fri, Dec 31

    11 PM to midnight

    New Year's Eve countdown netOn the air

    On the W3SK repeater — bringing in 2028.

New this year

  • Breakfast club. One weekend a month, meet at a diner for breakfast. No agenda, no minutes. Diner and weekend to be picked — volunteers welcome.
  • World Radio Day (February 13) and a Pi Day build day (March 14) as low-key club days: one from home, one in a room with Raspberry Pis.
  • Hams in the Park becomes an annual event, on the first Sunday of August.

About the dates

Special event station dates are fixed. The 2027 ARRL contest dates and Kids Day follow ARRL’s usual weekend rules and are marked expected until ARRL publishes its calendar. Items marked to be decided are waiting on the board. The club Google Calendar is the authoritative version — subscribe to it and the dates follow you.

Club calendarSpecial event stations