Contesting

Radio amateurs conduct a number of contests, where the objective is generally to contact as many stations, in as many countries or regions, as possible over a given time period.  For a high score one needs to have good radio equipment, antennas, knowledge of radio propagation around the globe, and be well trained in fast communications. 

I enjoy primarily contesting using morse code (CW) or teleype transmissions (RTTY).  Some of the contests I frequently participate in include:

ARRL RTTY Roundup (January)
NAQP RTTY (February)
DL-DX RTTY (July)
IARU CW (July)
SARTG RTTY (August)
SAC CW (September)
CQWW RTTY (October)
NA Sprint RTTY (October)
Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge (December)

The most recent scores of my favorite contests are listed below, along with the number of hours I particpated in each case.  The Q-figures are the contacts made, and the M-figures are the number of countries or regions contacted during the contest.  Each column denotes a frequency band (80 m, 40 m, etc.).
HP/LP indicates High Power or Low Power participation.

DL-DX RTTY - First weekend of July