The Grand Finale of the SZ40A 40th Anniversary Activation
This weekend, the HF bands will once again come alive for the CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest 2026, one of the most active and demanding CW contests of the year.
For Team SZ1A, this will not be just another contest weekend. It will be the Grand Finale of SZ40A, our special anniversary callsign celebrating 40 years of the Radio Amateur Association of Western Greece and the SZ1A contest station.
The activation officially ends with the close of CQ WPX CW at 2359 UTC on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
After that, SZ40A will return to the history of the club as one of the special callsigns that marked an important milestone in our journey.
For stations around the world, this means one thing: this is the final weekend to work SZ40A, add the prefix to your log, and complete or upgrade your SZ40A Anniversary Award.
SZ40A Returns for One Final Contest Weekend
The SZ40A anniversary activation began as a way to celebrate 40 years of radio activity, friendship, technical experimentation, learning, and contesting spirit.
The callsign has been active across different bands and modes, giving operators around the world the opportunity to work SZ40A and take part in our anniversary celebration.
To date, the response from the amateur radio community has been fantastic.
Since the beginning of the special anniversary activation, SZ40A has already logged more than 12,600 QSOs across SSB, CW, and Digital modes, with stations from around the world joining the celebration on the air.
The SZ40A Anniversary Award has also attracted strong interest, with 213 awards issued so far: 137 Bronze, 39 Silver, 26 Gold, and 11 Platinum awards.
CQ WPX CW now gives us one final opportunity to bring the callsign back to the international contest stage.
For the team at SZ1A, it is a fitting way to close the activation. WPX is a contest built around prefixes, and SZ40A is exactly the kind of callsign that can attract attention in the pileups. It is short, distinctive, and valuable as a multiplier.
At the same time, it carries something more personal for us. It represents four decades of club history and the people who built, supported, operated, repaired, improved, and believed in SZ1A over the years.
Last Chance to Complete or Upgrade Your SZ40A Anniversary Award
The SZ40A Anniversary Award Program was created to make our 40th anniversary celebration more engaging for the wider amateur radio community.
Stations who work SZ40A can qualify for commemorative awards in four categories: SSB, CW, Digital, and Mixed modes.
The award levels are:
- Bronze: 3 QSOs with SZ40A
- Silver: 6 QSOs with SZ40A
- Gold: 9 QSOs with SZ40A
- Platinum: 12 QSOs with SZ40A
Contacts can be accumulated across bands and modes, making the award accessible to casual operators, DXers, contesters, and award hunters alike.
With the activation ending at the close of CQ WPX CW, this weekend is the final opportunity to add new SZ40A contacts to your total.
If you are missing one more QSO for Bronze, trying to move from Silver to Gold, or aiming for the Platinum award, this is the weekend to listen for us.
Award information and applications are available at:
https://awards.sz1a.org
From the SSB Leg to the CW Finale
The first part of our CQ WPX 2026 story was written during the SSB weekend in March, when Team SZ1A operated as SZ40A in the Multi Two category.
It was the first major international contest appearance of our special anniversary callsign, and it gave the team a strong opportunity to put SZ40A in thousands of logs around the world.
The final claimed result was a solid one:
- QSOs: 4,233
- Prefixes: 1,201
- Operating Time: 48 hours
- Claimed Score: 8,882,596
Conditions during the SSB leg were mixed. The high bands produced good activity during the main openings, with 20m carrying the largest share of the operation and 15m also making a strong contribution. 40m was another key band, delivering valuable QSO volume and the highest average points per contact.
The low bands, however, were difficult. Ice rain across Eastern Europe and local stormy weather created very challenging receive conditions, with charged rain pushing the noise floor extremely high at times.
Operating as SZ40A also brought a special dynamic. The prefix attracted strong pileups, but the callsign itself sometimes needed extra patience. Several stations had difficulty copying the zero in the callsign, often logging us as SZ4A, which slowed down some QSOs and created extra dupes.
Even with those challenges, the result was a very positive one. More importantly, the SSB weekend captured exactly what SZ1A is about: contesting, teamwork, friendship, persistence, and the shared effort behind every good result.
What Makes CQ WPX CW Different
The CQ WPX Contest has its own rhythm and personality.
Unlike contests where multipliers are based on countries or zones, WPX uses callsign prefixes. Every unique prefix counts once as a multiplier, regardless of band.
That makes the contest especially interesting because every part of the world can produce valuable multipliers. A large contest station, a small station, a rare prefix, a special event callsign, or a temporary anniversary callsign can all become important.
This is one reason SZ40A fits so naturally into WPX.
For stations chasing multipliers, SZ40A is a prefix worth finding. For us, it is an opportunity to give as many operators as possible one final chance to work the anniversary callsign before the activation ends.
The exchange in WPX CW is simple, but precision matters:
599 + serial number
For example:
599 001
599 002
599 003Unlike SSB, CW adds another layer of discipline. Signals may be weak, speeds may be high, and pileups can become dense. Copying the serial number correctly is critical, and every mistake can cost points during log checking.
CW rewards patience, rhythm, clean operating, and concentration. Over 48 hours, that makes teamwork just as important as station hardware.
For stations chasing multipliers, SZ40A is a prefix worth finding. For us, it is an opportunity to give as many operators as possible one final chance to work the anniversary callsign before the activation ends.
Propagation Expectations for Late May
CQ WPX CW takes place at an interesting point in the HF calendar. At the end of May, the high bands can provide strong openings, especially when solar activity supports longer paths.
From Western Greece, we expect 20m to carry much of the daytime traffic, with 15m also playing an important role during openings toward Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and other DX areas. 10m will be watched closely as the wildcard band. If conditions support it, it can deliver fast and exciting runs, but it may also open and close quickly.
At night, attention will shift toward 40m, which is expected to be the key low band for SZ1A. In WPX, QSOs on 160m, 80m, and 40m are worth double points compared with high band contacts, so the night hours can make a major difference.
As always, propagation will write part of the story. The team will follow the bands closely, take advantage of high-band openings when they appear, and protect the important low-band windows during the night.
Team SZ1A in Multi Two
For CQ WPX CW 2026, SZ40A will be active from the SZ1A contest station in the Multi Two category.
This category allows two transmitted signals on the air at the same time, always on different bands.
It is a demanding category that requires constant coordination between operators, careful band management, and disciplined operating.
A third in-band position will also support the effort by hunting prefixes and adding valuable QSOs when conditions allow.
The goal is simple: keep the station active, keep the bands covered, work as many prefixes as possible, and give stations around the world a final chance to put SZ40A in their logs.
Operators
Our operators for CQ WPX CW 2026 are:
- G0PZA: Garo
- SV1JG: Cliff
- SV1BJW: Vasilis
- SV1CIB: Dimitris
- SV1DKD: Andy
- SV1DPJ: Vasilis
Support Team
Behind every contest operation there is also a support team helping with preparation, logistics, technical work, food, station readiness, and everything else needed to keep the weekend running.
For CQ WPX CW 2026, our support team includes:
- SV1CQG: Kostas
- SV1CQK: Thanasis
- SV1HKH: Panos
- Additional support from Thanasis SV1RLC, Sotiris SV1RRX, our Broadcast Technician Dimitris SV1TBW, Sotiris SV1TIQ, George SV1TLY, and Dennis SV1CDN who provides pre-contest skimmer spot analysis and the HF propagation forecast for the weekend.
Their support, together with the help of many other members and friends, makes our participation possible. We thank everyone for chipping in, supporting the team, and helping SZ40A reach the finish line of this special anniversary activation.
Important Log Deadline Reminder
A major rule change for 2026 is the shorter log submission deadline.
Logs must be submitted within 48 hours after the contest ends, no later than:
2359 UTC on Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Logs are submitted via:
https://www.cqwpx.com/logcheck
Do not leave submission for the last minute. Make sure your Cabrillo file is checked and uploaded on time.
Anyone planning to participate should read the contest rules carefully before the contest begins.
Official rules:
https://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm
See You in the CW Pileups
CQ WPX CW 2026 will close an important and emotional period for our club.
For three months, SZ40A has represented 40 years of amateur radio activity in Western Greece. It has carried the history of RAAWG, the spirit of SZ1A, and the work of many members and friends who have helped keep the station alive and growing.
This weekend is the grand finale: one final contest, one final chance to work the prefix, and one final opportunity to complete or upgrade the SZ40A Anniversary Award.
If you hear SZ40A on the air, call us.
Work the prefix.
Add us to your CW log.
Complete or upgrade your SZ40A Anniversary Award.
From everyone at SZ1A, we wish you good propagation, clean signals, accurate serial numbers, and a great CQ WPX CW weekend. Good Luck to ALL!
