Participation Overview
The 2026 Arkansas QSO Party received 194 log submissions spanning 15 operating categories, demonstrating broad participation from both Arkansas and stations around the country.
Click here to see full results. [PDF]
Interesting Statistics
A few statistics stand out from this year’s results:
- 68% of all entries were Low Power stations.
- Nearly 46% of all operators chose Mixed Mode.
- CW-only participation remained exceptionally strong, representing nearly 29% of all entries.
- Although rover and portable entries represented a relatively small percentage of total logs, they produced several of the contest’s highest scores and provided many of the rare county activations.
The most popular categories were:
| Category | Entries |
| Single Operator Low Power, All CW | 45 |
| Single Operator Low Power, Mixed | 43 |
| Single Operator Low Power, All SSB | 31 |
| Single Operator High Power, Mixed | 27 |
| Single Operator High Power, All CW | 16 |
Together, those five categories account for 162 of the 194 entries (84%).
Operating Highlights
Several interesting operating trends emerged this year.
- Low Power continued to be the dominant operating class with 132 entries, representing about 68% of all submitted logs.
- Mixed Mode operation was the most popular operating mode (89 entries), followed by CW (56) and SSB (46).
- Fixed stations made up the overwhelming majority of participants (171 entries), while portable, mobile, and rover stations added valuable county coverage throughout Arkansas.
- Portable and rover operators again demonstrated exceptional dedication by activating multiple counties and providing sought-after multipliers for stations across North America.
Top Performers
The highest reported scores in this year’s event were:
| Call | Category | Score |
| K5CM | Rover | 233,200 |
| N5A | Portable Inside Arkansas | 145,656 |
| KI5GTR | Rover | 87,100 |
| AA5Z | Portable Inside Arkansas | 48,952 |
| K5CCW | Portable Inside Arkansas | 22,560 |
One notable observation is that the highest overall scores came from stations that were mobile across multiple counties, reinforcing the importance of rover and portable operations in county QSO parties.
Overall Observations
The 2026 Arkansas QSO Party continued to show healthy participation across a wide variety of operating categories.
Several trends stand out:
- Low Power operation remains the preferred operating class.
- Mixed Mode continues to grow as operators take advantage of multiple modes to maximize contacts.
- CW participation remains remarkably strong for a state QSO party, reflecting the continued enthusiasm of contesters and dedicated CW operators.
- Portable and Rover stations continue to play a critical role in the success of the event by activating counties that otherwise might not appear on the air.
The diversity of categories—from fixed stations to portable, mobile, rover, digital, and DX—demonstrates the broad appeal of the Arkansas QSO Party and the commitment of participants who help make the event successful each year.
Hope to see you on the bands next year!