Oceania Becomes the DX: 83rd Oceania DX Contest Returns in October

Get the antennas tuned, warm up the amplifier, check the logging software and perhaps remind the rest of the household that there are two weekends in October that have mysteriously disappeared from the family calendar. The 83rd Oceania DX Contest is almost here.

This story follows an update from Grant Willis VK5GR, representing the Oceania DX Contest Committee, heard on the WIA National News Broadcast. The 2026 event again takes place across the first two weekends of October, with separate SSB and CW contests:

SSB: 0600 UTC Saturday 3 October to 0600 UTC Sunday 4 October 2026
CW: 0600 UTC Saturday 10 October to 0600 UTC Sunday 11 October 2026

Each contest runs for 24 hours and is scored separately. The official OCDX site confirms the dates and describes the event as one of amateur radio's longest-established international HF contests.

This Time, Oceania Is the DX

The aim of the Oceania DX Contest is to promote HF contacts between stations throughout Oceania and the rest of the world. For amateurs outside our region, it is an opportunity to work stations from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Hawaii and the many Pacific islands. For VK operators, however, the usual DX relationship gets turned around.

We are the DX.

Stations around the world will be turning their antennas towards Oceania looking for contacts. That means even operators with relatively modest stations can get involved and experience the rather pleasant novelty of having overseas stations looking specifically for them. The contest covers 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres, excluding the WARC bands.

Scoring is based on QSO points multiplied by the number of different amateur radio prefixes worked on each band, while the exchange is a signal report and sequential serial number. There are categories covering high power, low power and QRP operation, single and multi-band entries, single and multi-operator stations and SWLs. More than 40 plaque awards are offered, including awards recognising newcomers, YLs and youth operators.

More Than 90 Years of History

The 2026 event is the 83rd running of the contest, with its roots stretching back to 1935. Originally known as the VK/ZL International DX Contest, it ran from 1935 to 1938 before amateur licences were suspended during the Second World War. The contest resumed in 1948 following the restoration of amateur radio privileges and has been held every year since. It subsequently became the VK-ZL-Oceania DX Contest before adopting the Oceania DX Contest name in 2000.

That makes OCDX a remarkable survivor of amateur radio history, spanning the transition from home-built valve transmitters and paper logs through transceivers, computer logging and today's software-defined stations.

As Grant VK5GR put it in his WIA National News report, whether you're a newcomer, a seasoned contester or running a modest station, save the dates, tune the antennas, brush up on your operating skills and get involved.

For Australian operators, this is one international contest where the rest of the world comes looking for VK.

Oceania DX Contest official website - Link

Page Last Updated: Sunday, 20 Sep 2026 at 20:05 hours by Justin Giles-clark

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