REF 160 Metres

REF's top-band CW contest, Saturday evening into Sunday midnight UTC on the third weekend of November, French stations sending their department number.

Rules at concours.r-e-f.orgThe rules are the sponsor's. This page holds the dates and the facts.

When it runs

Third full weekend of November

1700Z Saturday → 0000Z Sunday

Times are UTC, as the sponsor states them.

Next runnings

1700Z Sat 21 Nov → 0000Z Sun 22 Nov · 7h2026
in 51 days
Logs due 0000Z Mon 30 Nov
1700Z Sat 20 Nov → 0000Z Sun 21 Nov · 7h2027
in 415 days
Logs due 0000Z Mon 29 Nov
1700Z Sat 18 Nov → 0000Z Sun 19 Nov · 7h2028
in 779 days
Logs due 0000Z Mon 27 Nov
1700Z Sat 17 Nov → 0000Z Sun 18 Nov · 7h2029
in 1143 days
Logs due 0000Z Mon 26 Nov
1700Z Sat 16 Nov → 0000Z Sun 17 Nov · 7h2030
in 1507 days
Logs due 0000Z Mon 25 Nov

Operating

Modes: CW
Bands: 160m
1810 to 1850 kHz
Exchange: RST + the French department number. French stations record only the serial number given by foreign stations.
Power categories: Classe C (HP)Classe B (LP) 100 WClasse A (QRP) 5 W
Logs: Cabrillo · due 8 days after the end · concours.r-e-f.org
Who can enter: Anyone, anywhere.
Section 5 scores 'Station etrangere contactant une station francaise', and section 5 (multipliers) gives foreign stations '1 par departement', so foreign entry is provided for and scored -- against French stations.

Where this comes from

Checked against the sponsor: Yes. The rule on this page was read off REF's own published rules. Link last confirmed 2026-08-18.
What the source says: concours.r-e-f.org, 'REF 160 METRES -- REGLEMENT', 1: 'DATE ET HORAIRE -- Troisieme week-end de novembre, du samedi a 1700 UTC au dimanche a 0000 UTC.' 2: 'BANDE ET MODE -- 160 metres (1810 a 1850 KHz), CW uniquement.' 3: 'REPORTS -- RST + numero du departement. Les stations francais ne noteront que le numero de serie donne par les stations etrangeres, a l'exclusion de toute autre indication.' 7: 'COMPTES RENDUS -- Informatise, au format cabrillo.' 8: 'ENVOI -- A plus tard le deuxieme lundi apres le concours'. Power classes are 'selon definitions des regles communes HF', i.e. the same A/B/C classes as the Coupe du REF. REF published 21-22 November 2026 and 15 November 2025; the third-weekend rule reproduces both.
Recorded caveats: log_deadline_days is derived, not quoted: REF words the deadline as 'le deuxieme lundi apres le concours' and states no hour. The contest ends at 0000 UTC on the Sunday, and that Sunday plus 8 days is the second Monday after the contest in every year, so 8 is exact for the date and silent about the time of day. WORDING DIFFERENCE, RECORDED RATHER THAN RECONCILED: this PDF says 'Troisieme week-end de novembre' while the Coupe du REF PDF, describing the same sub-part in section 1(a), says 'Troisieme week-end entier du mois de novembre'. The two readings cannot diverge -- the third Saturday of November is at most the 21st, so its Sunday is always in November -- so no choice between them was needed.

Something wrong? How to report it — a link to the sponsor's own page is all it takes.

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