2026 Dayton Contest University “CTU” – COURSE OUTLINE – 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

7:00 ALL ROOMS – Student Registration and Contest Buffet Breakfast – ALL – 60 minutes
8:00 ALL ROOMS – Welcome to CTU 2026 – K3LR, W8CI & N9JA – ALL – 10 minutes
8:10 ALL ROOMS – Taking Care of our Contesting Sport – K1AR – ALL – 40 minutes

9:00 CONTEST TOPIC SESSION #1 – attend ONE of 4 sessions – 60 minutes
ROOM 1 – Effective Antennas for Contesting – K2TR
ROOM 2 – How the Short Term Dynamics of HF Propagation Affects Contest Strategy – W3LPL
ROOM 3 – Hardware Tips & Sage Advice for Average Contest Stations – N4GG
ROOM 4 – How to Improve Your RTTY Contest Performance – W0YK

10:00 ALL – *CONTEST SNACK* – 15 minutes

10:15 CONTEST TOPIC SESSION #2 – attend ONE of 4 sessions – 60 minutes
ROOM 1 – Engaging Youth in Contesting; Strategies for Recruiting, Mentoring and Retaining Youth Ops – KN2P
ROOM 2 – How to Get the Most Out of your Contest Station – W3LPL
ROOM 3 – Adding In-Band Station(s) for Contesting  – W9KKN
ROOM 4 – How to Improve Your FT8/FT4 Contest Performance – W0YK

11:20 CONTEST TOPIC SESSION #3 – attend ONE of 4 sessions – 55 minutes
ROOM 1 – Design Approach & Lessons Learned in Building my New Contest Station – K5ZD
ROOM 2 – How to Maintain and Take Care of Your Contest Station – W3LPL
ROOM 3 – Efficient Operating Techniques, Tactics and Secrets – N6TV
ROOM 4 – The Art of Enjoying Both POTA and Contesting  Together – NK4O

12:15 ALL ROOMS – *CONTEST LUNCH* – ALL – 35 minutes

12:50 ALL ROOMS – 2026 Eyeball Sprint Contest “LIVE” – ALL – PRIZE – 10 minutes – K1DG
1:00-1:35 ALL ROOMS – Operating a Contest – How to Have Fun – Why it Matters – K1AR

*1:45 CONTEST TOPIC SESSION by REQUEST to RERUN – 50 minutes
ROOM 1 –    As determined by *vote 1
ROOM 2 –    As determined by *vote 2
ROOM 3 –    As determined by *vote 3
ROOM 4 –    As determined by *vote 4

2:40 CONTEST OPEN DISCUSSION Q&A GROUPs Attend ONE of 4 sessions – 30 minutes
ROOM 1 – Station Automation Techniques – N6TV
ROOM 2 – How to Best Assemble Your Contest Station – N4GG
ROOM 3 – Remote Station Ideas and Q&A – W9KKN
ROOM 4 – Tower Safety – W3YQ

3:15 CONTEST OPEN DISCUSSION Q&A GROUPs Attend ONE of 4 sessions – 30 minutes
ROOM 1 – Antenna and Propagation Q&A with Frank – W3LPL
ROOM 2 – How to Get the Most Out of Your Contest Station  Q&A – K1DG & K5ZD
ROOM 3 – RTTY and FT8 Contesting Q&A – W0YK
ROOM 4 – Antenna/Tower Reliability – W3YQ

3:45 ALL – *CONTEST SNACK* – 15 minutes

4:00 ALL ROOMS – Latest Performance and Feature Differences Amongst Top Radios – NC0B – ALL
4:50 ALL ROOMS – 2026 CTU Survey & Eyeball Sprint Results – K3LR & K1DG – ALL – 10 minutes

 * 1:45 PM CONTEST SESSION by REQUEST vote to RERUN
CTU onsite students will vote for 4 topics/classes that they missed and would like to have presented again the top 4 WANTED by vote – will RERUN in this time slot.