How to arrange a sked: what to agree before a VHF, UHF or microwave contact

Updated 2026-10-27 · SQ3SWG

A sked is an agreed attempt at a contact: both stations know when, where and how to listen. Above 50 MHz, where signals are often weak and antennas narrow, a sked turns "maybe" into a contact. The trick is to agree everything that matters before the attempt, so nobody has to guess.

The checklist

• Frequency – an exact frequency, e.g. 144.305 MHz, away from calling frequencies. For digital modes, the dial frequency and the audio offset.
• Mode – CW, SSB, FT8, MSK144, Q65… and for digital modes the period length (15 s, 30 s, 60 s).
• Time in UTC – start time and how long you will try, e.g. 20:00–20:30 UTC.
• Who transmits first – with timed modes, who sends in the first (even) period and who in the second (odd) one. Write it down.
• Locators – the 6-character locators of both stations give the distance (QRB) and the beam heading (QTF). Point the antenna at the heading, not roughly in that direction.
• What counts as complete – both callsigns, a report and a confirmation (e.g. RRR), as usual for the mode.

During the attempt

Start on time – a minute late can mean a missed opening or a missed meteor. Keep to the agreed periods and frequency even if you hear nothing for a while: weak-signal contacts are often made in the last minutes. If something has to change, say so in the chat before changing it.

On SQ3SWG Sked Chat

Join the room of the band, click the other station's callsign and choose Propose a sked: you enter frequency, mode, time and a note, and the other station accepts or declines with one click. Distance and beam heading are shown next to every callsign, and accepted skeds appear in "My skeds" and on the map.