diff --git a/lib/microwaveprop/radio/contact.ex b/lib/microwaveprop/radio/contact.ex
index 52fab53d..aa5bc16b 100644
--- a/lib/microwaveprop/radio/contact.ex
+++ b/lib/microwaveprop/radio/contact.ex
@@ -67,6 +67,11 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Radio.Contact do
     field :height1_ft, :integer
     field :height2_ft, :integer
 
+    # Free-form operator notes captured at submission time (QSO
+    # commentary, propagation mode observed, equipment details, etc).
+    # Purely informational — not consumed by the scoring pipeline.
+    field :notes, :string
+
     belongs_to :user, User
 
     timestamps(type: :utc_datetime)
@@ -75,7 +80,7 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Radio.Contact do
   @type t :: %__MODULE__{}
 
   @required_fields ~w(station1 station2 qso_timestamp band)a
-  @optional_fields ~w(grid1 grid2 pos1 pos2 distance_km user_id mode user_declared_prop_mode height1_ft height2_ft private)a
+  @optional_fields ~w(grid1 grid2 pos1 pos2 distance_km user_id mode user_declared_prop_mode height1_ft height2_ft private notes)a
 
   @spec changeset(t() | Ecto.Changeset.t(), map()) :: Ecto.Changeset.t()
   def changeset(contact, attrs) do
@@ -84,7 +89,7 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Radio.Contact do
     |> validate_required(@required_fields)
   end
 
-  @submission_fields ~w(station1 station2 qso_timestamp mode band grid1 grid2 submitter_email user_declared_prop_mode height1_ft height2_ft private)a
+  @submission_fields ~w(station1 station2 qso_timestamp mode band grid1 grid2 submitter_email user_declared_prop_mode height1_ft height2_ft private notes)a
   @submission_required ~w(station1 station2 qso_timestamp band grid1 grid2)a
   @allowed_modes ~w(CW SSB FM FT8 FT4 Q65)
   # Keep in sync with Microwaveprop.Propagation.BandConfig.all_bands/0 and
@@ -117,6 +122,26 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Radio.Contact do
     |> validate_length(:station2, max: 20)
     |> validate_height(:height1_ft)
     |> validate_height(:height2_ft)
+    |> normalize_blank_notes()
+    |> validate_length(:notes, max: 2000)
+  end
+
+  # Collapse whitespace-only notes to `nil` so the DB column reflects
+  # "no notes" instead of an empty string. Any non-blank value is kept
+  # as-is (including internal whitespace) so the operator's original
+  # wording round-trips untouched.
+  defp normalize_blank_notes(changeset) do
+    case get_change(changeset, :notes) do
+      nil ->
+        changeset
+
+      value ->
+        if String.trim(value) == "" do
+          put_change(changeset, :notes, nil)
+        else
+          changeset
+        end
+    end
   end
 
   # Sanity bounds on AGL antenna height. Negative heights and anything
diff --git a/lib/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import.ex b/lib/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import.ex
index 6776984f..ccc04828 100644
--- a/lib/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import.ex
+++ b/lib/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import.ex
@@ -51,7 +51,12 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Radio.CsvImport do
     "mode" => "mode",
     "qso_timestamp" => "qso_timestamp",
     "qso timestamp" => "qso_timestamp",
-    "qso (utc)" => "qso_timestamp"
+    "qso (utc)" => "qso_timestamp",
+    # Operator free-form notes. Optional on import; blank cells
+    # collapse to NULL via Contact.submission_changeset's notes
+    # normalizer.
+    "notes" => "notes",
+    "note" => "notes"
   }
 
   @required_columns ~w(station1 station2 grid1 grid2 band qso_timestamp)
diff --git a/lib/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live.ex b/lib/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live.ex
index 5d9b1a35..16c35028 100644
--- a/lib/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live.ex
+++ b/lib/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live.ex
@@ -413,6 +413,15 @@ defmodule MicrowavepropWeb.SubmitLive do
         />
       <% end %>
 
+      <.input
+        field={@form[:notes]}
+        type="textarea"
+        label="Notes (optional)"
+        placeholder="Operator notes — propagation mode, weather, equipment, QSO commentary…"
+        rows="3"
+        maxlength="2000"
+      />
+
       <div class="mt-4">
         <.input
           field={@form[:private]}
@@ -436,7 +445,9 @@ defmodule MicrowavepropWeb.SubmitLive do
       <div class="alert text-sm">
         <div>
           <p class="mb-2">Upload a CSV file with multiple contacts. Columns:</p>
-          <code class="text-xs">station1, station2, grid1, grid2, band, mode, qso_timestamp</code>
+          <code class="text-xs">
+            station1, station2, grid1, grid2, band, mode, qso_timestamp, notes
+          </code>
           <ul class="list-disc list-outside pl-5 mt-2 space-y-1 text-base-content/60">
             <li>
               Timestamps in most formats accepted (e.g. <code>2024-06-15T14:30:00Z</code>, <code>6/15/2024 2:30 PM</code>, <code>2024-06-15 14:30</code>). All times assumed UTC.
@@ -449,6 +460,10 @@ defmodule MicrowavepropWeb.SubmitLive do
               Mode is <strong>optional</strong> — omit the <code>mode</code> column entirely
               (6 columns total) or leave its value blank.
             </li>
+            <li>
+              Notes is <strong>optional</strong> — free-form operator commentary up to
+              2000 characters. Leave the cell blank to store NULL.
+            </li>
           </ul>
           <p class="mt-2">
             <a href="/downloads/sample_contacts.csv" download class="link link-primary">
diff --git a/priv/repo/migrations/20260423155802_add_notes_to_contacts.exs b/priv/repo/migrations/20260423155802_add_notes_to_contacts.exs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..33c1c406
--- /dev/null
+++ b/priv/repo/migrations/20260423155802_add_notes_to_contacts.exs
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+defmodule Microwaveprop.Repo.Migrations.AddNotesToContacts do
+  use Ecto.Migration
+
+  def change do
+    alter table(:contacts) do
+      add :notes, :text
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/priv/static/downloads/sample_contacts.csv b/priv/static/downloads/sample_contacts.csv
index fed35d7e..80815f49 100644
--- a/priv/static/downloads/sample_contacts.csv
+++ b/priv/static/downloads/sample_contacts.csv
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-station1,station2,grid1,grid2,band,mode,qso_timestamp
-W5XD,K5TR,EM12kp,EM00cd,10000,CW,2024-06-15T14:30:00Z
-N5AC,WA5LNL,EM12mr,EM13qa,24000,SSB,2024-06-15T15:00:00Z
-KG5CCI,W5LUA,EM13md,EL29fp,47000,CW,2024-07-04T12:00:00Z
+station1,station2,grid1,grid2,band,mode,qso_timestamp,notes
+W5XD,K5TR,EM12kp,EM00cd,10000,CW,2024-06-15T14:30:00Z,Steady tropo across DFW — signals 20 over
+N5AC,WA5LNL,EM12mr,EM13qa,24000,SSB,2024-06-15T15:00:00Z,"Heavy rain scatter, T=45C, copy on sideband"
+KG5CCI,W5LUA,EM13md,EL29fp,47000,CW,2024-07-04T12:00:00Z,
diff --git a/test/microwaveprop/radio/contact_submission_test.exs b/test/microwaveprop/radio/contact_submission_test.exs
index a50a608b..2804485a 100644
--- a/test/microwaveprop/radio/contact_submission_test.exs
+++ b/test/microwaveprop/radio/contact_submission_test.exs
@@ -115,6 +115,31 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Radio.ContactSubmissionTest do
     end
   end
 
+  describe "notes field" do
+    test "accepts a notes string" do
+      attrs = Map.put(@valid_attrs, :notes, "Rare opening via sporadic-E along the TX/OK front")
+      changeset = Contact.submission_changeset(%Contact{}, attrs)
+      assert changeset.valid?
+      assert Ecto.Changeset.get_change(changeset, :notes) =~ "sporadic-E"
+    end
+
+    test "trims whitespace and treats blank notes as nil" do
+      for blank <- ["", "   ", "\n\t "] do
+        attrs = Map.put(@valid_attrs, :notes, blank)
+        changeset = Contact.submission_changeset(%Contact{}, attrs)
+        assert changeset.valid?, "expected blank notes #{inspect(blank)} to validate"
+        refute Ecto.Changeset.get_change(changeset, :notes) in [blank]
+      end
+    end
+
+    test "rejects notes longer than 2000 characters" do
+      attrs = Map.put(@valid_attrs, :notes, String.duplicate("x", 2001))
+      changeset = Contact.submission_changeset(%Contact{}, attrs)
+      refute changeset.valid?
+      assert errors_on(changeset)[:notes]
+    end
+  end
+
   describe "create_contact/1 deduplication" do
     alias Microwaveprop.Radio
 
diff --git a/test/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import_test.exs b/test/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import_test.exs
index c616b338..cdb379f2 100644
--- a/test/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import_test.exs
+++ b/test/microwaveprop/radio/csv_import_test.exs
@@ -146,6 +146,34 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Radio.CsvImportTest do
       assert {:ok, %{imported: [contact], errors: []}} = CsvImport.import(csv, @submitter)
       assert contact.mode == nil
     end
+
+    test "accepts an 8-column CSV with a notes column" do
+      csv =
+        "station1,station2,grid1,grid2,band,mode,qso_timestamp,notes\n" <>
+          "W5XD,K5TR,EM12,EM00,10000,CW,2026-03-28T18:00:00Z,Strong Es opening"
+
+      assert {:ok, %{imported: [contact], errors: []}} = CsvImport.import(csv, @submitter)
+      assert contact.notes == "Strong Es opening"
+    end
+
+    test "accepts a notes column with embedded commas and quotes" do
+      # RFC 4180 quoted field: "He said ""hi"" and signed, 73"
+      csv =
+        "station1,station2,grid1,grid2,band,mode,qso_timestamp,notes\n" <>
+          ~s(W5XD,K5TR,EM12,EM00,10000,CW,2026-03-28T18:00:00Z,"He said ""hi"" and signed, 73")
+
+      assert {:ok, %{imported: [contact], errors: []}} = CsvImport.import(csv, @submitter)
+      assert contact.notes == ~s(He said "hi" and signed, 73)
+    end
+
+    test "blank notes cell stores NULL, not empty string" do
+      csv =
+        "station1,station2,grid1,grid2,band,mode,qso_timestamp,notes\n" <>
+          "W5XD,K5TR,EM12,EM00,10000,CW,2026-03-28T18:00:00Z,"
+
+      assert {:ok, %{imported: [contact], errors: []}} = CsvImport.import(csv, @submitter)
+      assert contact.notes == nil
+    end
   end
 
   describe "import/2 with invalid data" do
diff --git a/test/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live_test.exs b/test/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live_test.exs
index f6884ed7..1f524bf7 100644
--- a/test/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live_test.exs
+++ b/test/microwaveprop_web/live/submit_live_test.exs
@@ -388,5 +388,34 @@ defmodule MicrowavepropWeb.SubmitLiveTest do
 
       assert html =~ "can&#39;t be blank"
     end
+
+    test "persists notes from the form on save", %{conn: conn} do
+      {:ok, lv, _html} = live(conn, ~p"/submit")
+
+      lv
+      |> form("#contact-form",
+        contact: %{
+          station1: "W5XD",
+          station2: "K5TR",
+          qso_timestamp: "2026-03-28T18:00",
+          mode: "CW",
+          band: "1296",
+          grid1: "EM12",
+          grid2: "EM00",
+          submitter_email: "test@example.com",
+          notes: "Tropo duct along the coast"
+        }
+      )
+      |> render_submit()
+
+      contact = Repo.one!(Contact)
+      assert contact.notes == "Tropo duct along the coast"
+    end
+
+    test "renders a notes textarea on the single-contact tab", %{conn: conn} do
+      {:ok, _lv, html} = live(conn, ~p"/submit")
+      assert html =~ ~s(name="contact[notes]")
+      assert html =~ "textarea"
+    end
   end
 end