Rules

The 2020 CQ World-Wide WPX RTTY Contest

February 8-9, 2020

Starts: 0000 UTC Saturday Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday

I. OBJECTIVE: For amateurs world wide to contact as many amateurs and prefixes as possible during the period of operation.

II. PERIOD OF OPERATION: 48 hours. Single Operator stations may operate 30 of the 48 hours – off times must be a minimum of 60 minutes during which no QSO is logged. Multi-operator stations may operate the full 48 hours.

III. BANDS: Only the 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz bands may be used. Observance of established band plans is strongly encouraged.

IV. CONTEST EXCHANGE: RST report plus a progressive contact serial number starting with 001 for the first contact. Note: Multi-Two and Multi-Unlimited entrants use separate serial number sequences on each band.

V. SCORING:

A. Score: The final score is the result of the total QSO points multiplied by the number of different prefixes worked.

B. QSO Points. A station may be worked once on each band for QSO point credit:

1. Contacts between stations on different continents are worth three (3) points on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and six (6) points on 7 and 3.5 MHz.

2. Contacts between stations on the same continent, but different countries, are worth two (2) points on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and four (4) points on 7 and 3.5 MHz.

3. Contacts between stations in the same country are worth 1 point on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and two (2) points on 7 and 3.5 MHz.

C. Prefix Multipliers: The prefix multiplier is the number of valid prefixes worked. Each PREFIX is counted only once regardless of the band or number of times the same prefix is worked.

1. A PREFIX is the letter/numeral combination which forms the first part of the amateur call. Examples: N8, W8, WD8, HG1, HG19, KC2, OE2, OE25, LY1000, etc. Any difference in the numbering, lettering, or order of same shall count as a separate prefix. A station operating from a DXCC entity different from that indicated by its call sign is required to sign portable. The portable prefix must be an authorized prefix of the country/call area of operation. In cases of portable operation, the portable designator will then become the prefix. Example: N8BJQ operating from Wake Island would sign N8BJQ/KH9 or N8BJQ/NH9. KH6XXX operating from Ohio must use an authorized prefix for the U.S. 8th district (/W8, /AD8, etc.). Portable designators without numbers will be assigned a zero (0) after the second letter of the portable designator to form the prefix. Example: PA/N8BJQ would become PA0. All calls without numbers will be assigned a zero (0) after the first two letters to form the prefix. Example: XEFTJW would count as XE0. Maritime mobile, mobile, /A, /E, /J, /P, or other license class identifiers do not count as prefixes.

2. Special event, commemorative, and other unique prefix stations are encouraged to participate. Prefixes must be assigned by the licensing authority of the country of operation.

VI. ENTRY CATEGORIES:

A. Single Operator Categories: All operating and logging functions are performed by one person (the operator). Only one transmitted signal is permitted at any time.

1. Single Operator High (ALL BAND or SINGLE BAND): Total output power must not exceed 1500 watts.

2. Single Operator Low (ALL BAND or SINGLE BAND): Total output power must not exceed 100 watts.

3. Single Operator QRP (ALL BAND or SINGLE BAND): Total output power must not exceed 5 watts.

B. Single Operator Overlay Categories: Single Operator entrants may also submit their log for one of the categories shown below by adding an additional line in the Cabrillo log file header called CATEGORY-OVERLAY. All Overlay entries are grouped into high power and low power in the results.

1. Tribander/Single Element (TB-WIRES): During the contest an entrant shall use only one (1) tribander (any type, with a single feed line from the transmitter to the antenna) for 10, 15, and 20 meters and single-element antennas on 40 and 80 meters.

2. Rookie (ROOKIE): To enter this category the operator must have been licensed as a radio amateur three (3) years or less on the date of the contest. Indicate the date first licensed in the SOAPBOX field.

C. Multi-Operator Categories (All Band only): More than one person can contribute to the final score during the official contest period. Select category based on number of transmitted signals.

1. Single-Transmitter (MULTI-ONE): Only one transmitted signal is permitted at any time. A maximum of ten (10) band changes may be made in any clock hour (00 through 59 minutes). For example, a change from 20 meters to 40 meters and then back to 20 meters counts as two band changes. Use a single serial number sequence for the entire log.

a. High Power: Total output power of each transmitted signal must not exceed 1500 watts.

b. Low Power: Total output power of each transmitted signal must not exceed 100 watts.

2. Two-Transmitter (MULTI-TWO): A maximum of two transmitted signals is permitted at any time on two different bands. Both transmitters may work any station. A station may only be worked once per band regardless of which transmitter is used. The log must indicate which transmitter made each QSO (column 81 of CABRILLO QSO template for CQ contests). Each transmitter may make a maximum of eight (8) band changes in any clock hour (00 through 59 minutes). Use a separate serial number sequence for each band. Total output power of each transmitted signal must not exceed 1500 watts.

3. Multi-Transmitter (MULTI-UNLIMITED): A maximum of five transmitted signals, one per band, at any one time. Five bands may be activated simultaneously. Use a separate serial number sequence for each band. Total output power of each transmitted signal must not exceed 1500 watts.

D. Checklog: Entry submitted to assist with the log checking. The entry will not have a score in the results and the log will not be made public.

VII. AWARDS: A single-band log will be eligible for a single-band award only. A log containing more than one band will be judged as an all-band entry unless specified as a single-band entry. A Single Operator station must operate a minimum of 4 hours to be eligible for an award. Multi-operator stations must operate a minimum of 8 hours to be eligible for an award.

A. Certificates: First-place certificates will be awarded in each category for every participating country and in each call area of the United States, Canada, Russia, and Japan.

B. Plaques: Plaques and trophies are awarded for top performance in a number of categories. View the current list of plaques and sponsors at < www.cqwpxrtty.com/plaques.htm >. Only one plaque will be awarded per entry. A station winning a plaque will not be considered for a sub-area award; the plaque will be awarded to the runner-up in that area.

VIII. CLUB COMPETITION: The club score is the total aggregate score from logs submitted by members. There are two separate club competition categories.

A. USA Clubs: Participation is limited to club members residing and operating within a 250 mile radius circle from the center of club area (except for expeditions organized specifically for the contest conducted by members who reside within the club circle).

B. DX Clubs: Participation is limited to club members residing and operating within EITHER the DXCC country wher the club is located OR within a 400 km radius circle from the center of club area (except for expeditions organized specifically for the contest conducted by members who reside within the club area).

C. General club rules:

1. National organizations (e.g., JARL, REF or DARC) are not eligible for the club competition.

2. Single-operator entries may only contribute to one club. Multi-operator scores may be allocated to multiple clubs as a percentage of the number of club members participating in the operation. The log entry must spell out the full club name (and club allocation if multi-op).

3. A minimum of four logs must be received for a club to be listed in the results. Checklog entries are not counted for the club score.

IX. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS:

A. Station location: The area in which all transmitters, receivers and antennas are located. All transmitters and receivers must be within a single 500-meter diameter circle. Antennas must be physically connected by RF transmission lines to the transmitters and receivers.

B. QSO alerting assistance: The use of any technology or other source that provides call sign or multiplier identification of a signal to the operator, other than a single-channel RTTY decoder. This includes, but is not limited to, use of a wide-band multi-channel RTTY decoder, DX cluster, DX spotting web sites (e.g., DX Summit), local or remote call sign and frequency decoding technology (e.g., RTTY Skimmer or Reverse Beacon Network), or operating arrangements involving other individuals.

X. GENERAL RULES FOR ALL ENTRANTS:

A. Entrants must operate within the limits of their chosen category when performing any activity that could affect their submitted score.

B. A different callsign must be used for each entry. Only the entrant’s callsign may be used to aid the entrant’s score.

C. Do not exceed the total output power limitation of the chosen category on any band. Total output power on any band at any time is measured at the output of the active amplifier(s).

D. Use of QSO alerting assistance is permitted in all categories.

E. Self-spotting or asking to be spotted is not permitted.

F. Remote operation is permitted if the physical location of all transmitters, receivers, and antennas are at one station location. A remotely operated station must obey all station license, operator license, and category limitations. The call sign used must be one issued or permitted by the Regulatory Authority of the station location.

G. Remote receivers outside the station location are not permitted.

H. Only one signal on a band is allowed at any time. When two or more transmitters are present on the same band, a hardware device MUST be used to prevent more than one signal at any one time. Alternating CQs on two or more frequencies on a band is not permitted.

I. All requests for contacts, responses to calls, and copying of call signs and contest exchanges must be accomplished during the contest period using the mode and frequencies of the contest.

J. Correction of logged call signs and exchanges after the contest by using any database, recordings, email or other methods of confirming QSOs is not allowed.

K. Call signs logged must be the same as those exchanged over the air by the entrants during the QSO.

L. Only RTTY (45.45 Baud, 170 Hz) is permitted.

XI. LOG INSTRUCTIONS: Electronic submission of logs is required for all entrants who use a computer to log the contest or prepare contest logs.

A. The log MUST show the following for each contact: correct date and time in UTC, frequency (or band), call sign of the station worked, exchange sent, and exchange received. A log without all required information may be reclassified to Checklog. Contacts should be logged immediately as they are completed. Stations competing for World and Continent awards should provide accurate frequencies for all contacts in the log.

B. Single band entrants are required to include all contacts made during the contest period, even if on other bands. Only contacts made on the band specified in the Cabrillo header or summary sheet will be considered for scoring purposes. Logs with contacts only on one band will be classified as single band entries.

C. The CABRILLO file format is the standard for logs. See <www.cqwpxrtty.com/logs.htm> for detailed instructions on filling out the CABRILLO file header. Failure to fill out the header correctly may result in the entry being placed in the wrong category or reclassified as a Checklog. Note: U.S. stations must indicate the station location in the CABRILLO header (e.g., LOCATION: OH).

D. Web upload is the preferred method of log submission. Web upload of logs is available at <www.cqwpx.com/logcheck/>. Email submission is also available. Logs in CABRILLO format should be sent to < rtty@cqwpx.com>. Include only the entry call sign in the “Subject:” line of the e-mail.

E. Instructions for NON-CABRILLO electronic logs: If you are not able to submit a CABRILLO format log, please contact the Contest Director for assistance with submitting another format.

F. Instructions for paper logs: Paper logs may be mailed to CQ WPX RTTY Contest, P.O. Box 1877, Los Gatos, CA 95031-1877, USA. Each paper log entry must be accompanied by a Summary Sheet listing all scoring information, the category of competition, and the entrant’s name and mailing address in BLOCK LETTERS.

G. Entry confirmation: All logs received will be confirmed via Email. A listing of logs received can be found at <www.cqwpxrtty.com/logs_received>.

H. Log withdrawal: An entrant may withdraw the submitted log for any reason within 30 days of the log deadline. Contact the Contest Director for instructions.

XII. LOG DEADLINE:

A. All entries must be sent WITHIN FIVE (5) DAYS after the end of the contest: no later than 2359 UTC 14 February 2020. Resubmitting an entry after the deadline will result in it being considered as a late log.

B. An extension may be requested by e-mail to <questions@cqwpxrtty.com>. The request must state a legitimate reason and must be received before the log deadline. Extensions are granted only upon confirmation by the Contest Director.

C. Logs submitted or postmarked after the deadline may be listed in the results, but are not eligible for awards.

XIII. JUDGING: The CQ WPX RTTY Contest Committee is responsible for checking and adjudicating the contest entries. Entrants are expected to follow the rules and best amateur radio practices. Violation of the rules of the contest or unsportsmanlike conduct may lead to disciplinary action by the Committee.

A. Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Examples of unsportsmanlike conduct include, but are not limited to:

1. Arranging or confirming any contacts during the contest by use of ANY non-amateur radio means such as telephones, Internet, instant messaging, chat rooms, VoIP, social media or web sites.

2. Transmissions by the entrant on frequencies outside of license limitations.

3. Changing times in the log to meet band change or off time rules.

4. Taking credit for excessive unverifiable QSOs or unverifiable multipliers.

5. Signals with excessive bandwidth or harmonics on other bands.

6. Running stations not identifying in a timely manner (i.e., 1 minute).

B. Observer Program: The Committee may request of any entrant to accept a visit by an observer during the contest. Failure to allow a Committee appointed observer full access to the station during the contest period may result in the entry being disqualified.

C. Disciplinary Actions: In the event of a violation, the entrant is subject to disqualification at the discretion of the Committee.

1. Disqualified entries will be listed at the end of the published results and is not eligible for an award.

2. Notification of Committee actions will be sent by email to the address provided with the log submission. The entrant has five days to appeal the decision to the Contest Director. After that time the decision is final.

3. The Committee reserves the right to change the category of any entry based on its examination of the log or other information.

D. Log Checking: All logs are checked using custom software and human judgment.

1. Duplicate contacts are removed with no additional penalty.

2. Contacts with an incorrectly received exchange are removed with no additional penalty.

3. Call sign errors or call signs not found in the other log are removed and receive an additional penalty of the QSO point value for that contact.

4. Contacts that do not meet the band change rules for multi-operator entries are removed with no additional penalty.

XIV. DECLARATION:

By submitting a CQ WPX RTTY Contest log, and in consideration of the efforts of the CQ WPX RTTY Contest Committee to review and evaluate that log, an entrant unconditionally and irrevocably agrees that he/she has: 1) read and understood the rules of the contest and agrees to be bound by them, 2) operated according to all rules and regulations that pertain to amateur radio for the station location, 3) agreed the log entry may be made open to the public, and 4) accepted that the issuing of disqualifications and other decisions of the Committee are official and final. If an entrant is unwilling or unable to agree to all of the foregoing, the entrant should not submit the entry or submit the entry as a Checklog only.

Questions pertaining to the CQ WPX RTTY Contest rules may be submitted by Email to questions@cqwpxrtty.com.