K5ZD Announcements, Rules

Preview of 2013 CQ WW Contest Rules

The CQ WW DX Contest rules have evolved over the years to respond to technology and other changes in contesting. The wording was not always consistent and this would lead to misunderstandings about the rules. We knew it was time to do something when the volunteers that were translating the rules into other languages could not find the right words!

The CQ WW DX Contest Committee has conducted a complete review of the rules. The goals of the project were to make the rules easier to read, easier to understand, to remove less popular items, and to add some new opportunities for competition.

The Committee is making a draft of the 2013 rules available for public preview. We ask all contesters to read the new rules and let us know if you have questions or comments. We will use this feedback to improve the words or to add to the frequently asked questions on the web site.

Click here to download the draft rules in Adobe pdf format: cqww_rules_2013_public_draft_31May2013 (130Kb)

The review period closes on June 25, 2013. Please send any comments to questions@cqww.com. The official rules for CQ WW DX Contest 2013 will be announced by July 2, 2013.

Highlights of the changes are listed below:

Enhancements

  • Improved organization of rules puts all necessary scoring and category information near the top where it is easier to find
  • New “Classic” overlay category for single operator, one radio, no QSO alerting assistance, 24 hours of operation
  • New “Rookie” overlay category for amateurs licensed less than 3 years
  • Certificates offered for each Russia call area
  • Club competition rules simplified, minimum of 4 logs required
  • Call sign must indicate DXCC country of operation
  • Wide signals are now considered unsportsmanlike conduct
  • Log checking penalties are defined (NIL and busted call penalty reduced)

Removed

  • Team contesting
  • Xtreme category
  • Red and Yellow cards

No changes to

  • Scoring
  • Single Operator and Single Operator Assisted categories

 

Click here to download the draft rules in Adobe pdf format: cqww_rules_2013_public_draft_31May2013 (130Kb)

Please send any feedback to questions@cqww.com before June 25, 2013.  Thanks to everyone for their participation and support of the CQ WW DX Contest!

 

Randy Thompson, K5ZD

Director – CQ WW DX Contest

K5ZD Announcements, Presentations

CQWW Presentation at Dayton Contest Forum

On May 18, CQ WW Director Randy Thompson, K5ZD, gave a presentation on the CQ WW DX Contest at the Contest Forum of the 2013 Dayton Hamvention®. The presentation covered:

  • Continuing growth of the CQ WW contest entries
  • A visual look at the activity for 2012
  • Recent CQ WW Committee actions to improve log checking
  • CQ WW Contest web site and new log submission tool
  • Selected results of the 2013 CQ WW participant survey

You can download the presentation in Adobe pdf format (1.7Mb): CQ WW for Dayton Contest Forum 2013

Send questions to k5zd@cqww.com.

 

K5ZD Announcements

UA9CDC Joins CQ WW Committee

Please join me in welcoming Igor Sokolov, UA9CDC, to the CQ WW DX Contest Committee. Igor will provide us with more insight into the opinions of contesters in Russia and Asia – two growing areas for the CQWW.

Igor started as an SWL in 1973 and operated from club station UK9CAN and then UK9CAE (now RF9C). He received the call UA9CDC in 1978.

He shared the following about his ham radio and contesting experience.

“In 1982 was part of the big polar expedition that went from Bering Straits to Scandinavian peninsula using sled dogs. The entire root was above Arctic Circle. Call signs used were EK9C/0 and EK9D/0. In 1984 was part of the team at RF0FWW from Georgia were we have set up a record in WAE CW. Many different contests done and won from UK9CAE (aka RK9CWW, RF9C) club station.

Then in 1998 was part of a UA9C team operating from 9M6AAT in WPX. Same year we did our first effort from 8Q7DV. Then between 1999 and 2011 participated in MS and M2 efforts from 8Q7DV, 4X, VK5CRS, OZ9EDR. The best achievement from 8Q7DV was 2nd place world in M2 category. In 1993 or 94 (do not remember for sure) while visiting the USA, passed my exams and got US call N3TOD.

Latest contest operations were several top ten world from RF9C, 4th place in WPX SSB 2012 MS from 6V7Z (two ops, me and RA9FW) claimed 2nd in the world in CQWW CW 2012 MS as 6V7V and most recently claimed 1st in CQ WPX SSB 2013 M2 from RF9C.”

Welcome aboard Igor.

Randy Thompson, K5ZD
Director – CQ WW DX Contest

K5ZD Announcements

JH5GHM Joins CQ WW Committee

I am pleased to announce that Katsuhiro “Don” Kondou, JH5GHM, has agreed to join the CQ WW DX Contest Committee. We have been looking for a JA representative to replace Tack, JE1CKA, since he left the committee last Fall.  Don has been helpful with the CQ WPX Contest and I am sure he will add a valuable Japanese perspective to the Committee.

Don received his first operator license in 1978 and soon got a station license (JH5GHM) in early 1979.  He started DXing and contesting in 1979. Like many of us, his first contest was CQ WW SSB.  “During my campus life in Tokyo Institute of Technology I devoted myself to contests as JA1YAD.  After graduation, my radio life…was totally dormant from early 90’s until 2010.  In the early summer of 2010, my wife woke my radio life up and rebooted me.  Since then I’ve been catching up on lost 20 years and trying to be in any of the major contests.”

Welcome aboard Katsuhiro-san.

 

Randy Thompson, K5ZD
Director – CQ WW DX Contest