K5ZD Announcements, SSB

CQ WW SSB 2015 Disqualifications

The CQ WW Contest Committee takes its job as referee for the contest very seriously.  Each year a group of dedicated members spends many hours pouring over logs, listening to SDR recordings, and following up on input from the contest community.  We do not always have perfect information and it is difficult when each entrant is operating from their own station without any outside observer. Even so, the logs and recordings often tell us a clear story. It is our job as referees to call them as we see them.

Each disqualified entrant is notified of the decision and given 5 days to respond. We do this to allow everyone the opportunity to present an explanation of what appears in the log.

We regret to announce the following actions for CQ WW SSB 2015.

Entry Violation Operators
4L9QQ self spotting
BA7QT self spotting
E70A self spotting
EI9HX log padding
G5RR self spotting M0NPT
H2X self spotting 5B4ALX
HG3ITU self spotting HA3MY
II0I unclaimed assistance, self spotting IZ0PAU
IN3EIS self spotting
IQ5PO self spotting IU5ASA, IU5ASL, IU5BLZ, IU5CTX, IU5CZU, IU5FVE, IZ5NRF, IZ5UFR, IZ5EKX, IZ5RAQ, IZ5VCI, IZ5TIG, IZ5WAN, IK5MES, IK5ABG, IK5BCM, IK5NAW, I5WNN, I5OYY, I5NSR, I5KJB, IK5ZTW
IZ5WTV self spotting
IZ8IFL self spotting
J42T two signals, self spotting IK0EFR, SV2BFN, SV2BXZ, SV2CLJ, SV2DCD, SV2DSJ, SV2JAO, SV2NRU, SV5DKL, SV7CLI
LZ2JE use of assistance
M1U self spotting M0UTD
NP2P self spotting N2TTA
ON4MW use of assistance
R3GMT self spotting
R7AW use of assistance
R8LA self spotting
R8UT use of assistance
RK6CC use of assistance
RW3DU self spotting
RW9JZ use of assistance
RY3D self spotting, transmission >7200
S52NR self spotting
S54I self spotting S55X, S50SL, S51TS, S52ON, S55L, S55K, S55KM, S57FA, S55PV
SO4R self spotting SP4G, SP4TKR, SP4ETO, SP4JAE, SQ5CQ, SQ2NNN, SP2QOT, SP4JTE
SP5C self spotting
SP5DL use of assistance
SV9RGI self spotting
TG9ANF self spotting
UT2T self spotting UR5TEX
UT7E self spotting, two signals UR3EZ, UR5EAW, UR5ECW, UR5EFJ, UR5GDX, UR7EU, US3EO, UT5ECZ, UT4EO, UT5EL, UV5EOZ, UV5EUK
UZ4I self spotting, signal quality UR5IFB
YT1S self spotting YT5MM
YV4YC self spotting
Z62FB self spotting
ZP9MCE self spotting

Two logs were withdrawn before the 30 day deadline: DL2R, Z3B

K5ZD Announcements, Log checking

Certificates and Late Logs

After many years of effort and donations by individuals, the cost of producing and mailing certificates is no longer viable. As a result, CQ magazine has decided they will no longer provide paper certificates. All entries that were received by the log deadline may download their own certificate in electronic form from the score database on the cqww.com web site. It is easy to use this file to print your own certificate.

Late Logs

We have received a number of emails from participants asking why the certificate link does not appear for their call in the scores. This is because their entry was received after the 5 day deadline. Logs submitted after the deadline are scored and included in the results, but they are not eligible for awards and are not included in the score records.

Each log that is submitted replaces any previous log. Even if your original log was submitted on time, when you send a second log after the deadline, the new log will be used and will be marked as being late.

The goal of this rule is to encourage everyone to submit their log immediately after the contest. Do not spend time trying to fix errors or check QSL cards and then submit a cleaner log.  The purpose of the contest is to judge your accuracy during the contest – not after.

If you need an extension of the deadline, you can request it (before the deadline) at: https://cqww.com/contact

If you need to make changes to your log information after the deadline, send them at: https://cqww.com/contact. and, if appropriate, we will correct the log for you without changing the submission date.

In CQ WW SSB 2015, we received a total of 8,254 logs.  There were 25 requests for extension of the deadline (all granted).  There were 621 logs received after the deadline and considered as late (7.5%).

K5ZD Announcements

K5ZD Stepping Down as Director of CQ WW Contest

Randy Thompson K5ZD has announced his intention to step down as Director of the CQ WW Contest as soon as a replacement can be found. The decision was due to increasing responsibilities in his professional career. The Director of the CQ WW Contest is responsible for appointing the members of the CQ WW Contest Committee and organizing their work to develop the rules, log checking, and production of the contest results.

Thompson became Director of the CQ WPX Contest in 2008 where he served through the 2012 contest. He was appointed as Director of CQ WW in September 2012. Under his leadership, the CQ WPX and CQ WW contests have improved the log checking process and enforcement actions against rule violations. The Web sites for the two contests were enhanced to include a historical database of all time scores, records, results, and log submission tools.

According to Thompson, “I have enjoyed working on the CQ contests and hope to stay involved with the web sites and log checking. The demands of a new job are preventing me from dedicating the time that the role deserves. With WPX, WW, and WRTC2014 activities over the past 8 years, I am ready for a break. I am very proud of the work the Committee has done in enforcing the rules and feel that contesting results are now more accurate than ever. I look forward to working with the new Director.”

Randy Thompson, K5ZD, has been licensed and active in contesting since 1973 at age 13. He is an accomplished contester, having multiple single-operator wins in the ARRL Sweepstakes, CQ World Wide DX Contest, and the CQ WPX Contest, among others. Randy is a past editor of the “National Contest Journal” (a post he has held three separate times) and a co-founder of the eHam.net website. He is a member of the CQ Magazine Contest Hall of Fame. He has competed in five World Radiosport Team Championships and was a member of the organizing committee for WRTC2014. When not in front of a radio, Randy is in product management for a technology company involved in the Intenet of Things (IoT).

A description of the CQ WW Director role is listed below. Anyone interested in being considered for the job should apply at: https://cqww.com/contact. Questions may also be directed to CQ Amateur Radio publisher Dick Ross K2MGA at k2mga@cq-amateur-radio.com.

Job Description: CQ WW Director

The Director of the CQ WW DX Contest is responsible for the operation and results of the CQ WW DX Contest. The ideal candidate will be passionate about the CQ WW, a respected member of the contest community, and have demonstrated proficiency in contesting.

Responsibilities:

  • Administration
    • Recruit volunteers with necessary skills to assist with the administration and operation of the contest
    • Appoint members to the CQ WW Contest Committee
    • Appoint leaders of internal working groups
    • Consult with CQWWCC to set policies, define rule changes
    • Manage the log checking process
    • Work with WWROF and others to fund needed infrastructure
    • Coordinate with CQ Magazine management and editorial staff
    • Uphold the ethical standards of the competition
  • Communication
    • Serve as external spokesperson for the CQ WW Contest Committee
    • Manage email requests to questions@cwww.com (e.g., did you get my log? where is my plaque? rules questions? log formatting?)
    • Communicate the policies and decisions of the CQWWCC to entrants
    • Distribute announcements to the contest community by blog post and email
    • Make presentations about the CQ WW DX Contest (club meetings, webinars)
    • Review and provide content for the cqww.com web site
  • Results
    • Publish raw scores
    • Notify entrants of disqualifications or category changes
    • Contest results article for each mode
    • Assemble final results package for CQ
  • Other:
    • Presentation of CQ Contest Hall of Fame awards at Dayton
    • Conduct participant surveys

Required Skills:

  • Organizational and leadership ability to work with a global team of volunteers
  • Attention to detail and ability to work with data
  • Connection with the international contest community
  • Strong writing and presentation skills in English
  • Ability to devote 10+ hours per week between September and March each year to answer questions, manage the log checking, and compile the results, plus additional time during the rest of the year to promote the contest