2021 CQ WW Rules Updates

We are announcing some exciting updates to the CQ WW contest effective beginning in 2021. In summary, here is what’s new:

1) We have created a new YOUTH overlay that will be available to all competitors who are 25 years old or under, effective on the dates of the contest. The Cabrillo overlay format will be CATEGORY-OVERLAY: YOUTH. In support of this change, Youth overlay entries will be highlighted in the results (as is currently done for Classic and Rookies). In addition, plaques will be available for the winners.

2) A new EXPLORER category has been established to allow amateurs to participate in the CQ WW Contest while experimenting creatively with Internet-linked stations and other new technologies. The goal of this category is to encourage innovation in operating strategies, station design, and technology adaptation. Please review the detailed rules at cqww.com/explorer for more information.

3) As a reminder, audio recordings may be requested for your entry as part of the log checking process. Any single operator entrant competing for a top-five finish at the (a) World, (b) Continent, or (c) USA levels, including Classic Overlay, must record the transmitted and received audio as heard by the operator for the duration of the contest operation. Failure to respond to this request may result in your log being reclassified or disqualified.

The combination of embracing new technology as well as recognizing the youth community amongst us is going to make the CQ WW an even more popular event.

Note: This new Explorer category is only for the 2021 SSB and CW events. It does not apply to CQ WW DIGI or RTTY.

Correction to CQWW CW 2020 Results

After the results for the CQ WW CW 2020 Contest were published, feedback from a few stations uncovered a small scoring error in our software. This error caused some stations not to get zone multiplier credit if the only zone 5 station they worked was in the Canadian Maritimes. We said it was a small error!

There were 817 scores that went up (out of 9103 entries). Most gained one extra zone multiplier. We want everyone to get full credit for the score they earned, so we have updated the online database with the corrected scores.

The log checking reports have also been updated. You can see the revised LCR using the same encrypted link you received in your email.

We apologize for the error and appreciate your understanding.

DX entities submitting CQWW logs by year 1948-2020

The charts below show the number of DXCC entities that submitted logs for each year of the CQ WW DX Contest. The growth is evident as travel increased activity and electronic logs made it easier to submit.

The Covid-19 impact is clear in the steep drop of 50 entities from 2019 to 2020. It gives a good indication of just how many expeditions there are each year!

Continue reading “DX entities submitting CQWW logs by year 1948-2020”

Certificates and other changes

We have made some changes to the CQ WW Contest online score reporting to support requests we have received from participants.

Electronic certificates are now available back to 1976. The older certificates have the appropriate signatures for the contest director and CQ magazine editor.

The online score data originally was set to only show 100 scores per page. A new drop down has been added to allow selection of 100, 500, or 10,000 scores per page. We hope this will make it easier for those who want to review more scores just by scrolling down the page.

It is now possible to download the online scores in a tab delimited file. The export includes all information from the database. You can trigger the download through the link at the bottom of the page (“Export selected data as tab delimited file”). The file will contain all entries that meet the filter criteria set at the top of the page. Note, there is currently a limit of 50,000 records for this export. You will need to make multiple filters with separate downloads to overcome this limitation.