Click here for RSS feeds or use the email signup form below to be notified about new radio-sport.net news updates
Donations are accepted. We appreciate the help!
There will be fresh faces in the winner's circle this year for the 2009 running of the CQ WW DX CW Contest, as the defending champs in the Single Operator High Power, Low Power and QRP categories won't be making a repeat effort, along with the 2008 Multi-Two winner, leaving a lot of openings for trophies in this year's test.
In High Power, the early favorite may be 2008 second place finisher Jose Nunes CT1BOH, who will be at a new contest QTH in the Madeira Islands, armed with a new callsign CR3E.
"I love CR3E callsign. It's in line wih P40E. There is nothing shorter than E," Nunes added.
As for this year, Nunes hopes his new location on the north side of the island produces even bigger numbers, since he has a much better view towards North America.
"This time I will have much better USA propagation. There will be no mountains in between."
That could prove to be very important for Nunes, who ran up 25 percent of his QSO's in 2008 with US stations.
As for others who might get in the way of Nunes, Toni Linden OH2UA will be back in the Azores to pilot CR2X. Last year he finished 8th overall.
"I hope that 15M and 10M will open up," Linden told radio-sport.net. "I'm quite convinced that 15M will be open, but on 10 you never know in conditions like we have now."
Last year, Linden managed only 71 contacts on 10 meters - but that will still more than the 12 in the log of Nunes.
"10 meters being marginal wil require much attention in order not to miss an opening," said Nunes.
Across the Atlantic, Zone 8 in the Carribean will again be active, with Tom Georgens W2SC back at 8P5A in Barbados, Andy Blank N2NT in St. Kitts at V47NT and John Barcroft K6AM in the Cayman Islands as ZF2AM.
"I hope for a nice sustained 15m opening along with some spotty 10m," said Blank, who finished third in the world in 2008, in spite of his 2-point location for contacts with North America.
"From NA we always concentrate on EU/Asia first," Blank told radio-sport.net, who like CT1BOH will be busily checking for action on 10 meters, after making only 16 QSO's there a year ago.
"Maybe some e's on 10, but really hoping for a short opening to Europe to build the multiplier total," said Blank.
With more sunspots in recent weeks, there definitely is some hope for improved propagation this year.
"Based on our experience at PJ2T, conditions could be the best we've seen in years," said Barcroft K6AM/ZF2AM.
"We'll give it our best effort, but our shot at winning will have to wait til the ARRL CW in February."
One top European operator who has been moving up the ranks in recent years will be at most a single band entry this year, as Ranko Boca 4O3A is heading to the Cape Verde Islands and the D4C station, which was last year's Multi-Two champ.
"I will be Single Band 20 meters," Boca told radio-sport.net. "Unfortunately, can't operate All-Band, as I was planning" as the antennas there are not all working.
"I will use this trip to take a look at the location, to see about future developing and operating from there," Boca added.
As for last year's winner Hrane Milosevic YT1AD, he will be switching to the multi-op ranks, joining the K1LZ team in the United States for CQ WW, instead of operating again from his contest station 3V8BB in Tunisia.
"Two consecutive wins in CQ WW CW are enough for me for now," Milosevic told radio-sport.net.
"My future challenge would be more difficult part of SOAB HP in SSB," he added.
Milosevic's winning score in 2008 attracted significant attention from the CQ WW log checkers, some of whom were convinced that his log had major problems, but in the end, he was not disqualified.
One high profile contester who was disqualified last year was Valery Komarow RD3AF, who had submitted the high score from EF8M in the Canary Islands.
Komarov will be back at EF8M for another SOAB HP effort in 2009, but according to the rules in effect for last year's contest on DQ's, he will not be eligible for any single operator awards.
The CQ WW CW Contest runs 48 hours from 0000z November 28 to 2400z November 29.
P40Q (K0DQ) - SOAB LP
TI5N - SOAB QRP
5B4AII (RW3QC) - SO Assisted
PJ4A - Multi-Single
D4C - Multi-Two
HC8N - Multi-Multi
The new rule uses the penalty system that many sports fans are familiar with in international football (soccer) matches, where "yellow" and "red" cards are handed out by officials for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Rule XII of the CQ WW rules is printed in its entirety here:
YELLOW card = Not eligible for an award in the entered contest. An entrant or operator issued a yellow card will be listed in the published results with a number symbol (#) before their call.
Two yellow cards: An entrant or operator receiving two yellow cards in three consecutive CQ WW DX contests will be ineligible for any CQ –sponsored contest award for a period of two years beginning with the publication of the second violation in CQ magazine. If the entrant is in a multi-operator category, all listed operators are so affected.
RED card = Full Disqualification (DQ). Submitted log is rejected. Entrants receiving a red card will be listed at the end of the published results. An entrant or operator receiving a red card will be ineligible for any CQ-sponsored contest award for a period of one year beginning with the publication of the violation in CQ magazine.
Two red cards: An entry or operator receiving two red cards within five consecutive CQ WW DX contests will be ineligible for any CQ –sponsored contest award for a period of three years beginning with the month of publication of the second violation in CQ magazine. If the entrant is in a multi-operator category, all listed operators are so affected.
1. The CQ WW Contest Committee reserves the right to accept or reject any entry.
2. Violation of the rules of the contest or country of operation makes the entrant subject to either a red or yellow card at the discretion of the CQ WW Contest Committee. Reclassification to a category other than that submitted will result in an automatic yellow card.
3. Unsportsmanlike conduct can be grounds for either a red or yellow card at the discretion of the CQ WW Contest Committee. Unsportsmanlike conduct includes but is not limited to ANY use by an entrant of any non-amateur means in the contest including, but not limited to, telephones, Internet, instant messaging, chat rooms, VoIP, or the use of any DX cluster/reflector to SOLICIT, ARRANGE, or CONFIRM any contacts during the contest (exception see Xtreme category rules).
4. Taking credit for excessive unverifiable QSOs or unverifiable multipliers may result in a yellow card.
5. An entrant is free to withdraw his/her submitted log for any reason prior to receiving an official letter from the CQ WW Contest Committee. The log will then be handled per the entrant’s request. If after receiving an official letter from the CQ WW Contest Committee, an entrant chooses to withdraw their log, the entrant’s call will be listed at end of the results showing their log as having been withdrawn.
6. By submitting a CQ WW DX contest log, an entrant agrees that the use of red cards, yellow cards, log withdrawal and other decisions of the CQ WW Contest Committee are official and final.
