2009 CQ WW DX CW Contest: The Sun Perks Up And Spurs Hopes On High Bands, Even 10 Meters

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted November 24, 2009

After several years of depressed conditions, the sun has been a bit more active since the CQ WW SSB Contest, giving some hope to contesters that the CW of CQ WW leg will be even more productive on 10 and 15 meters.

"Sunspot activity seems to be increasing steadily of late," wrote Tad Cook K7RA on the ARRL Propagation Bulletin of November 20.

"This steady appearance of sunspots has raised the MUF (Maximum Useable Frequency) over many paths, and 15 meters is beginning to open regularly," Cook wrote.

After hitting 29 last week, sunspot numbers in the days leading up to the 2009 CQ WW CW contest went back to zero on Novmeber 24, as it's still been a mostly blank year, with spaceweather.com reporting that 75% of the days have had no visible sunspots.

The CQ WW SSB contest this year featured a bit more activity on the high bands, though it was not available to hams all around the world.

John Crovelli W2GD saw that while operating from VP5T.

"There was definitely a different contest going on up on 10 meters a half world away," Crovelli told radio-sport.net.

"Being the primary deep night op I watched the telnet callouts coming out of Europe and Asia with great interest, They were clearly enjoying enhanced E and F skip that we in NA could only dream about."

10 meters of course could prove the difference again this year, something Crovelli will be checking often from P40W.

"The winning edge goes to the operator who doesn't miss a 10M opening and thus capitalizes on every multiplier opportunity," he said.

"I think conditions will be better this year," said Bud Trench AA3B, who will be at V26K in Antigua.

"I anticipate that 20M and 40M will be the money bands, and I hope we will have several hours of decent 15M conditions each day," Trench told radio-sport.net before leaving for the Carribean.

"I don't know what to expect regarding 10M - I will keep an ear open and try to catch any openings."

A quick glance at the DX cluster in recent days shows there have been openings, with all kinds of PropNet, QSO and beacon reports from North America, South America, Europe and Australia.

Whether that holds for the contest, you will have to turn on the radio to find out.

As for who should have the edge overall in the 2009 CQ WW CW, a quick look at last year's Top Ten in Single Operator High Power shows the top two stations were from Zone 33, 3V8BB and CT3NT.

As you can see on the right sidebar, Zone 33 has definitely had the advantage in this contest over the past six years, with four winners.

After the Zone 33 stations last year, it was basically North & South America, with three stations from Zone 8, two from Zone 9 and one from Zone 7 and Zone 5.

Toni Linden OH2UA was the only European in the world top ten at CU2X in the Azores.

What zones will produce the winners in 2009? Find out and join the action in the CQ WW CW Contest, which runs 48 hours from 0000z November 28 to 2400z November 29.