Next weekend: CQ WPX CW Contest 2012

Avid contenters: what are you planning for May 26-27?

Competing in CQ WPX CW Contest, of course!

Without a doubt, it can be regarded as the second biggest contest in the world right after the CQ WW contest.

Who knows how many competitors will use a proper key instead of their PC? We may never know: but one thing we know for sure is that there will be many entrants, like every year.

The rules are similar to the SSB WPX contest, which took place last March 24-25.

Again we stress that the focus is on working as many prefixes as possible.

On CQ magazine web site, you can find the exact definition of ‘prefix’ and its exceptions.  Complete rules can be found here: http://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm

Here follows an abstract.

Date and time: Starts: 0000 UTC Saturday 26. Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday 27.

Bands: Only the 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz bands may be used. Observance of established band plans is strongly encouraged.

Entry Categories:

A.Single Operator Categories:

(a) Single Operator High (All Band or Single Band)

(b) Single Operator Low (All Band or Single Band)

(c) Single Operator QRP (All Band or Single Band)

(B) Single Operator Assisted Categories: Entrants in this category may use QSO alerting assistance.

(a) Single Operator ASSISTED High (All Band or Single Band)

(b) Single Operator ASSISTED Low (All Band or Single Band)

C. Single Operator Overlay Categories: All Overlay entries are grouped into high power and low power in the results.

(a) Tribander/Single Element (TB-WIRES): During the contest an entrant shall use only one (1) tribander (any type, with a single feed line from the transmitter to the antenna) for 10, 15, and 20 meters and single-element antennas on 40, 80, and 160 meters.

(b) Rookie (ROOKIE): To enter this category the operator must have been licensed as a radio amateur three (3) years or less on the date of the contest

D. Multi-Operator Categories (All Band, High power only)

(a) Single-Transmitter (MULTI-ONE): Only one transmitted signal is permitted at any time. A maximum of ten (10) band changes may be made in any clock hour (00 through 59 minutes)

(b) Two-Transmitter (MULTI-TWO): A maximum of two transmitted signals is permitted at any time on different bands.

(c) Multi-Transmitter (MULTI-UNLIMITED): No limit to transmitters, but only one transmitted signal (and running station) allowed per band at any time. Use a separate serial number sequence for each band.

Exchange: RS(T) report plus a progressive contact serial number starting with 001 for the first contact.

E-mail or Web upload is the expected method of log submission. CW logs in CABRILLO format should be sent to cw@cqwpx.com .

The contest manager is Randy Thompson, K5ZD, k5zd@cqwpx.com.

Here are some announced operations:

About Dxpeditions, we remind you of A5A in Bhutan, active with 5 operators, 3 stations between May 24 and June 6th. As they state, the main purposes of their trip are:

1. Field survey for improvement of educational and medical environment with accompanying professors and doctors, and meetings with relevant officials and specialists for the projects in Bhutan.

  2. Establish a radio station at Royal Thimphu College (first private college in Bhutan), and provide basic HAM radio lessons to RTC students.

  3. Work as many Radio Amateurs around the world as possible.

(This article has been written by Alex, IK8YFU)