The goal of the CQ World Wide DX contest is formulated by the rules in one sentence: establish contact with as many stations as possible in as many CQ zones and countries as possible. The race is run in two modes separately, SSB and CW, and each part lasts 48 hours. For stations in Europe, including Slovakia, this means two opportunities for DX connections on the bands 160 to 10 m, in categories from QRP to Multi-Multi.
You will read in the article
Dates in 2026
Both parts start on Saturday at 00:00:00 UTC and end on Sunday at 23:59:59 UTC. The first, voice part, takes place during the last weekend of October, the second, telegraphic, during the last weekend of November.
| Part | Deadline | Time | Closing of the diary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSB | 24-25 October 2026 | Saturday 00:00 UTC to Sunday 23:59 UTC | 27 Oct 2026, 23:59 UTC |
| CW | 28 to 29 November 2026 | Saturday 00:00 UTC to Sunday 23:59 UTC | December 1, 2026, 23:59 UTC |
Competitive bands
Six bands are allowed: 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz. The WARC bands (10, 18 and 24 MHz) are not used, as are 50 MHz and above. Adherence to the zone plan is a matter of course, and connections outside of one's authorizations must be marked in the log. In Cabrillo, this is done by prefixing X- at the beginning of the line, the opposing station still gets the credit.
The six bands have practical implications for planning. Multipliers are calculated on each band separately, so a station that is active on all six can receive the same zone or country up to six times. For a station with limited space for antennas, this does not mean the obligation to occupy all bands. That's what single-band categories exist for.
Competition code
In SSB, the RS message and the CQ zone number are exchanged, in CW the RST and the CQ zone number are exchanged. The zone is the zone of the location from which the station broadcasts, not the zone of the brand holder. Slovakia is in zone 15, therefore the normal broadcast is 59 15 in SSB or 599 15 in CW.
The rules and FAQs deal with several practical situations. If the counter station sends a serial number instead of a zone, the zone is written according to the station's location. With CW cut numbers, the operator converts the received characters to the zone number that he thinks the opposing station meant, and he is responsible for writing them. A connection whose mark is not found in the log of the other station is marked as NIL and the penalty is three times the value of points for the connection, for a connection for 3 points that is 9 points. This leads to a simple recommendation: verify the tag before writing the connection, and don't rely on a log check to fix the error.
Scoring and multipliers
| Connection | Points |
|---|---|
| Different continents | 3 |
| Same continent, different countries | 1 |
| Same continent, different countries, within North America | 2 |
| Same country | 0 (credit for multipliers is awarded) |
The final result is the sum of points for connections multiplied by the sum of the multipliers of zones and countries. The rules give an example of 1000 × (30 + 70) = 100,000. Multipliers are calculated separately on each band.
The table shows a fundamental difference between the European and overseas stations. From Europe, a connection to another European country costs one point, a connection to North America or Asia costs three. It is therefore attractive for a Slovak station to search for counter stations on other continents, but a connection with a new zone or country on a new band has value even when the points themselves are low, because it multiplies the whole sum. Duplicate connections are logged and receive zero points without penalty.
Categories of individuals and performance limits
Single Operator means that one person performs all operation and logging and transmits only one signal at a time. With traditional categories, there is no limit to the time of operation or the number of band changes. Power limits apply to total output power.
| Category | Performance |
|---|---|
| High power | up to 1500 W |
| Low power | up to 100 W |
| QRP | up to 5 W |
The same three performance levels also apply to Single Operator Assisted. The line between the unassisted and assisted categories is tighter than is often assumed. If the operator does not search for and identify each registered mark himself, but uses a DX cluster or Reverse beacon Network, it belongs to the Assisted category. This also applies to software that shows the positions of signals from RBN without markers. CW code readers require the Assisted category as of 2015. A regular band scope and a waterfall are fine as long as they don't show markings or competition code. Sending spots without watching them is allowed.
From practice: if you need to rely on the cluster for multipliers when CQ calling, the Assisted category is a fair choice and the results are compared in the same category. The top 5 entries in any category may be invited to submit an audio recording, so recording the operation is recommended.
Category overlay
A qualified individual may apply for one overlay in addition to their base category. Two at once is not possible; if both are found in the log, the last one is used. The rules define the following overlay categories:
Classic requires one radio, no assistance, and no more than 24 out of 48 hours of operation, with breaks of at least 60 minutes without a single recorded connection. According to the FAQ, 24 hours are counted from the first connection in the log, and the pause requires 60 consecutive empty minutes of calendar time. For example, for connections at 13:59 and 15:00, the empty minutes are 14:00 to 14:59 and the pause is valid; connecting at 14:59 would invalidate it. During the pause, it is not allowed to supplement the band map from the DX cluster. The time limit in Classic is only applied when calculating the score, other categories do not have an operation limit. For the operator, this means planning in advance which hours he will use: with 24 hours out of 48, he must choose periods when routes to other continents open on several bands, and include breaks in between them so that each has at least 60 empty minutes.
Rookie is for a station that was first licensed less than three years ago. The operator's license is decisive and the period is counted from his first license, so a renewed license does not create a claim. For a club station without a full license, the period is calculated from the granting of the operating permit.
Youth is intended for operators aged 25 and younger on the day the race starts. Rookie and Youth cannot be combined.
Categories for multiple operators
Multi-Operator categories are only on all bands and allow assistance in searching for connections.
| Category | Signals | Power limit |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Single | one Run signal for 10 minutes on the band and one multiplier signal on another band | 1500 W (HP) or 100 W (LP) |
| Multi-Two | maximum two signals on two different bands, maximum 8 band changes per hour and transmitter | 1500 W |
| Multi-Multi | up to six bands at once, one signal per band | 1500 W |
| Multi-Distributed | up to six signals from different locations in the same DXCC entity and CQ zone | 1500 W per signal |
Multi-Single requires the most rules. The RUN station is allowed to call everyone and must remain on the band for 10 minutes after the first connection. A MULTIPLIER station may only call stations that are on the given band with a new multiplier, may not broadcast CQ, QRZ or TEST and must remain on the band for 10 minutes after the first new multiplier. Ten minutes are counted from the first registered connection on the band, not from the start of the broadcast, and from the minute times in the log. With multiple computers, the clocks must be synchronized with the exact time source and with each other. A hardware interlock is required for multiple radios on the same band. If the rule is violated, the call will be marked X-QSO; abuse to circumvent the 10-minute rule may result in reclassification.
The operator of a multi-operator station can also broadcast from home under his own brand and send a separate log.
Log submission
The journal is submitted electronically in Cabrillo format (version 3 preferred, version 2 will be converted) via the web at cqww.com/logcheck/. Papierové denníky sa neprijímajú. Ak máte len súbor ADIF, there is a converter at cqww.com/adif/. Each connection must have UTC date and time, frequency or band, call sign, and both code parts exchanged.
The deadline is 48 hours after the end of the race: 27 October 2026 at 23:59 UTC for SSB and 1 December 2026 at 23:59 UTC for CW. If you miss it, an extension must be requested via the contact form before the deadline, indicating the brand, reason and date of dispatch; the maximum extension is 10 days and must be confirmed by the Contest Director. Only diaries sent before the deadline will receive an electronic certificate.
After sending, wait for confirmation. It may take about 20 minutes for the received log to appear on the received logs page; if it doesn't appear after 30 minutes, please resubmit. A resubmission due to an administrative error, such as the wrong category, is allowed and will replace the previous journal, but will count as a late submission after the deadline. If you are repeatedly unable to submit, contact the committee before the deadline, not after. Certificates are displayed after the publication of the final results, errors in them are reported via the contact form.
A few practical rules from the FAQ that most often cause problems
Never delete connections, as this will take away credit from the other station. Use the X- prefix. Also record duplicates. If you are registered in a single-band category, write down all connections on all bands and set CATEGORY-BAND in the header, for example 20M; only connections on this band are scored. In case of a message error, the diary can be sent again and it will replace the previous one, but corrections of entries after the deadline are only possible via the contact form. Correction from one's own notes is allowed only to match what was broadcast; recordings, cluster or RBN must not be used for this.
Single band stations and the difference between SSB and CW
A single-band station may work with stations on other bands, but may not request QSYs from them or negotiate skeds with them to improve its score. A practical procedure follows from this: on the other bands, only what is heard on the own frequency is answered. The difference between SSB and CW part is only formal in the competition code: RS instead of RST. The rules, categories, scoring and multipliers are the same, so experience from one part can be transferred to another. The obligation to log even those connections that later turn out to be faulty also remains unchanged: a bad mark in one log can still give another station a valid connection.
Club competition
Only the score in the given category counts towards the club score. The total score on all bands in a single-band application is not counted, and the score from the overlay categories is also not counted. An individual will list one club. A multi-operator station may split scores among multiple clubs based on the percentage of participating members on the CLUB: line, which does not have to add up to 100 percent, and club names are selected from a list on cqww.com. For DX clubs, the club area is determined as the country of the club and a radius of 400 km from its center, while the center can be chosen by the club at will, but must be the same for both modes. Members who live in the club area and are broadcasting as a DXpedition from another country may credit their score to the club if they log it.
Why assistance matters
The rules allow any category to post scores during the race, but individuals in the Single Operator category are allowed to follow the standings, not the zone breakdown. SDR waterfall by itself, it is not an assist, unless it displays a brand or competition code. The risk occurs with the function that completes this data automatically. When setting up the software for the race, it is therefore worth turning off anything that would add a marker to the list or bandmap via RBN or cluster.
Recommendations before the first start
Before the race, check that your log software exports Cabrillo v3 and that it contains the correct category and overlay. Synchronize your computer clock, turn on recording and decide on the category before you start: the Assisted category cannot be chosen until after the race if you have been watching the cluster during it. With lower power and more modest antennas, it makes sense to focus on multipliers, because each new zone or country on the band increases the sum by which all points are multiplied.
In case of confusion, follow the current one by rules 2026 at cqww.com. Older versions of the rules on the web, such as rules.htm, may contain data from a previous year.