On the last weekend in October, the amateur radio shortwave bands come alive with a multitude of signals. What causes this?
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History of the CQ World Wide DX Contest
OM0A Award for the 2021 CQ WW DX SSB Contest
The CQ World Wide DX Contest, one of the most prestigious international amateur radio contests, has its roots in the mid-20th century. It was first held in 1948 under the auspices of the popular American magazine CQ Amateur Radio, which focuses on amateur broadcasting and amateur radio activities. This contest provided amateur radio operators around the world with the opportunity to make contacts with other contest stations in as many different countries and zones as possible worldwide. Thanks to its versatility, it quickly became a favorite among radio amateurs of all skill levels.
The contest is divided into two weekends: the first weekend for CW (telegraph) mode and the second for SSB (voice). Contest participants in the CQ World Wide DX Contest earn points for contacts based on distance and zone difference. The scoring and classification system, which takes geographic zones into account, motivates amateur radio operators to make contacts with even less accessible locations, thereby increasing the value and appeal of the entire contest.
Thousands of radio amateurs participate in the CQ World Wide DX Contest every year, and today this contest is one of the largest and best-known events of its kind.
Choosing a Category in the CQ World Wide DX Contest
I have participated in this contest 14 times. I have tried the single and multi categories, as well as QRP (up to 5W), LOW POWER (up to 100W), and QRO. In 2011, I became the world champion in the Xtreme category.
I consider the choice of category to be very important. Why? Propagation on the shortwave bands is highly variable. It ranges from excellent conditions, when it’s easy to make contact with a ham on the other side of the world, to very poor conditions, when it’s impossible to make a contact beyond a few dozen kilometers on certain shortwave bands.
Despite extensive research, no one can predict with complete certainty in advance what the propagation conditions will be.
CQ World Wide DX Contest 2024
After consulting with Oliver OM0RX, who has extensive contest experience, I decided to enter the LOW POWER 20m Assisted category. “Assisted” means the use of any technology or other source that provides the call sign or identification of the received signal multiplier to the operator. This includes, among other things, the use of a CW decoder, a DX cluster, DX websites (e.g., DX Summit), local or remote technologies for decoding call signs and frequencies (e.g., CW Skimmer or the Reverse Beacon Network), or assistance from other people. My gear is standard: a Yaesu FT-1000MP transceiver with INRAD filters and SDR output, 100W fed to a 2-element Moxon antenna on an RDM-12 mast.
What technologies and resources do I use in the contest?
DX Cluster
A DX cluster is a network of computers that allows amateur radio operators around the world to share information about signals received from other stations (known as DX spots). It functions as a database where amateur radio operators submit data on stations they have just received, including their call signs, frequency, mode of operation (e.g., CW, SSB, digital modes), and location. This information is displayed to other users, who can use it to learn about the activities of distant stations and decide whether to attempt to make contact.
DX clusters are used primarily during contests and when hunting for rare DX stations, when it is important for radio amateurs to obtain information as quickly as possible about the availability of specific stations on various bands.
DXMAPS
Example of a connection on DXMaps
The DXMaps.com website is designed to monitor and display current activity on amateur radio bands worldwide. It combines information from DX clusters, real-time reports, and various other sources to provide users with an overview of current contacts (so-called DX spots) on specific frequencies and bands. In addition, the site offers interactive maps and tools for tracking propagation conditions, which is useful for amateur radio operators trying to determine on which frequencies and in which areas conditions are currently favorable for making contacts.
The site thus serves as a useful tool for amateur radio operators to more effectively plan and make their contacts on DX bands.
Livescore contest.run
Comparison of OM0A and IB2C on contest.run
The contest.run website is a server for displaying live scores during amateur radio contests. It allows participants and spectators to track the running results in real time.
It’s a motivator in the single category. Thanks to this, I can see that other contestants are making progress, and if I don’t want to fall behind, I try harder. It’s similar to using sports apps, for example, for running—you see your own data, but also data on your friends’ activities.
Pruhonice Ionogram
An ionogram is a graphical representation of the properties of the ionosphere, specifically the reflection heights of various radio wave frequencies. It is used to monitor ionospheric layers (such as the E and F layers) and allows for estimating the propagation of radio waves through the ionosphere, which is important for amateur radio operators and other fields of radio communication. An ionogram displays data such as frequency and reflection height, thereby helping to identify the most suitable frequencies for long-distance communication.
A typical ionogram shows how the ionosphere affects transmitted frequencies and where they are reflected or transmitted, which is key to predicting the quality of a connection between distant locations.
Let’s contest!
An incredible start to the contest
I get up a little after five, since Benjamin is already awake. I spend the morning with my family, and shortly after seven o’clock (5UT), I get started. There are plenty of interesting stations on the band! With incredible ease, I’m making contact with stations like WH7T and ZM1A. After a few dozen minutes, I’ve covered 16 zones—more than a third of the world. I also made a contact with ZL7IO on his regular call sign a few minutes after the contest contact.
WH7T
This is how Chris ZL7IO worked it
Why? For contests, I use the contest call sign OM0A. So DXCC credits aren’t added to my regular call sign, OM0AAO. I don’t consider myself a DXCC country collector, but I already have a large number of DXCC countries. Additional DXCC countries are added only through expeditions or when contest activity prompts a station in a country I haven’t worked yet to come on the air.
During the day, propagation changed, and European stations gained the upper hand. Apparently due to good propagation, many stations moved to higher bands, and I managed to make contact several times even with 100W and a 2-element Moxon antenna. Here’s the moment when PE2K spotted me:
A moment from the CQWW contest after the PE2K spot
In the screenshot, you can see that I have 29 zones and 94 countries. I’ll tie the Slovak record on Saturday evening, which is a big surprise. After all, my gear and QTH aren’t exactly exceptional, are they? I have 30 zones and 99 countries.
On Saturday evening, I tied OM7LW’s previous record
My contest efforts are often interrupted by family matters. So I didn’t fully take advantage of the evening’s propagation potential. I ended Saturday with 564 contacts to 109 countries and 31 zones. That amounts to 125,000 points.
I ended Saturday with 564 contacts
I also have goals set up in N1MM+. These are the hourly contact counts from the previous OM record held by OM7LW. From the live score, I can compare EE3O and Michal IH9/OK1M in this category. You can see how excellently he took advantage of the opening he had available.
Comparison of IH9/OM1M, EE3O, and OM0A in the same category
What will Sunday bring?
I’m starting much earlier. The signals are weak, barely moving the S-meter. But they’re intelligible. While I have fairly significant interference on the 10-meter band at my QTH, the 20-meter band is a balm for my ears. Here and there, distant interference pops up. For example, someone sends RTTY on a rare station’s frequency. But I don’t pick up any local interference at all.
For example, VP2MDM
Connections are coming in slowly, since the band is practically empty, but that makes it all the easier to get through. I’m finally collecting 3-point contacts. It’s very effective right now to scan the band and search, since the DX cluster isn’t showing many possible contacts.
The moment when the log database shows no possible contacts
I don’t see a single possibility. This happens at 11:55 UTC. It means that at that moment, no further contacts are possible—neither those reported by the DX cluster nor those I’ve manually logged. This usually happens toward the end of contests. However, it’s just a fleeting thought. There are 863 contacts logged. The number of countries hasn’t changed since this morning, and I’m desperately waiting for some stations from Africa. Yet I already have nearly 200,000 points! My doubts that I might actually reach a thousand contacts are fading. That’s what Oliver OM0RX predicted. But I know from experience that there tend to be fewer contacts on Sundays.
Spots in the DX cluster for OM0A
I’ve managed to spark a pile-up several times in response to a call, so the number of contacts is rising by leaps and bounds. In the meantime, I’m taking longer breaks to spend time with my family. That’s the price you pay for contesting from home.
I’m keeping an eye out for the evening openings. I expect that stations tuning down from higher bands will focus more on 20m and bands they haven’t spent as much time on previously this Sunday. Yes, that’s right. But everyone is interested in making contacts with them! Contacts like the one with 3B9KW (Rodrigues Island) take a long time to make.
Egypt is also a rare one. I was luckier with that one, though, because he’d been on the band for a while, and by the time I found him, there were apparently only a few stations calling him.
Map of OM0A’s contacts in the 2024 CQ WW DX Contest
Hourly counts of contacts in the 2024 CQ World Wide DX Contest
And yes, I’m past the 1,000-contact mark. With room to spare, even. In the end, I had 1,070 contacts and over 250,000 points. On a single band… no other contest besides the CQ WW offers that kind of magic! There are 36 zones in the end. There are 40 in total. Even from a small Slovak village, you can make contacts with the whole world.