2024 CQ World-Wide SSB DX Contest: Are You Ready?

 2024 CQ World-Wide DX Contest for SSB mode starts at 00:00:00 UTC Saturday, 26th October 2024 and ends at 23:59:59 UTC Sunday, 27th October 2024. Even though I am not a contester sitting through out the night to get contacts, I am always happy to see a contest on the air. It lights up the waterfall display on my FT-710 with plenty of stations. I am able to see a few simultaneous waterfalls only on 40 m during morning net times when we have 5 nets and a few other rag chews. On all other bands and at other times, it is only an occasional signal on the waterfall. On contest weekends, there is plenty of activity on most of the bands and I get to work some new stations. That is why contests are important for us even if one is not a contester. I did participate actively in the Garden City Contest long back and won a third position in CW category, with my homebrew radio.


CQ WW DX SSB contest is on six bands only: 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz. Of these, I do not have an option for 1.8 and 3.5 MHz as there is no space to mount a dipole and I do not have a vertical antenna. Even if I get one, placing radials will be a problem. So I plan to work only on four bands. I might also listen 1.8 and 3.5 MHz with my 40m antenna, though I have not heard anything on those bands during the past one year. May be because of high solar activity of Solar Cycle 25 cutting down propagation on lower bands. Contest exchange for SSB is RS report plus CQ Zone number of the station location. So I think it should be 59 22 for me. That simplifies it a bit as I do not have to give a serial number. 

The final score is the result of the total QSO points multiplied by the sum of zone and country multipliers. Stations may be contacted once on each band. Contact with a different continent gives you 3 QSO points while contact with another country in your continent gives you one point, except for those in North 
America who get two points. Though contacts with hams in your country does not give you QSO points, they count for zone and country multiplier credit. 

There are two types of multipliers. A multiplier of one is there for each different CQ Zone contacted on each band. Similarly, there is a multiplier of one for each different country contacted on each band. Maritime mobile stations count only for a zone multiplier. There are several categories like single operator, multiple operators, power levels of 1500 W, 100 W and 5 W, classic with one radio, rookie with less than 3 years after first licence, youth with up to 25 years of age etc. Detailed rules are to be followed if you are a serious contester. Though over 35,000 participants are expected, it has been mentioned that only about 8,000 had submitted logs in earlier contests. Everyone can have the fun of participation, even if you are not aiming at a win! So get ready, go.

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