CQ World Wide VHF Contest – SSB/CW/FM

Welcome to the official web site of CQ World Wide VHF Contest. The contest promotes VHF activity on the 6 and 2 meter bands with participation from around the world.

I. OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this contest are for amateurs around the world to contact as many amateurs as possible in the contest period, to promote VHF, to allow VHF operators the opportunity to experience the enhanced propagation available at this time of year, and for interested amateurs to collect VHF Maidenhead grid locators for award credits.
II. BANDS
All amateur radio frequencies on 50 MHz (6 meters) and 144 MHz (2 meters) may be used as authorized by local law and license class.
III. MODES
Only analog modes (SSB/CW/FM) during the SSB/CW weekend.
Only digital modes (FT4, FT8, MSK144, Q65, etc) during the Digital weekend.
IV. CONTEST EXCHANGE
Callsign and Maidenhead grid locator (4 characters, e.g., EM15). Signal reports are not required and should not be included in the log entry.
V. MULTIPLIERS
The multiplier is the number of different grid locators worked per band. A grid locator is counted once per band. Exception: The Rover who moves into a new grid locator may count the same grid locator more than once per band as long as the Rover is in a new grid locator location. Such change in location must be clearly indicated in the Rover’s log.
A Rover station becomes a new QSO to the stations working him or her when that rover changes grid locator.
The grid locator is the four-character Maidenhead grid (e.g. EM15).
VI. SCORING
One (1) point per QSO on 50 MHz and two (2) points per QSO on 144 MHz. Work stations once per band. Multiply total QSO points times total number of grid locators (GL) worked.

Rovers: For each new grid locator visited, contacts and grid locators count as new. Final Rover score is the sum of contact points made from each grid locator times the sum of all grid locators worked from all grids visited.
Example 1. K1GX works stations as follows:
50 QSOs (50 x 1 = 50) and 25 GLs (25 multipliers) on 50 MHz
35 QSOs (35 x 2 = 70) and 8 GLs (8 multipliers) on 144 MHz
K1GX has 120 QSO points (50 + 70 = 120) x 33 multipliers
(25 + 8 = 33) = 3,960 total points.
Example 2. AC0RA/R works stations as follows:
From EN52: 50 QSOs (50 x 1 = 50) and 25 GLs (25 multipliers) on 50 MHz
From EN52: 40 QSOs (40 x 2 = 80) and 10 GLs (10 multipliers) on 144 MHz
From EN51: 60 QSOs (60 x 1 = 60) and 30 GLs (30 multipliers) on 50 MHz
From EN51: 20 QSOs (20 x 2 = 40) and 5 GLs (5 multipliers) on 144 MHz
AC0RA/R has 230 QSO points (50 + 80 + 60 + 40) x 70 multipliers
(25 + 10 + 30 + 5) = 16,100 total point
VII. ENTRY CATEGORIES
For all categories (except Rover): Transmitters and receivers must be located within a 500-meter diameter circle. Antennas must be physically connected by RF transmission lines to the transmitters and receivers. Stations in any category, except Rover, shall operate from a single location, home or portable.

Single Operator: Only one signal allowed at any one time; the operator may change bands at any time.
High Power (All Band or Single Band): Total output power must not exceed 1500 watts.
Low Power (All Band or Single Band): Total output power must not exceed 100 watts.
QRP (All Band or Single Band): Total output power must not exceed 10 watts.
Hilltopper: This is a single-op portable category for an all-band entry limited in time to a maximum of 6 continuous hours. Backpackers and portables who do not want to devote resources and time to the full contest period are encouraged to participate, especially to activate rare grids. Any power source is acceptable. Total output power must not exceed 100 watts.
Rover: A Rover station is one manned by no more than two operators, travels to more than one grid location, and signs “Rover” or “/R” with no more than one callsign.
Multi-Op. A multi-op station is one with two or more operators and may operate 6 and 2 meters simultaneously with only one signal per band.
VI. ASSISTANCE
All entrants, regardless of category, are permitted to use spotting assistance or nets including but not limited to DX-alerting nets, internet chat rooms, APRS and other packet, reverse beacon networks and repeaters to identify stations available for contacts and to announce their availability for contacts.
Such assistance may NOT be used to convey receipt or non-receipt of any required element of a contact or to request a repeat of any required element of a contact during a QSO. It is acceptable to use assistance to let your QSO partner that you have successfully received all required information to complete a valid QSO (eg: Telling a partner in an MSK144 QSO that you have received his RRR or RR73 transmission).
Rovers may use APRS or other assistance methods to announce their location and frequency.