CQ DX FIELD AWARD RULES

ADDITIONAL NOTES

CQ CHECKPOINT LISTING

CHECKPOINT INFORMATION

CQ DX FIELD HONOR ROLL LISTINGS

AWARD NUMBERS

CQ DX FIELD LIST

CROSS REFERENCE GUIDE

CQ DX FIELD AWARD APPLICATION FORM

CQ DX COUNTRY AWARD RULES AND HONOR ROLL

Copyright 2005 by Billy Williams, N4UF and CQ Communications, Inc.

eQSLs NOW ACCEPTABLE FOR CQ DX AWARDS

Effective immediately, electronic confirmations verified through the eQSL.cc system are acceptable for CQ DX Country and Field Awards. 

When submitting eQSL.cc confirmations, applicants must print out each confirmation and include the hard copy with their traditional QSLs when applying for CQ DX Awards.

All applications must be submitted via postal mail to the CQ DX Awards Manager or to an authorized CQ Checkpoint.  Awards fees may be paid using checks drawn on a U.S. bank, money orders or cash (registered mail highly recommended).  Checks and money orders must be payable to B. F. Williams.  Pay Pal is not accepted.

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CQ DX FIELD AWARD RULES

1. The CQ DX Field Award is issued in four categories, Mixed, CW,  SSB and Digital, for confirmed two-way contacts with 50 or more Grid Fields, based on the Maidenhead grid system. There are 324 Grid Fields, 10-degree latitude by 20-degree longitude rectangles lettered AA through RR, covering the entire world. A separate application is required for each category. Applications should be submitted on the official CQ DX Field Award application (form 2504). Reasonable facsimiles or computer printouts are also acceptable.

2. All contacts must be two-way in the category for which the application is made. One-way contacts are not valid. QSLs must be listed in alphabetical order by field (AA-RR). All contacts must have been made on or after January 1, 1980.  Electronic QSLs received through the eQSL.cc system are acceptable for CQ DX Awards.  These electronic confirmations must be printed out and hard copies included with other cards to be checked.

3. QSL cards must be verified by one of the authorized check points for the CQ DX Awards, or must be included with the application. Return postage must be included.  See items 12-14 under "additional notes" below for other possible options.

4. Field endorsements are issued in increments of 50 additional fields, between 50 and 150, then in increments of 25 fields between 150 and 300, with a final endorsement for confirming all 324 fields. A fee of $1.00 per endorsement is charged. An SASE must be enclosed with all endorsement applications. Stations outside the United States must include an SAE and IRC for air-mail return. Only IRCs with a 2009 or later expiration date are acceptable.

5. Band and Special endorsements to each basic award, as follows, are available for a fee of $1.00 each. QSL cards need not be submitted for band endorsement applications but must be in the applicants possession.
(a) 28 MHz endorsement - for 50 or more fields confirmed in the 10 meter band.
(b) 3.5/7 MHz endorsement - for 50 or more fields confirmed using any combination of the 40 and 80 meter bands.
(c) 1.8 MHz endorsement - for 25 or more fields confirmed using the 160 meter band.
(d) 50 MHz endorsement - for 25 or more fields confirmed using the 6 meter band.
(e) QRPp endorsement - for 25 or more fields confirmed using 5 watts output or less.
(f) Mobile endorsement - for 25 or more fields confirmed with the applicant operating mobile.
(g) Slow Scan TV endorsement - for 25 or more fields confirmed using two-way SSTV.
(h) OSCAR endorsement - for 25 or more fields confirmed via amateur satellite.

6. Any altered or forged confirmations will result in permanent disqualification of the applicant.

7. Fair play and good sportsmanship in operating are required for all amateurs working toward CQ DX Awards. Continued use of poor ethics will result in disqualification of the applicant.

8. A fee of $6.00 is required for CQ subscribers applying for each CQ DX Field Award certificate. Fees must be paid using checks drawn on U.S. banks, money orders and cash (registered mail recommended).  Checks and money orders must be payable to Billy Williams. The latest CQ mailing label must be attached for the subscriber discount. For non-subscribers the certificate fee is $12.00.  IRCs with a 2009 or later expiration date are acceptable.

9. All contacts must be with land-based or shipboard amateur stations working within authorized amateur bands. Contacts with aircraft are not acceptable.

10. Credit for fields activated by virtue of a DXpedition is dependent on the approval of said DXpedition for traditional CQ DX Award credit.  QSLs from portable, mobile or shipboard stations must show grid locator, approximate latitude and longitude, town/city or other information sufficient to determine field at time of contact.  Only one field can be claimed for each contact. Contacts from exactly 90 degrees south latitude represent field AA. 90 degrees north latitude represents  field RR.

11. For QSLs from fixed stations that do not indicate a locator, town/city or station location information sufficient to identify field, determination of the field will be based on the licensed location of the station as shown in online callsign databases. In these cases, the field may be added, in pencil only, on the address side of the card, or on the electronic confirmation printout. If locator information is not available online or from the station contacted, the contact may not be used for credit toward this award. It is the responsibility of the applicant to collect this information, subject to verification by the card checker and/or CQ DX Awards Manager.

12. In the event of any disputes or disagreements, decisions of the CQ DX Awards Manager shall be final.

 HONOR ROLL

12. Contingent on acceptance by the Award Manager, CQ DX Field award applicants may submit a photocopy of paperwork, showing countries credited, which has been issued by an award organization sponsored by a national society in order  to claim credit for the 80 or so fields represented by the 177 "single field" countries listed in the CQ DX Field Award Cross Reference Guide.  This copy will be retained by the Award Manager for future reference.  Such paperwork must be itemized by country. Persons first licensed before 1980 may claim credit in this manner if their paperwork includes dates of contacts being claimed. A CQ DX Field Award application or equivalent list of fields claimed, in alphabetical order AA-RR, must accompany all paperwork. If the paperwork uses an "X" to denote credit instead of listing individual call signs, put the basic prefix in the CALL column of your CQ DX Field Award application

13. In addition, screen printouts containing information described in #12 might be acceptable to claim credit for fields represented by single-field entities.  A hard copy of the printout must be sent to the Award Manager with the application. This printout will be retained by the Award Manager for future reference.  Please list fields, in alphabetical order AA-RR, that are represented by such credits and the call for each on your CQ DX Field Award application.

14.  If a CQ checkpoint is not convenient, a certified card checker or award manager for a national or regional organization may be able to check your cards for a CQ DX award. E-mail n4uf@nofars.net for details.

15.  For future reference, applicants should keep a copy of all CQ DX paperwork submitted to the Award Manager.  Applicants are responsible for claiming only fields that have not previously been credited. Update applications containing excessive claims for fields already credited (dupes) will not be processed.  Repeated claims of dupes may lead to suspension of update privileges.   The CQ DX Award Manager will prepare an audit sheet listing fields credited to an applicant for a $3 charge per category/certificate and an SASE.

16. CQ DX/WAZ Checkpoints are accredited by Floyd Gerald, N5FG (WAZ Manager) to field check cards for most WAZ awards and all CQ DX awards.  If a checkpoint is not convenient to your area, one may be nominated.  Contact Floyd via n5fg@cq-amateur-radio.com  Nominations from groups normally receive top consideration.  Floyd maintains a list of authorized checkpoints which can be viewed by accessing the http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com web site.

17. Download the basic CQ DX Field Award Application Form 2504

18. Reasonable facsimiles or computer printouts are also acceptable. List the field and call sign of each verification. Fields must be listed in alphabetical order. For an example, access CQ DX Field Award Cross Reference Guide and click on APPLICATION FORMS.

23. An attractive award for field hunters is the SSA Field Award which was founded in 1985.  Access http://home.swipnet.se/SM6DEC/ for details on this and other awards in the Swedish Award Program.

24.  For more details about placing cards in the correct field, read the checkpoint information below.

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CHECKPOINT INFORMATION

1.  A CQ Checkpoint is responsible for

        (a) checking for and rejecting  obviously altered or bogus cards.

        (b) checking that entries on the form match cards that are presented.

        (c) checking that each card contains at least station location, call sign, date, frequency/band and signal report.  Each card must be made out to the call of the station/operator making the application.  Cards may be made out to a previous call that an operator held (while he/she held that call).  Ink smudges and minor (non-material) changes made by the operator who issued the card do not affect the validity of a card.

2.  If a card does not have a field designator printed on it, the applicant must identify the field being claimed either by entering a notation in pencil on the card or by attaching an adhesive note.   Geographic information printed on the card such as city/town or coordinates (detailed sufficiently to determine grid field) may be used by the applicant to identify the correct field. 

3.  A CQ Checkpoint is not necessarily responsible for ensuring that cards printed without field locator information are claimed for the correct field by the applicant.   Checkpoints should write in the city/town (or coordinate info) in small print on the award application or on an attached sheet when a grid field is not included on the card by the issuer or printer.  An alternative is to instruct the applicant to make photocopies of such  cards to include with the application.

4. Some cards contain incorrect field information that does not match location information on the card. In most cases, this is the result of a typographical error. The Award Manager reviews all applications using an algorithm to detect improperly claimed fields.  It is not the responsibility of a checkpoint to detect placement errors although all help is appreciated.  For cards containing incorrect grid field information, the town or latitude/longitude coordinates will be used to determine the correct field.  Such information must be specific enough to make a determination in order for a card to be acceptable.

5. A checkpoint may decline to approve any card that is presented.  The applicant may be instructed to submit the card directly to the Award Manager.  Return postage must be included.

6. In some cases, it will not be possible to determine the correct grid field for a contact based upon the information on a card or from the list of single-field countries.  Such cards are not valid for CQ DX Field Awards unless clarification is presented by the applicant. For example, a card that lists latitude as exactly 30 degrees north or longitude as 140 degrees west does not give sufficient information to determine field as these denote borderline locations. The location must be pinned down to say 30 degrees, 1 minute latitude or 139 degrees, 59 minutes longitude, etc.  Exceptions are made for exactly 90 degrees north (which is field RR) and 90 degrees south latitude (field AA) since these denote a point.

7. Cards without grid field information from cities located close to field borders must have additional details on the card in order to place in the correct field. It is best to have the applicant deal directly with the Award Manager in such cases. A photocopy of the card may be included with the application.  Larger borderline cities include Ankara, Beijing, Colombo, Guayaquil,  Hilo, Houston, London,  New Orleans, Oslo, Philadelphia, Tirana, Tokyo, Winnepeg.

8. An applicant must list fields claimed in alphabetical order AA through RR on each application. Each award category requires a separate application.

9. For single-field countries, the CQ DX Grid Field Cross Reference Guide  can be used to determine the correct field.  For single-field countries, original documentation from sponsors of some country awards issued by national organizations may be presented to a checkpoint in lieu of cards to claim credit for the corresponding fields.  A copy of the printout must be sent to the CQ DX Awards Manager along with the application.

10. A concise reference can be accessed via http://www.nofars.net/gridfield.html  This reference lists fields in alphabetical order AA through RR and countries/territories associated with each field. Single-field countries and territories are shown in bold.

11. Note that all contacts for the CQ DX Field Awards must have been made on or after January 1, 1980.  If a printout is presented in lieu of cards, the checkpoint should be sure that each entity being claimed on the application reflects a contact made in 1980 or later.  A photocopy of the printout must be submitted to the Award Manager. It is the applicants responsibility to provide this.

12. All CQ DX Award applications must be filed using postal mail.  No e-mail submissions for field credits will be accepted. E-mail to n4uf@nofars.net is acceptable for Honor Roll updates indicating no change in total.  Updates are required at least once per year to remain on the CQ DX Field Honor Rolls.

13. Electronic confirmations verified through the eQSL.cc system are acceptable for CQ DX Country and Field Awards.  When submitting eQSL.cc confirmations, applicants must print out each confirmation and include the hard copy with their traditional QSLs.

14. Checkpoints may contact the Award Manager by e-mail for clarifications.  If a checkpoint is not sure about a specific contact, field placement or operation being submitted, a note may be attached to the form or a question mark (?) may be entered on the form by the checkpoint.  The Award Manager will review.

15. In cases of  checkpoints applying for an award for their own stations,  the application may be witnessed by another licensed Amateur Radio operator who should sign the form.  Or photocopies of cards and/or other award documentation may be attached to the application and sent to the Award Manager.  Certificate fee for checkpoints is $6. There is no fee for endorsements issued to current CQ Checkpoints. Only an SASE is required to receive endorsement stickers.

AWARD NUMBERS

MIXED

SSB

CW

DIGITAL