Updated 2026-10-14

WAE DX Contest: How QTC Traffic Works and Why It Matters

The WAE DX Contest, also known as the Worked All Europe DX Contest or WAEDC, is one of the few major contests that makes you do something other than exchange a report and a number. Alongside the normal contacts, operators send and receive short messages called QTCs, which are records of earlier contacts. Those messages count as extra points for both the sender and the receiver, and for many European stations they make up a large share of the final score. This guide explains who can work whom, how the multipliers are weighted, how QTC traffic works step by step and what to check before you submit a log.

The contest is organised by the German Amateur Radio Club, DARC, and it is run in three parts each year: CW, SSB and RTTY. If you already know contests such as CQ WW or CQ WPX, you will find the basics familiar, but the QTC system and the intercontinental restriction give the WAEDC a character of its own.

What Makes the WAE DX Contest Different

The organisers describe it on the DARC contest page as a true DX contest. In the CW and SSB legs only contacts between a European station and a non-European station count, so a European station works only DX and a DX station works only Europe. The exception is the RTTY leg, where everyone can work everyone. The contest manager points out that many leading contesters consider it one of the most challenging contests of the year, because every contact is a DX contact, and the number of DX contacts can be similar to what is usually worked in CQ WW.

The second distinctive feature is the QTC traffic. In the words of the organisers, DX stations transfer real telegrams to European stations, and those telegrams contain data from previously logged contacts. Each correctly logged record counts as one extra point for the sender and one for the receiver. The manager notes that a DX station can double its score by sending QTCs, and that some European stations gain more than 70 percent of their score from QTC traffic.

Lithuania appears on the WAE country list as LY, so a station in Lithuania is counted as European. That matters for planning: you will spend the contest working DX and collecting QTCs, rather than sending them.

Dates, Bands and Categories

The three parts of the 2026 contest are published in the official WAEDC rules. The CW leg is on the second full weekend of August, the SSB leg on the second full weekend of September and the RTTY leg on the second full weekend of November. The RTTY part runs from 00:00 UTC on 14 November to 23:59 UTC on 15 November 2026, so it is still ahead of us. Each leg lasts 48 hours.

The contest uses five bands: 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz. The rules follow the IARU Region 1 contest conventions, which means no contest operation, neither running nor search and pounce, outside the contest-preferred segments. The rules list the band segments where contest operation is not permitted, and participants must respect the IARU band plans at all times.

There are three main categories:

Single operator low power: a maximum of 100 W output on all bands, with one signal at any time.
Single operator high power: more than 100 W on all bands, one signal at any time.
Multi-operator: band changes are allowed once every 10 minutes for the main station, except when working a multiplier on another band.

Transmitters, receivers and antennas must be located within a circle with a diameter of 2 km, and the use of DX spotting networks is allowed in all categories. Our article on contest categories explains how these choices affect strategy.

The Exchange

The exchange is simple. Each station sends an RS or RST report and a serial number starting with 001. If the station you worked does not send a serial number, you log the contact with the number 000, but such a contact only gives credit if it brings a new multiplier. Each station can be credited only once per band.

The simplicity is deliberate. Because you spend little time on the exchange, you have time for QTCs, and the format rewards stations that copy fast and accurately. If you want to practise copying numbers and call signs at speed, our guide to RTTY contesting covers software and tuning for the digital leg.

Multipliers and Band Weights

Multipliers depend on where you are:

Non-European stations: every country on the WAE country list counts as a multiplier on each band.
European stations: every non-European DXCC entity counts. In a set of large countries, up to ten numerical call areas count separately. The rules name W, VE, VK, ZL, ZS, JA, BY, PY and parts of the Asiatic Russian call areas.

The rules include a band bonus. Country multipliers are weighted by band: the number of countries worked on 3.5 MHz is multiplied by four, on 7 MHz by three and on 14, 21 and 28 MHz by two. The total multiplier is the sum of the weighted points of all bands. The final score is the total of QSOs plus QTCs multiplied by that weighted multiplier sum.

Band	Multiplier weight	What it means in practice
3.5 MHz (80 m)	x4	Each new country is worth the most; worth the effort at night
7 MHz (40 m)	x3	Strong DX band for evenings and mornings
14 MHz (20 m)	x2	The workhorse band for rate during daylight
21 MHz (15 m)	x2	Opens to the south and west depending on solar activity
28 MHz (10 m)	x2	Short, sharp openings that can produce quick multipliers

The weighting is why the low bands have such an important role. A country worked on 80 meters is worth twice what the same country is worth on 20 meters, so even small stations benefit from a night-time session on the low bands. The organisers also point out that the multiplier effect gives the contest significant activity on 40 and 80 meters.

How QTC Traffic Works

A QTC is a report of a contest QSO that is sent back to a European station. A valid QTC contains the time, the call sign and the serial number of the reported contact. The rules give an example: “1307 DA1AA 431” means that DA1AA was worked at 1307 UTC and sent serial number 431.

The main rules are:

Each QSO may be reported as a QTC only once.
A QTC may not be reported back to the station that was originally worked.
A correctly transferred QTC counts one point for the sender and one for the receiver.
Two stations can exchange a maximum of 10 QTCs between them, although they may connect several times to complete the quota.
QTCs are sent in series of one to ten.

A series is numbered with two figures: the first is the progressive number of the series and the second is the number of QTCs in it. “QTC 3/7” means that this is the third series sent by this station and it contains seven QTCs. For every series sent or received, the QTC number, time and band must be logged, and the rules state that if any of that data is missing, no credit is given for the series.

The sequence on the air

In practice the procedure is the following. After a normal contact, the DX station offers QTCs, typically with a short “QTC?” request. The European station answers with how many it can accept, the DX station sends the series number and count, then each QTC in turn, and the European station confirms. Your logging program normally handles the bookkeeping, so the operator concentrates on copying accurately.

Why accuracy matters

An incorrectly copied QTC gives no points. For that reason, many strong stations slow the pace a little, repeat the numbers and keep the QTCs short. Do not rush: a series of ten correctly copied QTCs adds ten points, the same as ten extra contacts, without the need to find another station.

Strategy for European Stations

As a European station you work DX, so your first job is to find it. Plan your day around propagation: higher bands in daylight, lower bands at night. Use the cluster, but remember that spots are not a substitute for tuning across the band. Our article on the ARRL DX Contest shows how a similar intercontinental contest works from the other side.

Consider these points:

Work multipliers early on each band. Because multipliers count per band, new ones are most valuable on 80 and 40 meters.
Ask for QTCs on every contact you can. Each exchange can add up to ten points, and the effort is small compared with finding a new DX station.
Manage your off times. Single operators may operate only 36 of the 48 hours, and each off period must be at least 60 minutes with no contacts or QTCs logged. See our guide to rest planning for ideas.
Do not neglect the high bands. The organisers have noted that 10 meters often shows good DX openings, which bring useful multipliers.

Logging and Submission

Logs must be uploaded in Cabrillo format to the DARC log upload system. The deadline is seven days after the end of the contest, and by submitting an electronic log you accept the rules. The rules also describe a club competition: club scores add the results of all members across the three legs, and the name of the club must be given in the log on a separate header line.

Log checking is automatic. The manager reported in 2025 that a high share of RTTY logs contained errors because some software versions produced Cabrillo files with syntax errors or strange characters, and the log robot rejected them until they were corrected. Read the robot’s message carefully if your file is rejected, and edit it until it is accepted. The top five entrants in each category may be asked to send an audio recording of the whole operating period, only on request. Our guide to Cabrillo logs explains how to avoid the common formatting problems.

Common Mistakes

Ignoring the intercontinental rule. Contacts between two European stations do not count in the CW and SSB legs.
Leaving out the QTC data. Missing time, band or series number removes the credit for the whole series.
Logging the wrong serial number. A contact logged with 000 gives credit only for a new multiplier.
Forgetting band weights. Time spent on 80 meters is more valuable than time spent on 20 meters for multipliers.
Operating outside the contest segments. The IARU Region 1 band plan applies.

The Bottom Line

The WAE DX Contest rewards operators who like to copy, not just to call. The intercontinental format, the band-weighted multipliers and the QTC system combine to make a contest where careful operating wins points, and where even a modest European station can enjoy long DX runs. Read the current rules from the organisers, practise copying time, call sign and serial number, and plan some night-time hours on 80 and 40 meters. With the RTTY leg coming up in November, there is still time to prepare.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does WAE stand for in the WAE DX Contest?

WAE stands for Worked All Europe. The contest is organised by DARC, and its multipliers are based on the WAE country list, which includes entities such as LY for Lithuania.

What is a QTC in contesting?

A QTC is a report of an earlier contest QSO, containing time, call sign and serial number, sent to a European station. A correctly transferred QTC scores one point for the sender and one for the receiver.

How many QTCs can two stations exchange?

The rules allow a maximum of 10 QTCs between two stations. They may be sent in series of one to ten, and the two stations may connect several times to complete the quota.

Which bands are used in the WAE DX Contest?

The contest uses 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz. Multipliers on 3.5 MHz are weighted by four, on 7 MHz by three and on the higher bands by two.

Can two European stations work each other?

Not for credit in the CW and SSB legs, because only contacts between Europe and other continents count. In the RTTY leg everyone can work everyone, but QTC traffic must be exchanged between different continents.

How long can a single operator be on the air?

A single operator may operate 36 of the 48 hours. Off times must be at least 60 minutes long with no contacts or QTCs logged.

Tags: qtc traffic, wae dx contest, wae multipliers, waedc, worked all europe dx contest