CQ WW 160-Meter Contest: Exchange, Multipliers and Hours

The CQ 160 meter contest, formally the CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest, is the big annual test of the Top Band. It is held twice a year, once for CW and once for SSB, and it asks a very simple question: how many US states, Canadian provinces and DXCC countries can you work on 1.8 MHz? Nothing else counts. There is no zone multiplier, no band changing and no second band to rescue a bad night. That purity is exactly why serious low-band operators love it, and why newcomers with a decent wire antenna can have a lot of fun. This guide follows the rules published on the contest website on 27 October 2026, which describe the 2026 edition, and explains the exchange, the scoring, the operating-time limits and the categories.

Two Weekends, 48 Hours Each

According to the official rules page, the 2026 CW contest ran from 2200 UTC on 23 January to 2200 UTC on 25 January, and the SSB contest from 2200 UTC on 27 February to 2200 UTC on 1 March. Each event is 48 hours long and starts at 2200 UTC. The objective is for amateurs worldwide to contact as many US states, Canadian provinces and countries as possible on the 160 meter band. The band use section reminds you that the band is 1810 to 2000 kHz in ITU Region 1 and 1800 to 2000 kHz in Regions 2 and 3, that entrants should spread out as much as possible while obeying their own frequency restrictions and power limits, and that they should be considerate of users of data modes such as FT8 in the contest segments.

The long format has a practical consequence. Because both events are 48 hours, the top-band darkness window at your location is what really matters. A European station has its best conditions from a few hours before local sunset to a few hours after sunrise, and the greatest rates to North America often come in the hours around sunrise at the European end. If you have never worked the band in a contest, the article on 160 meters and Top Band DXing explains why nights, seasons and the sunrise grey line decide so much.

Exchange and Multipliers

The exchange is RS(T) plus your location: a state for the United States, a province for Canada, and a CQ zone for everybody else. On SSB you send RS only, as usual. The zone is only a location indicator and does not count for multipliers; this is a difference from the CQ World Wide DX contest, which many people confuse with this event. If you want a primer on that larger contest, see our first-timer guide to CQ WW DX.

The multipliers are three groups added together. United States states are the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia. Canadian provinces and territories number 14, and the rules point out that VO1 and VO2 are listed separately for reasons of tradition. The third group is DXCC countries, including the WAE countries, which means that some European entities that the DXCC list treats differently are counted separately. The rules list the WAE entities in full, and the list includes LY, so Lithuania is a multiplier for everyone else just as it is in many DX contests. Alaska and Hawaii are not in the state list, because they are separate DXCC countries.

Points and Score

QSO points depend on distance in a coarse way. A contact with a station in your own country is 2 points, a contact with another country on the same continent is 5 points, and a contact with another continent is 10 points. Maritime mobile contacts count 5 points but have no multiplier value. The final score for every category is the total of QSO points multiplied by the sum of all multipliers: states, provinces and DX countries.

For a station in Europe, that scoring makes North America the prize, since every contact across the Atlantic is worth 10 points and brings a state or province multiplier. A European contact is only worth 5 points, and the multiplier is a DXCC country that is usually easier to find. The strategy therefore changes with the clock: work the nearby stations early in the evening to build your country count, then focus on the sunrise path to the west when the long-distance band opens.

Categories and Operating Time

The rules separate stations by power and by how much help they receive, and they limit the time on the air. Each contest is 48 hours, but single-operator stations may operate only 30 of those hours, and multi-operator stations 40. Off times must be at least 30 minutes long for all categories. That means rest planning matters, and the best off times are the daylight hours when the band is dead anyway.

• Single Operator. One person does all operating, logging and spotting. Maximum power is 1500 watts, and QSO finding assistance is not allowed.
• Single Operator Low Power. The same as above, but with output not exceeding 100 watts. These stations compete only against other low-power entries.
• QRP. Output not exceeding 5 watts, competing only with other QRP stations. All QRP stations may use QSO finding assistance.
• Single Operator Assisted, high and low power. The use of a DX cluster and other assistance is allowed, and one remote receiver within 100 kilometers of the transmitter site is permitted.
• Multi-Operator. High power only, with the assisted rules except that remote receivers are not allowed, and a maximum operating time of 40 hours.

The rules define QSO finding assistance carefully: it is the use of any technology or other source that provides callsign or multiplier identification of a signal to the operator. That includes a CW decoder, a DX cluster, DX spotting web sites, local or remote callsign and frequency decoding technology such as CW Skimmer or the Reverse Beacon Network, and operating arrangements involving other individuals. In practice, entering the unassisted class means working with your ears and your own logging software only.

Station Rules That Catch People Out

The 160 meter rules include several restrictions that are less common in other events, and they are worth reading before you operate. All transmitters, receivers and antennas must be on the same contiguous property, or, if the property is not contiguous, within a 1500-meter radius, and all antennas must be connected by wires to the main station. There is only one CQ running frequency allowed for each station, and flip-flopping between two frequencies in the same period is called unsportsmanlike and can lead to disqualification. The use of internet chat rooms or similar means to arrange or confirm contacts during the contest period is strictly prohibited, and self-spotting is not allowed in any category.

Remote operation is permitted for unassisted entries under tight conditions. Any receiver that is not physically located at the main transmitter site is prohibited, including receivers linked through the internet or by radio, and a separate receiver at the control operator location is also prohibited. If the remote station is in another DXCC entity, it must obey the regulations of that country. For the assisted class, a single remote receiver, including a WebSDR, is acceptable provided it is within the 100 kilometer limit. For noisy sites that is a useful allowance, and our guide to low-band receive antennas explains the local alternatives.

Logs, Checking and Penalties

Cabrillo logs are required and must be submitted through the web upload tool on the contest site. The deadline is short: five days after the end of each event, which in 2026 was 2200 UTC on 30 January for CW and 6 March for SSB. Every contact must show date and time in UTC, the callsign worked, the exchange sent and the exchange received, and stations competing for world, zone, continent and USA awards must provide accurate frequencies. A log without the required information may be reclassified as a checklog, and an entrant can withdraw a log within 30 days of the deadline. For background on how logs are checked, read our guide to Cabrillo logs and the UBN process.

Logs are cross-checked. A bad or busted QSO is removed, and a penalty of two further equivalent QSOs is applied to the points. No penalty is applied for unique QSOs unless they are judged excessive. A log can be disqualified for violating amateur radio regulations, for unsportsmanlike conduct, or for claiming excessive unverified contacts. Everyone who submits a log receives a downloadable certificate, trophies are given in many categories, and any club that submits at least three logs may take part in the club competition. National organizations such as JARL, REF or DARC are not eligible for the club competition.

Practical Advice for a First Entry

You do not need a large station to enjoy the contest. A single inverted L or a loaded vertical with a good radial field can produce dozens of contacts in a night, and the QRP and low-power classes ensure that you compete against stations like yours. Before the contest, check the antenna and the receiver at night, because many problems on 160 meters only show when atmospheric noise falls and signals become weak. Keep a list of the prefix and multiplier names, and practise sending and receiving the zone numbers for your region. Your own zone is a number you must be able to send without hesitation, and the exchange will be copied wrongly if you stumble over it. For antenna ideas, the article on the inverted L antenna is the best place to start, and the Wikipedia entry on the 160-meter band gives the background on frequencies and regulations.

Running or Searching on the Top Band

On most bands the main strategic choice is whether to run a frequency or to search and pounce. On 160 meters the same choice exists, but the practical limits are tighter. Running requires a transmit signal that can overcome the noise at the other end, and with a small antenna you may not be heard well enough to hold a frequency. Searching is easier on the transmitter but harder on the ears, because the stations that you need are often weak. Most beginners do best by searching for the strong multipliers first, then calling CQ in quieter periods, when the band is slowly changing and nobody else is active on your frequency.

Keep your contacts brief and accurate. Under weak-signal conditions a repeated exchange costs more than a short, clear one, and every bad copy leads to a penalty of two equivalent QSOs in addition to losing the contact. Send your zone number or state at a reasonable speed, ask for fills only when you must, and log the contact immediately. If you are not sure of a callsign, ask once more rather than guessing. The checking process is automatic and unforgiving, and the best logs are those with the fewest errors rather than the most contacts.

The Bottom Line

The CQ WW 160-Meter Contest is a pure multiplier hunt: states, provinces and countries on one band, in two separate 48-hour weekends. The exchange is short, the scoring is easy to follow, and the 30-hour limit for single operators keeps everyone honest about rest. The rules are strict about assistance, remote receivers and the single running frequency, so read them once before you transmit. With a modest antenna and a clean log you can enter, learn the band at its best, and earn a certificate for your effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the CQ 160 meter contest held?

There are two separate events: CW in late January and SSB in late February or early March. Each lasts 48 hours and starts at 2200 UTC. The 2026 dates were 23 to 25 January for CW and 27 February to 1 March for SSB.

What do I send in the exchange?

RS(T) and your state if you are in the United States, your province if you are in Canada, or your CQ zone if you are anywhere else. Zones do not count for multipliers.

How many hours can a single operator be on the air?

A maximum of 30 hours out of the 48. Multi-operator stations may operate 40 hours. Off times must be at least 30 minutes long.

How are points awarded?

Two points for a contact within your own country, five points for another country on the same continent and ten points for another continent. The total is multiplied by the sum of states, provinces and DX countries.

Can I use a DX cluster or CW Skimmer?

Only in the assisted classes. In the unassisted single-operator classes, any technology that provides callsign or multiplier identification of a signal is considered QSO finding assistance and is not allowed. QRP stations may use it.

What is the log deadline?

Five days after the end of the contest. In 2026 that was 2200 UTC on 30 January for CW and 6 March for SSB, using the web upload tool and Cabrillo format.