CQ WW WPX RTTY
A quick guide for operators — what to expect, what to say, and how it's scored.
This guide is a draft and hasn't been checked yet. Contest rules change from year to year — the sponsor's official rules are the final word.
What it is
The RTTY edition of the prefix contest: every different prefix is a multiplier.
The exchange
RST and a serial number: "599 001".
A typical contact
(Typed by the software.)
S50A: CQ TEST S50A S50A
You: S50A VE7SAR VE7SAR
S50A: VE7SAR 599 1234 1234
You: S50A TU 599 087 087
Scoring
Multipliers are callsign prefixes (VE7, W6, JA1, 4X4, …), each counted once for the whole contest, so unusual prefixes are gold. Contacts with other continents are worth more points than those on our own continent, and contacts on 40, 80 and 160 m count double.
Bands
80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 m.
Tips for first-timers
Click decoded callsigns; let the software fill in the serial numbers.
Official rules
Last updated 2026-10-29 by draft (Claude).