The sponsor of the CQ World Wide DX Contest has completely rewritten the contest rules, effective with this fall’s SSB and CW weekends (RTTY is not affected). “The CQ WW DX Contest rules have evolved for over 50 years,” said Contest Manager Randy Thompson, K5ZD, in announcing the updates July 1. “Changes in technology, operating practices and enforcement efforts caused the rules to become increasingly complex.” The primary goal of the rewrite, he said, was “to make the rules simpler and easier to understand.” The rewrite already has generated considerable online discussion. One change offers a “Classic Overlay” category for single-operator, all-band entries. “The Classic Overlay category is intended for the radio purists who want to participate in the most traditional way,” Thompson explained. Entrants will use a single radio and operate without outside assistance. Participants may operate up to 24 of the 48 hours, with minimum off-times of 60 minutes. (If an operator’s log shows more than 24 hours of operation, only the first 24 hours of actual operating time will count.) Also new is a “Rookie Overlay” category for operators licensed less than 3 years before the date of the contest. The CQ WW is doing away with the “Xtreme Contesting” and “Team Competition” categories, and “Checklog” is now listed as a noncompetitive entry category. The rewrite creates two categories of Club Competition — US and DX. Entrants must log contacts as they occur and may not edit their logs after the contest ends. The updated rules also address “unsportsmanlike conduct,” such as having an excessive bandwidth, and disqualifications. “Red and Yellow cards have been removed in favor of one action — disqualification,” Thompson noted. The SSB event takes place October 26-27, the CW event November 23-24.