Contest Rules: Tuesday's Telegraphy Contest (TTC-SPCWC)

Version: 20260716_01

1. Organizer and Contest Character

The contest organizer is SPCWC - Polish CW Club (https://spcwc.pl/klub).
Contest Committee: Michał SQ7M, Bartek SQ6MIH, Tadeusz SP1NQN
Contact: contest@spcwc.pl

The first edition of TTC-SPCWC is a pilot project. Running until the end of 2026, this period is dedicated to testing software, optimizing the platform, and making any necessary adjustments to these rules. You can submit suggestions for changes at https://spcwc.pl/sugestie/_xYleH2CmAwJDGS2-r1apVK-xS8

Station Identification and Callsigns

• General Rule: During any given round of the contest, an operator must use only one callsign that belongs to them.
• Functional Suffixes: Suffixes indicating power level or station mobility (e.g., /P, /QRP, /M, /MM, /AM, /A) are not allowed. Using any functional suffix (e.g., SQ7M/P) will cause the log processing robot to automatically reject your log.
• Exception for Geographic Prefixes: Geographic prefixes indicating country location (e.g., DL/SP1NQN) are allowed and mandatory when operating from another DXCC area. This format is correct and will be accepted by the robot. In the monthly and annual rankings, these stations will be grouped under their primary callsign (for example, DL/SP1NQN will count as SP1NQN).

2. Date and Time (Schedule in Section 13)

• Frequency: Every Tuesday.
• Round Duration: 60 minutes.
• Time (UTC): 19:30 – 20:29:59 UTC

2.1. Division of a Round into Stages

Each Round is divided into four 15-minute Stages. In each Stage, you can make one valid QSO with the same station on the same band:

3. Bands and Mode

• Bands:
  • 80m: 3520 – 3555 kHz.
  • 40m: 7010 – 7040 kHz.
• Mode: CW only.

4. Entry Categories

5. Exchange and Contest Call

• Contest Call: TEST TTC.
• Exchange: RST report + sequential QSO number starting with 001 (e.g., 599 001).
• Serial Numbers: Continuous throughout the entire Round, regardless of Stage divisions or band changes.

6. Scoring and Disallowed QSOs

6.1 Transmitting Categories

• Scoring: Each valid contact (QSO) is worth 1 point.
• Multiplier: The number of unique callsigns (U) worked during the entire Round (across all bands and throughout the contest duration). Each unique callsign counts towards the multiplier only once, regardless of how many bands or stages you work them on.
• Final Score: The total QSO points multiplied by the unique callsign multiplier (formula: Score = QSO * U).
• QSO Verification (Crosscheck): Submitted logs are verified using a cross-check system (comparing entries from both stations). For a QSO to be valid, there must be a complete match of the following data:
  • QSO time,
  • callsigns,
  • RST reports,
  • serial numbers (exchange),
  • stage alignment (for duplicate contacts as described in the "Duplicates" section).
• Streaks: A QSO with the same station on the same band can be repeated in each new Stage (per the divisions in Section 2.1). This allows a maximum of four valid QSOs with the same station on a single band during a Round. Contacts with the same station on different bands (80m and 40m) are allowed without any time limits. In total, you can make up to eight valid QSOs with a single station during one Round (four on 80m and four on 40m).

Disallowed Contacts (0 points)
* QSO with a station that did not submit a log.
* Time difference in logs exceeds 3 minutes.
* Error in the correspondent's callsign.
* Error in the RST report or received exchange.
* Duplicate QSO on the same band during the same Stage.
* Stage mismatch for contacts described in the "Duplicates" section.
* Only logs containing at least 10 valid QSOs are considered for the final classification.

6.2 Shortwave Listener Category (SWL)

• Scoring: Each valid logged contact (QSO) is worth 1 point. The validity of a logged QSO is cross-checked by verifying the RST reports and exchange numbers of both transmitting stations. The sent/received reports and serial numbers of both stations must match perfectly.
• Multiplier: Multipliers are not used in SWL logs.
• Streaks: Logging contacts with the same station on the same band can be repeated in each new Stage (per the divisions in Section 2.1). This allows logging a maximum of four contacts with the same station on a single band during a Round. Logging the same station on different bands (80m and 40m) is allowed without any time limits. In total, you can log up to eight valid QSOs involving a single station during one Round (four on 80m and four on 40m).

Disallowed Contacts (0 points)
* Logging a contact involving a station that did not submit a log.
* Error in either of the stations' callsigns.
* Error in the logged RST report or exchange number (for at least one of the two stations).
* Repeatedly logging the same station on the same band during the same Stage.
* Only SWL logs containing at least 10 valid contacts are considered for the final classification.

7. Disqualification

• Violation of generally accepted fair play and sportsmanship rules.
• Intentional non-compliance with the contest rules.
• Arranging contacts (skeds) via any non-amateur band communication channels before or during the Round is strictly prohibited.
• Only one signal may be transmitted at any given time.

8. Contest Logs (Required Header Fields in Section 12)

• Format: Cabrillo.
• Deadline: Within 24 hours from the start of the Round.
• Submission Page: Platform at https://spcwc.pl/upload
• After uploading the log, a TOKEN will be sent to the email address provided. Use this token if you need to resubmit a corrected log. Resubmitting will completely overwrite the previously uploaded version.

9. Announcement of Results

The results will be published on the contest platform within 48 hours after the log submission deadline.

10. Rankings

Rankings in all classifications (except the SWL category) are based on the final score calculated using the formula: Score = QSO * U (where QSO is the number of valid contacts, and U is the unique callsign multiplier).

• Individual Rankings: Weekly, monthly, and annual, separated by entry category.
• Team Rankings: The team classification is based on the sum of the final scores of the three highest-scoring stations representing a given team in a given Round. The number of operators submitting logs under the same club is unlimited, but only the top three individual scores will count towards the team's total.
  • Team Codes: To count a score towards the team classification, you must specify the correct team code or the team's full name in the CLUB: field of your Cabrillo log. The list of team codes is available at: https://spcwc.pl/clubs

11. Platform and Contest Info

All info, results, and log submission tools are available on the dedicated platform:

12. Required Cabrillo Header Fields by Version

Depending on the Cabrillo format version, your log header must include the following fields:

• Cabrillo 3.0

START-OF-LOG: 3.0
CONTEST: TTC-SPCWC
CALLSIGN: SQ7M
CATEGORY-OPERATOR: SINGLE-OP
CATEGORY-POWER: LOW
CATEGORY-BAND: 40M
CATEGORY-MODE: CW
CLUB: TERENOWA GRUPA RADIOWA
EMAIL: your@email.com

• Cabrillo 2.0

START-OF-LOG: 2.0
CONTEST: TTC-SPCWC
CALLSIGN: SQ7M
CATEGORY: SO40-LP
CLUB: TERENOWA GRUPA RADIOWA
EMAIL: your@email.com

13. Round Schedule for 2026

All rounds take place every Tuesday between 19:30 and 20:29:59 UTC: