Team Selection Criteria
1. Qualifying Events
Anyone interested in operating in WRTC2018 can attempt to qualify by operating in a variety of qualifying events between February 2015 and November 2016. Each qualifying event has a maximum point value that is factored into the qualifying score calculation. Listed below are the eligible contests for WRTC2018, their point values, and in which years that each contest’s results will be considered:
| Contest | Value | 2015 | 2016 | # of events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CQ WW DX CW | 1000 | X | X | 2 |
| CQ WW DX SSB | 1000 | X | X | 2 |
| CQ WW WPX CW | 950 | X | X | 2 |
| CQ WW WPX SSB | 950 | X | X | 2 |
| IARU HF Championship | 950 | X | X | 2 |
| Russian DX Contest | 1000 | X | X | 2 |
| ARRL Int. DX CW | 800 | X | X | 2 |
| ARRL Int. DX SSB | 800 | X | X | 2 |
| WAE DX CW | 1000 | X | X | 2 |
| WAE DX SSB | 1000 | X | X | 2 |
| All Asian DX CW | 800 | X | X | 2 |
| All Asian DX SSB | 800 | X | X | 2 - No DL |
| EUHFC | 800 | X | X | 2 - EU only |
| WAG | 900 | X | X | 2 |
| IARU R1 FD CW | 1000 | X | X | 2 - only DL |
| IARU R1 FD SSB | 1000 | X | X | 2 - only DL |
- There are 32 events. The number of qualifying events varies based on geography: DL = 30; other EU = 28; All others = 26.
- New qualifying contests for WRTC2018 are WAG and IARU R1 FD.
- For IARU R1 FD only Portable, multi operator, low power, non-assisted will be counted.
- Applicants may use up to 12 published scores from the above contests to calculate their qualifying score.
Details of that calculation follow later in this document.
2. Category Weighting Factor
Weighting factors are applied to compensate for differences in competitiveness and activity level in the various entry categories.
| Entry Category | Weight |
|---|---|
| SO HP (Single Operator High Power)(All Band or Single Band, Unassisted, Single Mode or Mixed) | 1.0 |
| SOA HP (Single Operator Assisted High Power)(All Band or Single Band, Assisted, Single Mode or Mixed) | 0.9 |
| SO LP (Single Operator Low Power)(All Band or Single Band, Unassisted, Single Mode or Mixed) | 1.0 |
| SOA LP(Single Operator Assisted Low Power)(All Band or Single Band, Assisted, Single Mode or Mixed) | 0.9 |
| MS (Multi-Operator Single Transmitter, LP or HP); except FD -> 1.0 | 0.9 |
| M2 (Multi-Operator Two Transmitter, LP or HP) | 0.8 |
| MM (Multi-Operator Multi-Transmitter) | 0.7 |
- Single Band scores are compared against All Band scores for the same power level.
- Single Mode scores are compared against Mixed Mode scores for the same power level.
- Scores made from IARU HQ stations in the IARU HF Championship are not eligible.
- QRP scores are compared against LP scores.
3. Selection Areas and Teams
To ensure a diverse international pool of teams for the competition, the world has been divided into Selection Areas that are used for grouping and calculating the qualifying scores. Team Leaders are selected from each Selection Area as shown in the table below.
| Continent | Teams from Continent | Selection Area | Countries in Selection Area | Teams from Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 24 (max. 2 per country, except EU #6 and EU #7) |
EU #1 | ES, JW, JX, LA, LY, OH, OY, OZ, SM, TF, YL | 4 |
| EU #2 | C3, EI, F, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, HB9, HB0, LX, ON, PA |
3 | ||
| EU #3 | ER, EU, HA, OE, OK, OM, SP, UR | 5 | ||
| EU #4 | 3A, 9H, CT, CU, EA, EA6, I, IS0, T7, TK, ZB | 3 | ||
| EU #5 | 4O, 9A, E7, LZ, S5, SV, SV5, SV9, YO, YU, Z3, ZA |
3 | ||
| EU #6 | UA1-6, UA2 | 3 | ||
| EU #7 | DL | 3 | ||
| North America | 14 | NA #1 | W1, W2, W3, 4U1UN | 3 |
| NA #2 | W4 | 2 | ||
| NA #3 | W8, W9 | 1 | ||
| NA #4 | W5 | 1 | ||
| NA #5 | W0 | 1 | ||
| NA #6 | W6, W7 | 3 | ||
| NA #7 | VE1, VE2, VE3, VE9, VO, VY2, VY0 | 1 | ||
| NA #8 | VE4, VE5, VE6, VE7, VE8, VY1, KL7 | 1 | ||
| NA #9 | NA Zones 6, 7, 8; VP9 | 1 | ||
| Asia | 6 | AS #1 | CQ Zone 17, UA9 in Zone 16 | 1 |
| AS #2 | CQ Zones 18, 19, 13 (except BY) | 1 | ||
| AS #3 | CQ Zone 20 (AS portion) | 1 | ||
| AS #4 | CQ Zone 21 | 1 | ||
| AS #5 | CQ Zones 22, 24, 26, BY/23,9M2, 9V | 1 | ||
| AS #6 | CQ Zone 25 (HL-JA) | 1 | ||
| South America | 2 | SA #1 | CQ Zone 11 /PY-ZP) | 1 |
| SA #2 | SA North - or - SA South | 1 | ||
| Africa | 1 | AF * | AF North/West - or - South/East | 1 |
| Oceania | 2 | OC #1 | CQ Zones 27, 28, 31 | 1 |
| OC #2 | CQ Zones 29, 30, 32 | 1 |
* in order to reduce geographical and propagation differences in sparsely populated areas, the following Selection Areas are further divided for score comparison:
| Selection Area | Score Comparison Area |
|---|---|
| SA #2 | SA North - CQ Zones 9-10 |
| SA South - CQ Zones 12-13 | |
| AF | AF North/West - CQ Zones 33-34-35 |
| AF South/East - CQ Zones 36-37-38-39 |
For brevity, some DXCC countries are left out of the lists above. It is obvious which area most belong to (ex: HV=EU #4; FP=NA #7). Antarctic stations use their CQ Zone to determine their Selection Area.
4. Special Teams
In addition to the geographically selected teams, there are other teams to be named by the WRTC2018 Organizing Committee.
| Team Name | Quantity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Defending Champions | 1 | WRTC 2014 champions (N6MJ / KL9A) |
| Youth Team | 3 | Under age 25 at WRTC 2018 |
| Sponsored Team | Up to 5 | |
| Wild Card | Up to 5 | WRTC 2018 Organizing Committee selection |
- The Youth Team Leader positions is awarded to any applicant born after July 14, 1993 with the highest qualifying score worldwide that does not already qualify for a “regular” Team Leader slot. Scores are calculated in the same manner as for all other applicants. The Youth Team Leaders must select another youth operator as his/her Teammate from anywhere in the world.
- Wild Cards are reserved for the WRTC2018 Organizing Committee to acknowledge exceptional efforts within the pool of applicants that did not otherwise qualify
5. Qualifying Event Score Calculation
The Event Score for each qualifying event will be calculated based on the following formula: Event Score = (Contest value) x (Category weighting factor) x (Published final score / Maximum score in applicant’s category from Selection Area*)
* If the “Maximum score in applicant’s category from Selection Area” is lower than the highest published score in any “lower” category from the same Selection Area, substitute the higher score as the reference score using the following category order and revised formula below.
| Category Order | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | MM | 5. | SO HP |
| 2. | M2 | 6. | SOA LP |
| 3. | MS | 7. | SO LP |
| 4. | SOA HP | ||
Event Score = (Contest value) x (Category weighting factor) x (Published final score / Maximum score in lower category from Selection Area)
Example:
DL1AAA has a published final score of 3,000,000 in CQ WPX CW (Value = 950) as a M2 entry (Category Weighting Factor = 0.8). The maximum score in M2 in DL1AAA’s Selection Area (EU #7) is 4,000,000. Up to 3 operators at DL1AAA may submit the following result from this contest:
950 x 0.8 x (3,000,000 / 4,000,000) = 570.0
If there was a MS (a “lower” category than DL1AAA’s entry category of M2) in EU #7 that had a published score of 5,000,000, then the calculation is:
950 x 0.8 x (3,000,000 / 5,000,000) = 456.0
Event Scores made outside an operator’s home Selection Area are evaluated against the top score in the Selection Area from which the score was made. Example: DL1BBB (EU #7), operating from CT9, receives points from evaluating the score against other scores from AF-N/W instead of against scores from EU #7.
6. Qualification Score Calculation
The qualification score is the sum of up to 12 Event Scores. The maximum possible qualification score is 12.000 for DL, 11.900 for the rest of the world.
- A maximum of 4 Event Scores may be from multi-ops (MS/M2/MM).
- A maximum of 4 Event Scores can be from outside an applicant’s home Selection Area (i.e., DXpeditions).
- A maximum of 2 operators may submit scores for a single contest from a MS, 3 from a M2, and 4 from a MM.
- If an operator’s callsign appears with more than one entry in a single qualifying event (e.g., from operating at more than one station), they may not use any scores from that contest.
- In the unlikely case of a tie score for the final qualifying spot in a Selection Area, the applicants will be asked for additional scores beyond those submitted on the application until the tie is broken.
7. Team Leader (TL) Qualification
The qualification process results in the selection of Team Leaders for each Selection Area based on the following:
- To qualify, a Team Leader must apply for WRTC2018. There are no automatic qualifiers (except the Defending Champions).
- Applicants are strongly urged to follow all rules in all qualifying contests, including the observance of power limits, use of spotting assistance, usage of remote receivers, Skimmer, etc. Personal integrity is an integral element of a WRTC participant.
- Any operator whose callsign is published as being disqualified from any WRTC2018 qualifying event forfeits the right to apply. If the entry is in a multi-operator category, all listed operators forfeit the right to apply.
- If a TL qualifies and then declines the invitation to attend WRTC2018, the next qualifying applicant is then invited.
- A TL must be prepared to provide proof of valid residence in his claimed home Selection Area at the time of submitting an application in 2017. Such proof may include passport, resident alien status document, landed immigrant status document, work permit, tax bills, and the like, and should be sufficient to demonstrate legitimate residence and presence in the Selection Area.
- A TL must be prepared to provide proof of valid residence in his claimed home Selection Area at the time of all contests for which results is submitted. Such proof may include passport, resident alien status document, landed immigrant status document, work permit, tax bills, and the like, and should be sufficient to demonstrate legitimate residence and presence in the Selection Area.
- The WRTC2018 Organizing Committee has sole authority in deciding whether a TL candidate has provided sufficient proof to demonstrate residence in the claimed home Selection Area for each contest and at the time of application. The Committee reserves the right to re-classify an applicant's home Selection Area based on its own judgment. Any applicant providing fraudulent documents relating to residency will be declared ineligible to participate in WRTC2018 as TL, TM or referee, and will be reported to the WRTC Sanctioning Committee for possible disqualification from future WRTCs.
The application form and entry deadline (likely to be September, 2017), will be announced at a later date.
8. Teammate (TM) Qualification
Each Team Leader may select a Teammate (TM) from anywhere in the world. An operator whose callsign is published as being disqualified from any WRTC2018 qualifying event forfeits the right to participate as a Teammate. If the entry is in a multi-operator category, all listed operators forfeit the right to participate as a Teammate.
9. Questions
Questions regarding the selection criteria or qualifying process may be submitted to ... A frequently asked questions (FAQ) page will be available on the WRTC2018 Web site to provide rules clarification as necessary. The WRTC2018 Organizing Committee reserves the right to modify the qualification process to correct errors or provide clarification. Any changes will be announced on the WRTC2018 Web site.
Team Selection Policies
This page describes various policies the WRTC2018 Organizing Committee will follow with regard to team selection and replacement.
1. Team Commitment
A Team Leader (TL) must accept their invitation to participate in WRTC2018 and name their Team Mate (TM) in writing (e-mail) to the WRTC2018 Organizing Committee no later than Oct 1, 2017.
The WRTC2018 Organizing Committee will complete validation of the TM applications and announce the approved TL/TM pairings by Oct 15, 2017.
Team Changes or Withdrawal
If a named TM is unable to attend WRTC2018 due to illness or other reason, the TL may select a substitute TM (who must also be eligible and approved by the WRTC2018 Organizing Committee).
If a named TL is unable to attend WRTC2018 due to illness or other reason, there are multiple scenarios, depending on the timing:
If the TL withdraws prior to Feb 1, 2018, then the next qualified applicant in that Selection Area will be invited to become the TL. The new TL may choose any TM (the prior TM should at least be considered).
If the TL resigns between Feb 1, 2018 and May 31, 2018, we understand that travel and logistical plans are likely to be well under way. Thus, we will still offer the TL seat to the next qualified applicant in that Selection Area, but the TM that was previously chosen must be invited by the new TL as his/her first choice. We ask the TM to accept or decline within 7 days. If the TM declines, the new TL is then free to choose any other TM.
If the TL resigns after May 31, 2018, the WRTC2018 Organizing Committee will exercise its discretion to determine the new Team in one of three ways:
Follow the process in 2) above, or
Designate the TM to be the new TL and allow him/her to choose a new TM. This only applies if the TM is from the same Selection Area as the TL, since we are committed to have a TL from each Selection Area, or
Replace the team with a Wild Card or Sponsored Team
In the rarer case that a TL resigns from a Selection Area in which there is no other qualified TL applicants, there are three possibilities, subject to WRTC2018 Organizing Committee discretion:
Designate the TM to be the new TL and allow him/her to choose a new TM. This only applies if the TM is from the same Selection Area as the TL, since we are committed to have a TL from each Selection Area, or
Reopen the TL application process for 7 days for that specific Selection Area and select the highest scoring valid applicant (who would then select a TM), or
Replace the team with a Wild Card or Sponsored Team