2025 DX Marathon Rules

CQ Magazine DX Marathon - Rules for 2025

Revised on December 4th, 2024.

Dates: January 1 — December 31, 2024

Log Deadline: January 5, 2026 (23:59Z)

The CQ DX Marathon is designed to promote DXing activity throughout the year. Credit is given for contacts on all ham bands (160-6 meters) including those not normally used for contesting (60, 30, 17 & 12 meters). Any QSOs are legitimate to claim including contesting QSOs as long as a single station location is maintained.

Summary of Changes 2024 vs 2025

There are a few major changes in the 2025 rules vs those of 2024. These are summarized below:

Two class changes that have been added. The Formula Class has been split into two sections. Those that have entered in the past with a 100W maximum power output, and a new class for those who wish to operate under the same Formula rules but can operate at the maximum permissible output allowed by their license class.
The QRP section similarly exists as last year, however an added class option has been added, QRP Unlimited which will allow for any antenna configuration with no restrictions.
In the awards part of the rules, a country plaque providing sponsors are found has been added. Heretofore, the highest country score would receive a certificate. As sponsors step forward during 2025 with a $100 sponsorship fee, countries will be added. As of the writing of the rules today, we have secured sponsors for 4 countries, Venezuela, Turkey, Slovak Republic, and Chile. We will continue to add countries as sponsors step forward throughout the 2025 period.
In the youth program, we have included another plaque award. There will be now a plaque award for the top youth 15 years and younger along with a separate award for the top scoring youth 16-25.
We have emphasized the seriousness of the requirement to have a single operating station for entry into the program, i.e. remote stations are allowed but second remote stations or remote receiving antennas separate from the home station are disallowed. The operating staff of the DX Marathon consider violations to this rule as significant and will assess penalties if this rule is broken.
All restrictions in participation of stations in Russia and Belarus are removed and they will be eligible for plaques/certificates. Other stations may work these countries and receive full credit. Donbas, however, beginning with D1 are not legitimate calls and will not be recognized.
Special Note: The United Kingdom has relaxed its location rules for some call signs. G0ABC, G1XYZ, M3QRS, etc. can now be in any GD, GI, GJ, or GW location as well as G. There is no way to know when this is the case and we believe that few stations employ these rules changes with the UK. Meanwhile, GD5ABC still must be in GD, MW3QRS in GW, etc. For overall fairness, all G0ABC type calls will be scored as G, England, regardless of where they are located.

Following are the complete 2025 rules:

Activity period

The CQ DX Marathon is a yearlong activity, beginning at 0000 UTC January 1, 2025 and ending at 2359 UTC December 31, 2025.

Frequencies and Disallowed Entries

Radio frequencies in the 160-6 meter bands are eligible including the 60m band and all WARC bands (30, 17 & 12 meters). Contacts through repeaters or satellites are not allowed nor are contacts with maritime or aeronautical mobile stations. All contacts must be made entirely over amateur radio frequencies – i.e., Echolink-type, DMR, All-Star, etc. contacts do not count. Stations designating /AM (aeronautical mobile) will not be counted as a legitimate contact. Stations designating /MM (maritime mobile) are located on a floating, undocked, or docked watercraft and will not be counted as a legitimate contact.

All operations are allowed provided the station is operated from a single location, i.e. multiple operating locations are disallowed.

Modes

Any modes for which the operator is licensed may be used. Popular modes seen in the DX Marathon include:

CW: Utilizes the International Morse Code
Phone: USB, LSB, DSB, FM (voice), AM
Digital: FT8, FT4, PSK, RTTY

General

Each participant in the DX Marathon program may submit one log each year per operating location. Participants submitting logs for either single-mode or single-band entries must include only those contacts in their submission. Logs submitted with multiple modes or multiple bands will not be considered for single-mode or single-band entries. A participant may use up to two callsigns per station provided that the callsigns are clearly stated on the submission form. Both callsigns must be used at the same operating location using the equipment and antennas commensurate with their entered class.

Remote operation is permitted if all transmitters, receivers, and antennas are at a single physical location. A remote station in a different country than the entrant’s country of license must comply with all local laws and regulations of that country. Once a remote station is selected by the participant, the participant must use the same remote station for that year’s activity period. Participants must operate only those band segments allowed by their license privileges. The use of spotting networks is allowed for all classes. When referring to power, it shall be measured at the antenna feed point.

If an entrant operates from both a primary station and a remote station, they will be treated as separate entries. Each entry may be submitted provided they have different callsigns or a portable callsign designator. Entries that include contacts made with the assistance of remote receivers and/or transmitters, in addition to contacts from a primary station, are not permitted.

If the DX Marathon Program Administrator determines that a submission includes QSOs combined from more than one location, the participant may be suspended from the DX Marathon Program or at minimum the current year’s submission will not be scored. Decisions of the DX Marathon Program Administrator will be final.

Classes

There are seven entry classes, “Unlimited”, “Limited”, “Formula 100W, “Formula Unlimited” “QRP”, “QRP Unlimited” and “DX Marathon Challenge.” Only one of these classes may be selected for your participation in 2025.

Unlimited

Unlimited Class allows entrants to use up to the maximum legal power output permitted on each band and the power permitted according to their operating license. Any antenna or combination of antennas may be used in this class.

Limited

Limited Class entrants are allowed a maximum output power of 100 watts. Antennas such as verticals or wire antennas, rotatable dipoles and arrays are allowed. Examples of wire antennas include wire dipoles, G5RV, Windoms, Off-center fed (OCF), and end-fed antennas. Any such antennas, whether vertical or wire, may not at any point be higher than 50 feet (15m) above ground level and shall not exceed 135 feet (41m) in length. If a sloping wire antenna is employed, the highest anchor point shall not exceed 50 feet (15m) above ground level. If two towers or trees are employed, the length and height requirement stated in this paragraph apply.

If a participant operates in a high-rise building structure, vertical and wire antennas are allowed on the roof of the structure subject to the length restrictions stated above. Rotatable dipoles on top of multi-story buildings are allowed only if the height does not exceed 50 feet (15m) above ground level. The length restrictions of 135 feet (41m) as stated above will apply for long wire antennas.

Antennas in the classification of an “array” may be used. An array antenna means the use of driven element(s) and parasitic elements. Examples include Yagis, Hexbeams, Spider beams, and Cubical Quads. These antennas are limited to a height of 50 feet (15m) above ground level. Yagis are limited to 3 active elements and a boom length no greater than 16 feet (5m). Spider beams and Hexbeams have the 3-element restriction but do not have a boom length restriction. Rotatable dipoles for 30m and 40m are allowed in this class subject to the height restrictions stated above.

Formula 100W

Formula 100W Class entrants are allowed a maximum output power of 100 watts.

Antennas such as verticals or wire antennas are allowed. Examples of wire antennas include wire dipoles, G5RV, Windom, Off-center fed (OCF), and end-fed antennas. Any such antennas, whether vertical or wire, may not at any point be higher than 65 feet (20m) above ground level and shall not exceed 135 feet (41m) in length. If a sloping wire antenna is employed, the highest anchor point shall not exceed 65 feet (20m). If a participant lives in a high-rise structure, vertical and wire antennas will be allowed on the roof of the structure subject to the height restrictions stated in the Limited Class. The length restrictions of 135 feet (41m) shall apply.

Array antennas or rotatable dipoles may not be used in this class.

Formula Unlimited

All the rules associated with the Formula 100W apply except this class will allow output power up to the allowable output as defined by the operator’s license.

QRP

QRP Class entrants are allowed a maximum output power of 5 watts. Operators selecting the QRP class are limited to antennas on a single tower of which the height does not exceed 65 feet or 20 meters above ground level. Wire antennas may also be used but must meet the criteria of the Formula Class option and may be tower-supported at only one point.

Antennas in the classification of “array” may be used. An array antenna means a driven element(s) and parasitic elements. Examples include Yagis, Hexbeams, Spider beams, and Cubical Quads. These antennas are limited to 3 elements and erected at a maximum height of 65 feet (20m) above ground level. Rotatable dipoles for 30m and 40m are allowed in this class subject to the height limitation of 65 feet. If a participant lives in a high-rise structure, vertical and wire antennas are allowed on the roof of the structure if they comply with the height limit stated above. The length restrictions of 135 feet (41m) shall apply.

QRP Unlimited

All the rules pertaining to the above QRP class description apply except the Unlimited Class will allow any antenna configuration to be employed. (Antenna usage is as the Unlimited Class described above). A restriction of no more than 5 watts shall be maintained.

DX Marathon Challenge

The Challenge Class will allow participants to sum the total number of entities and zones that they work in 2025 on the amateur bands (8) including WARC (10M, 12M, 15M, 17M, 20M, 30M, 40M, 80M) in CW, Phone, or Digital modes. A maximum of 100 entries will be allowed to compete in this class. A registration email is required to be sent to wc3w@dxmarathon.com prior to December 1, 2025. The registration will not obligate the participant to enter in this class if they choose another class prior to the final submission date. Should you choose to not participate in the DX Challenge, that is acceptable, and you may participate in your usual class as if you did not sign up. For those participants who choose the DX Marathon Challenge, this will represent your single class entry into the 2025 program. You will not be allowed to submit a second entry in another class. Scores will not be differentiated by power levels or antennas used (e.g. Unlimited, Limited, Formula, or QRP requirements). Those who choose to enter, will work as many CQ DX Countries and zones (as defined on our website, https://dxmarathon.com/resources/countries/) on each band. The winner will be determined by summing the total number of DXCC Countries and zones worked on each band.

Special Note On Antennas For Above Classes:

If you are not certain if your antenna fits the description above within any class, please contact the DX Marathon Program Administrator for a ruling.

Scoring

Scoring is very simple: you score one point the first time you work a new country/entity and one point for working a zone. Add the country and zone points together and that results in your total score. There are no multipliers in the DX Marathon Program.

Each country and zone count only once. A single QSO may count for both a country and a zone. Example: If in the year you work 238 countries and 37 zones, your score is 275. The CQ DX Countries List and the CQ Zone List constitute the official program lists and are available on the DX Marathon website. In the case of ties, the participant whose last scoring contact was earlier will be judged the winner. The decisions of the DX Marathon Program Administrator are final.

Submissions

All submissions must be received no later than January 5, 2026. No extensions will be granted. Late submittals will be scored and considered “check logs” and participants will not be eligible for awards. If your callsign changed during the year, or if you used a contest call sign at your station, please enter your primary and alternate call on the submission form. Otherwise, you will not receive credit for both callsigns used and no exceptions will be made. Using the new submission tool, participants can upload anytime during the year. Each subsequent updated submission will replace the previous one. All submissions are private and not made public. Submissions can be made through https://entry.dxmarathon.com.

Special Note: It is very important to declare the basis upon which you are submitting. Our scoring software WILL NOT make this determination. If you are submitting for a single band, please so state. If you are submitting for a single mode, please so state. If you submit for either a single band or single mode. Do not commingle, i.e. if submitting for a single band and your log contains other bands, you will be defaulted into ALL BANDS. Similarly, if you submit for single mode and your submission contains multiple modes, you will be defaulted to ALL MODES. We do NOT have a single band, single mode category. Please see the FAQ’s for more detailed explanation.

Verification

QSLs or any other form of QSO verification are not required. The participant is expected to claim contacts only from stations they have every reason to believe are legitimate, and only to claim contacts in which an accurate two-way exchange was clearly accomplished. Each contact for a claimed country or zone must be a solid contact. The station claiming a contact with a DX station is expected to have had his or her callsign fully and accurately received and transmitted by the other station along with an exchange of signal reports. The DX Marathon scoring team reserves the right to verify any QSOs submitted by participants, including Dxpeditions logs sent to the scoring team. Any other available sources of verification may be employed by the scoring team to validate a claimed QSO. The DX Marathon staff encourages all participants to carefully check the accuracy of information in a claimed QSO before making their final submission. The DX Marathon administrative staff encourages participants to visit the website and carefully read the FAQ section and review the question “What are the best practices for submitting QSOs?”

There is also extensive information about particular DX calls, currently found under the “Resources” tab on the website. Your administrative staff spends significant time during the year trying to provide information to allow for your clean submission of QSOs. Please use these resources.

Special Note: The United Kingdom has relaxed its location rules for some call signs. G0ABC, G1XYZ, M3QRS, etc. can now be in any GD, GI, GJ, or GW location as well as G. There is no way to know when this is the case, and we believe that few stations employ these rules changes with the UK. Meanwhile, GD5ABC still must be in GD, MW3QRS in GW, etc. For overall fairness, all G0ABC type calls will be scored as G, England, regardless of where they are located.

During the scoring process, the DX Marathon staff will review claimed QSOs that may be invalid, including but not limited to contacts with pirates, broken calls, or stations not operating in claimed countries. Zone errors of stations continue to be an error source. Submissions for any of these errors shall not be counted in the participant’s score and result in a point deduction per error.

Participants may be disqualified in cases of intentional fraud or poor sportsmanship. Every QSO may be subject to verification by the DX Marathon Program Administrator and his staff. Decisions/rulings of the DX Marathon Program Administrator are final.

Results

The final listing of official scores and winners will be published on the DX Marathon website. The claimed scores will be issued on the website within 30 days after scores are submitted in January. Final 2025 scores and results after verification will appear on the website around April 1, 2026.

Awards

Plaques

The DX Marathon will award plaques as follows:

Highest overall score in Unlimited Class
Highest overall score in Limited Class
Highest overall score in Formula Class
Highest overall score in the Formula Unlimited Class
Highest overall score in QRP
Highest overall score in the QRP Unlimited Class
Highest world overall CW only score
Highest overall CW scores in Europe and North America
Highest overall CW scores by a member of the CWOps organization
Highest world overall SSB score
Highest world overall Digital score
Highest overall score for single band entries for the 6, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 160-meter bands
Highest overall score for each of the 6 continents
Highest overall score for youth (25 yr old or less)
Highest overall score for YL
Highest overall score in the Challenge Class
Runner-up score in the Challenge Class
Super DX Marathon Award (highest cumulative points in last five years)
Highest Club score (75 submissions or greater)
Highest Club score (26 to 74 submissions)
Highest Club score (25 submissions or less)

Entrants may receive only one plaque per year. In the case of a participant qualifying for more than one plaque, that participant will receive a plaque for the highest level based on the above listing order.

Special Country Plaques

In 2025, according to how many sponsors we receive, the DX Marathon will honor the highest country score for which sponsors are identified with a plaque. At the time of the issuances of the 2025 rules, the following countries have plaque sponsors, and the highest 2025 score will be the recipient of a beautiful plaque.

Chile
Slovak Republic
Turkey
Venezuela

During the 2025-year, other countries will be added according to how many sponsors are received. There will be no limit on the number of country plaques.

Certificates

Certificates are awarded to qualified participants in the following order:

Highest overall score for each of the three modes on each continent except for CW in Europe and North America
Highest overall score in each CQ zone
Highest overall score in each country
Highest overall score for each class in the USA
Highest overall score in Unlimited, Limited, Formula, and QRP in each USA callsign district
Highest overall score in each Canadian callsign district

Plaque winners are not eligible for certificates. An entrant may qualify for only one certificate. In the case of a participant qualifying for more than one certificate, that participant will receive a certificate for the highest level based on the above order. A minimum level of points to qualify for a certificate will be established each year by the DX Marathon Program Administrator above which a certificate will be issued. The rulings of the DX Marathon Program Administrator are final.

Special Note: Currently, the DX Marathon does not provide awards for a combination single mode/single band award. If a submission has all entries in a single band and a single mode, it will be counted as a single band submission.

Annual K9EL Special Award

In honor of the contribution of K9EL over his tenure in administering the DX Marathon program, a “Super Marathon Award” will again be issued in honor of K9EL to the participant who has had the cumulative highest five consecutive years of performance using the 2021-2025. The single plaque award will be made irrespective of Class, i.e. Unlimited to QRP. Once a participant has won the award, he will not be ineligible to qualify for this award a second time.

Youth Overlay

The Youth overlay for 2025 is open to anyone who was born on January 1, 2001, or later. Two youth plaques will be awarded to the highest Youth score in the world. The first category will be the top scoring youth 15 years old or younger. The second category will be a plaque award for the highest scoring youth 16-25 years old. Certificates will be awarded to the highest Youth score in each of the six Continents in both categories. To enter the Youth overlay, the entrant must claim Youth entry with birthday stated in the submission form. All Youth entries may be subject to age verification. For certificate qualification, Youth entry must achieve a total score of at least 100. Participation in this overlay does not exclude participation for any of the above plaques or certificates.

YL Overlay

The YL overlay for 2025 is open to any YL operator in the world. A YL plaque will be awarded to the highest YL score in the world and certificates will be awarded to the highest YL score in each of the six Continents. To enter the YL overlay, the entrant must designate this overlay in their submission. For certificate qualification, the YL must achieve a total score of at least 100. Participation in this overlay does not exclude participation for any of the above plaques or certificates.

Club Overlay

We encourage the submission of Club scores for the DX Marathon program. There is a designation on the submission page that can be filled in if a participant is a member of a Club. A Club that wishes to enter must meet the requirements as outlined below. Please check the submission page to locate your club and if it is not in the listing, please email KI2D at ki2d@dxmarathon.com.

The Club score is the total aggregate score from logs submitted by members in any of the designated entry categories. There will be three levels of clubs and plaques will be awarded to the winners for each level. The three levels are determined by Club individual entries:

Clubs with submittals of over 75 participants or more.
Clubs with submittals of between 26 and 74 participants
Clubs with submittals of 25 participants or less

To qualify as a Club, you must adhere to the following requirements.

US Clubs: All participating Club members must reside within a 250-mile radius. If a member has been a standing member prior to January 1, 2024, and currently lives outside of this radius, that person will be allowed to claim his score towards the Club score.
International Clubs: All participating Club members must reside within either the DXCC country where the Club is located OR within a 400-km radius.
The Club entity must be engaged in ham radio activities such as DXing, community service, Emergency Services (i.e. ARES), or contesting. National organizations such as JARL, REF, DARC and the like do not qualify as Clubs and are not eligible to participate.
For Clubs to submit, the President/leadership must establish a consistent entry name for their Club. For example, the Northern Illinois DX Association should be expressed only as one name on participant’s submission forms. The Northern Illinois DX Association may designate their name as “NIDXA” as opposed to multiple entries such as Northern Illinois DXA, etc. Only identical Club names submitted will be considered for scoring. To facilitate this in 2024, the new submission tool will have a drop down of Club names and participants will be expected to identify their club contribution through this dropdown.
The DX Marathon Program Administrator and his staff expect that the above rules will be adhered to as stated. If any rule is broken, the club submission may be rejected. The DX Marathon Program Administrator ruling on all Club qualifications shall be final.