The CQ-M ("Mir") International DX Contest is held in May, every year since the inception of the contest in 1957. CQ-M has been one of the premier DX operating contests for over 40 years, predating even the famous CQ WW contest. CQ-M is the centerpiece of the many events and contests sponsored and administered by the Krenkel Central Radio Club of the Russian Federation, one of the oldest and most renowned amateur radio organizations in Russia, as well as the world.

The letter "M" in contest title is an abbreviation of the Russian word "Mir". This word can mean "world", "community", "people" -- one of the ideals of the CQ-M contest is to unite people of different social, cultural and religious backgrounds into a true global community via amateur radio. "Mir" can also mean "peace".

The second meaning of "Mir" is "Peace" -- it is hoped that in addition to having fun and practicing good operating skills, contest participants also signify a common desire for peaceful coexistence, mutual understanding and cooperation within the global community through amateur radio. CQ-M participants every year reaffirm their commitment to the one common goal of all -- to ensure a safe and harmonious existence for the future generations (and future radio amateurs too!) of the global community.

Throughout the history of the CQ-M contest, these ideals have held to be the common desire of all radio amateurs, even in the face of some of the most critical times the world has ever known. During this time, the would community has survived many crisis situations, such as the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, the Gulf War and the Balkan Conflict -- yet throughout all these times of strife and turmoil, the world wide amateur radio community has managed to put political and ideological differences aside in favor of the common good and well-being of the whole global community.

These words and thoughts are as important today as they were in 1957, the year of the 1st CQ-M contest and the beginning of the Cold War. Now as then, "Peace to the World" is the motto of the CQ-M Contest.

Today, the CQ-M international DX contest has attracted thousands of participants from all continents and virtually every country of the world. The present contest format was adopted at the end of the 1980s, changing to the needs and desires of the worldwide radio amateur community. In 1998, the CQ-M contest has unveiled even more innovations, designed to ensure the popularity of the contest: new QRP and SSTV categories, as well as the acceptance of e-mail logs via the Internet.

We invites you to participate in the CQ-M Contest, and hope that you enjoy the contest as thousands world wide have for over 40 years!