Short answer: Your logger counts multipliers automatically, and most of the time the count is right. But the count depends on the contest settings, the country file and the data you typed, and any of them can be wrong. Before you submit, compare the multiplier list with the rules, look for entries that seem odd, check the totals per band and investigate anything that is too good or too bad to be true. It takes twenty minutes and protects your claimed score.
Why the logger’s count can be wrong
A multiplier is a unit that the rules of the contest say counts once, per band or per contest: a country, a zone, a prefix, a state or a similar object. The logger decides what counts by looking at the callsign, at the exchange and at its own tables. If one of those is wrong, the count is wrong. A busted callsign may produce a multiplier that never existed. A typed zone that does not match the country may add a zone that was not worked. An outdated country file may count a new country as an old one, or the reverse. And a wrong contest setting, such as the wrong rule for counting a multiplier per band, changes the whole total.
The effect is also not symmetrical. If a multiplier is missing in your count, the organiser will probably add it. If it is too high, the organiser will remove it, and the removal may also reduce QSO credit in the process. A sanity check is therefore a way to find multipliers that would be removed anyway, before somebody else removes them.
Start with the rules
Open the current official rules and read the part about multipliers. How many kinds are there? Do they count once per band or once per contest? Are there special cases, for example for certain prefixes, for portable operation, or for stations that belong to particular lists? Write the answers in two or three lines. Rules change from year to year, so do not use last year’s memory. The article on WPX prefixes as multipliers and the one on continent multipliers show how the definitions differ between contests.
Then check the logger’s contest setting against your notes. Is the contest the right one? Is the right mode selected? Do the multiplier options match the rules? A mismatch here is the most common reason for a count that is very different from what you expected.
Compare the list with reality
Print or display the list of multipliers per band. Look for oddities. A zone that does not belong to any country you worked? A country that is rare and that you do not remember? A prefix with an unusual form? Such entries are not always wrong, but they deserve a second look. A single unusual multiplier that appears in only one QSO is the one most likely to come from a busted call or a typed mistake. The article on unique calls explains why one-QSO entries carry more risk than others.
Then do the opposite test. Think of the multipliers you are sure you worked and check that they are on the list. A missing multiplier may be a sign that a QSO was logged on the wrong band, with the wrong zone or in the wrong period. Both directions of the test are useful.
Check the totals per band
Add up the multipliers per band and compare with your memory of the contest. If you worked many countries on 20 metres but the list shows fewer than you expected, find out why. If a band shows a high number of zones that were not worked there, the band field may be wrong. Look at the QSOs around the band changes in the log, where mistakes are likely: a QSO logged on the old band after the radio was already on the new one.
The totals also give a hint about your strategy. A balanced picture across bands usually means that you moved around well. A very high number on one band means that most of the multipliers were collected there. The article on multipliers per hour shows how to see this over time.
Update the country file and test the logger
The country file defines what the logger knows about prefixes and countries. If it is out of date, new entities and changed prefixes are handled wrongly. Check that you used a current version, and re-run the contest count if the logger allows it. The article on country file updates explains why updates matter, and the one on country lists such as DXCC and WAE shows that different contests use different lists.
If you can, make a small test: create a few QSOs with known prefixes in a test log and see whether the logger counts them as you expect. A short test before the contest is a better use of time than a long search after it.
Look for zones and exchange problems
If the contest has a zone or similar fixed value in its exchange, compare the zones in your log with the countries. A zone that does not exist in the country is a typing error. Many loggers highlight such mismatches during the contest, but the highlighting can be missed in a rush. Searching the finished log for them takes a few minutes. The article on zone errors in multi-zone countries lists typical cases.
For contests with a state, province or oblast in the exchange, do the same: look for values that do not belong to the country. Check the current rules for the lists that apply.
Use an independent check
A second opinion helps. Contest Analyzer checks every callsign and every zone against official license databases and several independent reference sources and shows only the few QSOs worth a second look. A wrong callsign or zone that produced a doubtful multiplier is exactly the kind of row it highlights. You can edit calls, zones, time and frequency in the report and download a corrected Cabrillo file, after which your logger count will agree with the file you submit. Serial numbers are not checked, and dupes are not errors. It also marks QSOs outside the contest period and outside the band limits for your ITU region.
Compare the multiplier list in the corrected file with the list before the check. If a multiplier disappeared because of a correction, you know which QSO caused it, and you can decide whether to keep the correction. The statistics in the report, including countries, continents, CQ and ITU zones and WPX prefixes, are also a good way to see the totals from another angle. See the contests page for the supported contests.
A worked example of the check
Imagine that your logger shows 212 multipliers after a two-day contest. You open the list per band and notice three things. First, one country that is rare on 15 metres appears with a single QSO, and you do not remember it. Second, the total for 10 metres is higher than the number of QSOs you had on that band suggests it could be. Third, the list includes a zone that does not belong to the country in the same row.
You look at the first row and find a call that differs by one letter from a common one, and the QSO is at four in the morning. You listen to the recording and hear that the call was the common one: the rare multiplier was a busted call, and you correct it. The second case turns out to be a band field that was left on 15 metres after you changed to 10, and four QSOs were logged on the wrong band. After the fix, the multiplier count for both bands changes, and one multiplier moves from one band to the other. The third case was a typing mistake in the zone. After all corrections your total is 209 and not 212, but it is a number that will survive the organiser’s check.
Without the sanity check, those three multipliers would probably have been removed by the organiser, and the QSOs around them might have been questioned. With it, you submit a log that is a little smaller and much safer.
Write down the final numbers
When the list looks right, write down the final multiplier count per band, the total and the claimed score. Put the numbers in your notebook with the contest and year. Next year, you will compare them with the new result, and the notes will show whether you are improving. The article on claimed versus final score shows how the numbers can change after the organiser’s check.
Related reading
- Planning for Rare Multipliers
- WPX Prefix Multipliers in Your Statistics
- Check Your Contest Log Before You Submit: A Checklist
The bottom line
A multiplier count is a result of rules, settings and data, and each can be wrong. Read the rules, look at the list for odd entries, check totals per band, update the country file and use an independent check. Twenty minutes of sanity checking can protect your claimed score from an avoidable reduction.
FAQ
Why would a multiplier be removed by the organiser?
Usually because the callsign or exchange behind it was wrong or could not be confirmed. A unique entry is most at risk.
How often should I update the country file?
Before every important contest. Do it early in the week so that you can test the new version.
Do multipliers count per band or per contest?
It depends on the contest. Check the current official rules.
Can a log check change my multiplier count?
Yes. A corrected callsign or zone can remove a multiplier that was never worked or add one that was missing.
