I made the short drive to Sonoma State Historic Park on June 22nd, 2026 to activate the park as part of the Parks on the Air program (POTA). In the end I logged 39 contacts on 20M, 17M and 15M using FT8 and FT4. I worked stations in the US, Canada, Japan and China. At […]
There are many awards you can chase that base achievements on the number of grids worked. Maidenhead grid squares were introduced in 1980 to replace the QRA locator system used for VHF activity in Europe. The new grid scheme could be applied worldwide and its popularity exploded. Though originally intended for VHF/UHF operations, its use […]
The VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC) is the world’s premier VHF/UHF operating award. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) offers the award for all bands above 50 MHz (with a couple of exceptions noted below). The requirements for VUCC vary widely depending upon the band in question. The lower VHF bands requires contacts with stations in […]
Indonesia has a growing Amateur Radio population. The European Ros Club has an award to incentivize making contacts with Indonesian stations across the archipelago. Their Indonesia Grid Locators Award requires Amateur Radio operators to work Indonesian stations in at least 5 different Maidenhead Gridsquares. Additional certificates can be had by working more grids within Indonesia. A grand total […]
A recent QSL Bureau shipment included a good number of interesting QSL cards. I worked A61ZX in the United Arab Emirates on 17M using FT8. It’s just my second card from the UAE. Although I’d worked Christmas Island once before, I was happy to get this card for a VK9XU QSO. Contact was made on […]
Founded in 1945, Arabic speaking countries formed the Arab League to draw its members closer and foster cooperation. Today there are 22 member states. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) sponsors the Arab League Award (ALA) for working Amateur Radio stations residing within those countries. But there’s another FT8DMC award requiring contacts with Arab League nations solely in Africa. That would […]
Of all of the Continents defined for Amateur Radio purposes, Oceania may cover the greatest expanse on the planet. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) offers up the Worked All Oceania Award to track progress in contacting Ham Radio stations in the many countries that dat its extent. The entry level Bronze award requires contact […]
To celebrate the widespread exploration of British naval officer James Cook, the FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) offers the Captain James Cook Award. To obtain the award, applicants need to make contact with stations in the places Cook visited. This award is a synonym for the Captain James Cook Award from NZART. The award is […]
February is a short month. So it’s fitting to also have a small number of cards come through the inbox. Here are a few that are of some interest. This card from OH0Z confirms a CW contact on 10M. Aland Island is a group of autonomous Finnish Islands in the middle of the Baltic Sea. […]
The Arab League consists of 22 members states across Africa and Asia. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) sponsors the Arab League Prefixes Award (ALPA) for working Amateur Radio stations residing within those countries with differing prefixes of their callsign. The entry point for the award is 10 unique prefixes. There are certainly more but it’s hard to determine […]