CQ Magazine sponsors a number of Amateur Radio operating awards. None are as expansive as their WPX Award. The WPX here indicates Worked PrefiXes. Prefixes are parts of an Amateur Radio callsign that includes the ITU country designator and a call area number. For my callsign of KA5WSS the prefix is “KA5”.
I say “Worked Prefixes” here and not “Worked All Prefixes” because frankly, you probably can’t. There are just so many of them out there in the world. But that also means WPX is an open-ended program that is more akin to a journey rather than a destination.
A few years ago I looked at the CQ WPX Award and wasn’t really sure if I wanted to participate. The entry level requirement for the award is 300 unique prefixes for Phone and CW and 400 for their Mixed mode award. That is a lot of QSL cards to keep track of, sort and send off for an award. And given the large number of possible endorsements keeping track of what had been sent and gathering up new prefixes just seemed like an arduous task.
Then I found Logbook of the World‘s support for WPX and everything changed. Using LoTW, applying for and continuing to obtain endorsements for the WPX Award requires just a few clicks on the computer. How hooked have I become? I’ve continued to chase prefixes to the point of submitting over 1,500 QSOs. And I’ll keep adding to the mix.
CQ Magazine’s certificates are unique in the Amateur Radio world. The personal information is filled out by a calligrapher in fancy writing. This takes some more time before the certificates arrive, but the wait is worth it.
Applying for the WPX Award costs $6.00 for CQ Magazine subscribers and $12.00 for all others. Endorsement stickers can be obtained for $1.00. IRCs may be used at an assumed value of $0.50 per IRC (i.e. 2 IRCs for an endorsement sticker). Additional fees may apply when using Logbook of the World for applications.