nofars.net

By Billy Williams, N4UF 

Earning and collecting awards is a popular activity in Amateur Radio.  Awards range from local to international and there are many certificates and plaques available. 

For DXers, two dominant awards are ARRL's DX Century Club (DXCC) and CQ magazine's Worked All Zones (WAZ).  DXCC requires at least 100 verifications and WAZ requires 40.

Fifty verifications are needed for ARRL's Worked All States, 200 for Five Band WAZ,  250 for Five Band WAS, 275 for CQ DX Honor Roll, 320 for a high position on DXCC Honor Roll and 500 for Five Band DXCC.

Rising international postage rates make postal mail very expensive.  Costs can be reduced by using QSL bureaus and sacrificing quick responses. 

Some DX stations have U.S. operators designated as QSL managers. This means cheaper domestic postage rates vs. international rates to verify.

Confirming DX countries using postal mail can cost several $$ for each card.  Multiply by 40,50,100,200,250,etc.

Most DX stations require return postage or self-addressed-stamped envelopes (SASE).  DXpeditions are supported by donations from those seeking verifications. Donations may be required for "faster service."

Or wait many months, sometimes years, using the bureau.

ELECTRONIC VERIFICATIONS

Widespread verification exchange using QSL cards started back almost 100 years in the early 1920s.  Sending and receiving QSL cards by postal mail was the only practical option--an expensive proposition when working to earn award certificates. 

Around the start of this century, a half dozen or so different electronic verification systems sprang up.  In terms of users and acceptance, the most successful has been N5UP's eQSL.  Users design their card using templates.  Instead of postal mail, digital eQSLs are routed through its system.

Recipients can print out cards for display. An "authenticity guaranteed" option is available and is required for earning some awards.

Fraudulent verifications and hacking are major threats to the integrity of award programs.   ARRL and CQ magazine, the two biggest American DX award sponsors, only accepted paper cards sent via postal mail.

Forging paper cards was possible but difficult to successfully accomplish.  Close inspection with magnifiers and special lights along with cross checking rooted out bogus cards, especially from the rarest DX zones, countries and territories.

During my term as CQ magazine's DX Award Manager, I authorized eQSL for use in earning DX Awards and DX Honor Roll spots.  Subsequently, acceptance expanded to include CQ's WAZ and WPX awards.  

MORE  ON AWARDS

You qualify for most awards by making verified contacts with other hams using Amateur Radio frequencies.  Until 2000 or so, this meant acquiring QSL cards by postal mail. 

Today, electronic verifications are available too with big savings on postage, especially for international contacts.

The two most popular electronic systems are ARRLs Logbook of the World (LotW) and N5UP's eQSL service. Obviously, ARRL accepts LotW while CQ magazine allows eQSL verifications in addition to LotW credits.  Traditional QSL cards are OK too.

The first step after collecting cards and credits is to fill out an application.  Forms are available from award sponsors.

Some awards do not require verifications.  These sponsors accept contact details from your log.  Others may specify that verifications must be in your possession but need not be submitted for checking.

Higher tier awards require you to have cards checked for accuracy by either mailing your cards & credit slips to the sponsor or having them checked by authorized card checkers.  ARRL card checkers attend most major hamfests. They are usually stationed at the hamfest ARRL booth.

U.S. AWARDS

Locally, NOFARS offers the Wacky Wing Ding Award, a historical certificate that dates back to NOFARS founding in 1957.  Make seven contacts with award holders.  Log each callsign and certificate number.  Endorsement stickers are earned for 25,50,75, etc. contacts. 

Contact all 67 Florida counties and get your Worked All Florida certificate.  Georgia offers a similar award.  With 159 counties, many of them sparsely populated, contacts with mobile operators are important in earning your Worked All Georgia. 

Many other states offer similar certificates for contacting cities/counties in a state.  Most states hold annual contests (QSO parties) with most or all of their counties on the air during a 24-48  hour weekend time frame.

Amateur Radio awards organizations offer a large array of certificates for contacts made on their daily nets on 40, 20, 80 and 160 meters.  Larger  awards nets include the 3905 Century Club and OMISS.  Many other US-based nets offer awards to help you fill up your radio room with wallpaper.  Here is a good listing.

And for ten meter awards, see the Ten-Ten website.

CQ magazine offers the USA Counties Award (USA-CA) and a large colorful certificate for collecting verifications from at least 500 counties.  Endorsements are awarded for 1000,1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 counties.  Verify all 3,077 counties are earn a plaque.  Louisiana parishes and Alaskan judicial districts are considered equivalent to counties.  A dozen or two "independent cities"--mostly in Virginia--also count for adjacent counties.

The Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club (MARAC) offers many awards for verifying U.S. counties.  As that organization's name implies, mobile contacts are of paramount importance in working all 3,077 U.S. counties.  MARAC offers additional awards to mobile operators, especially those giving "last county" contacts to other operators. 

Mobile operators parked on a county line provide award credit for both counties at the same time.  Plus there are three-county and even four-county points where seasoned mobile "county hunters" park from time to time.

ARRL issues its Worked All States (WAS) certificate to those verifying all 50 U.S. states.  The Five Band WAS plaque is available for verifying all states on five bands (80,40,20,15 and 10 meters).

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

The most prestigious awards are those for verified international Amateur Radio communications. The easiest to earn is the International Amateur Radio Union's  Worked All Continents.

Actually, only six of the world's seven continents are required--North America, South America, Oceania, Asia, Europe and Africa. Oceania includes Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands.

Though some ham radio activity exists in Antarctica, it is not required for WAC. An Italian group sponsors a very nice Worldwide Antarctic Program (WAP) for contacting base camps on that cold, isolated continent where making Amateur Radio contacts is challenging.

CQ magazine's premier award is the Worked All Zones.  CQ divides earth into 40 zones.  Those in Asia are the hardest to work from  NE Florida, especially zone 23 which includes Mongolia, western China and a small sliver of Asiatic Russia.  To qualify, confirm contact with each zone and apply.  There is also a five band version along with WAZs for various band and modes.

Most international awards are earned by confirming two-way contacts with designated "entities"--countries and territories.  For this article, I consider countries and entities to be synonymous.

ARRL's DX Century Club (DXCC) award is by far the top certificate among DXers and even casual operators.  Most DX clubs require an applicant to have DXCC to be considered for full membership.

As its title implies, 100 countries are required.  Endorsements are issued up to the current maximum of 340 countries.  As world events warrant, countries are added or deleted from time to time. Deleted countries are included to determine position placements in published DXCC Honor Roll standings.   A variety of multiband DXCC awards including Five Band (5B)DXCC are offered.

CQ magazine's 100 country counterpart is the CQ DX Award.  Endorsements may be earned for contacts on certain bands and also for specialty modes.  CQDX is available for CW, SSB and RTTY (digital), no mixed modes.

For European contacts, you can earn your Worked All Europe (WAE) certificate.  It is sponsored by Germany's DARC.  (The link doesn't seem to be stable, so conduct an internet search for details).

A related award is CQ magazine's Worked All Prefixes (WPX). It is based on contacting 300 or more stations with different callsign prefixes.  Generally a prefix is considered to be the first one or two letters plus the number.  Examples are N4, WB4, KK4, G5, HP2, etc.

DX contest participation is the easiest way to log zones, countries and prefixes.  WAE and WPX even have dedicated contests.

Working ham stations on different islands is recognized by the Islands On The Air (IOTA) Award.  Around 1200 island groups are recognized by IOTA management.

And mountaintop Amateur Radio operation is represented by the Summits On The Air (SOTA) Award.

GRID FIELDS & SQUARES

A different geographic scheme is the Maidenhead Locator System.  Introduced in 1980, it divides Earth's surface into 324 grid fields based on latitude and longitude.  Each field is 10 degrees latitude by 20 degrees longitude.

Fields are subdivided into grid squares. Each square is 1 degree latitude by 2 degrees longitude.

Grid squares are subdivided into subsquares.  Subsquares may be further divided into extended squares to more exactly pinpoint locations.

The Maidenhead locator compresses latitude and longitude into a string of characters.  The designation uses alternating pairs of letters and digits.

The 324 fields use upper case letters A through R.  Most of Florida is in field EL, though areas above 30 degrees latitude fall in EM.  Downtown Jacksonville is at roughly 30.2 degrees and Duval county is entirely in field EM.

Florida's lower east coast brushes the 80 degree longitude dividing line between fields EL and FL.

There are 100 grid squares within each grid field.  These are numbered 00 through 99.  An example of a square for Duval County is EM90.

Subsquares are designated using lower case aa though xx and extended squares use numbers.  An example of a complete designator including extended square is EM90ab13.

Two awards that use the Maidenhead system are ARRL's VHF/UHF Century Club Award (VUCC)  and CQ Magazine's CQ DX Field Award.

I developed the CQ DX Field Award in 2006 during my term as CQ's DX Awards Manager.  Many fields lie in hard-to-reach places like Antarctica.  Many are totally ocean water (and ice).  Verifying more than 150 fields is difficult though one DXer, K2TQC, now has over 275 of the maximum possible 324 fields. An amazing accomplishment!

A cross reference of the 324 fields with countries in each is available here.

HONOR ROLLS

Those needing fewer than ten of the maximum number of countries (currently 340) on the DXCC List are eligible for the  ARRL DXCC Honor Roll. 

Qualifiers receive an Honor Roll endorsement sticker for their DXCC certificate.  They are eligible for an Honor Roll lapel pin and an Honor Roll plaque. Honor Rolls are maintained for Mixed (modes), Phone, CW and Digital.  Those who have confirmed contacts with all of the current DXCC countries are eligible for a #1 Honor Roll plaque. They can receive appropriate stickers and pins.

CQ magazine maintains Honor Rolls for their CQ DX and Worked All Prefix (WPX) awards.  275 or more confirmed countries qualifies a DXer for the CQ DX Award Honor Roll. 175 or more grid fields qualifies for the CQ DX Field Award Honor Roll.

600 or more prefixes are required to be eligible for WPX Honor Roll listing.  Only current prefixes count.

Worked All Zones (WAZ) has an Honor Roll of sorts. DXers confirming all 40 zones on 80,40,20,15 and 10 meters--a total of 200 verifications--receive permanent recognition in the magazine and on their website.

ARRL Public Service Honor Roll

The Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR) recognizes operators who are active in several aspects of public service...net operations, traffic handling, emergency operations and public service communication support. 

Points are earned for activities related to message handling and preparedness.  A listing is published monthly in QST.  Point totals are based on station activity reports sent by operators to their ARRL Section Traffic Manager.