The world gets divided up in many ways. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) carves up the world into three regions for administrative purposes. Region 2 consists of the continents of North and South America. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) sponsors the Worked Region 2 Award (WR2A) for working Ham Radio stations in the countries […]
Although not the most populous continent, Europe looms large in the Amateur Radio DXing world. It’s home to a large number of countries given its size and many of those countries sport a healthy Ham population. The Worked Different Europe Amateur Radio award, supported by the European Ros Club (ERC), rewards Hams who make at […]
The Black Sea borders nations that have hosted some of the oldest documented civilizations. The Activity Group of Belarus (AGB) issues the Black Sea Award for Ham Radio operators who make a certain number of contacts with countries that border that historic sea. AGB issues three classes of the award. Each class requires a certain […]
Australia is about as far from the United States as you can get. The European Ros Club (ERC) issues the Worked Different Amateur Radio – Australia award for making contact with a given number of unique stations in the country on the other side of the planet. To qualify for the award you must have […]
I was sad to hear about the demise of CQ Magazine earlier this year. Somewhat heartening was the fact that the CQ contests appeared to continue without much of a hiccup. That was due to a team of volunteers at the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF), who took up the banner and keep some […]
Here are some of the more interesting QSL Cards that I’ve received in my Inbox over the last couple of months through November 2024. I’ve only worked two Andorran stations the entire time I’ve been licensed. So I was happy to receive this QSL Card from C31CA for a contact on 20M using FT8. This […]
Asia is the most populous continent on the planet. It’s also home to Japan, which has one of the largest Radio Amateur populations in the world. So there are a lot of potential contacts to be made. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) issues the Asia Stations Award (ASSA) for working at least 100 different […]
The Arab speaking world straddles the African and Asia continents. In 1945 several Arabic 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. The […]
Maidenhead Grids are not just for VHF/UHF anymore. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) offers the Worked Grid Award (WGA) for Amateur Radio operators who make contact with other stations in at least 100 different grids. Although 100 grids sounds like a onerous task. But with the FT8 digital mode it’s a goal easily achievable […]
China has a growing economy and a growing number of Amateur Radio operators. It’s a very different landscape than in the mid 1980’s when I was first licensed, when finding a Chinese station was a rare event. The YB6 DXC Digital Modes Club (YB6DXC) issues the WDM China award for working a minimum of just […]