January started off slow, but things picked up with several individual cards showing up in the mail. Then my first batch of bureau cards in some time. I also got word that I have an additional 80 QSL Cards at the bureau waiting to be mailed to me. The Columbian Island of San Andres lies […]
The Amateur Radio 60M band is an odd creature. Unlike every other band, 60M is channelized into 5 discrete buckets. This limits the flexibility Hams enjoy on other bands to get the most use out of the spectrum allocated to us. Because of these limitations, groups that sponsor operating contests and even awards have avoided […]
The criteria for this category of award is simple. Work a given number of unique stations in the specified country and you’re eligible for another award to add to your shack. The number of such awards out there is large. Chasing all of them can easily keep you occupied for some time to come. Thankfully, […]
Up through mid-December, things were a bit slow on the QSL Card Inbox. But I received a number of interesting cards as Christmas approached. In the end, it’s been a productive couple of months at KA5WSS. This card confirms contacts with 9Q1AA in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It confirms QSOs on 15M and […]
Japan has one of the largest number of Amateur Radio operators in the world. The YB6_DXC Digital Modes club offers the WDM (Worked Digital Mode) Japan Award for working certain numbers of unique Japanese Amateur Radio stations using only digital modes. New England may enjoy privileged access to European stations. But here on the West […]
Call Area Awards are issued to Amateur Radio operators who make contacts with each of the active call areas of a given country. Many countries around the world issue callsigns with digits (0-9) that correspond to a specific geographic area. In most cases a call area award is easier to obtain than one which requires […]
With FT8 you can work towards, and receive, the Worked United States Stations Award with even the most basic Ham Radio HF station imaginable. To receive the starting certificate requires contacts with 100 different stations residing anywhere in the United States. The certificate for each level appears to be unique and features some scene from […]
Indonesia is spread across innumerable islands in a sprawling swath of the Earth that abuts both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. An Amateur Radio operator who makes contacts with one station in each of the 10 call areas of the country can earn the Worked All Indonesia Call Area award. The European ROS Club issues […]
Here are some of the latest cards to arrive at my QTH. I worked Raul (EA5KA) during his visit to Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean where he operated as CE0Y/EA5KA. This QSL card confirms contacts on new bands on 30M and 17M, both using CW. I had confirmed the Ducie Island, also in the […]
The country of Chile hugs the Pacific Coast for about half of South America’s length. The country is divided into a total of 8 call areas (1-8). The numbering starts in the north and counts upward until reaching Cape Horn. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) sponsors the Worked All Chile Call Area award for […]