Chasing after operating awards is one of my main activities in Amateur Radio. In this category on my site you’ll find descriptions of many awards that I’ve received and how you can go about receiving your own.
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 […]
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 […]
As an American Ham Radio operator, there’s nothing easier than working other American stations. So there may be no easier award to chase after than one which only requires making contacts with stateside stations. The Worked Different Amateur Radio – USA award, from the European Ros Club (ERC), does just that. The first certificate in […]
Despite being the size of the state of Montana, Japan packs 125 million people into hundreds of cities. With a large Amateur Radio population the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) came up with the Japan Century Cities Award (JCC). To qualify for the entry level award you need to confirm contacts with Japanese hams in […]
Like the United States, Japan divides up their nation into ten geographical areas and assigns each a digit used to create their Amateur Radio callsigns. The FT4 Digital Mode Club‘s (FT4DMC) rewards Hams who make contact with at least one station in each of those call areas using FT4. The JCA is an award synonym […]