An amateur radio operating award is earned by an
amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators ...
for establishing
two-way communication
Two-way communication is a form of transmission in which both parties involved transmit information. Two-way communication has also been referred to as interpersonal communication. Common forms of two-way communication are:
* Amateur radio, CB or ...
(or "working") with other
amateur radio stations. Awards are sponsored by national
amateur radio
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communi ...
societies, radio enthusiast
magazines, or amateur radio clubs, and aim to promote activity on the amateur radio
bands. Each award has its own set of rules and fees. Some awards require the amateur radio operator to have contacted other stations in a certain number of
countries
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while t ...
,
Maidenhead grid locators, or
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
. Because amateur radio operators are forbidden by regulation to accept financial compensation for their on-air activity, award recipients generally only receive a certificate, wooden plaque, or a small trophy as recognition of their award.
Most amateur radio operating awards require that the applicant submit proof, such as
QSL cards, of the contacts which satisfy the requirements of the award.
There are thousands of operating awards available. The most popular awards are the Worked All States award and the Worked All Continents award, and the more challenging Worked All Zones, DX Century Club (DXCC), Islands on the Air (IOTA) and VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC) awards. DXCC is the most popular awards program, initially requiring amateurs to contact 100 of the 340 () separately designated countries and territories ("entities") in the world. Other popular awards include contacting remote islands,
beaches, US counties, and
lighthouses. Many awards are available for contacting amateurs in a particular country, region or city.
Summits On The Air, or SOTA, tallies points towards awards to hams who broadcast from mountain elevations or make contact with those transmitting from them, for which events are scheduled periodically.
Special event stations
Many amateurs also enjoy setting up and contacting special event stations. Set up to commemorate special occurrences, they often issue distinctive
QSLs or certificates. Some use unusual prefixes, such as the
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assig ...
s with "96" that amateurs in the US State of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
could use during the 1996
Atlanta Olympics, or the OO prefix used by Belgian amateurs in 2005 to commemorate their nation's 175th anniversary.
(Not surprisingly, there are also awards for working sufficient numbers of prefixes.) Some events are held annually such as
Guides on the Air and
Jamboree on the Air. Many amateurs decorate their
radio "shacks" (the room where they keep their radios) with these certificates.
See also
*
Parks on the Air
References
External links
Užice AwardSummits On The Air (UK site open to hams internationally)
Summits On The Air Italia (IT site open to hams internationally)Islands on the Air (UK site open to hams internationally)
*
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