Parks on the Air (POTA) has taken the ham radio community by storm. According to POTA’s website, there are more than half a million unique “hunter” call signs participating in this volunteer program that was “first inspired by the outstanding work of Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, from the American Radio Relay League in 2016.”

The POTA phenomenon sprung from the ARRL’s one-year National Parks on the Air program, which gave legs to today’s soaring interest in park activations. Earlier programs such as Ohio State Parks on the Air, which celebrated its 17^th year in September 2024, provided inspiration and operating details for the National Parks event. 

As of this posting, the list of available POTA locations includes 11,668 parks in the U.S., 5,915 in Canada, and 8,523 in Australia, with new spots being added weekly. At any given time, scores of parks around the world—from North Carolina’s Blue Ridge National Parkway to Sweden’s Kungsbro Nature Reserve—are ripe for keen park hunters (click here to see what parks are on the air right now).

Since its founding, Parks on the Air has captured the imagination of young and seasoned operators, both park activators and hunters, to the tune of several million QSOs. Activators have embraced both the challenges and sheer enjoyment of making contacts amidst views you simply can’t get from inside a shack:

“Parks on the Air combines a few of my favorite things—ham radio, the outdoors, and, if the conditions are right, the occasional pileup,” DX Engineering’s John Miller, KJ3X, told OnAllBands back in 2019 when the program was getting its foothold.

“Parks on the Air brings publicity to amateur radio, and amateur radio brings publicity to parks that normally might be overlooked. I’ve made contacts with people who never knew a particular park existed and have since visited that location.”

POTA Resources

The ARRL’s 144-page reference guide, “The Parks on the Air Book“, is an excellent source to launch your POTA pursuits. Available at DXEngineering.com., the paperback features a look at how 14 operators, representing a range of skill levels and backgrounds, set up and handle their park activations, including gear lists of each. The book also covers satellite operating, QRP, urban backpack portable, wire antennas for POTA, and more.

“Just a very informative book,” in the words of one customer.

We also highly recommend visiting POTA’s website to read “Getting Started with POTA.”

Still not convinced to add POTA to your list of ham radio activities? OnAllBands put together the following list.

10 Reasons to Give POTA a Try

1. POTA activations are an easy way to hold your own mini-DXpedition. Ever wanted to be a station in demand without having to traipse halfway around the globe? POTA is your answer.
2. It doesn’t require a mega-station to make contacts. For a modest investment you can start making QSOs from a park on day one.
3. With thousands of qualified sites, finding one within a reasonable driving distance shouldn’t be too difficult (this, of course, depends on where you live). How about picking a new spot every couple of months for a weekend getaway with the family or significant other?
4. While you may experience pileups, it’s still low pressure. Handle what you can based on your capabilities and improve your skills the more activations you take on.
5. Even if you don’t set the airwaves on fire, you’ll get to enjoy the foliage, an infusion of vitamin D, and perhaps some curious wildlife observing you from behind a tree.
6. Become an ambassador for ham radio. “Hey, what’s all this stuff you’ve got here? Looks like a blast,” someone—or perhaps dozens of folks—will undoubtedly inquire. It’s your chance to show them (without overdoing it) why ham radio is the greatest hobby in the world.
7. Like a personal Field Day adventure every time you set up, POTA is a great opportunity to experiment with a new antenna, QRP operation, and alternative power sources as you free yourself from the confines of the shack.
8. POTA offers plenty of achievable operating milestone awards for hunters and activators.
9. It will help you become a better operator, especially from an EMCOMM perspective. From the POTA website, the program is meant to encourage “amateur radio operations that promote emergency awareness and communications from national/federal and state/provincial level parks.”
10. The best reason of all—POTA operations are fun. After all, isn’t that why you spend hours thinking about refining your stations, getting on the air, and filling your logbooks?

In addition to “The Parks on the Air Book”, DX Engineering carries the gamut of POTA-friendly gear you’ll need to assemble the portable station that best fits your goals and budget, including:

• Transceivers
• Portable antennas from Bushcomm, Chameleon, Chelegance, Comet, DX Engineering (see TW Antenna package below), REZ, and more
• Telescoping portable masts, including DX Engineering’s Premier Telescoping Carbon Fiber Masts
• Bioenno Power LiFePO4 batteries; battery chargers; battery/charger combos; solar panels and solar charge controllers; and solar panel, charge controller, and battery packages
• Headsets
• POTA Kits (below)

Yaesu FT-891 HF+50 MHz POTA Kit (DXE-POTA-1)

Watch Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering CEO, interview Jeff, KB8ZWT about DX Engineering POTA kits, the SOTAbeams Bandhopper portable dipole antennas, and SOTAbeams compact mini-masts.

Check out these related POTA articles from OnAllBands:

• Diving into Parks on the Air
• Product Review: Chelegance MC-750 HF Vertical Antenna
• Working Through Managing Pileups During Park and Summit Activations
• Ham Radio Budget Pileups: Being Rare without Going Broke
• Low-Power Operating: How to Do More with Less

The post Fall Weather Offers Ideal Opportunity for Outdoor Fun! 10 Reasons to Give Parks on the Air® a Try. appeared first on OnAllBands.

While contesters the world over await the SSB portion of the CQ World Wide DX Contest at the end of the month, don’t forget that there’s plenty to do on the air leading up to this mega-event.

Sis-Boom-Bah

With college football frenzy in the air, we’d like to give a special shout out to collegiate competitors this October who will be more concerned with hamming than pigskins…gray lines than goal lines…station grounding than intentional grounding. All of us at OnAllBands wish the best of luck to the students, faculty, and alumni who will be participating in the Collegiate QSO Party October 5, 0000Z to October 6, 2359Z.

From the contest website, “The Collegiate QSO Party is an operating event focused on amateur radio clubs at colleges and universities around the world. Each Fall, the Collegiate QSO Party provides an opportunity for clubs to demonstrate amateur radio to new members, engage with alumni, and promote activity throughout college and university communities.”

This year’s roster of competitors who will be trying to mitigate interference (a 15-yard penalty in the gridiron world, but even a bigger annoyance in radiosport!) includes teams from Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, University of Florida, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Oregon State University, Michigan State University, Virginia Tech, St. Louis University, University of Cincinnati, Irvine Valley College, and others.

“This event is open to all radio amateurs,” per the event’s website. “Points can be earned by individuals, clubs, and collegiate stations. The Collegiate QSO Party encourages alumni to connect with their alma mater and students to network with other schools. New hams are welcome and stations are encouraged to be accommodating to new radio amateurs.”

A Halloween Reminder: Beware of the Wouff-Hong!

In this season of ghosts, goblins, and things that go kerchunk in the night, it behooves contesters everywhere to be wary of the most sinister, medieval —and, frankly, hilarious—of all ham radio legends. Of course we could only be referring to the dreaded Wouff-Hong—a device imagined (with tongue firmly in cheek) by Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, to remind amateurs that shoddy operating that runs afoul of accepted etiquette should not be tolerated.

While the first article about the Wouff-Hong, penned by The Old Man himself, appeared 100 years ago, its relevance today in light of DQRMers and other ne’er-do-wells hasn’t waned.

Read more about the Wouff-Hong in this OnAllBands article and about the sharp-pointed, Harry Potteresque-named Rettysnitch (another tool for enforcing decency on the air) in the article, “The Five Types of Operators You Don’t Want to Be.”

For information on the kind of bad actors for which the Wouff-Hong and Rettysnitch were devised, read “Deliberate QRM (DQRM): What is it and What Can be Done About it.”

Finally, enjoy some spooky yarns about spectral transmissions in “DX Files: Tales of the Radio Paranormal” by Mark, K8MSH.

Halloween Operating Event

If you’re looking for something to do on Halloween that doesn’t involve dressing in blue tights and a cape, the Anoka County Radio Club of Anoka, Minnesota, is hosting a Halloween Special Event Station, W0YFZ, October 31, 1400Z-2000Z, 14.250 7.250 7.056 ft8.

Anoka—a northern suburb of the Twin Cities—“is believed to be the first city in the United States to put on a Halloween celebration to divert its youngsters from Halloween pranks,” according to anokahalloween.com. Today, its 17,000 residents proudly call their hometown “The Halloween Capital of the World^®.”

The town’s first Halloween celebration was in 1920. The good-natured merriment lives on today with parades and other activities, including the special event station: “Anoka residents can watch their grandchildren or great-grandchildren continue the tradition they started so many years ago,” per the website.

***

Sufficiently scared? Make October the month you shake off your “mic fright,” get on the air, and make some QSOs. Here are a few contests to put on your calendar:

• Oceania DX Contest, Phone: October 5, 0600Z to October 6, 0600Z. The CW portion of the contest runs from October 12, 0600Z to October 13, 0600Z. The contest promotes HF contacts to and from stations in the Oceania region as well as contacts between stations in Oceania. Find complete rules here.
  
  The Oceania DX Contest website offers these words of encouragement to get on the air: “This is the 79th running of the Oceania DX Contest, and with the solar conditions the way they are, we are expecting some big things from all of our contestants this year! Solar conditions are the best they have been in more than a decade, so your opportunity to make contact with stations in Oceania has never been better! We look forward to seeing you all on the air on both weekends and expect many stations from Oceania to be calling CQ Contest looking for your calls!”

• QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party: October 12, 0000Z to 2359Z. The QRP Amateur Radio Club International kicks off autumn in their usual manner—by doing more with less! This club for low-power enthusiasts worldwide sponsors various contests and events that promote QRP operating and related activities, such as building minimalist radios, portable ops, and antenna experimentation. Like much of the club’s activities, its Fall QSO Party (HF CW only) is a test of ingenuity and skill, as operators make QSOs using anywhere from 55 mW or less to 5W.

• Stew Perry Topband Challenge: October 19, 1500Z to October 20, 1500Z. Here’s a popular event 160M fans won’t want to miss. Point value of QSOs depends on the distance between the two stations. Participants are given one point plus another point for each 500km of distance. Points are also multiplied for lower power categories—for both the sending and receiving station. Looking to boost your top band capabilities? Read this article on the effectiveness of the DX Engineering 160M THUNDERBOLT Vertical Antenna.

• ARRL’s EME—50 to 1296 MHz: October 19, 0000Z to October 20, 2359Z. Work as many amateur stations as possible via the earth-moon-earth path on designated frequencies. This portion of the ARRL EME event continues on November 16-17.

• ARRL School Club Roundup: October 21, 1300Z to October 25, 2359Z. This bi-annual event is designed to foster contacts with and among school radio clubs. Participants can exchange QSO information with any amateur radio station, so non-school clubs and individuals are encouraged to participate as well. All amateur bands except 60, 30, 17, and 12 meters are permitted.

• CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB: October 26, 0000Z to October 27, 2359Z. This is why they call this time of year Contesting Season! The CQ Worldwide DX Contest is the largest amateur radio contest in the world with over 35,000 participants. The challenge is to make as many contacts with as many DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible, while competing against the world’s elite contesters. Not into SSB? The CW portion of the contest is November 23-24.

Also check out these State QSO Parties:

• California: October 5, 1600Z to October 6, 2200Z
• Nevada: October 12, 0300Z to October 13, 2100Z
• Arizona: October 12, 1500Z to October 13, 0500Z
• Pennsylvania: October 12, 1600Z to October 13, 0400Z, and October 13, 1300Z to 2200Z
• South Dakota: October 12, 1800Z to October 13, 1800Z
• New York: October 19, 1400Z to October 20, 0200Z
• Illinois: October 20, 1700Z to October 21, 0100Z

***

Ready to upgrade your station for better contesting results? Visit DXEngineering.com for everything you could possibly need to boost your scores:

• Antennas
• Transceivers
• Amplifiers
• Headsets
• Microphones
• DX Engineering Footswitches
• Keys and Paddles
• Coaxial Cable Assemblies
• Receive Antennas

The post Guide to October 2024 Ham Radio Contests appeared first on OnAllBands.

THE FLYWHEEL FESTIVAL IS TODAY.

PROBABLE LOAFERS LOCATIONS IS HERE.

THANKS W5ORC

For those of you who will be on the air this weekend, scratching your heads and thinking "What $$%*@! contest is this?", brought to you as a public service:

Contests (not much):

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY - https://www.cqwwrtty.com/

Maine QSO Party - http://www.ws1sm.com/MEQP.html

For those of you who like to chase Special Event Stations:

09/26/2024 | Triple Tree Fly-In

Sep 26-Sep 28, 1200Z-2359Z, W4F, Spartanburg, SC. Spartanburg Amateur radio club. 7.210 14.200. QSL. SPARC, Fly-in, 400 Glenwood Dr, Spartanburg, SC 29303. station to operate during operation of the fly-in. k4ii.org

09/28/2024 | SENARC 1936-2024 ANNIVERSARY

Sep 28-Sep 29, 1521Z-1519Z, W9WKP, Lincoln, NE. SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB. 7.265 7.285. Certificate & QSL. Charles Bennett, PO Box 67181, Lincoln, NE 68506. The SENARC (SENRC) will celebrate 88 years as a club started in 1936. G.C. Bennett, Auburn, NE, W9WKP was the first ARRL emergency coordinator for Nebraska. senebrradioclub@gmail.com

09/28/2024 | Volcano Days WV Oil and Gas History

Sep 28, 1400Z-2200Z, W8PAR, Parkersburg, WV. Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub. CW 14.050 PH 14.250 CW 7.050 PH 7.200 FT8 on 20 & 40. Certificate & QSL. Jerry Wharton, 1722 20th St, Parkersburg, WV 26101. Relive an exciting chapter in WV history! www.w8par.org

09/29/2024 | Re-enactment of the First Trans-Global Two-Way Radio Communication

Sep 29-Oct 26, 0000Z-2359Z, GB2NZ, Many locations, UNITED KINGDOM. Radio Society of Great Britain and New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (Otago Branch). All bands and all modes depending on operator availability. QSL. See website, for, information, UNITED KINGDOM. www.gb2nz.com

For you POTA Hunters, at some point next week I hope to activate either, or perhaps both of these in Upstate NY -  Kring Point State Park US-2091 and Keewaydin State Park US-2088.  If the weather cooperates and I get the opportunity to activate, I'll post my activation to the POTA app and will perhaps spot myself on the DX Cluster if I get cell phone coverage up there. I scoped out both parks on the Web and it appears both feature picnic tables in their amenities lists. Operating from my vehicle is a last resort - I prefer to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.

I'll have my QMX, my AX1, my AlexLoop, my Buddistick and my EFRW to pick from, so antennas won't be a problem.

Tomorrow, the South Plainfield Police Dept. is hosting "National Afternoon Out" as National Night Out in August was a rainout. It is going to be held in Putnam Park which was recently renovated. This is the same park where we held Field Day from 2021 to 2023. I wish I could be there, but plans preclude it. Our Boro Council is going to make a presentation to SPARC, honoring the 10th Anniversary of our founding. As one of the founding members, I really hate missing this, but such is life.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP  - When you care to send the very least!

The bands will probably be jumping this weekend - I hope Ol' Sol cooperates!

Contests:

ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest - https://www.arrl.org/10-ghz-up

Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW - https://www.sactest.net/blog/rules/

New Jersey QSO Party - http://www.k2td-bcrc.org/njqp/rules.html

Texas QSO Party - https://www.txqp.net/

QRP Afield - https://www.newenglandqrp.org/qrp-afield-2018/

Wisconsin Parks on the Air - http://wipota.com/files/WIPOTA_contest_rules.pdf

New Hampshire QSO Party - http://www.w1wqm.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NHQP_Rules.pdf

Washington State Salmon Run - http://salmonrun.wwdxc.org/

Iowa QSO Party - http://www.w0yl.com/IAQP

And next Tuesday evening - SKCC Sprint -https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekday_sprint/

Special Event Stations:

09/21/2024 | Cumberland Amateur Radio Club 60th

Sep 21, 0000Z-2359Z, K3IEC, Mechanicsburg, PA. Cumberland Amateur Radio Club. 7.250 14.300 21.300 28.400. QSL. Frank Mellott, 1010 Good Hope Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050. https://www.radioclub-carc.com

09/21/2024 | Liberty Ship Remembrance

Sep 21-Sep 22, 1400Z-1400Z, K8JWB, Baltimore, MD. SS JOHN W BROWN Radio Club. 7.250 14.250 21.250. QSL. Scott Corsano, 108 Old Landing Ct, Fredericksburg, VA 22405. The SS JOHN W BROWN Radio Club (K8JWB) will be operating in remembrance of the day the ship was delivered to the World War II war effort (19 Sep 1942) and Liberty Fleet Day (27 Sep). More than 2,400 Liberty Ships were built over a 4-year span during World War II to supply the war effort in Europe. Questions: scott.corsano@gmail.com www.ssjohnwbrown.org

09/21/2024 | Villa Rica Gold Rush Special Event

Sep 21, 1230Z-1930Z, W4G, Villa Rica, GA. West Georgia Amateur Radio Society. 15, 20, 40, 80 meters; CW SSB digital. Certificate. Will be available, for download from, our website. www.wgars.com

09/21/2024 | W7Y Come and Get Wyoming

Sep 21-Sep 30, 0000Z-2359Z, W7Y, Cheyenne, WY. ShyWy Amatuer Radio Club. All Bands All Modes. Certificate & QSL. Shy-Wy ARC, P.O. Box 22483, Cheyenne, WY 82003. See website for more information. All logs will be uploaded to LOTW and QRZ at the conclusion of the event. https://shywyarc.net/wp/comeandgetwyoming

09/22/2024 | 22nd Annual Padre Pio Festival

Sep 22, 0000Z-2359Z, NJ2KC, Vineland, NJ. New Jersey Knights of Columbus Amateur Radio Club . 14.250 7.250 18.140 21.350. Certificate & QSL. Thomas M. Perrotti, N2JIE, 785 Vineland Ave, Bridgeton, NJ 08302-4822. NJ2KC.org

QRP Afield is this weekend and there have been no announcements on any of the QRP e-mail reflectors that I belong to. I know it's held every September, but it crept up on me and I had forgotten about it until I saw it on the WA7BNM Contest Calendar.

I hate to be critical or harsh, but if you hold an event or contest and you want lots of participation, YOU HAVE TO ADVERTISE AND PROMOTE! You can't rely on folks remembering and coming back automatically. It doesn't work that way!

I wanted to play around more with the QMX from the patio table this weekend; and I plan to do that. How much QRP Afield activity will I hear? I'm betting very, very little, and I hope to Heaven that I am dead wrong!

For that matter, no one has been yakking up the NJ State QSO Party, either. I know State QSO Parties are different than niche QRP Sprints - but still. You'd think SOMEONE would talk it up a bit.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Date: 2024/09/16 12:07 (UTC)
From: WG5GK

Greetings:

The WinLink training will start on September 23 at 8:00 PM CT. You will need to be prepared prior to the start of training.

To be prepared you will need the following setup

o A computer with WinLink installed (no radio required) and dual monitors. One monitor for the A/V conference and the second for your WinLink session.
OR
o A computer with WinLink Installed (no radio required) and either a second computer/laptop or tablet. The first computer will run WinLink while the second computer/laptop/tablet will be used for the A/V conference.

o Internet access on both devices.

The WinLink training will take 3 to 4 one hour sessions.

I will send a Winlink message to everyone by 6:30 PM on the day of the training with the A/V conference link.

If you know other that want to attend have them send an email to WG5GK@winlink.org. (Don’t forget the //WL2K in the subject line) I have 5 slots available.

Sincerely,

Gus.(WG5GK)

New menu item at the top for the 2024 Repeater Roundup

Check it out and if you need help with the files let me know.

Dates: Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th 
Address: Joe Brigance Park (635 Starkville Road) in Houston
Contact:  (662) 456-6525 (leave a message) or email pilotclubofhouston@gmail.com

Click HERE for more info.

All images courtesy of DX Engineering.

Republic of Tanzania QRV in September 2024

The 5H1WX Tanzania DXpedition by OK2WX is scheduled to run from September 18 to October 6 from Mafia Island (IOTA-AF-054) on 80-10M in CW, SSB, and Digital modes. Mafia Island, known as Chole Shamba in Swahili, is the third largest in Tanzania’s ocean territory (152 square miles) and has a population of more than 66,000.

Before we discuss some of the Tanzania QSL cards from the DX Engineering team, let’s take a closer look at this unique East African nation—one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas on the planet.

At 365,756 square miles in area, Tanzania is larger than Texas (261,914 square miles) but smaller than Alaska (570,641 square miles), ranking it as the 13^th largest African nation and the 30^th largest in the world. Per one source, its population of over 67.4 million ranks it as the 23^rd most populated country in the world, sandwiched between South Africa and Thailand. It stands as the fifth most-populated African country behind Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Its population density of 180 inhabitants per square mile places it at 147^th among nations of the world. The highly biodiverse country contains one-fifth of the species of African warm-blooded animals, including the world’s largest population of lions.

More than 100 languages are spoken in the heavily agriculturally based country, which is dependent on harvesting maize, cassava, beans, bananas, rice, and other crops. Travel and tourism also contribute a healthy portion to the country’s economy. While the country has no official language, 10% of Tanzanians speak its national language of Swahili as a first language and 90% speak it as a second language. Its name is a combination of the two states that merged to form the country in 1964: Tanganyika and Zanzibar (see QSL cards).

As detailed in this article about the Yasme Foundation, Tanganyika was part of the seminal “Mountains of the Moon” DXpedition in 1948. Tanzania (5H) ranks as the 164^th Most-Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog.

QSL Cards

The active hams at DX Engineering have had great success contacting Tanzania over the years (a good reason to contact them for help with your gear if you’d like to do the same). Here are a few of the QSL cards from their collections.

Mark, W8BBQ, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, made contact with 5H1Z in January 2011 on 20M SSB. The DXpedition was from Zanzibar Island (IOTA AF-032).

…

Tom, KB8UUZ, DX Engineering technical writer, reached 5H8TL from Tabora, Tanzania, the capital of the country’s Tabora region (population 227,000). With its streets lined with mango trees and markets brimming with local produce, Tabora is known as the Fruit Capital of Western Tanzania.

…

George, K3GP, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, reached 5I3A from Yambe Island in July 2000 and 5H1HS from Zanzibar in 2009. Yambe Island is a protected, uninhabited island east of the city of Tanga in Tanzania. It is the largest island in the Tanga Region and home to medieval Swahili ruins—hidden in its forests—that have yet to be excavated.

…

Dave, K8DV, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, reached 5H3RK in November 2008 on 30M CW.

…

Both Dave, N8NB, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, and Tom, KB8UUZ, made contact with 5H3EE from Dar es Salaam (the name comes from the Arabic for “Abode of Peace”). It is Tanzania’s largest city (population 7.4 million) and financial center, the sixth-largest city in Africa, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.

…

Wayne, K8FF, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, produced this vintage card from 5H3JR when Tanzania was known as Tanganyika.

For all your DXing, contesting, or rag-chewing needs—whether you’re a Big Gun, Little Pistol, or somewhere in between, visit DXEngineering.com for transceivers, amplifiers, antennas, 
headsets, and so much more.

Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. To highlight upcoming DXpeditions, we’ll be displaying a few of our favorite cards along with details about what it took to make these contacts. We’re excited to share some of the special cards pulled from the thousands we’ve received over the years. We look forward to seeing your cards as well!

The post It’s All in the Cards! QSL Cards from Tanzania appeared first on OnAllBands.

 Contests:

WAE DX Contest, SSB - https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/referat-conteste/worked-all-europe-dx-contest/en/

FOC QSO Party - http://g4foc.org/qsoparty/

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/

North American Sprint, RTTY - https://ncjweb.com/Sprint-Rules.pdf

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/

Special Event Stations:

09/14/2024 | Baltimore Defenders Day

Sep 14, 1300Z-2100Z, K3S, Baltimore, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah ARC. 7.1 14.1 21.1 28.1. QSL. K3LU, 980 PATUXENT ROAD, Odenton, MD 21113. Single transmitter SSB and CW aboard N/S Savannah. Please check spotting networks for frequencies. Info on QRZ.com www.qrz.com/db/k3s

09/14/2024 | Celebrating Arthur Collins' Birthday

Sep 14, 1400Z-1800Z, W0CXX, Cedar Rapids, IA. Collins Amateur Radio Club. 14.263 MHz. QSL. Brice AntonJensen, 1110 Lyndhurst Dr, Hiawatha, IA 52233. https://www.qrz.com/db/W0CXX

09/14/2024 | Coast Guard Anniversary

Sep 14-Sep 15, 0900Z-0500Z, W1H, Elkins, NH. KB1QXJ. 7.250 14.285 21.300 18.150. QSL. Bill Hopwood, P.O. Box 272, Elkins, NH 03233.

09/14/2024 | Commemorate 85th birthday of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary

Sep 14-Sep 15, 0000Z-2359Z, N1A, East Freetown, MA. US Coast Guard Auxiliary. 28.493 14.300 7.190. QSL. Paul G. Sadeck, 90 Doctor Braley Road, East Freetown, MA 02717.

09/14/2024 | Commemorating the 85th birthday of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Sep 14-Sep 15, 1415Z-1515Z, N2S, Cape May, NJ. United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. 14.310 7.250 18.200. Certificate. Mike Slepian, 12 Continental Lane, Marlton, NJ 08053. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the volunteer component of the US Coast Guard. We work directly with the Coast Guard in support of an amazing array of missions including search and rescue, on water patrols, communications, public education, watch standing, training and much more. This station will be operating from the historic "shack" originally a Coast Guard station built in 1890, now the meeting place for the Auxiliary Cape May Flotilla. www.cgaux.org

09/14/2024 | Commemorating the 85th birthday of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Sep 14-Sep 15, 1600Z-2359Z, N6A, Los Angeles, CA. United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. 14330 14065 18160 18075. QSL. Edward Little, 19816 Ridge Manor Way, Yorba Linda, CA 92886. www.cgaux.org

09/14/2024 | Commemorating the 85th birthday of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Sep 14-Sep 15, 0000Z-2359Z, K4D, Homosassa, FL. US Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Division 15. 7.074 14.074 14.080 21.074. Certificate. Melissa Frank, 6854 W. Holiday St, Homosassa, FL 34446. melissa.frank09@yahoo.com

09/14/2024 | Commemorating the USS Midway’s commissioning on 9/10/45

Sep 14, 1600Z-2300Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS Midway Museum Ship. 7.250 14.320 14.070 PSK31 DSTAR on Papa system repeaters. QSL. USS Midway Museum Ship COMEDTRA, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. www.qrz.com/db/ni6iw

09/14/2024 | Depot Days - Lisle, Illinois

Sep 14-Sep 15, 1500Z-1900Z, W9DUP, Lisle, IL. DuPage Amateur Radio Club. 3.885 14.070 14.045 14.274. Certificate. DuPage Amateur Radio Club - Brian Eder, P.O. Box 71, Clarendon Hills , IL 60514-0071. Annual Depot Days Festival held at Lisle Station Park, celebrating life as it was over 100 years ago. Radio operations will be in the historic 1874 CB&Q train depot. w9dup.org

09/14/2024 | Fred Harvey House Museum on the Air

Sep 14, 1400Z-2000Z, KS0LV, Leavenworth, KS. Pilot Knob Amateur Radio Club. 14.303 21.361 28.355 Also on FT8, JS8Call. QSL. Steve Rice, 6850 Deer Ridge Dr, Shawnee, KS 66226. https://pkarc.org

09/14/2024 | Highest Point in Arkansas

Sep 14-Sep 15, 1400Z-1700Z, W5NX, Springdale, AR. Bella Vista Radio Club. 14.040 14.260 7.040 7.260. QSL. Don Banta, 3407 Diana Street, Springdale, AR 72764. Portable operation from Mount Magazine, highest point in Arkansas. See https://www.qrz.com/db/W5NX for QSL information. https://bellavistaradioclub.org

09/14/2024 | Route 66 On the Air

Sep 14-Sep 22, 0000Z-2359Z, W6H, Rio Rancho, NM. Albuquerque DX Association. 3.866 7.266 14.266 14.033. QSL. Bill Mader, 4701 Sombrerete Rd SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. Part of the annual Route 66 On-the-Air event. https://adxa.groups.io/g/main

09/14/2024 | State Line Radio Club Annual Picnic

Sep 14, 1400Z-2000Z, W3A, Holtwood, PA. State Line Radio Club. 7.240 14.240 21.280. QSL. Ted Reichenbach, 108 Park Circle, Elkton, MD 21921. Club's annual picnic at Muddy Run Park. Open to the public. Several operating radio stations. Scout groups welcome. www.statelineradioclub.com

09/14/2024 | US Coast Guard Auxiliary 85th Anniversary

Sep 14-Sep 15, 1400Z-2300Z, N4A, Crystal River, FL. US Coast Guard Auxiliary Division 15 District 07. 14.250 21.350 28.350 7.250. QSL. D Thomas, 4515 N Loquat Pt, Crystal River, FL 34428-5946. solutionsdebra@gmail.com

09/14/2024 | US Coast Guard Auxiliary Anniversary

Sep 14-Sep 15, 1422Z-1412Z, W4CQF, Inglis, FL. Citrus County ARC. 14.280 mhz 21.280 mhz. QSL. John Bescher, POB 947, Inglis, FL 34449. Citrus County ARC with call W4CQF and US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla will be celebrating anniversary of US Coast Guard Auxiliary. QSL to N4DXI, POB 947, Inglis Fl 34449 on Sep 14-15, 2024 n4dxi@aol.com

09/15/2024 | Battle of Inchon/Operation Operation Chromite

Sep 15, 1500Z-2300Z, NI6BB, Los Angeles, CA. Battleship Iowa Amateur Radio Association. See website for frequencies. QSL. QSL per , instructions on , our website. biara.org

Doesn't anybody put Special Event Stations on the CW portion of the bands anymore?

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP  - When you care to send the very least!

Contests - so you know what's going on while you're trying to find space to call CQ this weekend. "#$&^@ Contesters!"

All Asian DX Contest, Phone  -https://www.jarl.org/English/4_Library/A-4-3_Contests/2024AA_rule.htm

CWOps CW Open - https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/cw-open/

Wake-Up! QRP Sprint -  http://qrp.ru/contest/wakeup/333-wakeup-eng

IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB -  https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/conteste/iaru-region-1-fieldday/en/

AGCW Straight Key Party - https://www.agcw.de/contest/htp/htp-en/

PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial 80m Sprint - http://www.podxs070.com/o7o-club-sponsored-contests/jay-hudak-memorial-80m-sprint (for those of you who will ask, "What are these digital signals doing on 80?")

North American Sprint, CW - https://ncjweb.com/Sprint-Rules.pdf

4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint - http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules.pdf

Special Event Stations:

08/31/2024 | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival Special Event Station

Aug 31-Sep 7, 1323Z-1323Z, K9A, Auburn, IN. Northeastern Indiana Amateur Radio Association. 40 Meters : 7.180MHz 20 Meters : 14.250MHz 10 Meters: 28.350 MHz. Certificate & QSL. Northeastern Indiana Amateur Radio Association, P.O. Box 145, Auburn, IN 46706-0145. www.w9ou.org

09/07/2024 | Commemorating the Danbury Railway Museum's 30th Anniversary and First Responders Day

Sep 7, 1400Z-2000Z, W2MNR/W1QI, Danbury, CT. Metro-North Railroad Amateur Radio Association (W2MNR) and Candlewood Amateur Radio Association (W1QI). 7.235 14.235; other frequencies as conditions permit. Certificate. PDF certificate, available on , request. www.cararadioclub.org

09/07/2024 | Route 66 On The Air

Sep 7-Sep 15, 0700Z-1559Z, W6Q, Brookfield, IL. Citrus Belt Amateur Radio. 28.366 14.266 146.970 443.300. QSL. Mike Huedepohl, 3532 Raymond Ave., Brookfield, IL 60513. We will be operating HF, CW. SSB,FT8 and FM. w6jbt.org

09/07/2024 | Route 66 on the Air

Sep 7-Sep 15, 0000Z-2359Z, K9ONA, Brookfield, IL. Six Meter Club of Chicago. 28.366. QSL. Mike Huedepohl, 3532 Raymond Ave., Brookfield, IL 60513. https://www.k9ona.com

09/08/2024 | 9-11 Remembering Our Heroes

Sep 8-Sep 12, 0000Z-0000Z, K4A, Cordova, AL. Alabama Contest Group/WA1FCN. 7040 14040 21040 28040 . Certificate & QSL. Robert Sarnecki NF7D, 591 Deer Run RD, Alabaster 35007, OT. Certificate for 3 QSOs on 3 bands any mode/band combination. wa1fcn@charter.net or https://alabamacontestgroup.org

09/08/2024 | Blue Ridge Bonanza

Sep 8, 1300Z-2100Z, W4CA, Roanoke, VA. Roanoke Valley Amateur Radio Club. 7.265 14.265. QSL. Roanoke Valley ARC, P.O. Box 2002, Roanoke, VA 24009. Multiple stations and frequencies, 20 and 40 meters, along the Blue Ridge Parkway. See website for frequencies and QSL card information. https://blueridgebonanza.info

Photo courtesy of Mario KD2HPF - You can see NYC in the background and the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge all the way to the left, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn.