@ka5wss.bsky.social
Happy to see my fellow University of Texas Amateur Radio Club alumnus George Fremin (K5TR @geoiii.bsky.social) interviewed about his love for the ARRL Phone Sweepstakes contest. #HamRadio www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6lj...
Mastering ARRL Sweepstakes: K5TR’s Contesting Playbook
YouTube video by Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Happy to see my fellow University of Texas Amateur Radio Club alumnus George Fremin (K5TR @geoiii.bsky.social) interviewed about his love for the ARRL Phone Sweepstakes contest. #HamRadio www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6lj...
What happened to the FT8DMC website? There used to be a page for each award w/ details on the requirements and a photo or two of the certificates. Now, I get 404 page not found errors for all of them. Doesn't appear to be a simple rearrangement. I can't navigate to where these pages are. #HamRadio
December 1, 2025 at 8:34 PM
What happened to the FT8DMC website? There used to be a page for each award w/ details on the requirements and a photo or two of the certificates. Now, I get 404 page not found errors for all of them. Doesn't appear to be a simple rearrangement. I can't navigate to where these pages are. #HamRadio
This may make activation of some of the more tricky locations more difficult. I can see both sides of the argument. But it seems the remote station concept allows for a less intrusive, and safer, operation.
Norway proposes new restrictions to remote operation from places like Bouvet Island ei7gl.blogspot.com/2025/11/norway… #hamradio
Norway proposes new restrictions to remote operation from places like Bouvet Island
The regulator for amateur radio activity in Norway is the Norwegian Communications Authority (NKOM) and on the 24th of November 2025, they ...
ei7gl.blogspot.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:12 AM
This may make activation of some of the more tricky locations more difficult. I can see both sides of the argument. But it seems the remote station concept allows for a less intrusive, and safer, operation.
Work just 8 #HamRadio stations in 5 different western European countries to earn the AGB Zone 14 Award (Class III). Work your way up to Class I with 25 QSOs into 20 different countries. www.ka5wss.com/posts/agb-zo...
AGB Zone 14 Award - KA5WSS
The Activity Group of Belarus offers the Zone 14 Award for making digital contacts with western Europe.
www.ka5wss.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Work just 8 #HamRadio stations in 5 different western European countries to earn the AGB Zone 14 Award (Class III). Work your way up to Class I with 25 QSOs into 20 different countries. www.ka5wss.com/posts/agb-zo...
Over the last couple of months my #HamRadio QSL Card Inbox netted some nice cards. Two of them for All Time New One (ATNO) countries. www.ka5wss.com/posts/octobe...
October 2025 QSL Card Inbox - KA5WSS
Slow months turned into excitement with a good collection of Ham Radio QSL cards, including for an ATNO.
www.ka5wss.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Over the last couple of months my #HamRadio QSL Card Inbox netted some nice cards. Two of them for All Time New One (ATNO) countries. www.ka5wss.com/posts/octobe...
I stumbled on this lengthy, detailed and interesting video about the origin of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. youtu.be/UAT-eOzeY4M?...
The genius logic of the NATO phonetic alphabet
YouTube video by RobWords
youtu.be
October 14, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I stumbled on this lengthy, detailed and interesting video about the origin of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. youtu.be/UAT-eOzeY4M?...
Work German #HamRadio stations in just 5 different grids to get your first Grid DL Award. More awards await for working additional grids up to the 39 that cover the country. www.ka5wss.com/posts/grid-d...
Grid DL Award - KA5WSS
Work German stations in just 5 different grids for your entry level Grid DL Award. Additional awards are possible for up to 39 grids.
www.ka5wss.com
October 10, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Work German #HamRadio stations in just 5 different grids to get your first Grid DL Award. More awards await for working additional grids up to the 39 that cover the country. www.ka5wss.com/posts/grid-d...
Work 100 unique #HamRadio stations in the continent of Africa to earn FT8DMC's entry level Africa Stations Award. Additional awards await in 100 station increments up to the top level 1,000 station award. www.ka5wss.com/posts/africa...
Africa Stations Award - KA5WSS
Work 100 Ham Radio operators in Africa to earn the Africa Stations Award from FT8DMC.
www.ka5wss.com
October 3, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Work 100 unique #HamRadio stations in the continent of Africa to earn FT8DMC's entry level Africa Stations Award. Additional awards await in 100 station increments up to the top level 1,000 station award. www.ka5wss.com/posts/africa...
Work #HamRadio operators in 20 countries smaller than 1,000 square kilometers to earn FT8DMC's Worked Little Countries Award. Additional certificates are issued for country counts up to 100 for the Honor Roll edition. www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...
Worked Little Countries Award - KA5WSS
The Worked Little Countries Award is issued for working at least 20 countries less than 1,000 square kilometers in size.
www.ka5wss.com
September 26, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Work #HamRadio operators in 20 countries smaller than 1,000 square kilometers to earn FT8DMC's Worked Little Countries Award. Additional certificates are issued for country counts up to 100 for the Honor Roll edition. www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...
Work 8 #HamRadio stations in 6 DXCC entities to acquire your Zone 20 Class III award from Activity Group Belarus (AGB). Additional award levels await leading up to Class I, requiring 20 stations in 12 entities. Zone 20 refers to the CQ Zone straddling Europe & Asia. www.ka5wss.com/posts/zone-2...
Zone 20 Award - KA5WSS
Activity Group Belarus' Zone 20 Award has a starting point requiring just 8 QSOs with Ham Radio stations in 6 different countries along the European-Asian boundary.
www.ka5wss.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Work 8 #HamRadio stations in 6 DXCC entities to acquire your Zone 20 Class III award from Activity Group Belarus (AGB). Additional award levels await leading up to Class I, requiring 20 stations in 12 entities. Zone 20 refers to the CQ Zone straddling Europe & Asia. www.ka5wss.com/posts/zone-2...
The 2025 VOMARC Picnic took place at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park this past Saturday. We enjoyed grilled burgers and hotdogs while chewing the fat and activating the park as part of the #pota program. #hamradio www.ka5wss.com/posts/vomarc...
September 15, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The 2025 VOMARC Picnic took place at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park this past Saturday. We enjoyed grilled burgers and hotdogs while chewing the fat and activating the park as part of the #pota program. #hamradio www.ka5wss.com/posts/vomarc...
ClubLog's Most Wanted list has been updated. My highest "ranked" country confirmed from the list is Kure Is. (KH7K) at 5, followed by Johnston Is. (KH3) at 6. Both of those from contacts made about 35 years ago. Yikes! #HamRadio clublog.org/mostwanted.php
Club Log: DXCC Most-Wanted List for September 2025
clublog.org
September 11, 2025 at 2:56 PM
ClubLog's Most Wanted list has been updated. My highest "ranked" country confirmed from the list is Kure Is. (KH7K) at 5, followed by Johnston Is. (KH3) at 6. Both of those from contacts made about 35 years ago. Yikes! #HamRadio clublog.org/mostwanted.php
The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) offers the colorful Tiki Award for working 5 different Kiwi #hamradio stations on 5 different bands. The 5 bands do not need to be the same for all 5 stations. The digital only version of the award is even free! www.ka5wss.com/posts/tiki-a...
Tiki Award - KA5WSS
NZART issues the Tiki Award for working 5 different ZL Amateur Radio stations on 5 different bands.
www.ka5wss.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) offers the colorful Tiki Award for working 5 different Kiwi #hamradio stations on 5 different bands. The 5 bands do not need to be the same for all 5 stations. The digital only version of the award is even free! www.ka5wss.com/posts/tiki-a...
The Tropic of Capricorn Award requires just 3 #HamRadio QSOs with countries through which the line passes. Two more levels track your progress as you work up to the total of 10. The ToC is the southernmost line of latitude over which Sun can appear directly overhead. www.ka5wss.com/posts/tropic...
Tropic of Capricorn Award - KA5WSS
Work just 3 Ham Radio operators using FT8 in countries that lie along the Tropic of Capricorn line for the Bronze level Tropic of Capricorn Award.
www.ka5wss.com
August 29, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The Tropic of Capricorn Award requires just 3 #HamRadio QSOs with countries through which the line passes. Two more levels track your progress as you work up to the total of 10. The ToC is the southernmost line of latitude over which Sun can appear directly overhead. www.ka5wss.com/posts/tropic...
Worked All Continents (WAC) is just one of many Continental Awards available to #hamradio operators. Some offer slight variations which make them and interesting addition to your collection. And some differ even in their definition of what a continent is! www.ka5wss.com/posts/contin...
Continental Awards - KA5WSS
Multiple organizations offer "Worked All Continent" Ham Radio awards with differing interpretations about what constitutes a continent.
www.ka5wss.com
August 23, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Worked All Continents (WAC) is just one of many Continental Awards available to #hamradio operators. Some offer slight variations which make them and interesting addition to your collection. And some differ even in their definition of what a continent is! www.ka5wss.com/posts/contin...
Work just 10 other stations in one day to earn IK3GER's My Logbook Diploma. Work 100 in a day for an excellence seal endorsement. You can do the same for a single band or mode. www.ka5wss.com/posts/my-log...
My Logbook Diploma - KA5WSS
Work just 10 QSOs in a single day to qualify for IK3GER's My Logbook Diploma.
www.ka5wss.com
August 9, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Work just 10 other stations in one day to earn IK3GER's My Logbook Diploma. Work 100 in a day for an excellence seal endorsement. You can do the same for a single band or mode. www.ka5wss.com/posts/my-log...
You need to have QSOs with Japanese #HamRadio stations in 25 different grids for the entry level Worked All Japan Grid Squares Award. The FT8 Digital Mode Club offers the award in 3 levels with the top level award requiring working 75 grids. www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...
Worked All Japan Grid Squares Award - KA5WSS
To receive the Worked All Japan Grid Squares Award, Ham Radio operators must work Japanese stations in at least 25 different grid squares.
www.ka5wss.com
August 1, 2025 at 3:05 PM
You need to have QSOs with Japanese #HamRadio stations in 25 different grids for the entry level Worked All Japan Grid Squares Award. The FT8 Digital Mode Club offers the award in 3 levels with the top level award requiring working 75 grids. www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...
Work just 10 #HamRadio stations in 8 countries within CQ Zone 14 to receive the Activity Group Belarus' Zone 14 Award Class III. To get to Class I requires at least 30 QSOs with 25 countries in the zone. Then, you can chase the same requirements per band and per mode. www.ka5wss.com/posts/agb-zo...
AGB Zone 14 Award - KA5WSS
The Activity Group Belarus' Zone 14 Award can be obtained by working stations in at least 8 different countries in western Europe.
www.ka5wss.com
July 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Work just 10 #HamRadio stations in 8 countries within CQ Zone 14 to receive the Activity Group Belarus' Zone 14 Award Class III. To get to Class I requires at least 30 QSOs with 25 countries in the zone. Then, you can chase the same requirements per band and per mode. www.ka5wss.com/posts/agb-zo...
You need work #HamRadio stations in only 5 separate grids of #Argentina for your first Grid LU Award. Work more stations for more awards. There are separate awards for doing so on single bands as well. www.ka5wss.com/posts/grid-l...
Grid LU Award - KA5WSS
The Grid LU Award can be had with just 5 different Argentinian grids. You can get more certificates with more grids.
www.ka5wss.com
July 21, 2025 at 9:26 PM
You need work #HamRadio stations in only 5 separate grids of #Argentina for your first Grid LU Award. Work more stations for more awards. There are separate awards for doing so on single bands as well. www.ka5wss.com/posts/grid-l...
Over the years I've made contacts with stations in a number #HamRadio stations in "countries" that no longer exist. These deleted DXCC entities may not count for current DXCC status, but they maintain some interesting stories. Here are a few QSL cards from those QSOs. www.ka5wss.com/posts/delete...
Deleted DXCC Entities - KA5WSS
Here are a few QSL cards in my collection from stations in deleted DXCC entities.
www.ka5wss.com
June 27, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Over the years I've made contacts with stations in a number #HamRadio stations in "countries" that no longer exist. These deleted DXCC entities may not count for current DXCC status, but they maintain some interesting stories. Here are a few QSL cards from those QSOs. www.ka5wss.com/posts/delete...
Why is it helpful for someone to post a DX spot for a given station with a comment like "not hearing him in Podunk Hollow"? How does that help anyone? #HamRadio
June 22, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Why is it helpful for someone to post a DX spot for a given station with a comment like "not hearing him in Podunk Hollow"? How does that help anyone? #HamRadio
Celebrate the summer solstice by working #HamRadio operators in the 18 countries along the Tropic of Cancer latitude. Then you can earn the Tropic of Cancer Award from the FT8 Digital Mode Club. www.ka5wss.com/posts/tropic...
Tropic of Cancer Award - KA5WSS
The Tropic of Cancer Award, Bronze level, can be had by working 6 of the 18 countries touched by the northernmost line of the Sun's appearance overhead.
www.ka5wss.com
June 20, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Celebrate the summer solstice by working #HamRadio operators in the 18 countries along the Tropic of Cancer latitude. Then you can earn the Tropic of Cancer Award from the FT8 Digital Mode Club. www.ka5wss.com/posts/tropic...
Work 100 #HamRadio stations in Oceania to obtain FT8DMC's Worked Oceanian Stations Award. Additional certificates with large, colorful photos can be had at various levels up to nearly 2,000 unique stations. www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...
Worked Oceanian Stations Award - KA5WSS
FT8DMC offers the Worked Oceanian Stations Award (WOSA) for working a given number of stations across the vast Pacific Ocean.
www.ka5wss.com
June 13, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Work 100 #HamRadio stations in Oceania to obtain FT8DMC's Worked Oceanian Stations Award. Additional certificates with large, colorful photos can be had at various levels up to nearly 2,000 unique stations. www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...
Make contact with 25 different grid squares in the United States for your first Worked US Grid Square Award from FT8DMC. More awards for more grids up through 600+. This weekend's ARRL Digital Contest is a great way to work lots of grids, quickly. #HamRadio www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...
Worked US Grid Square Award - KA5WSS
Work US stations in at least 25 grid squares to qualify for the Worked US Grid Square Award.
www.ka5wss.com
June 6, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Make contact with 25 different grid squares in the United States for your first Worked US Grid Square Award from FT8DMC. More awards for more grids up through 600+. This weekend's ARRL Digital Contest is a great way to work lots of grids, quickly. #HamRadio www.ka5wss.com/posts/worked...