Club News & Events

Announcing the 2026 Club Operating Awards!

Celebrate Your Skills • Push Your Stations • Have Some Fun on the Bands

As we turn the dial into a brand-new year, it’s time once again to recognize the operators in our Amateur Radio club who go the extra mile (or the extra thousand miles!) with their on-air accomplishments. We are excited to announce the 2026 Club Operating Awards, designed to encourage activity, sharpen operating skills, and celebrate the spirit of radio exploration.

This year’s awards focus on one of the most exciting achievements in ham radio: DXCC — confirming contacts with 100 or more distinct DX entities. Whether you’re chasing signals across the globe on HF or grabbing those elusive long-haul contacts on VHF/UHF, this is your chance to shine.

Click HERE to download the tracking spreadsheet!

2026 Award Categories

🏆 Most HF DXCC (SSB, CW, Digital)
Separate awards will be given for each mode. Whether you’re a phone operator punching through the pile-ups, a CW enthusiast working the bands the traditional way, or a digital-mode aficionado making magic with FT8 or other modes, every path to DXCC counts. And once you get to 100, keep going! The winner will be the individual with the most entities!!!

🏆 Most VHF/UHF DXCC (SSB, CW, Digital)
Our VHF/UHF DXCC categories take on a fun twist: states and provinces count as “DX.” These awards recognize operators who push the limits of VHF/UHF propagation—whether through tropospheric ducting, meteor scatter, E-skip, or just good station engineering. Every new state, province or country you contact brings you one step closer to the top of the standings. Separate awards will be given for SSB, CW, and Digital modes.

How to Participate

Participation is simple:

• Keep accurate logs of your 2026 contacts. We’ve even provided a spreadsheet to assist.
• Submit your totals at the end of the year.
• Contacts must be made between January 1 and December 1, 2026.

So start planning your strategy, checking your antennas, and fine-tuning your station.

Why Participate?

These awards aren’t just about numbers—they’re about:

• Improving operating skills
• Experimenting with antennas and propagation
• Encouraging club activity and fellowship
• Challenging yourself to grow as an operator
• Celebrating your accomplishments with fellow hams

Whether you’re a seasoned DXer or someone looking to dive deeper into the hobby, the 2026 awards are a great opportunity to stretch your capabilities and enjoy the thrill of radio.

Start Calling CQ!

The world is waiting to be worked—one contact at a time. Fire up the rig, spin the dial, and let’s make 2026 a year full of great signals, strong friendships, and memorable operating achievements.

Good luck, and may the propagation gods smile upon your station!

October is here, which means the Defiance County Amateur Radio Club Christmas party is right around the corner. This year it will be held on Saturday, December 6th and we hope you will all be able to attend.

This year, along with the Christmas party comes a set of awards. I hope you have been tracking your activities throughout the year and will submit the results. As mentioned clear back in January, the awards are as follows:

1. WAS (SSB) in 2025
2. WAS (CW) in 2025
3. WAS (Digital) in 2025
4. Most contacts (SSB)
5. Most contacts (CW)
6. Most contacts (Digital)
7. Most total contacts (all modes)
8. Longest distance unassisted VHF/UHF contact
9. Attend most DCARA meetings/nets
10. Attend most events (Breakfast, Summer Field Day, etc.)

The “logs” need to be turned in (or emailed to me, W8NI) by our November meeting (November 10th). If you completed the WAS, please let me know how many states you worked and/or the date it was completed, just in case several of you got all the states. For the most contact categories, a number of contacts per mode is sufficient. The longest distance category, I only need to know the number of miles (and I would like to know the band you used for it). Finally, for category #9 and #10, just a number will suffice.

If you have any questions, please just ask. I look forward to getting your “logs” and am even more excited about handing out the awards at the Christmas party.

And for those of you looking ahead to 2026, our awards will be different. Next year the awards will be as follows:

For HF, the award will be for most DX entities. This will be broken down into CW, SSB and Digital modes, as well as a combined category. For VHF/UHF the award will be for most States/Provence. So, start working those into your plans for 2026, and I look forward to seeing you all on December 6th.