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W1AW TO CELEBRATE WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY AS NU1AW |
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Each year on the anniversary of its founding, April 18, the
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) marks World Amateur Radio Day
http://www.iaru.org/rel030418.html. On this, the 83rd anniversary of
its inaugural meeting in Paris, the IARU dedicates World Amateur Radio
Day to the radio amateurs, educators and administrators who use Amateur
Radio to support technology education in the classroom.
To call attention to the occasion in advance, ARRL staffers will be
activating W1AW in the CQ WPX SSB Contest http://www.cqwpx.com this
weekend (March 29-30) using the IARU club call sign NU1AW. By
celebrating the event, staffers hope to provide an opportunity for hams
worldwide to put NU1AW in their logs, chase the WPX award
http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cqworldwidewpxawards.html and learn
about HF propagation as the world turns through day and night not once,
but twice! Springtime propagation near the equinox is enhanced on the HF
bands, even during the Solar Cycle minimum, so it's worth taking a
listen even if the HF bands have been quiet lately.
This year's theme for World Amateur Radio Day is "Amateur Radio: A
Foundation of Technical Knowledge." What better way to express the theme
than by engaging in one of the largest international radiosporting
events. ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, said, "If you
haven't tried HF contesting or the WPX contest, the general format is to
exchange a signal report (a simple '59' will do nicely) and a serial
number (the number of the contact in the contest for you). The contest
Web site spells out the way to compute your score, but the fun of this
contest is to contact as many different prefixes as possible. For
example, NU1AW counts as the NU1 prefix and KX9X counts as KX9. If
you're new to HF, your prefix might be one sought after by those calling
CQ! The WPX contest also features a 'Rookie' category for new radiosport
folk, so be sure to send in your log as described by the rules -- it's
easy!"
World Amateur Radio Day is also an opportunity for publicizing Amateur
Radio to the interested public that may not be familiar with ham radio
activities. Radiosport is an excellent way to introduce our service to
teachers and students, as well. Competitive activities are an important
focus for students to take the opportunity to ask questions about how
signals get "from here to there" while watching hams make rapid-fire
contacts around the world or even making a contact or two themselves,
Kutzko said.
"NU1AW is not expected to be seriously competitive in the event," Kutzko
explained, "but will make every attempt to be on the air as propagation
warrants, so we hope to hear you marking the day and making World
Amateur Radio Day a part of your springtime ham radio operation."
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