[RTTY] More on ARRL "Triple Play Award"

[Frank Fallon]

GET READY FOR THE ARRL TRIPLE PLAY WAS AWARD 

As of January 1, 2009, the ARRL will offer another award: The Triple
Play Worked All States Award <http://www.arrl.org/awards/#tripleplay>.
This new, exciting award is available to all amateurs who confirm
contacts with each of the 50 states using three modes for each state:
CW, phone and RTTY/digital. All 150 contacts must be made on or after
the starting date and must be confirmed via Logbook of the World (LoTW)
<http://www.arrl.org/lotw/>. All bands -- with the exception of 60
meters -- may be used in pursuit of the Triple Play Award.

In their July 2008 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors decided to
implement this new award. Based on a suggestion by former ARRL Dakota
Division Vice Director Hans Brakob, K0HB, the League's Programs and
Services Committee referred the award's parameters to the Board where it
received enthusiastic approval.

According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, the Triple
Play Award is a one-time award -- once you have made the required 150
confirmed contacts via LoTW, you're done. "Even so," Sumner writes in
"It Seems to Us" in the January issue of QST, "there are many possible
variations on the theme. You can try to be the first (or at least the
first on your block) or you can set your own pace. Think it's too easy?
Limit yourself to QRP while operating your favorite mode (or all three).
Maybe you prefer to be the quarry; it will quickly emerge which states
are the most difficult to find, offering opportunities to earn the
gratitude of your mates by activating the ones you can get to with your
portable or mobile rig."

The Triple Play Award is not a contest, but Sumner points out that the
ARRL RTTY Roundup <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2009/rtty.html>
takes place the first weekend in 2009, with the North American QSO Party
(CW and Phone) <http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php> following soon
after. "Contesters are among the most loyal devotees of LoTW," Sumner
writes, "so participating in these three events should take care of all
of the easy states, as well as some of the more difficult ones." He
warns that it can be addictive once you begin making your contacts for
the Triple Play Award!

The rules for the Triple Play Award state that two-way communication
must be established on the amateur bands with each state on each mode
(the District of Columbia may be counted for Maryland). There is no
minimum signal report required. Contacts must be made from the same
location, or from locations no two of which are more than 50 miles
apart. Club station applicants must include their club name and call
sign of the club station or trustee on their application. The Triple
Play Award will be issued on sequentially numbered certificates,
starting with #1, as determined by the time stamp of the electronic
application as submitted via LoTW. There are no endorsements for this
award.

Contacts made through repeater devices or any other power relay method
may not be used for WAS confirmation (a separate WAS award is available
for satellite contacts). All stations contacted must be land stations;
contacts with ships, anchored or otherwise, and aircraft, cannot be
counted. The only exception to this rule is permanently docked
exhibition ships (such as the Queen Mary) and other historic ships will
be considered land based.

Triple Play Award applicants who reside in the US must be ARRL members
to be eligible to receive the award. DX stations do not need to be ARRL
members.