Topband: FW: The USA-CA Awards

[Jim Brown]

On 2/6/2023 4:46 AM, Clive GM3POI wrote:
> Well I have never checked from here, but I have worked WAS twice during a single weekend and have over 8600 Qs with the USA on 160.

Great work on that, Clive! But have you done so in the last 3-4 years on 
any mode other than FT8? From my QTH near San Francisco, I've heard 8 CW 
signals from EU in the past 7 seasons, and two have heard me. The 
difference is local noise on both ends of the QSO.

As to awards like USA-CA -- I'm part of a team that has activated rare 
counties in UT, NV, and CA for more than 10 years during QSO parties. We 
upload 100% to LOTW, and we send paper cards to stations who have done 
the same. We do NOT send paper cards to stations who don't use LOTW.

When I was a wee lad, a QSL was considered the final courtesy of a QSO. 
In today's world, with postal rates gone through the roof, LOTW is that 
final courtesy. And for the same reason, I don't bother with awards that 
don't accept LOTW or eQSL confirmations.

There is a zero cost method for accepting LOTW confirmations, and that 
is accepted for the CQ Field award (the first two letters of the 
Maidenhead grid). The applicant simply submits a screen print showing 
the LOTW confirmation, which includes the county, grid, and IOTA if the 
other station has entered it. This is also their method for accepting 
eQSL! There's no excuse for USA-CA not accepting screen prints of LOTW.

73, Jim K9YC