Awards

In addition to the awards that UTARC has earned in contests, N5XU has earned several prestigious operating awards. While there are literally thousands of awards offered by hundreds of Amateur Radio organizations worldwide, these are some of the most popular and prestigious. Any member interested in helping N5XU earn a new award is encouraged to pursue that objective. A red three-ring binder in the bookcase in the club station lists all of the known Amateur Radio award programs worldwide (it may be a little out of date.) The following are some awards N5XU has earned or is actively pursuing:

• ARRL DX Century Club (DXCC) This award is sponsored by the ARRL, and given for establishing two-way contacts with stations in 100 ``countries'' on any Amateur Radio band. DXCC entities (sometimes called ``countries,'' although many are not sovereign political entities) are defined by the ARRL DX Advisory Committee, and while they periodically change with political developments, there are around 330 entities. N5XU has confirmed over 270 countries on the HF bands. The club's DXCC certificate was awarded on April 16, 1990, and is #29,538.

• CQ Worked All Zones (WAZ) This award is sponsored by the folks that publish CQ magazine, and is given for confirming two-way contact with other Amateur Radio stations in all 40 of the zones into which CQ magazine divides the world. A large map in the UTARC club station shows the 40 CQ DX Zones. Our WAZ award is all-CW. The club's WAZ certificate was awarded on September 18, 1992, and is award #7270.

• ARRL VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC) This award is sponsored by the ARRL and is given for confirming two-way communications with other Amateur Radio stations in 100 different Maidenhead grid squares using a VHF or UHF Amateur Radio band. The club earned its VUCC certificate for 50 MHz on 18 October 1996, and is 50 MHz VUCC award #845. The club is also collecting QSL cards for eventual certification on other VHF/UHF bands.

• IARU Five Band Worked All Continents (5BWAC) This award is sponsored by the International Amateur Radio Union and is given for confirming two-way communications with other Amateur Radio stations in each of the six continental areas in the world on the 80M, 40M, 20M, 15M, and 10M bands. While Antarctica is not considered a continental region for the purposes of this award, N5XU has also worked several Antarctic stations. The club was awarded its 5BWAC certificate on 25 July 1997.

• ARRL Worked All States (WAS) This award is sponsored by the ARRL, and is given for confirming two-way communications with other Amateur Radio stations in all fifty of the United States of America on Amateur Radio. The club's WAS certificate was awarded on 12 November 1996 and is certificate #48,693.