Ok....so another paragraph. I'm not extremely well-versed in this area, so by all means anyone that can add to it (or correct anything unclear) please do so.
4. ACTIVATIONS, CONTESTS, HOLIDAYS and the "/":
- Activations: An activation is a station operating from a new area. This could be an area where there are otherwise no 11M operators, and if there have been none in the past decade will have a 0, or /0 suffix. A recent popular one was 510AT0, operating from an "undisclosed location" (which turned out to be Sudan - the 160 division). This is to protect the operators...."510" isn't a real division; and the real division is revealed only after the station is shut down. These /0 activations are usually pretty well-publicized on club websites and are highly sought after. They typically operate for a limited time and try to make as many contacts as possible.
Generally, its best to keep QSOs very short to give others the opportunity to contact a rare station. Some have gone as far as publishing "naughty lists" for operators who are in the log (ITL) but didn't follow through in requesting a QSL. The idea being that they denied another operator the chance to make a rare contact.
- Contests: You'll sometimes hear a station with a /XXX suffix, such as 2AB123/ABC, or 2AB/ABC1, and so on. This typically denotes some form of contest. The suffix could be added after the unit number, or directly after the club letters, depending on how they’ve organized the contest.
A couple recent examples I have heard is the /SC suffix used for the Alpha Tango "Santa Contest", /SHBS used by the Echo Kilo club for a Coronvirus contest (Stay Home Be Safe), or /HE (Happy Easter) by Papa Alpha Tango club. Individual rules vary, but often there is one card for all the stations using the suffix and the stations you worked are checked off in boxes on the card received. There are contests for everything from holidays, club anniversaries, sporting events and more. Same as with an activation, the operator will usually want keep the QSO short, so get in the log, and move on.
Sometimes, "/ABC" can also mean a temporary station operating from a unique landmark, park, or etc, within a division that has multiple 11M operators (unlike a /0 activation). So, if the “Alpha Bravo” club wanted to host a special station from North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest, they could use a call sign like “2AB/PNF”...and then send everyone special cards with waterfalls or pictures of mountains.
- Holidays/Vacations/Work travel: Using my example call sign of 2AB123... If an individual works or travels to another country, lets say Chile, he may have the opportunity to set up a 11M station while there. Problem is, he can't use "2" as a prefix when operating in Chile (the 32 Division), has to maintain the club affiliation and his unit number. This is solved by using a "/" (separator) in the prefix. So, while operating in Chile, 2AB123 becomes 32/2AB123. Using that call sign, the band knows what country the TX is from, and who it is. This is generally an individual activity and not a club activity, but will often require approval from the club. They will sometimes have special QSL cards. Some are one time only, and some are recurring.
With all the various types of activations and contests, you sometimes need a sequence number, or QSO number, provided by the activation in order to request a QSL card. In addition to the things you would normally log for a contact, you should be prepared to copy that as well as any special QSL instructions the operator offers.
4. ACTIVATIONS, CONTESTS, HOLIDAYS and the "/":
- Activations: An activation is a station operating from a new area. This could be an area where there are otherwise no 11M operators, and if there have been none in the past decade will have a 0, or /0 suffix. A recent popular one was 510AT0, operating from an "undisclosed location" (which turned out to be Sudan - the 160 division). This is to protect the operators...."510" isn't a real division; and the real division is revealed only after the station is shut down. These /0 activations are usually pretty well-publicized on club websites and are highly sought after. They typically operate for a limited time and try to make as many contacts as possible.
Generally, its best to keep QSOs very short to give others the opportunity to contact a rare station. Some have gone as far as publishing "naughty lists" for operators who are in the log (ITL) but didn't follow through in requesting a QSL. The idea being that they denied another operator the chance to make a rare contact.
- Contests: You'll sometimes hear a station with a /XXX suffix, such as 2AB123/ABC, or 2AB/ABC1, and so on. This typically denotes some form of contest. The suffix could be added after the unit number, or directly after the club letters, depending on how they’ve organized the contest.
A couple recent examples I have heard is the /SC suffix used for the Alpha Tango "Santa Contest", /SHBS used by the Echo Kilo club for a Coronvirus contest (Stay Home Be Safe), or /HE (Happy Easter) by Papa Alpha Tango club. Individual rules vary, but often there is one card for all the stations using the suffix and the stations you worked are checked off in boxes on the card received. There are contests for everything from holidays, club anniversaries, sporting events and more. Same as with an activation, the operator will usually want keep the QSO short, so get in the log, and move on.
Sometimes, "/ABC" can also mean a temporary station operating from a unique landmark, park, or etc, within a division that has multiple 11M operators (unlike a /0 activation). So, if the “Alpha Bravo” club wanted to host a special station from North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest, they could use a call sign like “2AB/PNF”...and then send everyone special cards with waterfalls or pictures of mountains.
- Holidays/Vacations/Work travel: Using my example call sign of 2AB123... If an individual works or travels to another country, lets say Chile, he may have the opportunity to set up a 11M station while there. Problem is, he can't use "2" as a prefix when operating in Chile (the 32 Division), has to maintain the club affiliation and his unit number. This is solved by using a "/" (separator) in the prefix. So, while operating in Chile, 2AB123 becomes 32/2AB123. Using that call sign, the band knows what country the TX is from, and who it is. This is generally an individual activity and not a club activity, but will often require approval from the club. They will sometimes have special QSL cards. Some are one time only, and some are recurring.
With all the various types of activations and contests, you sometimes need a sequence number, or QSO number, provided by the activation in order to request a QSL card. In addition to the things you would normally log for a contact, you should be prepared to copy that as well as any special QSL instructions the operator offers.
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