Other on-the-air programs

POTA and SOTA are the largest, but the same activate-and-chase model exists for almost any category of place. All of them are free, and most share the same portable kit.

Places

• WWFF (World Wide Flora & Fauna) — the international parks program. Many POTA parks are also

WWFF references, so one activation can be logged to both; WWFF wants 44 contacts for a valid activation, which is the main practical difference.

• IOTA (Islands on the Air) — islands grouped into reference areas. Long-established, chaser

oriented, and the reason for many DXpeditions.

• US Islands (USI) — the same idea for river, lake and coastal islands within the US.
• ILLW (International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend) — one weekend each August; enormously

popular with clubs.

• Castles on the Air, Mills on the Air, Museum Ships Weekend — heritage-site

activations, big in Europe and growing in North America.

• Beaches on the Air, Bunkers on the Air — regional variations, same format.

Trails and routes

• Trails on the Air (TOTA) and the historic-trail programs.
• Appalachian Trail Golden Packet — a coordinated annual attempt to relay a packet the length

of the trail entirely by amateur radio.

Grid and geography chasing

• Grid square chasing — VHF operators activate rare Maidenhead grids, particularly on 6 m

during sporadic E.

• County hunting — work all 3,077 US counties; mobile operators run county lines for chasers.
• Worked All States (WAS), Worked All Continents (WAC), DXCC — the classic ARRL and

IARU awards; see DX and awards.

Events worth putting in the calendar

• Field Day — the fourth full weekend in June; the biggest US operating

event and the best club recruiting weekend of the year.

• Winter Field Day — January, same idea, colder.
• Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) — October, scouting; see

youth and schools.

• 13 Colonies, Route 66 on the Air, special event stations generally — short-run

stations with certificates, listed in QST and on the ARRL special event page.

• ARISS school contacts — a scheduled contact with an astronaut, arranged months ahead through

ARISS; a genuine highlight for a school or club.

Why bother

These programs give a reason to operate, a structure for learning a new mode or band, and a ready supply of people to work at a fixed time. They are also the easiest possible on-ramp for a new licensee: hunt from home for a month, then activate something yourself.

NARA's Alfred Vail 20-20 Young Keyers Award works the same way for young CW operators.