America250 WAS

Recently, Lisa and I were comparing the excitement of America's Bicentennial with the somewhat subdued build-up to the semiquincentennial (America's 250).

Of course, there is still time for the hoopla to ramp up. We are still few weeks away from the big day.

One enterprise that has made a prolonged observation of the 250 is the world of amateur radio. Sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), there is a special event going on throughout the year to celebrate the event. Branded America250 WAS, the event kicked off in January and runs through the calendar year of 2026.

Throughout the year, each of the 50 states has a designed week in the spotlight (and, in fact, will have a second week later in the year). Hams are encouraged to contact the special event stations (SES) which carry the ARRL's callsign of W1AW with a portable (slash) designation. 

Think of it as an electronic scavenger hunt, of sorts. If you're really all in, you try to collect 'em all.

So far, I have made contact with operators in Maryland, Michigan and Missouri, among others. 

The state of Tennessee, being located in the U.S. call region, is designated as "4" and, thus, signified by the SES call sign W1AW/4.  This is true of other Southeastern states as well. 

In fact, this week is the first of Tennessee's two designated weeks. I am honored to have been operating from the K4KYN ham shack as W1AW/4 all week.

Or in phonetic alphabet-speak, Whisky One Alpha Whisky Stroke Four.

The weeks go from from Wednesday-Tuesday, so today is the last day in Tennessee's first run. To date, I have made more than 200 contacts. Here is a partial sample of one of my recent electronic logs.

It was a real treat for me to include my ham radio friend, Caryn, in one of my logs. And, I was honored to complete a contact with my lifelong pal, buddy and ol' chum, Ed. And just last night, I "worked" three Italian stations in close succession. That was pretty cool.

Literally, I've worked operators from coast to coast - from California to Connecticut - and many parts in between.  And I look forward to logging a few more before I sign off later today.

Our team coordinator has already put the word out that she is looking for volunteers for the next round. Sign me up.

Already looking forward to it.

73 de K4KYN dit dit

JG