What next :

After getting your amateur radio transmitting licence, What are your plans?

Any aims and objectives are on the board to be achieved? Any specialization planned?

There are many challenges for those interested in DX hunting. There are the achievements to be accomplished which take time and equipment capability and your skill.

In this category, you have to achieve by hard work, one or many of the following achievements awards. To get the wall paper (certificate), you have to spend considerable money in terms of US dollars or IRC's.

1. DXCC (DX Century Club) of ARRL, with a minimum of 100 countries confirmed to the end which is Honor Roll No: 1.
2. IOTA (Islands on the air) of RSGB, with minimum of 100 islands, to over 1200 to be achieved.
3. RDA (Russian District Awards) of Tambov Amateur Group, Russia, with a minimum of 100 Districts to over 2500 for Honor Roll and the maximum possible is about 2700 plus.
4. WPX (Worked Prefixes Award) of CQ Magazine, minimum 300 plus to maximum (which is increasing everyday).
5. WASA (Worked All Grid Squares Award), JARL. This also has a minimum of 100 and keeps on going up.
6. Antartic and Artic Awards, which are many. Chasing Expeditions in the polar region is very challenging. There are many awards for Antartic and Artic QSL's earn.
7. WAB (Worked All Britain) Award, where you have to work the many squares in UK.
8. Holyland Award of Israel, wherein, there is a real challenge of working amateurs operatin from the lowest levels of the Dead sea coast.
9. WAZ (Worked All Zones) of the world, is available from CQ magazine of USA.
10. An impossible achievement, which no one has done so far, is getting QSL's from all the VU's you have worked. Hi

JCC, JCD, DLD, Oblasts award, SPPA, WALA, OHA, DIG awards etc., ad infinitum....are also available.

Then there are the contesting awards, where you achieve positions like the Number 1 in the world or Number 1 in you continent or Number 1 in your country etc. In this area of contesting, your equipment, skill, an excellent antenna and experience counts a lot. Almost every week end, you have some contest or the other. You can take part in contests where you may use only SSB, CW, RTTY or some mode. The combination's are also too many, and the most challenging one is contesting in 160M band (called top band).

The famous contests are those organized by ARRL, RSGB, CQ Magazine, JARL, DARC, ARR, IOTA, IARU etc and many other societies.

Unlike the achievement awards, the contest awards and certificates, come FREE of cost, but you must have sent your log to the contest committee in time in Carbrillo format, which is the standard contest log format these days.

If not the above, if you have enough money, time and intrest, go to DXpeditions to the Coastal islands of India. In this category, Islands of Andhra Pradesh, Orisaa, Goa, Gujarat are still waiting for you, with the world amateur fraternity, eagerly looking for some action. Interested groups have activated coastal islands of Karnataka, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. You may even attempt Expeditions in Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Minicoy and other distant islands of India. Those who were expeditioners earlier from VU land, may share their experiences with you and help with their guidance.

If you are a keen social worker, then get into the Emergency Communications providing group of amateur radio operators, who are ready to move to the disaster affected area, at the shortest notice with their equipment and antenna, to help the Town, Taluka, District, State or the Centre. There are a few dedicated groups to this type.

Research and inventions, if they in your blood, try designing new equipments, antennas, modes of communications and inscribe your name in the annals of scientists. After Acharya JC Bose, India is yet to produce someone who is yet to achieve that height.

Thus, if you want to take some challenge and do things not usually done by the other VU's here is the chance, We can always guide you to the various areas, mentioned above. You are lucky to have few VU's still alive, who have already tried their hands at some of the various topics mentioned and have made a mark for themselves in the world.

Source: VU2UR, OM Arasuji