My First Worked All States

My cards for my worked all states (WAS) award have been laying around the house for nearly a year when I found them rubber-banded together on my desk. The WAS award paperwork, a little dusty beneath them, showed my signature and date from January of 2003. I seemed to have stalled at the final step: getting these materials to somebody who could finalize the award.

I stood for a minute mulling over the situation. Then I sat and browsed through the cards and reminisced. While some of the cards were from contests and contained only the obligatory "5x9" and "73", others were from rag chews on phone where we got a chance to talk and learn some things about each other. The notes on the backs of some of the QSL cards still made me smile over a year later.

A fellow from Alabama (top on the pile) wrote, "Thanks for the great QSO and the card! I can really relate to your call sign and the picture on your QSL card -- I wear one of those every day to work!" I designed my card while I was waiting for the vanity call sign change to come through not long after I was licensed. The picture mentioned is of a plastic pocket protector stuffed full of pens and pencils. It seemed appropriate for a call sign like NE1RD and is just another way to have fun with the hobby.

Alaska came next. No note; just a "73! and TNX" on the bottom. I cherished the card anyway. With a simple wire antenna hidden in some trees and a small station, I had struggled to get an Alaska contact. This was one of the last cards needed for my WAS.

A fellow from Arkansas wrote on the back of his card, "Hi Scott - Sorry for the home brew card - out of real ones. Good to meet up with you Saturday morning - join us again when you can. 73!" His "home brew" card was quite nice and I appreciated his efforts to not only get a card to me but to take the time to construct one for the occasion. It seemed only fitting that he be part of my first award. Perhaps not much of an honor, but it was all I had to give back.

Other cards followed in my stack: CA, CO, CT, and DE. The Florida card was another memorable rag chew. Pete wrote, "Scott: It was a great QSO. I'll look forward to talking to you again. Great QSL card. I didn't get the call until I saw the card. This one will take a place of honor in the QSL book." Thanks, Pete. Your card, too, is in my first WAS pile: also a place of honor.

Pete's belated recognition of my call sign is a common theme. I've received many cards with a chuckle annotated somehow on the back. Some get the call sign's meaning immediately; some need to see the card. In either case, I've made somebody smile.

Next came GA then HI. Like the AK contact, HI had been elusive. I've since operated stations with a good antenna system and 1500 watts. I can see how operators could be lulled into a comfortable haze. Those who fit this description, try working the world again with 100 watts or QRP and a compromised wire antenna! While the QSO passed in an instant, it seemed as though it had been months in the making. Now, it was in the log.

Other states followed: ID, IL (with a beautiful picture of the OM next to a stunning sports car with white wall tires), IN, IA, KS, KY, and LA. The ME contact was with a gentleman up on the Canadian border. I remember we talked for quite a while. His card to me was a post card from the area with a note. "Very nice of you to send a card. Not to many on 80 meters." I think he enjoyed getting my card but, for the record, I think I enjoyed the QSO and his card more. -- Hank, no need to apologize for your card not being "official". You're now part of my first award!

New Mexico's card was from an operator whose sense of humor possibly exceeds my own. His card, from Roswell, sports a large, green, friendly alien waving from his spacecraft. Why not have a QSL card that leaves them smiling?

How about a card from a fellow who was a long time SWL finally turned ham? Many as the founder and host of the 1721 Round Table know KC8QGJ, Tom, in Chardon, Ohio on 40-meters. Beginning with a handful of friends Tom grew this non-net into a nightly event. On the night of Tom's retirement, it seemed like hundreds of folks stopped by and "checked in". Who says new hams can't give back? Tom, my hat's off to you. And, your card is OH for WAS.

I put the rubber band back on the cards and decided. ARRL headquarters in Newington, Connecticut are only 100 miles away from my home in Massachusetts. I'd wanted to make a day trip there to see the facilities for some time. Now I actually had a reason to go beyond simple curiosity.

If you have not taken the tour at the ARRL you should consider it. We saw the labs where equipment is tested, measured, and put through its paces. We also saw the QSL sorting area for the outgoing bureau. Finally, we met the good folks who manage the ARRL awards. I was introduced to Eileen Sapko who took my cards, neatly sorted by state, of course, and the paperwork for my first WAS award. She said it would take some time to process. Would I be around a while? Yes! I wanted to operate from W1AW!

Twenty meters was hopping but it was close to lunchtime. I made three contacts as W1AW including one contact to a fellow QRP at 5 watts in Colorado. Nice job OM! Your QSL cards are on their way.

The XYL and I circled back to the main building after working at the station to meet Eileen and get my cards back. She was all smiles, told me "nice job" (THANKS!) and assured me my award would be mailed to me when they did their next run.

Perhaps WAS isn't a big deal. I talked with a fellow just yesterday who had done WAS in one day from high in the hills of California. It took me considerably longer! But, it is a start. The award will be nice to have but the cards I received and the QSOs I had working up to that award hold more meaning for me.

I got into this hobby because I've been a nerd my entire life. I'm a gadget freak. I take things apart. I have to know how everything works. I had no idea I'd enjoy the PEOPLE part of this hobby as much as I do. Well, even old dogs can learn new tricks, I guess.

Scott, NE1RD

PS Watch out world -- I'm only 25 cards away from DXCC! Then, I think WAS QRP. -- I'm already half way there!

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