The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (as AMSAT is officially known) was formed March 3, 1969 as a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered in the District of Columbia.
Since its founding, AMSAT has designed, constructed, and, with the added assistance of international government and commercial agencies, successfully launched, 20 Amateur Radio satellites into Earth orbit.
To help celebrate 50 years of Keeping Amateur Radio in Space, AMSAT is proud to announce the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program. Throughout 2019, your satellite and HF QSOs can help you achieve one of these special awards:
- 50th Anniversary AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement Award
- 50th Anniversary AMSAT Satellite Friends of 50 Award
- AMSAT on HF 50th Anniversary Award
- 50th Anniversary AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement Award (Limited Edition)
Unlike the AMSAT Satellite Communications Achievement Award, the 50th Anniversary AMSAT Satellite Communications Achievement Award will be issued on one of the original goldenrod paper stock certificates and signed by AMSAT’s founding President, Perry Klein, K3JTE (now W3PK). With only 20 original certificates available, this award will certainly become a collector’s item.
The first 20 applicants to successfully submit 20 confirmed, qualifying contacts on any satellite will receive this award. A qualifying contact is defined as the establishment of two-way communication on any Amateur Radio satellite, with another station in a US state, Canadian call area, or DXCC entity, no two of which may be the same.
All contacts must be made between March 3, 2019 00:00 UTC and December 31, 2019 23:59 UTC.
A US state shall mean any state of the United States and the District of Columbia.
The 14 Canadian call areas are:
- VE1 – Nova Scotia
- VE2 – Quebec
- VE3 – Ontario
- VE4 – Manitoba
- VE5 – Saskatchewan
- VE6 – Alberta
- VE7 – British Columbia
- VE8 – Northwest Territories
- VE9 – New Brunswick
- VO1 – Newfoundland
- VO2 – Labrador
- VY0 – Nunavut
- VY1 – Yukon
- VY2 – Prince Edward Island
Only one qualifying contact is allowed for each US state, Canadian call area, and DXCC entity.
Qualifying contacts may not be counted for multiple types of entities. As an example, a QSO with Alaska counts as an additional state or DXCC entity, not both.
Contacts must be made from same location, or from locations, no two of which are more than 50 miles (80 kilometres) apart.
For more information on the AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program visit:
AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program