[HCARC] Us Islands Awards Program or What It Feels LIke On The Other Side Of A Pile Up

[Gary J - N5BAA]

Great article in the May QST on the US Islands Awards Program.  Unlike IOTA, the US version found at www.usislands.org allows islands in Fresh Water.  Of an estimated 18,000 islands in the US approx 2800 have been activated.  What constitutes an Island you ask – First is a recognized name, second the island must be at least 100 feet long, and last must be at least 50 feet from shore on all sides.  You can propose your island to www.usislands.org and if accepted then you (or someone else) needs to activate it by making 25 contacts with at least 2 being DXCC entities.  There are no activated islands within Kerr County.  I know of 3-4 without thinking hard about it including Pecan Island which is in the 14 acre private lake in my neighborhood of Pecan Valley Game Preserve.  The named spoil Islands down at Corpus are ripe for the picking – fishing and Ham Radio – how good is that??

Anyone interested in being on the “Other Side Of A Pile Up”??  The weekend of May 9 is the 2015 date for the US Islands Special Event.  Next year it changes to September for the Special Event.

Gary J
N5BAA