Parks on the Air support for Special Event Callsigns

Parks on the Air supports the use of special event callsigns. US-issued short-term callsigns are commonly known as “1x1”s and are available for special events. Other countries’ licensing authorities may have similar options.

Special consideration for proper account setup on the Parks on the Air website is necessary to assure credit is given to operators and hunters, as well as to allow the re-use of the callsign by other user accounts.

For Parks on the Air to use the special event callsign it is attached to the user’s account. The special callsign must list a starting date and an end date for the duration of the license.

Make sure you enter the start and end dates with the actual time frame of your license! Entering incorrect or missing fields will prevent other accounts from utilizing the callsign!

Side effects of using a SES callsign on QSO scoring

In the USA the FCC allows individuals to receive 1x1 callsigns therefore Parks on the Air does not restrict or discourage individuals from obtaining these callsigns.

However some side effects will occur with regards to QSO scoring and awards if done by an individual.

The account “owning” the special event callsign will be granted credit to all QSOs made by the operators

Skewing statistics in the owner’s account

If you already have a Parks on the Air account for your normal activity your statistics will be affected by any special callsigns attached to your account. Using a special event callsign will skew awards giving an individual account holder credit for QSOs made by operators other than themselves. The “owner” of the special event callsign may wish to keep separate accounts to keep personal statistics from being affected by any QSOs made by the special event callsign or operators.

Park-to-Park QSOs

The same trade-offs exist for special event callsigns as exist for multiple operators of a club callsign. Other parks’ activators will not know the special event station operator callsign and may avoid calling again in the same UTC day, resulting in missed QSO opportunities.

Parks on the Air Recommended Best-Practices

Individuals

Establish a separate Parks on the Air account dedicated to your special event, such as a DXpedition. Work with the help desk to create and log uploads.

This will keep a large activation with many operators from co-mingling of statistics in a personal account.

Clubs

No notable side effects are seen when clubs use special event callsigns.

Club accounts can add special event callsigns to their account without additional assistance from the help desk.

Logging

All standard ADIF rules apply to special event callsigns just as they do for a normal callsign. All QSOs must contain the STATION_CALLSIGN and OPERATOR fields to give credit to the respective parties.

Resources

The website 1x1 Callsigns is an excellent resource to review. It contains background information, FAQs, and schedules of granted licenses.