Applicant Requirements
1. The applicant for the APE Award must be a member of the PODXS Ø7Ø Club and have a current license to operate on the HF amateur bands at the time the portable operation takes place.
Site Requirements
1. An APE Award portable expedition site must be at least 20 statute miles (32 km) from the home QTH of the primary applicant. A series of sites can be combined into a single APE as long as each is at least 20 miles from the home QTH and the operator does not return to the home QTH between visiting sites.
2. The applicant is responsible for obtaining permission to legally operate a portable expedition from the owner(s) of the site(s) or legal authorities holding jurisdiction over the site(s). The Applicant shall also be responsible for any and all costs incurred in the operation of the portable expedition.
Expedition Requirements
1. The applicant is personally required to take part in the portable expedition. This includes the transportation, setup, operation, breakdown and return of all equipment to its place of origin.
2. The applicant is free to include any other personnel he wishes to take part in the expedition, either licensed or unlicensed. The applicant may, for example, wish to combine a portable expedition with a family vacation and include those family members who help as members of the expeditionary party.
3. All communications-related equipment must be transported to the portable site(s) by the members of the expeditionary party, including radios, computers, cabling, antennas and power sources. The use of any preexisting amateur radio equipment at the portable site is strictly prohibited.
4. Requirement number three (3) above does not preclude the use of man-made or natural structures already existing at the portable site(s), including shelter, antenna supports and native power grids.
Ø7Ø Club Requirements
1. The applicant must announce his/her intentions to operate a portable PSK31 expedition to the Ø7Ø Club APE Manager at least 3 days in advance of the operation. It is recommended that you provide the details as early as possible to ensure that your APE is properly announced and published to the website. This announcement must contain the particulars of the portable expedition, including location(s), award-related information (including, for example, grid squares, IOTA, POTA), expected start of on-the-air activity, bands to be worked, names/callsigns of other members of the expedition, contact information, QSL information, and any other information deemed pertinent. This announcement may be made by the applicant via the Ø7Ø Club email reflector or by direct communication (either written or electronic) to the APE Award Manager listed below, who will then pass the information on to the rest of the Ø7Ø Club membership.
2. To be a valid portable expedition for the APE Award, the operation must: take place during the month of August (UTC) and make at least 20 two-way PSK31 contacts on the HF amateur bands (160M thru 6M) from the portable site(s). Contacts made while traveling to or from the announced portable site(s) will not be counted towards this requirement unless those locations were defined as part of the APE and are at least 20 miles from the home QTH.
3. Upon completion of the expedition, the applicant must provide in a timely manner a log of stations worked and a short, informal written narrative of the expedition, to be submitted to the APE Award Manager. The narrative should include a site description, equipment used, number and names of personnel participating in the expeditionary party, and any unusual or noteworthy incidents that occurred during the expedition. Some photos from the expedition would be nice, too! These reports will be posted in the Tall Tales section of the PODXS070 Website.
4. To apply for the APE Award, send a written request with the required information (see #3 above) to the APE Award Manager to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
5. Upon review of the log and written narrative by the APE Award Manager, the applicant shall receive an APE Award certificate for their participation.
6. All applications are subject to the approval (or not) of the APE Award Manager. Applications determined inconsistent with the spirit of this award or the philosophy of the Penn-Ohio DX Society (PODXS) Ø7Ø Club may be rejected. The Penn-Ohio DX Society (PODXS) and the Ø7Ø Club reserve the right to waive certain requirements for this award as is deemed necessary.