Monday, September 28, 2015

The World’s Most Unusual DX Contest


The time has come, the event you are waiting for has arrived!  The new month of October is the official period for our big 2015 Wavescan DX contest.  This year, we invite you to participate in “The World’s Most Unusual DX Contest”, and this time you may design your own contest details.  Read on for this years requirements.

AWARDS

* The awards for the 2015 AWR “The World’s Most Unusual DX Contest” will be similar to all previous contests, with the addition of several extra awards.
* Every entry will receive a full size copy of two historic American mediumwave QSL cards dating back to the early 1920s.
*  Four entries will receive a special numbered QSL card featuring Thomas Kincade art in color showing twin radio towers, the only Kincade painting that depicts a radio station.
* All AWR reception reports will be verified with specially endorsed AWR QSL cards, and two new cards are now available.
* Additional AWR souvenirs, radio curios, Christmas Card, AWR Magazine and small keepsakes.
* One entry from Australia and New Zealand will receive a copy of the new 5th edition of Dr. Bruce Carty’s remarkable and readable book “Australian Radio History”.  This large format volume, in full color throughout, presents almost 100 pages of fascinating information about every known medium wave station that ever took to the air in Australia during the past almost 100 years, beginning in 1918.
* Each continental winner will receive a copy of the 2016 edition of the World Radio TV Handbook.
* The World Winner will receive a copy of one of Jerome Berg’s remarkable shortwave radio history books.  The winner may choose which of the four thick volumes he would like to receive.

The World’s Most Unusual DX Contest  The World’s Most Unusual DX Contest

A. The World’s Most Unusual DX Contest: Description
You are invited to design your own DX contest in any way and in any form you consider is best.  Your self-designed DX contest may be based upon any aspect of radio associated in some way with shortwave or mediumwave broadcasting, such as for example: Listening, monitoring, collecting QSLs, programming, script writing, radio history, current radio events, radio in the future, large radio stations, little radio stations, rare stations, distant stations, local stations, silent stations, visiting radio stations, radio magazines, radio receivers, personal radio memories, recording for broadcast, etc, etc.
* Your self-designed DX contest may be in any form you desire, and it may be ambitious and complicated, or it may be simple and quite easy, in whatever way you consider is most appropriate.
* You should then describe in a paragraph or two, the details of your own self-designed QSL contest.
* Not valid for this contest are amateur nor CB radio stations.

B. World’s Most Unusual DX Contest: Fulfillment
* Please demonstrate the way you have fulfilled the requirements for your own self-designed DX contest, in a brief paragraph or two.

C. Your Best QSL Since the 2014 DX Contest
* What is the best QSL that you have received since the 2014 DX contest?  Please provide details and a photocopy, in color if possible.

D. AWR Reception Reports

* You are invited to prepare three reception reports for the broadcast on shortwave, mediumwave or FM of any AWR programming in any part of the world. You may choose the international shortwave programing from Adventist World Radio, via KSDA Guam; or any of the shortwave relay stations that carry AWR programming; or any of the 1700 local medium wave or FM stations in any part of the world that are affiliated with Adventist World Radio.
* Please do not send a recording of your reception; we just need your honest reception report on paper.  All reception reports will be verified with our two new QSL cards, and a special contest endorsement will be shown on each card.

E. Three Radio Cards
* Where possible, you are invited to include three radio cards for the Indianapolis Heritage Collection with your contest entry. These cards may be old or new, and they may be QSL cards, reception report cards, or picture cards of radio stations, etc.  Not valid for this contest are amateur cards nor CB radio cards.

Other Contest Details
* Well, there you have it, the details for our Wavescan 2015 “World’s Most Unusual DX Contest”.  This contest will run through the month of October 2015, and all contest entries should be postmarked at your local post office anywhere in the world on any date up to the end of the month of October 2015 and they should be received at the AWR post office address in Indianapolis no later than the end of the month of November 2015.
* Post your entry with all items to Adventist World Radio in Indianapolis, remembering that neatness and preparation, will all feature in the judging procedure.  Due consideration will also be given to the area of the world in which the contestant lives.
* Where possible, please enclose return postage in the form of currency notes in any international currency, or mint postage stamps.  Please note that IRC coupons are too expensive for you to buy, and they are no longer valid in the United States.
* Please enclose your postal address label also.
* Please remember that it will take a period of many months, well into the new year 2016, to process all of the contest entries and reception reports, but each will in due course be processed.

The only address for the “World’s Most Unusual DX Contest” is:

World’s Most Unusual DX Contest
Adventist World Radio
Box 29235
Indianapolis , Indiana 46229 USA

AWR DX Programs
Ever since Adventist World Radio was inaugurated way back more than 40 years ago, listeners in many countries on all continents have looked forward to participating in the annual DX contest.  Our historical records show that the first listener contest was conducted by the fledgling new AWR-Europe way back during the year 1972, just a few months after the official inauguration on October 1, 1971.
The longest series of annual DX contests began under the original Adventist World Radio in Asia, AWR-Asia in Poona India, and these were introduced just a few years later in 1977.  The first world winner in the annual contest in association with the original AWR DX program “Radio Monitors International” RMI was Victor Goonetilleke, the well known international radio monitor living in Colombo Sri Lanka.  Since then, this well established AWR DX program has transmigrated from Asia to the United States, and the name likewise has evolved into a new name, the now familiar “Wavescan”.
Throughout all of these intervening years, the annual winner’s list contains the names of well known international radio monitors living on all continents.  In addition, the long roster of regional winners over the years includes a host of names, international radio monitors living in up to a hundred different countries.  Any and all entrants have an equal possibility of winning one of the many awards that are available each year.
In fact, every entry in this year’s very unusual DX contest will be awarded a full size photocopy of two very early mediumwave QSL cards, dating way back to the very beginning of radio broadcasting in the United States.  In addition, four entrants will receive a very special QSL card; the QSL text will be attached to the only picture painted by the noted American artist Thomas Kincade that shows a radio antenna.  Other awards will include the World Radio TV Handbook for 2016; one of Jerome Berg’s full volumes on the international history of shortwave radio; a copy of Dr. Bruce Carty’s colorful new volume, “Australian Radio History”.
As Adventist World Radio enters into its 44th year of international radio broadcasting, we take pleasure in announcing our annual “Wavescan” DX contest, which comes to you under the title, “The World’s Most Unusual DX Contest”.  In short, you are invited to design your own DX contest in whatever way you consider is best.
(Adrian Peterson/23 Sept)