Tag Archives: W9IMS

Winning with flare: An easier path to the W9IMS Checkered Flag Award

By Brian D. Smith

NASCAR comes to Indy this Sunday, which means that from now until then, you have a chance to snare the third and final QSL card in the 2024 set of amateur radio station W9IMS. Better yet, you can earn this year’s Checkered Flag Award with less effort than usual, thanks to the unforeseen effects of a mischievous sun.

Back in early May, the W9IMS crew staged their first special event of the year, commemorating the IndyCar Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But a series of solar flares spoiled the party, making it difficult for many stations to connect with W9IMS.

Since the usual requirement of the Checkered Flag Award is to work or tune in all three W9IMS special events in a given year, the uncharacteristically low number of Grand Prix contacts seemed destined to result in an uncharacteristically low number of certificate recipients.

So club officers changed the rules. This year, you can qualify for the award with credits for any two of the three special events: the Grand Prix and Indy 500 in May, and the upcoming NASCAR 400 at the Brickyard.

Of course, it’s best to bag all the events and claim the trio of ’24 QSL cards along with the certificate. But for anyone who went 1-for-2 in May, the coming week is your last opportunity to add more W9IMS wallpaper to your shack. The station will be on the air through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 21 (Indianapolis time)/0359 UTC Monday, July 22.

W9IMS operates primarily on 20 and 40 meters, but occasionally adds 80 meters later in the week (and occasionally 2 meters on Race Day for locals and fans in the stands at the Speedway). Preferred frequencies are 14.245 and 7.245 SSB, plus or minus QRM.

A few tips on locating W9IMS:

Check DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi) for spots listing the current frequency or frequencies of W9IMS. You can customize your search by typing “W9IMS” in the box at upper right.
Go to the W9IMS web page (www.w9ims.org) and look for the heading, “2024 Operating Schedule.” Click on the “NASCAR 400 at the Brickyard” link, which opens into a weeklong schedule of individual operators and their reserved time slots. Although operators frequently get on the air at unscheduled times, your odds of catching the station improve significantly during hours with a listed op.
Prime time for weeknight operations is 6 to 10 p.m. in Indy (2200-0200 UTC). That’s also your most likely shot at finding W9IMS active on two bands. However, it’s not unusual for operators to continue till midnight or later if band conditions allow.
Remember that the published schedule can be shortened by adverse circumstances, such as local thunderstorms, a lack of calling stations and, as we discovered in May, solar flares! Don’t wait till the final hour to look for W9IMS.
But if you still haven’t worked W9IMS by the final weekend, don’t give up too soon. Toward the end of the special event, W9IMS ops often call for “only stations that haven’t worked us this week” and/or switch to contest-style operations, exchanging only signal reports to put more calls in the log.
Keep in mind that both hams and SWLs are eligible for QSL cards and the certificate. So if your ham station isn’t able to work W9IMS by Sunday night, you can create an SWL report by copying down details of successful contacts – such as date, frequency, UTC, and the callsigns of several stations you heard W9IMS working. SWL reports count as credits too, although the certificate may feature your name instead of your call.

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Still time to earn an Indy 500 Special Event Certificate!

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Indy 500 Special Event Station: You Can Still Earn a Certificate!

by Brian D. Smith, W9IND

Not every Indianapolis 500 goes the full distance. Seven of the 107 races run since 1911 have been shortened by rain, notably the 1976 event that covered only 255 miles.
In the same spirit, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Amateur Radio Club has decided to amend its usual policy of awarding a certificate only to those who work or tune in W9IMS during all three of the year’s special events. For 2024 only, contacts with two separate W9IMS special events – and that includes reception reports – will be sufficient to qualify for the Checkered Flag Award.

Extenuating circumstances prompted the decision for the revision. The first special event of the year, commemorating the IndyCar Grand Prix, took place May 5-11, but that was also the week of the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades. The hyperactive sun zapped HF amateur radio frequencies, often making it difficult to even hear, let alone work W9IMS.

So if you missed W9IMS during the first race of 2024, for whatever reason, you now have a second chance at a certificate if you act fast. Catch W9IMS between now and the end of Race Day – 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 26 (Indy time) or 0359 UTC Monday, May 27 – then repeat the feat during the Brickyard 200 NASCAR race during the week of July 15-21, and you’ll meet the new award criteria.

Of course, if you managed to bag W9IMS two weeks ago, you can clinch the Checkered Flag Award in the coming days. But you’ll still probably want to chase a Brickyard 200 contact in July, since W9IMS is offering unique and collectible QSL cards for each special event of 2024.

Tips on finding W9IMS:
Check DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi) for spots listing the current frequency or frequencies of W9IMS. You can customize your search by typing “W9IMS” in the box at upper right.

Go to the W9IMS web page (www.w9ims.org) and look for the heading, “2024 Operating Schedule.” Click on the Indianapolis 500 link, which opens into a weeklong schedule of individual operators and their reserved time slots. Although operators frequently get on the air at unscheduled times, your odds of snaring the station improve significantly during hours with a listed op.

Prime time for weeknight operations is 6 to 10 p.m. in Indy (2200-0200 UTC) and sometimes at least 2 hours longer. That’s also your most likely shot at finding W9IMS activate on two bands – typically 20 and 40 meters. Preferred frequencies are 14.245 and 7.245 MHz, often varying by several kHz due to QRM. Other bands (especially 80 and 15 meters) are possible but rare.
Remember that the published schedule can be shortened by adverse circumstances, such as local thunderstorms, a lack of calling stations and, as we discovered earlier this month, solar flares! Don’t wait till the final hour to look for W9IMS.

But if you still haven’t worked W9IMS by Sunday night, you may find it more advantageous for stations like yours. Toward the end of the special event, W9IMS ops often call for “only stations that haven’t worked us this week” or switch to contest-style operations, exchanging only signal reports to put more contacts in the log.

Keep in mind that both hams and SWLs are eligible for QSL cards and the certificate. So if your ham station isn’t able to work the station by Sunday night, you can create an SWL report by copying down details of other W9IMS contacts – such as date, frequency, UTC, and a few of the stations you heard W9IMS working. SWL reports count as credits too, although the certificate may not feature your callsign.

The current weather forecast calls for thunderstorms on Sunday (Race Day). If the race is postponed, W9IMS will likely extend its operation through the new Race Day.

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W9IMS: 2024 Checkered Flag Award!

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2024 Checkered Flag Award: Time to Get Racy!

By Brian D. Smith, W9IND

You can’t go 3 for 3 if you haven’t gone 1 for 1. And if you want to add the 2024 Checkered Flag Award to your collection, you’ll have to bag the first W9IMS special event of the year sometime between now and 11:59 p.m. Saturday (Eastern Time)/0359 Sunday UTC.

Besides the currently running IndyCar Grand Prix event, hams and SWLs will need to work or tune in W9IMS two more times this year to take the Checkered Flag. After this week, W9IMS will return to the airwaves for the Indianapolis 500 (May 20-26) and the NASCAR 200 at the Brickyard (July 15-21).

The prime time to find W9IMS is from 6 to 10 p.m. Eastern (2200-0200 UTC) on weekdays, sometimes extending to midnight (0400 GMT), and the prime bands are 40 and 20 meters (generally around 7.245 and 14.245 MHz). However, frequencies can change as a result of QRM and other factors.

You can save time by checking W9IMS spots, which are posted frequently on DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi).

Also, while W9IMS can appear at any time of day before the final signoff on Saturday night, you’ll have a better chance of finding the station by going to the W9IMS QRZ page (www.w9ims.com) and clicking the Grand Prix link under the heading “2024 Operating Schedule” – which displays the shifts that operators have already signed up for. The same page contains answers to a great many questions pertaining to the W9IMS QSL cards and certificate.

If you still haven’t worked W9IMS by Saturday, remember that at the end of the week, operators often start requesting calls only from stations that haven’t yet worked the current special event.

Another tip is to hang around for happy hour – the last blast on Race Day (May 11 for the 2024 Grand Prix) – which usually starts around 11 p.m. Indy time (0300 UTC). That’s when W9IMS ops traditionally switch to contest-style QSOs and exchange only signal reports so they can put as many stations in the logs as possible. But keep in mind that W9IMS special events can also end early if the station encounters sparse QSOs or adverse solar or weather conditions.

If you just can’t complete a QSO, you can always create an SWL report by copying down details of other W9IMS contacts – including frequency, UTC, and a few of the stations you heard W9IMS working. This can count as a credit for a Grand Prix QSL card and/or one of three credits toward a certificate. SWL certificates feature names instead of callsigns, but are otherwise indistinguishable from awards issued to amateur radio operators.

Whether or not you catch all three W9IMS events in 2024, you’ll qualify for a new and unique QSL card for each race that you log. But why not try for the trifecta? Stay on your toes, though – the Indy 500 special event begins only 9 days after the end of the Grand Prix!

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How to Earn the W9IMS 2023 Checkered Flag Award

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Once, Twice, Three Times a QSO: How to Earn the W9IMS 2023 Checkered Flag Award

By Brian D. Smith

Two out of three ain’t bad, proclaims the late ’70s classic rock song. But three out of three gets you the Checkered Flag Award from W9IMS.

That’s another way of reminding you that the third Indianapolis Motor Speedway special event of 2023, honoring NASCAR’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, will take to the amateur radio airwaves starting at midnight Indy time (0400 UTC) on Monday, August 7, and ending at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 (0359 Monday, August 14 UTC).

Those who chalked up contacts or receptions during both of the first two special events in May – commemorating the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 – now have the opportunity to complete the clean sweep and qualify for the colorful Checkered Flag certificate.

But even if you’re just getting up to speed on the Speedway special event, or have caught only one of the two special events so far, you’re still in the running – not for a Checkered Flag Award (that’ll have to wait till 2024), but for one or more of the three collectible QSL cards that commemorate the individual races.

How to find W9IMS? The station operates primarily on 20 and 40 meters, but sometimes adds 80 meters later in the week (and occasionally 2 meters on Race Day for locals and fans in the stands at the Speedway). Preferred frequencies are 14.245 and 7.245 SSB, plus or minus QRM.

And the following suggestion will enhance your chances of putting W9IMS in your log:

Check DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi) for spots listing the current frequency or frequencies of W9IMS, if any. By typing “W9IMS” in the search box at upper right, you can customize it to show reports for only Indianapolis Motor Speedway special events. Naturally, you’ll be interested in only the ones from August 2023.

Follow this link to the W9IMS web page (www.w9ims.org) and look for the heading, “2023 Operating Schedule.” Click on the NASCAR 200 link, which opens into a weeklong schedule listing individual operators and their reserved timeslots. Your odds of catching W9IMS on the air improve significantly during these hours.

Prime operating time on weeknights is 6 to 10 p.m. Indy time (2200-0200 UTC). However, W9IMS can appear anytime, even on two bands at once, between 0400 Monday, August 7, and 0359 Sunday, August 13.

Operators often get on the air at unscheduled times. That’s why DX Summit is your best bet for locating W9IMS’s current frequency (or frequencies).

If you plan on applying for the 2023 Checkered Flag Award, remember that the three required W9IMS special event QSOs (or reception reports) must come from all of the year’s three races – the Grand Prix, the 500 and the Brickyard. Making three contacts during the coming week still earns you the colorful Brickyard QSL card, but no extra credits toward the certificate.

Remember that the published schedule can be shortened by adverse circumstances, such as noisy band conditions, local thunderstorms or a lack of calling stations. Don’t wait till the final day and hour to chase W9IMS!

If you want to get off to the earliest possible start, keep an ear on 20 meters at midnight Monday (Indy time) and listen for a YL operator. Cathy Harris, W9QKR, is slated to kick off the festivities from 12-2 a.m. (0400-0600 UTC).

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W9IMS: Indy 500 Special Event Details

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Indy 500 Special Event: The Greatest Spectacle in Radio!

By Brian D. Smith, W9IND

Like the race cars that made Indy famous, your opportunity for another W9IMS QSL card is coming around again. This time it’s the venerable Indianapolis 500 that will take center stage from now through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 28 (0359 UTC Monday, May 29).

This is the second of three special events conducted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Amateur Radio Club in 2023, and if you managed to catch W9IMS during the first race – the IndyCar Grand Prix – you’re still on track to earn a 2023 Checkered Flag Award. The colorful certificate is presented to any ham or SWL who snares all three W9IMS special events in a given year.

Regardless of whether you can still take the Checkered Flag, you’re eligible for a special QSL card with every race. Both the cards and the certificate feature new images each year.

Tips on finding W9IMS:

Check DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi) for spots listing the current frequency or frequencies of W9IMS. You can customize your search by typing “W9IMS” in the box at upper right.
Go to the W9IMS web page (www.w9ims.org) and look for the heading, “2023 Operating Schedule.” Click on the Indianapolis 500 link, which opens into a weeklong schedule of individual operators and their reserved time slots. Although operators often get on the air at unscheduled times, your odds of bagging the station improve significantly during hours with a listed op.
Prime operating time on weeknights is 6 to 10 p.m. Indy time (2200-0200 UTC). That’s also your most likely shot at finding W9IMS activate on two bands – generally 20 and 40 meters. Preferred frequencies are 14.245 and 7.245 MHz, but it’s possible that the station will move to other bands if propagation warrants.
Remember that the published schedule could be shortened by adverse circumstances, such as noisy band conditions, local thunderstorms or a lack of calling stations. Don’t wait till the final hour to look for W9IMS!
If you work W9IMS for the first two races, keep in mind that the third and final race of the year – the NASCAR 200 at the Brickyard – doesn’t take place until Aug. 7-13. But it’s worth the wait!

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2023 W9IMS Special Event Station Details!

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W9IMS Accelerates into Another Special Event Season – with a Chance for an Indy Racing Certificate

By Brian D. Smith

It’s back to the track for collectors of W9IMS cards and certificates.

The first of this year’s three special events tied to the major races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will begin at midnight Eastern Time (0400 UTC) this Sunday, May 7, and continue through 11:59 p.m. (0359 UTC) the following Saturday, May 13.

And for hams and SWLs, your chance for a 2023 Checkered Flag Award begins – and could end – with it. To earn the certificate, you’ll need to contact or tune in W9IMS during all three special events this year: the Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 (May 22-28) and the NASCAR 200 at the Brickyard (August 7-13).

Catch W9IMS during Grand Prix week and you’re one-third of the way to Victory Lane. Miss it and you’ll have to wait till 2024 for another shot at the certificate.

So when and where do you find W9IMS? Any time of the day or night is possible, but prime time is from 6 to 10 p.m. (2200-0200 UTC) weekdays, and the prime bands are 40 and 20 meters (generally around 7.245 and 14.245 MHz). And this year, improved solar conditions could prompt a rare move to 15 and 10 meters, likely around 21.350 or 28.340 MHz.

The choice of frequencies will be gametime decisions based on a variety of factors, including QRM, band openings and the number of calling stations. So your surest move is to check W9IMS spots, which are frequently posted on DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi).

While some on-air times are unscheduled, you can also increase your odds by going to the W9IMS QRZ page (www.w9ims.com) and clicking the Grand Prix link under the heading “2023 Operating Schedule” – which displays the shifts that operators have already signed up for.

If time is running short, listen for happy hour – the last blast on Race Day (May 13 for the Grand Prix), usually starting at 11 p.m. Indy time (0300 UTC). That’s when W9IMS ops traditionally switch to contest-style QSOs and exchange only signal reports so they can work as many stations as possible. But remember that W9IMS special events can end early if the station encounters sparse QSOs or adverse solar or weather conditions.

Should you manage to bag W9IMS, don’t celebrate for too long: The Indianapolis 500 special event begins on May 22, only 9 days after the end of Grand Prix week. Then comes the longer wait till the NASCAR race in August.

You’ll qualify for a new and unique QSL card for each W9IMS event you log, regardless of whether you snare all three in ’23. But why not complete the set and nab the certificate – starting with the first race this coming week?

Hams and SWLs alike are eligible for any and all W9IMS cards and certificates; you can even QSL via the bureau. And if you forgot to send in your information from a previous year, it’s still possible to obtain nearly all of the previous cards and certificates. Consult the W9IMS QRZ page for full details.

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W9IMS: From the Speedway to Your Wall

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From the Speedway to Your Wall: Taking the W9IMS Checkered Flag

By Brian D. Smith, W9IND

The Checkered Flag is in sight – for hams and SWLs who’ve completed two-thirds of the chase for the annual W9IMS certificate. And for those who haven’t, there’s still a special QSL card awaiting all who snare the final contact during the coming week.

As its initials imply, W9IMS stages special events in honor of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s three major races. The third and final operation of 2022 – commemorating the NASCAR 200 at the Brickyard – will activate between the hours of midnight Indy time (0400 UTC) Monday, July 25, and midnight Sunday, July 31 (0400 UTC Tuesday, August 1).

Earning the 2022 Checkered Flag Award depends on working or tuning in each of the three special events. Since the first two races (the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500) ran in May, it’s obviously too late to claim the clean sweep.

However, W9IMS also issues collectible QSL cards for the three individual races, so there’s still time to get a piece of the action.

Where to start? Well, W9IMS favors 20 and 40 meters, sometimes adding 80 meters later in the week (not to mention 2 meters on Race Day for locals and fans in the stands at the Speedway). Preferred frequencies are 14.245 and 7.245 SSB, plus or minus QRM.

But rather than spin the dial, try scanning the following tips for finding W9IMS on the air:

Check DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi) for spots listing the current frequency or frequencies of W9IMS, if any. By typing “W9IMS” in the search box at upper right, you can customize it to show reports for only Indianapolis Motor Speedway special events. Naturally, you’ll be interested in only the ones from July 2022.
Go to the W9IMS web page (www.w9ims.org) and look for the heading, “2022 Operating Schedule.” Click on the NASCAR 200 link, which opens into a weeklong schedule listing individual operators and their reserved time slots. Your odds of catching W9IMS on the air improve significantly during these hours.
Prime operating time on weeknights is 6 to 10 p.m. Indy time (2200-0200 UTC). However, W9IMS can appear anytime, even on two bands at once, between 0400 Monday, July 25, and 0400 Sunday, July 31.
Remember that the published schedule can be shortened by adverse circumstances, such as noisy band conditions, local thunderstorms or a lack of calling stations. Don’t wait till the final hour to chase W9IMS!
Operators often get on the air at unscheduled times. That’s why DX Summit is your best bet for locating W9IMS’s current spot(s).
If you plan on going for the 2023 Checkered Flag Award, remember that the three required W9IMS special event QSOs (or reception reports) must come from each of the year’s three races – the Grand Prix, the 500 and the Brickyard. Making three contacts during the coming week still earns you the colorful Brickyard QSL card, but no extra credits toward the 2022 certificate.

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