{"id":48865,"date":"2021-05-10T18:52:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T22:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=48865"},"modified":"2021-05-10T18:52:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T22:52:46","slug":"2021-w9ims-special-event-station-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/2021-w9ims-special-event-station-details\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 W9IMS Special Event Station Details!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Now Underway: A More Typical W9IMS Special Event<\/b><\/h1>\n

By Brian D. Smith, W9IND<\/b><\/p>\n

The fans are returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, and with them comes a more traditional calendar for special event station W9IMS.<\/p>\n

For hams and SWLs alike, that means a renewed opportunity to earn three newly designed QSL cards and the latest edition of the certificate known as the Checkered Flag Award.<\/p>\n

The first W9IMS special event of 2021, saluting the upcoming IndyCar Grand Prix, is now underway and will continue through Saturday, May 15 (Race Day), ending at midnight Indianapolis time or 0400 UTC Sunday, May 16.<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first of three W9IMS special events this year \u2013 two in May and the third in August \u2013 to commemorate the major auto races at the track. (Last year, because of Covid restrictions, two of the three races were held on the same weekend, and W9IMS followed suit by compressing its usual trio of special events into two.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the remaining W9IMS slate for 2021:<\/b><\/p>\n

May 24-30: Indianapolis 500<\/b><\/p>\n

Aug. 9-15: NASCAR 400 at the Brickyard<\/b><\/p>\n

Each of the three W9IMS events features its own unique QSL card, with the Checkered Flag certificate available to anyone who completes the clean sweep. However, you can still claim a single-event QSL or two even if you fail to bag the trio.<\/p>\n

How to find W9IMS? The station will operate SSB daily on two bands, 20 or 40 meters, generally around 7.245 and 14.245 MHz, and could pop up at any time of day or night until local midnight Sunday. Keep a lookout, too, for digital activity \u2013 particularly FT8 and FT4 \u2013 on virtually any amateur radio band.<\/p>\n

But the surest way to snare the station is this:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Go to the W9IMS web page (www.w9ims.org<\/a>) and find the heading, \u201c2021 Operating Schedule.\u201d Beneath it are links to the operator schedules for this year\u2019s three special events; time slots with a name and a callsign offer your best bet for a W9IMS contact.<\/li>\n
  2. Check DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi<\/a>) for spots that identify the current frequency or frequencies of W9IMS, if any. By typing \u201cW9IMS\u201d in the search box, you can customize it to show reports for only that station.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Remember, you can\u2019t qualify for the 2021 certificate if you don\u2019t catch the first event! So if you haven\u2019t logged W9IMS by Saturday evening, keep in mind that the station traditionally conducts \u201chappy hour\u201d between 11 p.m. and midnight (0300 to 0400 UTC Sunday), with rapid contacts right up to the end. (But don\u2019t stake your certificate on it: W9IMS special events may end early if the calls stop coming and\/or band conditions deteriorate.)<\/p>\n

    For additional details, including QSL information, consult the W9IMS web page.<\/p>\n

    And in answer to the most-asked question: W9IMS operators transmit, usually remotely, from home stations in the Indianapolis area, but neither the ops nor the stations are physically located at the track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Now Underway: A More Typical W9IMS Special Event By Brian D. Smith, W9IND The fans are returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, and with them comes a more traditional calendar for special event station W9IMS. For hams and SWLs alike, that means a renewed opportunity to earn three newly designed QSL cards and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[545,3,43],"tags":[3963,4102,34,6168],"class_list":["post-48865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-brian-smith","tag-ham-radio","tag-shortwave","tag-w9ims"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-cI9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":37020,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/w9ims-new-season-of-indianapolis-motor-speedway-themed-special-events\/","url_meta":{"origin":48865,"position":0},"title":"W9IMS: New season of Indianapolis Motor Speedway-themed special events","author":"Thomas","date":"April 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Brian D. Smith (W9IND) who shares the following W9IMS press release: Amateur radio station W9IMS prepares to unveil a new season of Indianapolis Motor Speedway-themed special events, with three QSL cards and a certificate available to hams and SWLs. DATE: April 24, 2019 Three\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W9IMS-QSL-Card-2018-1024x649.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W9IMS-QSL-Card-2018-1024x649.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W9IMS-QSL-Card-2018-1024x649.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33939,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/today-w9ims-last-special-event-station-of-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":48865,"position":1},"title":"Today: W9IMS last special event station of 2018","author":"Thomas","date":"September 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post contributor, Brian D. Smith (W9IND), who shares the following information about SWL-friendly awards offered by his amateur radio club to commemorate the three major auto races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brian writes: W9IMS: Last special event station of 2018 Amateur radio station W9IMS will conclude\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Current Events"","block_context":{"text":"Current Events","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/current-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/W9IMS-QSL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/W9IMS-QSL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/W9IMS-QSL.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49022,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/indy-500-week-marks-the-second-w9ims-special-event-of-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":48865,"position":2},"title":"Indy 500 Week Marks the Second W9IMS Special Event of 2021","author":"Thomas","date":"May 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Indy 500 Week Marks the Second W9IMS Special Event of 2021 By Brian D. Smith, W9IND If you\u2019re looking to add a 2021 Indy 500 QSL card to your collection, and perhaps a certificate as well, your odds of success just accelerated. From now through the end of Sunday, May\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/w9ims-qsl-2020-e1621895386130.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/w9ims-qsl-2020-e1621895386130.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/w9ims-qsl-2020-e1621895386130.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/w9ims-qsl-2020-e1621895386130.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62820,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/2025-checkered-flag-award-w9ims-grand-prix-special-event-now-underway\/","url_meta":{"origin":48865,"position":3},"title":"2025 Checkered Flag Award: W9IMS Grand Prix Special Event Now Underway","author":"Thomas","date":"May 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Make the Month of May Even Merrier: Earn Your First Credit Toward the 2025 Checkered Flag Award By Brian D. 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Smith, W9IND It\u2019s a late start for auto racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as the amateur radio\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W9IMS-2018-QSL-Card-Indy-e1556280126932.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W9IMS-2018-QSL-Card-Indy-e1556280126932.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W9IMS-2018-QSL-Card-Indy-e1556280126932.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W9IMS-2018-QSL-Card-Indy-e1556280126932.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32007,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/today-w9ims-special-event-honoring-races-at-the-indianapolis-motor-speedway\/","url_meta":{"origin":48865,"position":5},"title":"Today: W9IMS special event honoring races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway","author":"Thomas","date":"May 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post contributor Brian D. 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