{"id":52823,"date":"2022-05-25T22:11:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T02:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=52823"},"modified":"2022-05-25T22:12:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T02:12:14","slug":"w9ims-a-radio-run-at-the-indy-500","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/05\/w9ims-a-radio-run-at-the-indy-500\/","title":{"rendered":"W9IMS: A Radio Run at the Indy 500"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

W9IMS: A Radio Run at the Indy 500<\/h1>\n

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

You can\u2019t win the Indianapolis 500 until they wave the checkered flag \u2013 and you can\u2019t win a W9IMS Checkered Flag Award unless you contact the Indy 500 special event.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll have that opportunity from now through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 29 in Indianapolis (0359 UTC Monday, May 30) as W9IMS fires up daily on 20 and 40 meters SSB. usually on or around 7.245 and 14.245 MHz.<\/p>\n

The Indy 500 special event is the second of three W9IMS operations commemorating the major auto races at the Speedway. The first event of 2022, which ended May 14, honored the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and the third will run from July 25-31, during the week preceding the NASCAR Brickyard 200.<\/p>\n

Both hams and SWLs are eligible for the Checkered Flag certificate and the three individual QSL cards, all of which boast new designs for 2022. To earn the certificate, however, you must work (or tune in) W9IMS during all three of this year\u2019s special events \u2013 and it\u2019s too late to catch the first race. But even if you miss the trifecta, you can still claim collectible QSLs from the other races.<\/p>\n

Tips on finding W9IMS:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Check DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi<\/b><\/a>) for spots listing the current frequency or frequencies of W9IMS, if any. By typing \u201cW9IMS\u201d in the search box at upper right, you can customize it to show reports for only Indianapolis Motor Speedway special events.<\/li>\n
  2. Go to the W9IMS web page (www.w9ims.org<\/b><\/a>) and look for the heading, \u201c2022 Operating Schedule.\u201d Click on the Indianapolis 500 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.<\/li>\n
  3. 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 now and 0400 UTC Monday, May 30.<\/li>\n
  4. 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\u2019t wait till the final hour to chase W9IMS!<\/li>\n
  5. Operators often get on the air at unscheduled times. That\u2019s why DX Summit is your best bet for locating W9IMS\u2019s current spot(s).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    W9IMS: A Radio Run at the Indy 500 By Brian D. Smith, W9IND You can\u2019t win the Indianapolis 500 until they wave the checkered flag \u2013 and you can\u2019t win a W9IMS Checkered Flag Award unless you contact the Indy 500 special event. You\u2019ll have that opportunity from now through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 29 […]<\/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":[545,3,894,43],"tags":[3963,4102,248,899,34,6168],"class_list":["post-52823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","category-news","category-qsl-gallery","category-shortwave-radio","tag-brian-smith","tag-ham-radio","tag-qsl","tag-qsl-cards","tag-shortwave","tag-w9ims"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-dJZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49022,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/indy-500-week-marks-the-second-w9ims-special-event-of-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":52823,"position":0},"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":56923,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/05\/w9ims-indy-500-special-event-details\/","url_meta":{"origin":52823,"position":1},"title":"W9IMS: Indy 500 Special Event Details","author":"Thomas","date":"May 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Indy 500 Special Event: The Greatest Spectacle in Radio!\u00a0 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\u2019s the venerable Indianapolis 500 that will take center stage from now through 11:59 p.m.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2022-GP-Front-W9IMS.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2022-GP-Front-W9IMS.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2022-GP-Front-W9IMS.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2022-GP-Front-W9IMS.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2022-GP-Front-W9IMS.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2022-GP-Front-W9IMS.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52667,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/05\/2022-w9ims-special-event-station-details\/","url_meta":{"origin":52823,"position":2},"title":"2022 W9IMS Special Event Station Details!","author":"Thomas","date":"May 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"W9IMS Special Event No. 1:\u00a0The 2022 Certificate Chase Begins By Brian D. Smith, W9IND A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, as the proverb goes, and the road to a 2022 W9IMS Checkered Flag Award begins with a single QSO \u2013 or a single SWL reception.\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\/2022\/05\/2021-Indy-500-Front-QSL.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2021-Indy-500-Front-QSL.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2021-Indy-500-Front-QSL.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2021-Indy-500-Front-QSL.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2021-Indy-500-Front-QSL.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62995,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/memorial-day-weekend-last-chance-to-snare-the-indy-500-special-event-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":52823,"position":3},"title":"Memorial Day Weekend: Last Chance to Snare the Indy 500 Special Event Station","author":"Thomas","date":"May 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Brian D. 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