Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) – West Virginia

2023 is being celebrated by ARRL as “The Year of the Volunteer.” The first adventure has been announced as a project called “Volunteers On The Air (VOTA).” ARRL members get ‘points’ for each contact they make with another ARRL volunteer or member. So, if two ARRL members contact each other, they will each receive a point for that QSO. No special codes are required, no sequence numbers need to be exchanged, and no section information needs to be passed. Make contact with a fellow ARRL member, and you each receive a point. Both of you must upload the QSO to the Logbook of The World (LoTW) to receive the points. Your points are calculated when the QSO is matched. This could be an FT8, CW, simplex 2M FM, RTTY, or an SSB rag-chew contact.

To add more interest to the year-long operating event and help demonstrate the ARRL volunteer value, each level of volunteer activity has been assigned a point level which is shown in the table below. For example, if you contact the West Virginia Section Manager, you’ll get 175 points for that one contact.

I’m hoping you will be able to get some certificates, or wallpaper, for your efforts. More details on this as they are fleshed out.

So, get your HF gear running, make sure your LoTW connection is working, and see you on the air!

VOTA Program Rules

These rules will be extended or revised, so please return here to check for updates. This operating event starts January 1, 2023, at 0000Z and ends December 31, 2023, at 2359Z. This event is for ARRL members. You can join or renew online at https://arrl.org/join/. All QSOs must be uploaded to the ARRL QSO matching system, Logbook of The World (LoTW). No repeater contacts are allowed. Contacts can not be made on the 12 M, 17 M, 30 M, 60 M, 630 M, or 2190 M bands. All other bands can be used. Contacts can be made on any legal mode of operation. You receive ‘points’ based on the volunteer level of the ARRL member you contact. Points range from 1 point for an ARRL member to 300 points for ARRL President Rick Roderick K5UR. The point levels are listed below. Each QSO will get only one point value. For example, someone who is a member, a life member, and an Assistant Section Manager will be worth the value of the highest role, 35 points, for the ASM role. Stations can contact each other once per band per operating mode: CW, Digital, Voice. So, each operator pair can count up to 3 QSOs on each band, one per mode.

Logbook of The World (LoTW)

The reporting for this VOTA effort will be handled automatically by the ARRL Logbook of The World (LoTD) QSO matching system. If you already log your QSOs from your favorite logging software and it uploads them to LoTW, you will automatically be participating. Your QSOs will be verified normally, and the callsigns of the hams you work will be searched to find the appropriate points (table shown below) that you receive for each QSO.

Setting up Logbook Of The World

If you aren’t set up to use LoTW, now is the time to set it up. The LoTW quick-start page is a great place to start, and the “What is LoTW Document” explains the whole process. You must authenticate yourself with the system by receiving a postcard mailed to your FCC-registered address. The TSQL program is used by your logging program, N3FJPN1MMDX Lab Suite, or something else to authenticate and upload to LoTW.

If you need help setting up your LoTW account, watch some YouTube videos, or contact your Elmer, or a local club.

W1AW/8 Portable Operations

As a part of the Year of the Volunteer celebration, the mystical callsign W1AW will be used portably to the corners of ARRL-land. Members in each state/territory will be asked to operate their stations for two different weeks using the callsign W1AW/x where x is one of the local regions: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, KL, KH0, KH2, KH6, KH7, KH8, KP2, KP3, or KP4. For example, West Virginia’s first week starts June 14, 2023, at 0000z and will run through June 20, 2023, at 2359z, using the callsign W1AW/8. Each state coordinator will approve the time/band/mode slots throughout the week, and hams can operate their stations using W1AW/8. You can schedule your Utah operating time by clicking this link at https://ok.arrl.org/w1awwv/.

Traveling W1AW rules include:

  • Remember that each operator must follow the rules for their license class. Stay in the sub-bands that you’re legally allowed to operate in.
  • Operators can operate from anywhere in the state/territory.
  • Members that contact the portable W1AW stations will receive 5 points for those QSOs.
  • Each band/mode combination can be activated simultaneously. For example, N5OP could be working on 20 M SSB, N5OK could be working on 20 M CW, N5AZQ could be working on 20 M FT8, and N5HZR could be on 40 M SSB, all at the same time.
  • State operations start at 0000z each Wednesday.
  • State operations stop at 2359z the following Tuesday.
  • Operations should not happen on the 12 M, 17 M, 30 M, 60 M, or 2190 M bands.
  • All operation log files for the week must be consolidated into one ADIF file and sent to the state coordinator, to be uploaded to LoTW.

Volunteers Point Value Table

Note: These appointments are for current appointees unless otherwise noted. Eg: Assistant Director (AD) is only for the current Assistant Directors. Past office-holders and appointees are only eligible if the title listed includes the word “Past,” such as “Past Section Manager (PSM).”

Abbreviation Full Position/Title Name Point value
PRES ARRL President 300
PE President Emeritus 275
PP Past President 275
HVP Honorary Vice President 250
VP ARRL Vice President 250
DE Director Emeritus 225
DIR Director 225
PVP Past Vice President 225
VD Vice Director 200
SM Section Manager 175
OFF Staff Officer, Treasurer, Counsel 150
PD Past Director 150
PV Past Vice Director 125
ARRL W1AW ARRL HQ Station 100
CLM ARRL Charter Life Member 100
PSM Past Section Manager 100
DM ARRL HQ Department Manager 75
HQ ARRL HQ Staff Member/Volunteer 50
MAX Maxim Society Member 50
AC CAC/DXAC/ECAC Advisory Members 40
AD Assistant Director 40
ARDF Direction Finding Coordinator 35
ASM Assistant Section Manager 35
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility Committee 35
LOTW Logbook of the World Committee 35
PRC Public Relations Committee 35
RF RF Safety Committee 35
YC Youth Committee 35
ACC Affiliated Club Coordinator 30
DEC District Emergency Coordinator 30
NCJ NCJ Editor 30
PIC Public Information Coordinator 30
QST QST Columnist 30
SEC Section Emergency Coordinator 30
SGL State Government Liaison 30
STM Section Traffic Manager 30
SYC Section Youth Coordinator 30
TC Technical Coordinator 30
DC Diamond Club Member 25
LAB W1INF Lab Museum Operations 25
LC W1HQ HQ Operations 25
CM Contest Managers/Log Checkers 20
QSM Incoming QSL Bureau Manager 20
VC Volunteer Counsel 15
VCE Volunteer Consulting Engineer 15
ADC Area Digital Coordinators 12
ADEC Assistant District Emergency Coordinator 12
ANM Area Net Manager 12
ASEC Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator 12
ASTM Assistant Section Traffic Manager 12
BM Bulletin Manager 12
EC Emergency Coordinator 12
LGL Local Government Liaison 12
OBS Official Bulletin Station 12
OES Official Emergency Station 12
ORS Official Relay Station 12
PIO Public Information Officer 12
RNM Region Net Manager 12
TCC Transcontinental Corps Directors 12
TS Technical Specialist 12
TA Technical Advisor 10
NM Net Manager 7
AM Awards Manager 5
CC Card Checker 5
INST Registered Instructor 5
State Abbrev W1AW/x around the USA (work each state twice) 5
VE Volunteer Examiner 5
QSL Incoming QSL Bureau Sorters 3
LM ARRL Life Member 2
AFF ARRL Affiliated Club Call Sign 1
MEM ARRL Member 1

West Virginia Volunteers

Code First Name Last Name Call
EC William Ostaff AB8CR
DEC William Ostaff AB8CR
EC Maurice Brown AB8E
PIO Chad Ward K8CMW
ORS Jon Burchfield K8FAM
OES Jon Burchfield K8FAM
EC Kevin Dalton K8KDD
PIO Mary ‘Mig’ Crowe K8MIG
LGL Dan Ringer K8WV
ASM Dan Ringer K8WV
SM Dan Ringer K8WV
OES Rosalene Victor K8YL
TS Richard Clemens KB8AOB
OES James Perry KB8LSR
OES I Borstein KB8VDA
EC Paul Whited KB8YZT
DEC Christopher Hatcher KC8AFH
ORS Robert Hicks KC8CR
EC Patrick Schaffner KC8CSE
EC John Gorby KC8FZH
EC Dave Sypolt KC8YSO
EC James Seckel KC8YUI
EC Scott Greenwalt KD8AZC
LGL David Kinison KD8EXD
OES David Kinison KD8EXD
NM Randy Goff KD8G
EC Jeffery Adkins KD8LRZ
EC Edward Caplinger KD8MIB
EC Mark Sweitzer KD8MIV
ASM Michael DeHaan KD8ZMV
EC Brian Bircher KE8AZF
PIO Harley Justice KE8BEE
EC Tristan Morgan KE8ENC
EC Charles Martin KF4TNX
OBS Harold Tate N8FXH
OES Lowell Steele N8HGL
ORS Thomas Jones N8NMA
EC Donald Williams N8NUS
EC Edward Messenger N8OYY
SEC Edward Messenger N8OYY
TS Randy Crowe N8OZY
EC Rodney Rockwell N8RAT
OES James Damron N8TMW
EC Mark Phillips N8UVQ
LGL Maurice Brown N8VA
ORS Frederick Beihold NV1N
ASM Charles Kraham W8CMK
ORS Bruce Stewart W8CPG
NM Bruce Stewart W8CPG
OES Bruce Stewart W8CPG
EC Larry Wrenn W8LDX
EC Steve Mealey W8OO
DEC Steve Mealey W8OO
EC Michael Maxson W8SI
ASM Michael Maxson W8SI
OES Morris McMillian W8XF
NM Dennis Bombardiere W8YS
OES Lloyd Robinson W8ZT
PIO Walter Pyne WA3EOP
OBS Walter Pyne WA3EOP
ASEC Kenneth Harris WA8LLM
EC Kenneth Harris WA8LLM
DEC Kenneth Harris WA8LLM
ORS Donald Brennan WB8KPE
EC Charles Dotson WB8NSL
DEC Charles Herr WD8AGH
ORS David Snyder WD8CW
LGL Dirk Burnside WD8PAD
EC Dirk Burnside WD8PAD
DEC Dirk Burnside WD8PAD
EC Wayne Mc Bride WF8WF
EC James Miller WS8L
ACC Spencer Graham WT8WV
OES Bobby Lucas WV8BL
ORS Bobby Lucas WV8BL
EC Quentin Sayers WV8BS
DEC Quentin Sayers WV8BS
OES James Stephenson WV8JS
STM Kenneth Caplinger WV8KDC
ADEC Kenneth Caplinger WV8KDC
EC Keith Johnson WV8KJ
EC Matthew Gregg WV8MAT
SGL Nathaniel Burdette WV8NAB
EC Ronnie Lefler WV8T
SYC William Howard WV8WH
EC Willlard Wright WV8WW
DEC Willlard Wright WV8WW