Introduction To the WORKED ALL STATES Award

When most of us first heard of Amateur Radio, we thought of sitting
at a shortwave radio using a gigantic antenna towering over the
neighborhood chatting with people all over the world and making
new friends. Only after getting your license do you discover the
great deal of work involved in chatting with these new friends.
It's worth all the effort and you find a new respect for all your
fellow amateurs who have made the investment.  If you jump on the
HF shortwave bands, you discovered a great deal about band conditions,
propagation and other terms you only read about in the license manuals.
You communicate with other amateurs and soon discover a goal shared by
amateur radio operators around the United States: to establish contact
with another amateur in each of the fifty states. This is a very common
desire and one that proves your abilities as an amateur radio operator.
Many amateur clubs and groups have created a special  award  for those
operators who can demonstrate the ability to "WORK ALL STATES (W.A.S.).
After you get your shack set up and get on the air, you'll need to keep
track of your contacts and most importantly, exchange QSL cards. The QSL
card is your proof of contact with the other station. You'll need to
send the QSL cards to the club when you apply for your W.A.S. award. The
cards will be returned to you.  Some amateurs are really slow sending
back QSL cards. You should contact at least two amateurs in each state
to insure a QSL card from the state.

A worksheet will be very helpful keeping track of which states you have
worked and what states you still need.   This worksheet should have one
column listing all 50 states with at least two additional columns to
write in the callsign of those stations you've worked.  Additional
columns would be useful for date when QSL cards are received and sent.