Interested in getting out there on the airwaves somewhere in the Hudson Valley to create awareness of maker wireless and amateur radio?  Making our hobby visible is a huge part of defending our wireless spectrum. HVDN:GO Blue attempts to do that.

The Hudson Valley covers 8 different grid square locators. Your mission is to attempt to make radio contact with all of them over one week (168 hour continuous period).  You can use any frequency, any mode and any location to do it, including at home, but it needs to happen somewhere in FN23, FN33, FN22, FN32, FN21, FN32, FN31 and FN30.  Here is a link for the best online tool in grid square boundaries and exploration.

Lets keep this simple, head over to our Facebook page or send us note and share the following details. For contacts to qualify, you must include:

• Who did you contact?
• Where were they?
• What frequency and mode did you use?
• Where were you when you made contact?

Lets put a little contest spin on this to see who can get the highest score possible in one week. Here are the rules:

• Frequency in MHz with up to 4 places past the decimal point used for contact multiplied by 2 if at home, 3 if not.

• Divide the total contact score by 4 if it was true "radio to radio"  communication or;

• Divide it by 6 if there was something in between like a hotspot used to facilitate the contact.

• Multiplier of 10 against total HVDN:GO Blue combined weekly contact score if all contacts were made on the same frequency band and all 8 grids were contacted.

• All participants in HVDN:GO Blue must initiate contact from somewhere in the 8 grids to qualify. 

• A minimum of 4 of the 8 grids must be be contacted to qualify for award status

Of course, HVDN:GO Blue favors the use of the highest frequency possible for maximum points.  We are also NOT discouraging the use of repeaters, hotspots or internet linked communication.  But, you MUST ensure that the same frequency is used for both sides of the contact.

Qualified entries to HVDN:GO Blue activity is awarded monthly, with monthly top scorers announced no later than the 10th of the following month.

Awards and prizes vary, but generally include:

• Gift certificates for Hudson Valley restaurants

• Vendor donated electronic components, merchandise or equipment

• Complimentary membership to HVDN and/or other supporting organizations