| There have been a few questions about the awards... Hopefully the answers below to some of these questions will clarify the situation - I will try to re-write the paragraphs in the Award details that are causing confusion!
What Scout details need to be exchanged?
The idea of the award is for people to meet other Scouts - so the idea of exchanging Scout details is to start a discussion - the details may include the Scout Group you are with, the role you have in Scouting (whether you are a Scout, a Leader, a member of the Fellowship)... it might also include details of a recent camp... There are no set rules about what that detail must contain.
When is a station a Scout station?
If you a member of the Scout Movement, then you are a Scout amateur radio station! You do not have to be taking part in a Scouting activity when you are operating to count for the award... If your Scout Group has it's own club radio station, then this is also a 'Scout station' - even if the operator is not a Scout!! (In this case, you are working the club, not the operator...) If the operator of the Club call is a Scout, you can work him under his own callsign for another point! Normal Scout club stations only count for one point!!
Also - please see the next question about Special Event Stations...
When is a station a 'Special Event Station'?
If you have a club station that meets quite often (perhaps once a month) then this counts as a normal Scout station (1 point). However if your Scout Group run a station for an event (a camp, a Scout celebration or JOTA etc) then this counts as a 'Special Event Station' (2 points!). In the UK, SES are normally identified by the 'GB' or 'GX' prefix to the callsign - in Holland JOTA SES are identified by the '/J' suffix. Special stations are not limited to having special calls, but must be more than just a club station on a normal night.
Is the Award open to listeners?
Yes on exactly the same terms as the operator's
award. If you receive a QSL from a SWL that shows he is a Scout, you can count that SWL as one point!
Is the Award open to non-Scouts?
Definitely! In some ways it's aimed at non-Scouts to help publicise Scouting. But obviously Scouts are most likely to try and achieve the award. You've changed the 5 points rule... What's that all about?
The 5 points are awarded for contacting very special Scout stations. Originally this was intended just to be Gilwell Park, the World Jamboree and Brownsea Island, but it was pointed out to me that stations around the world might not be able to contact these stations. As many countries are running their own Centenary stations, I've decided to allow these 'national' stations to be counted for 5 points each. Examples of these stations include BP100S from Taiwan, 8J1S from Japan and EI100S from Ireland. There are going to be many more - if you are not sure about a station counting for 5 points, email me and I will let you know if it counts or not.
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