Beginning on October 1st, 2026 the GERATOL Net is proud to announce the creation of a new and challenging award, called the APPALACHIAN TRAIL CHALLENGE. To complete this new award you must work Ham Radio stations in each of the 14 states through which, the Appalachian Trail passes.
The trail begins at Springer Mountain in the state of Georgia, and traverses along a portion of the Appalachian Mountains, culminating at Mount Katahdin in the state of Maine. In addition to Georgia and Maine, the trail passes through 12 other states, including, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.
To meet the requirements for this award, an operator must successfully complete a formal two way contact, including the exchange of: call sign, name, state, signal reports, time of QSO and frequency of 3.668 Mhz +/-. All QSO’s must be made no earlier than October 1st, 2026. Take as long as you need to complete the requirements, there is no cut off date.
No QSL cards are required, but the attached log/application form must be filled out and sent to our Awards Manager, Bob – AI4IL.
Below is a link for an excel copy of the Appalachian Trail Log and Application form:
A TRAIL CHALLENGE LOG FORM.xlsx