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The NAQCC February 2026 Challenge NAQCC Monthly Challenges are originated and information regarding rules, ideas, or suggestions go to Gary K1YAN. Email him at  .Challenge results and the Challenge App (the online Challenge tracking and reporting application) is administered by Charlie N1AOK. Email him with any questions at  PLEASE SEND ALL CHALLENGE SUBMISSIONS TO CHARLIE!!! (If you use the online Challenge App, it will automatically send it to him). LINKS: Challenge App: http://naqcc.wb5rvz.org Challenge Worksheet: challenge_tracker.pdf CONCRETE ARROW CHALLENGE  PREMISE: You look out the window as you fly over the country and do a double take. There is a large concrete arrow pointing the way. That can't be there to guide the pilot, can it? Well not today, but back in the 1920s and 1930s that is exactly what they were for. Realize that, back then, there was no air traffic control network of radar systems to provide direction and no GPS system to pinpoint your location. If you were over desolate places like a desert there were few visual features to guide you. Your radio might not be of much help either if you were not near an airport or other facility with a radio system. No satellite links for wide area radio coverage back then. Losing your way was not at all out of the question. The US airmail system was in its early days. Having an aircraft that was carrying mail get lost was not the way to build the business. The Post Office Department installed a series of 50 foot tall, lighted beacons across the country to provide guidance for their airmail carriers. That is the tower like structure you see in the airmail stamp pictured above. The guiding arrows were added when the Department of Commerce took over management of the airways in 1927. The network was built from about 1926 to 1931. Each site consisted of a large concrete arrow painted yellow and a lighted beacon to make them easy to find at night and in poor visibility. Each site was numbered and the arrow pointed to the next higher numbered installation. The sites were finally decommissioned in the 1970s, after some 40 years of service. Almost all the lighted beacons are gone but many of the arrows remain. After decades of no maintenance, the yellow paint is gone, but, in many places, it is still possible to pick out the arrows. TIME FRAME: The first day of the month 0000Z through the last day of the month 2400Z. RULES: Just make these words from calls of stations you work, subject to the General Challenge Rules. US AIRMAIL SYSTEM 50 FOOT LIGHTED MARKER BEACONS YELLOW PAINTED CONCRETE ARROWS POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT The 88 total letters contain these 23 different letters: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U W Y 5 0 You can use each letter in a call TWICE. For example you could use K3WWP for 2 K's, 4 W's, and 2 P's. Subsequent QSO's with the same station cannot be used for additional letters. For example, no matter how many times you work K3WWP, you can only use his call for 8 of the letters in the words. See General Rule #5 for more details on what callsign letters can be used. If you need some help with your alphabet challenge record keeping take a look at our Alphabet Tutorial page for everything from some great pencil & paper methods to fully computerized tools. AWARDS: A certificate and Participation Point go to everyone making all the words and submitting their report before the deadline. A Participation Point goes to everyone making at least 1, but not all the words and submitting their report before the deadline. YOU MUST COMPLETE AND SUBMIT AT LEAST ONE WORD TO RECEIVE A PARTICIPATION POINT! LOGS: For your report, list the words you made and the station used for each letter in the word. The number of stations listed must be the same as the number of letters in each word, even though you use the same station for more than one letter as in: WORD - K3WWP N2OD WA8REI N2OD NEXT - NF8M W8REI N8XMS K9EYT (Note how N2OD is listed for both the O and D.) You may also include comments about the challenge. Please preface any comments you want posted with "SOAPBOX:" so we will know what you want posted and what is private. Send your results as text in the horizontal format shown above to Charlie N1AOK at: charlie.wilber AT gmail.com (You must type that address into your email program.) Subject must read: (your call) NAQCC (month year) Challenge For example: K3WWP NAQCC February 2026 Challenge All entries must be RECEIVED before the 10th of the following month at 2400Z. |