The Cypress Chapter Swamp Endorsements

This award series retired June 1, 2008.

No more applications accepted at this time.

Swamp & Scenics - Here is a colorful set of endorsements that allows you to collect (4"x6") mini-certificates as a reward for working other Cypress Chapter members. This will build your personal Cypress Chapter as you work other Cypress Chapter members while sloshing your way through some of the swamp areas of Florida. You will earn 50 on air points for each of the size swamp or scenic that you complete. This will give you 300 additional points once you complete these 6 stages.

Out of all the awards and endorsements that the Cypress Chapter offers the Swamps and Scenics is the only sequential award. A sequential award is one that must be completed in stages, you cannot go to stage 2 until stage 1 is completed. Points may be accumulated through the Cypress Chapter meetings, net check-ins, and any special events.

Once per quarter we will choose a Cypress Chapter member to be our designated Swamp Rat. The sole purpose of the Swamp Rat is to spread points around the frequencies they work on 10 meters. The trick is that you need to ASK a Cypress Chapter member if they are the Swamp Rat, we will not announce the Swamp Rat in advance. Working the Swamp Rat once will give you an additional 25 on air points.

You can work the station chosen as the Swamp Rat as many times as you want but you can only claim the additional points once per quarter.

Remember, we won't announce the Swamp Rat's call sign so it could be anyone from your buddy down the street with a dipole antenna to a DX station with 6 elements on 150 feet of Rohn 45G. So ask every Cypress Chapter member you contact be it on SSB, CW, or any if the digital modes. (Thanks to Tom, KD4WOV for the Swamps Endorsement and Swamp Rat idea.)

To qualify for any of these endorsements you will need to accumulate 100 on air points for each of the Florida Swamps Endorsements (click here for information about our points structure). You don't apply for any of the Swamps and Scenics Endorsements as they are added to your member profile when your on-air points are sufficient enough to qualify you for the endorsement.

QSL card verification is NOT required.

This endorsement valid for contacts made after September 1, 2007.

The Swamps and Scenics program must be completed in the following sequence:

1. 1st - Corkscrew Swamp
2. 2nd - Fakahatchee Strand
3. 3rd - Lemon Bluff
4. 4th - Naked Spring
5. 5th - Okefenokee Swamp
6. 6th - Peacock Springs

For each stage of the Swamps and Scenics that you complete you will be awarded a mini-certificate (4" x 6") for that stage plus an additional 100 points for your personal Cypress Chapter score.

The station you work for any endorsements must be completed following the Ten-Ten International's definition of an exchange. Which is:

A legal 10-10 contact must be a two-way contact exclusively on ten meters. A legal contact consists of the call, 10-10 number, name, date, and QTH (state or country). At no time is it acceptable for a 10-10 number to be relayed via a third station. These requirements for a legal 10-10 contact have been affirmed by the Board of Directors.

Out of all the awards and endorsements that the Cypress Chapter offers the Swamps and Scenics is the only sequential award. A sequential award is one that must be completed in stages, you cannot go on to stage 2 until stage 1 is completed.