OI award

A special ham radio award is available for working contacts with OI-prefixed stations. OI as a prefix is incredibly rare: there are only ca. 35 such stations in the entire world.

In short, to be eligible for the award, stations need to work contacts with different OI-prefixed stations as follows:

  • Stations located outside of Finland need to work five contacts with OI stations,
  • those who are in Finland need to work ten contacts.

A semi-official translation of the rules follows further down, meaning that the original Finnish rules [1][2] take precedence in case a dispute occurs.

OI stations participating in the award

Contacts with the following OI-prefixed stations are counted towards the eligibility for the OI award.

As of 13 January 2021. Links on a best effort basis.

  • OI1AX, OI1AXA, OI1AY, Turku
  • OI2RP, OI2HJ, Helsinki region
  • OI3AI, OI3AX, OI3AY, OI3W, OI3SVM, OI3V, OI3MPK, OI3PHV, Riihimäki-Hämeenlinna-Lahti region
  • OI4EW, OI4JM, OI4PM, Mikkeli region – OI4NV, Kauniainen
  • OI5AY, OI5AZ, OI5ACF, OI5ASA, OI5PRM, Kouvola-Kotka region – OI5R, Imatra
  • OI6AIR, OI6VKL, OI6X, OI6S, OI6C, Tikkakoski-Jyväskylä – OI6SP, Närpiö
  • OI7AX, OI7TK, Joensuu-Kuopio region
  • OI8AY, OI8VK, Kajaani-Oulu region
  • OI9R, Ivalo

Rules for the OI award

Version 2017 / OH2LGW
Translation by OH6VA // siradkilta

1. Contacts accepted for the OI award

Contacts with OI-prefixed stations, which consist of stations of the Finnish Defence Forces, the Finnish Border Guard, military tradition associations, museums, and guilds, are counted towards the eligibility for the award.

Contacts worked before 2010-01-01 are not accepted.

Contacts must have been worked in accordance to the regulations and IARU recommendations in effect. Repeater contacts are not eligible contacts. Different postfixes (separated with a stroke ”/”) of a station are not counted separately, e.g. OI3X, OI3X/P, or OI3X/M are counted as the same station.

2. Granting the OI award

The award can be granted to a radio amateur, amateur radio club, or a shortwave listener.

To apply for the award, the applicant must present ten (10) contacts with different OI-prefixed stations. However, for applicants whose station is not located in Finland, five (5) contacts are sufficient for the eligibility.

The contacts aren’t required to be acknowledged with QSL cards. A log excerpt printed on paper and confirmed with the signatures of two other radio amateurs is accepted as proof. The award is free of charge.

Applications shall be mailed to:

Timo Virtanen
Petäikönkatu 32
FI-78200 VARKAUS
FINLAND

Application must include the return address information to where the award will be delivered.