The last day of 2014 (UTC) will be your final opportunity to rack up those remaining ARRL Centennial QSO Party points — before you celebrate the arrival of the new year. To help with that goal, the League is sponsoring its final “Red Badges on the Air Day” on Wednesday, December 31. That’s when those high-value red ARRL identification badge bearers will be out in force on the bands.

ARRL officers, elected officials such as Director or Section Manager, as well as Headquarters staffers and volunteers, and other members of the ARRL family are expected to be on the air for this event. Contacts with red badge wearers are worth as much as 300points per contact for working ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. Many of the 200 or so holders of red badges will be on the air on December 31, along with other ARRL appointees, VEs, and members. Maxim Society members are worth 50 points.

These events are considered activity days, not contests, and operation is permitted on all bands. Participants can call “CQ ARRL Centennial QSO Party” on phone or “CQ CENT” on CW or digital modes. While the focus is to encourage ARRL red badge holders to hand out Centennial QSO Party points, all activity is welcome, regardless of point value. Many stations will try to keep their contacts short; the minimum exchange is a signal report, and any ARRL office or member abbreviation is optional.

ARRL members are worth at least one point in the Centennial QSO Party. Participants get credit for each band/mode contact, regardless of point value. ARRL Centennial QSO Party participants can use the leader board on Logbook of The World to determine how many points they have accumulated.

Participants will need 1000 points to qualify for a first-level certificate, 3000 points for a second-level certificate, 7500 points for a third-level certificate, and 15,000 points for a top-level award certificate.

Other high-value contacts include: President Emeritus (PE) or Past President (PP), 275 points; Honorary Vice President (HVP) or ARRL Vice President (VP), 250 points; Director (DIR), Director Emeritus (DE), or Past Vice President (PVP), 225 points; Vice Director (VD), 200 points; Section Manager (SM), 175 points; ARRL officer (OFF) or Past Director (PD), 150 points, and Past Vice Director (PV), 125 points. W100AW, Charter Life Member (CLM), or Past Section Manager (PSM) contacts are worth 100 points.

ARRL Headquarters department managers (DM), 75 points; ARRL Headquarters staffers/volunteers, (HQ), 50 points; Assistant Director (AD), 40 points, and NCJ Editor and QST columnists, 30 points.