The next ARRL “Red Badges on the Air” activity is just days away. On Sunday, September 21 UTC (starting the evening of Saturday, September 20, in US time zones), holders of red ARRL name/call sign badges will be on the air en masse, offering a chance to boost your ARRL Centennial QSO Party total. ARRL officers, elected officials such as Director or Section Manager, as well as Headquarters staffers and volunteers, and other members of the ARRL family will take to the air in numbers. Contacts with red badge wearers are worth as much as 300 points per contact for working ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said he expects many of the 200 or so Red Badgers will be on the air on September 21, along with other ARRL appointees, VEs, and members.

“The first Red Badge Day was a huge success but left many operators wanting more. Nine months into ARRL's Centennial year, the Centennial QSO Party and W1AW activations already have proven to be the largest and most active special events in the history of Amateur Radio, with more than 20,000 participants on the air from all continents.”

The event is considered an activity day, not a contest, 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.

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 to determine how many points they have accumulated.

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.