GB13COL on 14.026 @ 1443Z, very weak here.

WM3PEN on 7.042 @ 1446Z.

WM3PEN booming on 20m cw 14.031.5

GB13COL is apparently still on 14.026.0  I can't hear him, but I can hear the pileup.

I can just tell he is in there, but no prop to my location.

I didn't quite get them all (including bonus stations) on FT8 and phone, but not too bad:

Yeah...that.

When I spotted the GB13, he was evidently having receiver problems. He was replying to only a few out of all who were calling him.

I finally pulled the plug, lacking only him and the K2J (North Carolina) station.

Missing C&D.   C's been running strong on 20, but he's not hearing me.
I don't believe I ever heard D once.  (on cw)
I did hear the GB station, but couldn't get him on 20 either.
Still fun
Attached File

There is still time.........  they are on 10.125.0  right now.

I managed to get them all including the bonus stations.

Most were worked on SSB and the rest were on digital and CW.

Final tally here:

I got the 13 colonies and the PEN bonus station.  I wanted to get all on CW, but had to get two on SSB as I never heard them on CW.  I never did hear the Brit, as usual.  I saw the K2Z station show up once on 20m FT8, but never saw him again.

I guess I'll try for another clean sweep on CW next year.

Overall, this year was much easier, and more successful, for me than the past few.    The signals on CW seemed better this year. It was nice, and somewhat surprising,  to get a clean sweep after missing out the last four years.  I uploaded everything to LoTW, but am not really interested in the QSL cards.  Might send for the certificate.....might not.  Haven't decided yet.

If you're wondering where the website for 13 Colonies went to I found via the event FB page to use
new 13 Colonies website

I enjoyed working the colonies with my wife for the first time this year.
Since this was her first year I want to get the certificates for both of us even though we didn't make a clean sweep.
Maybe even a pair of coffee mugs. :)

And I don't begrudge the organizers a couple of bucks as it surely doesn't even begin to compensate, but probably barely covers cost.

Question: Is there a way to search a log on qrz.com to make sure we didn't have a busted qso?

Interesting developments.   It seems that someone thinks this event  may be a money making racket.

Five bucks doesn't seem like much, considering the cost of the certificate, envelope, postage, etc.  On the other hand, if 100,000 people send for a certificate, that's a lot of money. Especially considering that there is no expedition to fund (all the operators are working from home, I guess???).  BUT, the event organizer  specifically says a donation is not required to get the certificate.  And it is a lot of work for them.

I don't know.  I'm OK with it. I've certainly spent $5 to get other QSL cards.

Wow, I never though about that, the money thing. What a racket! This year they claim nearly 170K Q's. Divide by 13, give or take, and that's at least 10K clean sweeps. If only half those people ask for cert's that's still 5000 cert's, or $25K gross. That *is* a money making scheme, for sure!

You figure $1 for postage and less than 25 cents for materials per cert. Plus some shrinkage due to DX postage. Figure maybe $3 average profit per cert., so net $15K!!! Who gets it and where does it go?

I am so glad I have never sent in for a certificate even though I could have for the last eight years.

I don't mind paying five bucks for a certificate.  Yeah, maybe the guy(s) are making some money, but there is a lot of work to setting up, organizing the event, printing the certs, making them out, getting the envelopes stuffed, addressed, postaged, and sent.  I don't mind the guy(s) making a few $K, I'd pay more for the certificates.

I have no problem with the $5. It's a lot of work and expense.
Sounds like the one hosting the site wanted a bigger piece of the action and they told him to shove it.
IIRC, the same thing happened with the Shelby Hamfest several years ago.

There's not $5 of expense. $2 a cert. would be way more realistic and cover their international mailing costs without the complexity of having a different pricing structure for everyone.

As for the work, their database software pukes out cert's and labels, I'm sure. So they are just feeding the printer paper, stuffing envelopes and taking a trip to the post office. I'm not paying them for that, they volunteered for this mission. If they clear $15K profit on this like I suspect they do, that's "for profit" in my book for something like this.

But, but, but........you do not have to pay the $5 to get the certificate.  That is strictly voluntary.  No one is holding those certificates hostage.  The web page states that all excess money is used to fund the next year's event (for what that is worth).

I suspect it would take several months of planning to organize this event.  Getting a few dozen people to volunteer to be an operator and send out QSL cards can't be easy.   And then after the event, someone has to print out each individual certificate with the proper information (call sign, sweep, bonus stations, etc.  They are all different.), along with a mailing address label.  And then someone has to physically stuff each envelope, attach the mailing label, etc.   If 5000 or maybe even 10000 people send for a certificate, it could literally take months to finish that job, even if working 8 hours/day.

I know it's supposed to be a fun event, but the organizer could have several months of work wrapped up in this thing.   I mean, if he pockets $15K for six months of work (three prior, and three after the event), he is not exactly getting rich. Hell, I wouldn't get out of bed for that amount.  I sure wouldn't put six months of my life in this event, for free.  I'm easy, but I'm not cheap.

But there is a solution for anyone who thinks this is some sort of a con game.  Don't participate.

Bitching about $5.00 for a certificate sounds more like “Damn I should of thought of this scam first!”

Hey, what can I say, I'm entering early curmudgeonhood. And I do wish I had thought of it, too

I'm actually thinking of volunteering to be an op next year. I almost did it this year, but I was way too busy with work that week and I wasn't sure I could do it justice, i.e work the radio at least 4 hours every evening. I've complained enough about it, so I'm thinking of offering my services as low band/top band phone station specifically. However I suspect my offer will be for naught because I am not a member of the local club that runs the state callsign. We'll see what happens 11 months from now. Maybe they'll throw me a piece of that estimated $15K!