Ham radio CROATIAN ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORIES AWARD is available to all licensed hams & SWLs, who achieve the following

• establish QSO with various 9AAO references (hunters), or

• activate 9AAO references by transmitting from them (activators), listed in 9AAO directory (see www.9aao.sova-projekt.hr)

Validity: all contacts since 01.August, 2011 are valid.

No limits to frequency or mode of operation, however, all contacts must comply with amateur radio communication legal requirements. No repeater QSO’s count.

To win certain degrees or levels, applicants must provide the following:

• (a) Proof of QSO’s made (hunters) with 9AAO references. All approved QSO's can be found on 9AAO WEB PAGES www.9aao.sova-projekt.hr

• (b) Activate a certain number of references (activators), … (see rules below)

9AAO Program participants may apply for any of 5 degrees (levels) of 9AAO Diploma (Plaques). 9AAO Diplomas can be delivered also in printed format for the cost of 5 EUR. 9AAO awards are free-of-charge sent as *.pdf attachments to applicant's email address. The cost of 9AAO Plaque (on wooden base) is 25 EURO each. All electronic diplomas and plaques for activators are free-of-charge.

Applications for the awards have to be made via 9AAO WEB PAGES: www.9aao.sova-projekt.hr

For all types of paper awards please first apply for electronic award on 9AAO WEB PAGES and then send request for printed award by email to 9AAO program manager: borislanca@gmail.com

The QSO's confirmed on 9AAO WEB PAGES www.9aao.sova-projekt.hr will be accepted instead of QSL cards.

Costs of printed (paper) award are the following: 5 Euro (6 USD).

Activators are hams operating from 9AAO astronomical observatories, or from their outer rims.
Activators wishing to participate in 9AAO Program, or its award program, should provide proof on their activity:

• proof of minimum 100 QSO’s on HF or 44 QSO’s on UHF and up bands, made from certain 9AAO reference; such activity logs in ADIF format should be send via email to 9AAO WAO coordinator at email borislanca@gmail.com.

• the proof of concrete activity from 9AAO reference, will be accepted after the verification is applied (undoubted photos, astronomical observatory entry ticket, a saved GPS-reading, videos, etc.). The activator with equipment and antennas have to be located in/on astronomical observatory or, if not possible, within 100m of distance from astronomical observatory. Please contact astronomical observatory staff to agree the actrivity terms and conditions. After the verification of submitted data, 9AAO WAO coordinator will forwarding a received ADIF-activity log on 9AAO data server.

• if activator, for any reason, do not submit documentation for his activity, such activation will be recognized for hunters who made contacts, but the activation will not be valid to activator.

If the certain 9AAO reference is activated by several activators using one single call sign, wishing to be recognized as single, individual activation, then such activators need to establish the following number of QSO’s:

After completed activation from Article 10, other than the proof from Article 9, 9AAO WAO coordinator should receive a group photo of all operators wishing to be recognized as single, individual activators.

Activators of certain 9AAO reference, provided they comply with conditions set forth in Article 10, are also deemed to have qualified for category Chasers.

If during (the first) activation from certain 9AAO reference an activator does not accomplish a minimum 100 of QSO’s (or 44 on VHF and up), then such contacts are valid for hunters, and such failing activator can re-activate this particular 9AAO reference to complete the missing numbers of contacts, in order to achieve the minimum required (100/44 QSO’s). Applying for recognition in such a case, an applicant should specify day(s) of previous activation from the same 9AAO reference. No limit in time span, or period of re-activation. Re-activation from already recognized activation reference, an activator does not have any QSO minimum number to achieve in re-activation.

In the case of sequential activation of several 9AAO references under the one callsign, starting from the following 9AAO reference, next activation can not effected the same day (only one activation per day is permitted).

Recognition and dedication to 9AAO Program, as well as acceptance of 9AAO rules, all activators prove by printing or labelling their QSL cards with 9AAO reference numbers from the date of rules publication. All participants in 9AAO Program are expected to contribute to promotion of 9AAO program. Activities from astronomical observatories should be in compliance with guidelines received from authorities in charge.

The 9AAO participation is on voluntary basis, and all participants should adhere to and comply with these Rules.

Non-compliance to 9AAO Rules is sanctioned by reprimand; after 3 reprimands received, a participant is excluded from 9AAO Program. More aggravating infringement of 9AAO basic rules, or its non-compliance, is sanctioned by permanent expulsion 9AAO Program and a motion to WAO – World Astronomical Observatories Program to apply sanction themselves.

Sanctions from Article 18 are voted in by majority of 9AAO (9A1WFF) staff vote.