GLOSSARY
WWFF – World Wide Flora Fauna
SOTA – Summits On The Air
44 – The number associated with Flora Fauna
ADIF .adi – the file format that is used to process logs for awards. Your logging software probably has this option, and if not, there are converters on the internet from CSV to ADIF.
If you have worked or heard a station calling “CQ 44” or “CQ Flora Fauna” or even just /p, you have most likely worked a station taking part in the World Wide Flora Fauna award. WWFF is an international radio award (similar to SOTA and POTA) where a station operates from a registered park or area of beauty, and makes contacts using amateur radio.
The basics of the award are as follows:
- Stations can call CQ normally, or add “44” or “CQ Flora Fauna” to their CQ call.
- Stations must be within a protected/registered park or area of beauty (qualifying parks can be found on the WWFF website HERE).
- Stations must make 44 contacts to “activate” the park (this is cumulative, so you can make the 44 contacts over as many days as you like).
- Stations upload their logs after the activation (you don’t need to upload a log. As long as they have, you will receive “chaser” points).
I was kindly invited by the Newport Amateur Radio society to present the WWFF scheme to their members. You can find the video below, or by going to the WWFF website HERE (link opens in a new tab).
When I first registered for the program, I searched my callsign and realised I already had two chaser points. I had worked a station in Czech Republic and a station in Belgium without even knowing they were participating in Flora Fauna. Therefore, it is highly likely that you have worked a WWFF station too. You can register on the Flora Fauna site linked above and search for your callsign in the log search – you might have accumulated a few chaser points without knowing it!
Another thing to remember is that WWFF is any protected or registered park. Therefore, large stretches of land such as the North Yorkshire Moors, Northern Pennines, Lake District, etc… all count as they are national parks. I have worked from two SOTA summits in the North Yorkshire Moors, and I contest from there too. Therefore, I already had enough contacts to activate it. If you have ever operated portable, it’s worth seeing if you can claim for WWFF too!
Unlike SOTA, you don’t need to submit a chaser log, so you don’t have to give the WWFF reference on-air. It helps to, and it is recommended, but it isn’t mandatory like with SOTA. Therefore, you may have already activated a park without realising.
Logs must be in the ADIF .adi format, and can be emailed to Carl 2E0HPI who is the national log manager for the United Kingdom scheme. If you are outside the UK, you can find your countries manager on the list located HERE (link opens in new tab). Please make sure that your log contains the reference number for the reference you are activating. There are several ways to achieve this. If you are using a mobile app (such as Ham2K PoLo available HERE) you can add the reference to your activation. If you are using a desktop app to type your paper log up, I would recommend Log4OM. You can add the necessary references in the program configuration or in the “QSO Manager” tab and check “Update References”.
The majority of WWFF references are also eligible for the Parks on the Air (POTA) scheme. It is also valuable to create an account on the POTA website. You can do this HERE (link opens in new tab). Similarly to WWFF, POTA is a portable and outdoor related award scheme and points are achieved for hunters and activators in the same way. The main difference however, you can upload your own logs to POTA. When you have prepared and submitted your .adif file to the WWFF website, you can also upload the file to POTA. Just make sure that your POTA reference (different number to the WWFF number) is in your ADIF file (see above for how to achieve this).
The number 44 is used a lot in WWFF. You must make 44 contacts, you can operate on a frequency ending in 44 (such as 14.244), and stations will say 73s and 44s at the end of your QSO. You can return by saying 44 back to them.
If you have any questions about the scheme, if you would like help taking part in the event, or if you are in the North East of England and would like a recommendation for where to make your first activation, feel free to drop me an email or use the web contact form located in the site’s menu.
Happy hunting! (Or activating)
73s and 44s
Oscar M7OJA
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