2026 Islands on the air SWL contest also open to amateur radio operators

 Dear SWL friends and amateur radio operators, I have decided to organize a new competition in 2026. I hope that God will grant me life and that I will be able to last the whole year 2026!!!!! The contest will consist of listening to the ISLANDS OF THE WORLD throughout the year 2026. There are more than 1,200 groups of islands in the world. I will give you useful information from November 2025. It will not be complicated because the "IOTA" is very well organized. It is an English SWL who invented "Islands on the air".

In 1964 a British Short Wave Listener, Geoff Watts (now sadly a Silent Key) started an activity programme based on contacting island groups around the world. Geoff was not a wealthy man and had little opportunity to travel himself, but it is clear that listening to amateurs operating from remote island locations captured his imagination. The Islands on the Air (IOTA) programme was born.

Amateur radio operators will also be able to participate. It will only be in SSB mode on the amateur radio bands between 10 and 80 meters. "The IOTA program focuses on contacts with salt-water islands as opposed to those found in lakes.[1] With those who work to contact these stations known as island chasers.[2] There are 1,200 groups of islands that the IOTA program recognizes, with the number of islands ranging from one to hundreds.[3]"

IOTA OC-045