URPA - Ukrainian PSK Award Series

The Ukrainian PSK Award Series (URPA) was devised by the Ukrainian Section of the European PSK Club (EPC-UR) on 17^th September 2009. This was to sponsor a series of PSK awards for contacts with amateur radio stations from various administrative regions (oblasts) of Ukraine (see table below). Ukraine is subdivided into twenty-four regions (oblasts) and one autonomous republic, Crimea. Additionally, the cities of Kiev, the capital, and Sevastopol, both have a special legal status. Amateur prefixes in Ukraine are EM, EN, EO, U5, UR, US, UT, UU, UV, UW, UX, UY, and UZ. Ukrainian stations in Antarctica use EM1 call signs series, these stations don't count for the URPA.

URPA III, URPA II, and URPA I (Top) awards may be claimed by any licensed radio amateur, club station or DMS (SWL) eligible under the EPC Awards General Rules who can produce evidence in a form of ADIF log of having contacted or monitored amateur radio stations from 15, 20, and all 27 regions respectively on B(Q)PSK31, B(Q)PSK63, and B(Q)PSK125 modes. Credit will be given for contacts made on any of the amateur bands below 30 MHz. Each region counts only once. Contacts are valid on or after 10th June 2006.

Official List of the Regions of Ukraine
(Updated 25.09.2009)

Some Helpful Information

Each Ukrainian administrative unit has the «letter» designator (see table above). A further unique feature of the Ukrainian call sign allocation system is the ability to determine which administrative unit the call sign is located in. This is accomplished by the letter following the number. Number in the prefix can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ,8, 9, or 0. For example, in the call sign UT7FP, the first «F» designates a station from Odessa Region; in the call sign UR5ZMK, the «Z» designates a station from Mykolaiv Region; in the call sign UR3CAT, the «C» designates a station from Cherkasy Region; and so forth.

Autonomous Republic of Crimea has its own prefix «UU» and «letter» designator «J», or recently assigned «A», such as UU2JFX, or UU0AK. Stations from Sevastopol City may have «UT», or «UU» prefix in the call sign, and invariable «number-letter» designators «5J», or «9J» respectively, such as UT5JAB, or UU9JQ. Stations from Kiev City mainly have «UT» prefix in the call sign, and «letter» designator «U», such as UT5UDX. Some old Ukrainian stations kept their suffixes from the Soviet epoch as an exception to the rule, such call signs doesn't have correct «letter» designator, such as UT5AC from Donetsk Region).

The most common call signs are the six alphanumeric «2 x 3» call signs, such as UR5ZMK. These call signs are used by class «4», «3», «2», and «1» operators, roughly equivalent (in order) to US Technician, Technician Plus, General or Advanced, and US Extra class licences. Five alphanumeric «2 x 2» call signs, such as UT7FP, are used by the «1» licence class. Four alphanumeric «2 x 1» call signs, such as UW5U, are mainly used by the «Contest» stations. Club stations use six alphanumeric «2 x 3» character call signs with the second suffix letter W, X, Y or Z (such as UT7IZD or UR4AWB). Ordinary call signs begin with the UR, US, UT, UU, UV, UW, UX, UY, and UZ prefixes. Special event and some contest call signs begin with the EM, EN, and EO prefixes. The World War II veteran call signs have uncommon «U5» prefix, such as U5NM.

Award Samples