The Maidenhead Grid Squares PSK Award (MGSPA) was devised by the European PSK Club on 11th April 2007. This was designed to encourage contacts with various World Wide Maidenhead Grid Squares on PSK modes. MGSPA-100, MGSPA-200, MGSPA-300, MGSPA-400, MGSPA-500, MGSPA-600, MGSPA-700, MGSPA-800, MGSPA-900 and MGSPA-1000 awards may be claimed by any licensed radio amateur, club station or SWL eligible under the EPC Awards General Rules who can produce evidence of having contacted or heared 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000 different Maidenhead Grid Squares respectively at the time of application by using any PSK mode. EPC membership is required for the MGSPA Award applicants. Credit will be given for contacts made on any of the amateur bands below 430 MHz. All contacts must be made since January 1, 2000.
An instrument of the Maidenhead Locator System (named after the town outside London where it was first conceived by a meeting of European VHF managers in 1980), a grid square measures 1° latitude by 2° longitude and measures approximately 70 - 100 miles in the continental Europe. A grid square is indicated by two letters (the field) and two numbers (the square), as in IO75, the grid square within which MM0EPC, Scottish EPC Club Station, resides.
