The James Cook PSK Award (JCPA) is dedicated to the DXCC entities associated with Captain James Cook’s three great voyages of exploration (1768–1779) and is structured specifically around territories personally visited by Cook.
The award may be claimed by any licensed radio amateur, club station, or DMS (SWL) eligible under the EPC Awards General Rules who can produce an ADIF log showing contacts with, or monitoring of, amateur radio stations from 15 different DXCC entities from the James Cook List.
- The JCPA may be claimed by any licensed radio amateur, club station, or DMS (SWL) eligible under the EPC Awards General Rules.
- All operation must comply with the station licence and the general EPC award framework.
- The applicant must submit evidence of having contacted or monitored amateur radio stations from at least 15 different DXCC entities listed in the JCPA James Cook List.
- Each DXCC entity counts once toward the qualification total.
- Contacts and SWL receptions must be documented in ADIF format.
- QSOs are valid on any PSK modes and at any baud rates.
- Credit is valid on any amateur radio band below 54 MHz.
- Mixed-band and mixed-mode submissions are permitted.
- Applications should be prepared in accordance with the EPC Awards General Rules.
- The award manager may inspect doubtful entries and request clarification where necessary.
- Unless announced otherwise, the award is issued through the EPC award management environment.
The JCPA is based on historically documented landfalls made by James Cook during his first, second, and third voyages: the outward Atlantic route through Madeira and Brazil; the Pacific landfalls of French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Easter I., Tonga, Niue, and New Caledonia; the southern-ocean and return calls including Indonesia, South Africa, and South Georgia I.; and the final north Pacific voyage through Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, and Asiatic Russia.
For this award, every place is mapped only to its present-day ARRL DXCC current entity. Entities not personally visited by Cook are intentionally excluded, even where the expedition continued after his death.
- England — DXCC entity for the Royal Navy departure and return context.
- Madeira Is. — early Atlantic staging point on the outward route.
- Brazil — Rio de Janeiro provisioning stop on the first voyage.
- French Polynesia — Tahiti and associated Society Islands landfalls.
- New Zealand — major charting work on the first and second voyages.
- Australia — east coast exploration including Botany Bay and the Great Barrier Reef episode.
- Indonesia — Batavia / Dutch East Indies refit on the first-voyage return.
- South Africa — Cape Town calls on southern-ocean operations and return routes.
- Easter I. — key second-voyage Pacific landfall.
- Tonga — important island group visited on the second and third voyages.
- Niue — second-voyage Pacific visit.
- New Caledonia — major second-voyage discovery and survey area.
- South Georgia I. — South Atlantic high-latitude discovery during the second voyage.
- Hawaii — central third-voyage landfall and the place of Cook’s death.
- Alaska — north Pacific exploration toward the Bering Strait.
- Canada — Nootka Sound and the north-west coast of North America.
- Asiatic Russia — Kamchatka resupply visited before Cook’s final return to Hawaii.
| Amateur Radio Prefix | Territory Name | Explanation | Territory Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| G, GX, M | England | England - covering the expedition’s departure and return setting. | JC-ENG |
| CT3 | Madeira Is. | Atlantic staging point on the outward route. | JC-MDI |
| PP-PY, ZV-ZZ | Brazil | Rio de Janeiro provisioning stop on the first voyage. | JC-BRA |
| FO, TX | French Polynesia | Tahiti and associated Society Islands landfalls. | JC-FPO |
| ZL-ZM | New Zealand | Cook’s major charting and repeated visits. | JC-NZL |
| VK, AX | Australia | East coast exploration of New Holland / Australia. | JC-AUS |
| YB-YH | Indonesia | Batavia in the Dutch East Indies on the first-voyage return. | JC-IDN |
| ZR-ZU | South Africa | Cape Town calls on southern-ocean operations and return routes. | JC-ZAF |
| CEØ | Easter I. | Important second-voyage call at Rapa Nui. | JC-EAI |
| A3 | Tonga | The Friendly Islands repeatedly visited by Cook. | JC-TON |
| E6 | Niue | Second-voyage Pacific landfall. | JC-NIU |
| FK, TX | New Caledonia | Major second-voyage discovery and survey area. | JC-NCL |
| VP8, LU | South Georgia I. | South Atlantic high-latitude discovery of 1775. | JC-SGI |
| KH6, KH7 | Hawaii | The Sandwich Islands, central to the third voyage. | JC-HWI |
| KL, AL, NL, WL | Alaska | North Pacific exploration toward the Bering Strait. | JC-ALA |
| VA-VG, VO, VY | Canada | Nootka Sound and the north-west coast of North America. | JC-CAN |
| UA-UIØ; RA-RZØ | Russian Far East | Kamchatka resupply visited before Cook’s final return to Hawaii. | JC-ASI |
Note: the list intentionally follows the ARRL DXCC current entity list and includes only entities personally visited by James Cook during his lifetime.
