As of January 1, 2009, the ARRL will offer another award: The Triple Play Worked All States Award. This new, exciting award is available to all amateurs who confirm contacts with each of the 50 states using three modes for each state: CW, phone and RTTY/digital. All 150 contacts must be made on or after the starting date and must be confirmed via Logbook of the World (LoTW). All bands -- with the exception of 60 meters -- may be used in pursuit of the Triple Play Award.

In their July 2008 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors, decided to implement this new award. Based on a suggestion by former ARRL Dakota Division Vice Director Hans Brakob, K0HB, the League's Programs and Services Committee referred the award's parameters to the Board where it received enthusiastic approval.

According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, the Triple Play Award is a one-time award -- once you have made the required 150 confirmed contacts via LoTW, you're done. "Even so," Sumner writes in "It Seems to Us" in the January issue of QST, "there are many possible variations on the theme. You can try to be the first (or at least the first on your block) or you can set your own pace. Think it's too easy? Limit yourself to QRP while operating your favorite mode (or all three). Maybe you prefer to be the quarry; it will quickly emerge which states are the most difficult to find, offering opportunities to earn the gratitude of your mates by activating the ones you can get to with your portable or mobile rig."

The Triple Play Award is not a contest, but Sumner points out that the ARRL RTTY Roundup takes place the first weekend in 2009, with the North American QSO Party (CW and Phone) following soon after. "Contesters are among the most loyal devotees of LoTW," Sumner writes, "so participating in these three events should take care of all of the easy states, as well as some of the more difficult ones." He warns that it can be addictive once you begin making your contacts for the Triple Play Award!

The rules for the Triple Play Award state that two-way communication must be established on the amateur bands with each state on each mode (the District of Columbia may be counted for Maryland). There is no minimum signal report required. Contacts must be made from the same location, or from locations no two of which are more than 50 miles apart. Club station applicants must include their club name and call sign of the club station or trustee on their application. The Triple Play Award will be issued on sequentially numbered certificates, starting with #1, as determined by the time stamp of the electronic application as submitted via LoTW. There are no endorsements for this award.

Contacts made through repeater devices or any other power relay method may not be used for WAS confirmation (a separate WAS award is available for satellite contacts). All stations contacted must be land stations; contacts with ships, anchored or otherwise, and aircraft, cannot be counted. The only exception to this rule is permanently docked exhibition ships (such as the Queen Mary) and other historic ships will be considered land based.

Triple Play Award applicants who reside in the US must be ARRL members to be eligible to receive the award. DX stations do not need to be ARRL members. Any attempt to falsify data, logs or other application operations may be grounds for disqualification. The decision of the ARRL Awards Committee is final.