USI – United States Islands Awards Program

The United States Islands Awards Program (USI) encompasses islands located inside the fifty (50) states and U.S. Territories and Protectorates. These islands may be found in lakes, rivers, and along the shoreline. Salt water or fresh water. The USI was established in 1994 to promote island chasing, a popular activity on amateur radio frequencies. The objective of the USI programme is to promote a basic but effective strategy of island chasing and activation in a professional radio style while operating only on the honour system. The USI welcomes all HAM radio operators, shortwave listeners (SWL), and island aficionados to an additional aspect of island hunting. The USI is available to anybody interested in collecting and activating US islands in pursuit of the several US Island Awards.

Awards

• USI Honor Roll – Confirm QSOs with 100 US islands and protectorates. Separate awards for increments of 300, 500, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500 and above. Initial DX (outside North America) Honor Roll is 50 QSOs (Certificates & Plaques).
• USI WASI Award – Work All State Island Award. Confirm a USI QSO from each of the 50 states (Framed Certificate).
• USI W-ten Award – Work Ten Award. Confirm 10 islands from one state (Certificate).
• USI WUC Award – Work USI Club Award. Confirm a USI QSO with 10 Official USI club or special event stations (Certificate).
• USI Q Award – Qualify 10 new US islands. Endorsements for 25, 50, 75 and 100.
• USI First Q Award – Receive a certificate documenting your first USI qualifying expedition. One cost for everyone in your club or group (Certificate).
• USI Island Activator – A plaque is available for anyone who activates or qualifies one hundred US islands. Just send a list of the islands you activated after September, 1994 (USI#, island name and DXpedition date) that match the information being kept by the QM.
• USI I2I Award – Confirm 25 Island 2 Island (I2I) QSOs. Additional endorsements at 25 QSO increments.

The Island Directory is available here. In total as per 19 December 2022 there are 3368 (2416 qualified and 952 not qualified) islands.

The video below shows Hope (ND2L) and Grace (KE3G) working on the air from Pelican Island, Florida on 20 meters. They and Dad (WX4TV) spent the day and night on the island for the W/VE Island QSO Party.