The 13 Colonies Special Event is an annual amateur radio event held from July 1 to July 7, celebrating the original 13 American colonies with special event stations worldwide.
Event Overview
The 13 Colonies Special Event is a not-for-profit amateur radio event that commemorates the original 13 American colonies. It features one station for each colony (K2A–K2M) and three bonus stations: WM3PEN (Philadelphia), GB13COL (England), and TM13COL (France), representing their historical roles in America’s colonial period. The event allows ham radio operators and shortwave listeners (SWLs) to participate by making contacts with these stations.
Dates and Times
For 2026, the event runs from July 1 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time (1300 UTC) to July 7 at midnight Eastern Time (July 8, 0400 UTC) Participants can log contacts with any of the stations during this period.
Participation and Awards
Operators can choose to make a single contact with one station or attempt a Clean Sweep, contacting all 13 colony stations and the 3 bonus stations. Each station provides a special QSL card and a unique certificate each year. Participants can track stations using DX spotting networks such as DX Summit.
History
The event was founded by Ken Villone, KU2US, in 2008, inspired by the ARRL Sweepstakes. Villone led the event for 16 years, printing certificates for thousands of participants. The ARRL did a story about Ken, read here.
In 2008 Ken Villone, KU2US, started on a journey which would become one of the most popular amateur radio special events.
In his own words:
“I had just finished participating in the ARRL Sweepstakes in 2008, and remarked how fun it was. I could not figure out why there were not more of these type special events on the air? So, I decided to try my luck and create one for one year only to see what happens and to have some fun. I knew we had to offer a special QSL card and/or certificate plus have on hand a printer and supplies. The hard part was deciding what the event would commemorate and when to do this. I needed a theme that ALL could relate to! Also, the event would have to be the type with multiple event stations involved, like the ARRL Sweeps.
Then it hit me! 13 Colonies states, during the 4th of July weekend and offer a certificate with the theme for the year. I made sure the theme was different each year with a different certificate design, to make it interesting and to also make the certificate collectable. The theme would highlight some event or thing connected to the American Revolution. The event was held July 1st to the 4th, 2009, 4 days with no advertising except on QRZ. I had a hard time getting 13 different Ops, one from each colony state but it worked out. All in all, it was a success! We did over 12,000 contacts the first year. I decided we had a good thing going so I recruited another operator from each state and ran the event the next year in 2010. We did over 32,000 contacts in 2010, and had 26 state operators total. There was a 13 Colonies special event in 1962 but it only lasted one year, according to my research. (I was 13 years old).”
Ken coordinated the event through 2024. By 2025 Ken relinquish the control to Tony, N4ATJ. Following the 2025 event, managers realized that the event was too large for just one person. Several state managers got together to transition from a single individual operating model to a Leadership Team structure supported by a formal governance framework. This included the adoption of Bylaws, business registration, nonprofit status and IRS determination, financial controls, checks and balances, and clear accountability and oversight responsibilities. That group formed the Thirteen Colonies Amateur Radio Association.