English Islands Rambler Award (EIRA)
15/04/2026
About the English Islands Rambler Award
The English Islands Rambler Award (EIRA) is a special programme of GMFF, created to promote amateur radio activity from and with the islands of England.
England is home to a wide variety of coastal and tidal islands, ranging from well-known inhabited islands to smaller, less frequently activated locations around the English coastline. Together, they offer an enjoyable and rewarding challenge for radio amateurs, whether operating as activators in the field or as chasers from home.
The EIRA programme is designed to encourage portable operation from these islands in a spirit of adventure, good operating practice, safety, and respect for the environment and local access conditions. It is open to licensed radio amateurs from all countries, and we warmly invite operators everywhere to discover, activate, and chase the islands of England.
Only islands included in the official EIRA reference list are valid for the purposes of this award programme. Each qualifying island is identified by a unique EIRA reference number.
If you intend to activate an island that does not appear in the official list, please contact us before your expedition. We will review the island and, where appropriate, assign it a unique reference number and add it to the EIRA list.
General Conditions
- All awards are issued in accordance with the GMFF General Rules.
- Participation is open only to licensed amateur radio operators who are current GMFF members.
- All QSOs must be made in accordance with the terms of the operator’s licence and with the GMFF General Rules.
- Only islands included in the official EIRA list are valid for award purposes.
- Each island is defined by its unique EIRA reference as shown in the official list.
- For EIRA, all operation must take place from land on the qualifying island.
- Maritime mobile operation does not qualify for EIRA.
- The Award Manager reserves the right to request additional evidence in support of any claim, including confirmation from the activator where necessary.
- All information submitted in support of an application must be accurate and complete.
GMFF’s general rules also state that activator equipment, antenna, and power source must all be within the qualifying location, and that activators must obtain any necessary access permission and comply with applicable laws and landowner requirements.
Chaser Awards – “Rambler Series”
The EIRA Rambler Series recognises radio amateurs who make confirmed contacts with stations activating qualifying English islands.
Award Levels
- EIRA 10 – 10 different islands
- EIRA 20 – 20 different islands
- EIRA 30 – 30 different islands
- EIRA 40 – 40 different islands
- EIRA 50 – 50 different islands
- EIRA 60 – 60 different islands
- EIRA 70 – 70 different islands
- EIRA 80 – 80 different islands
- EIRA 90 – 90 different islands
- EIRA 100 – 100 different islands
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- EIRA 110 – 110 different islands
- EIRA 120 – 120 different islands
- EIRA 130 – 130 different islands
- EIRA 140 – 140 different islands
- EIRA 150 – 150 different islands
- EIRA 160 – 160 different islands
- EIRA 170 – 170 different islands
- EIRA 180 – 180 different islands
- EIRA 190 – 190 different islands
- EIRA 200 – 200 different islands
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- EIRA-SS – 10 different islands in the Solent & South Coast Group
- EIRA-SI – 10 different islands in the Southern Inlets & Dorset Group
- EIRA-SE – 10 different islands in the South East Coast & Thames Estuary Group
- EIRA-EE – 10 different islands in the East Coast (Essex to Lincolnshire) Group
- EIRA-HH – 5 different islands in the Humber & Holderness Group
- EIRA-NC – 5 different islands in the North West Coast Group
- EIRA-DE – 10 different islands in the Devon & Cornwall Group
- EIRA-ML – 5 different islands in the Merseyside & Lancashire Group
- EIRA-NE – 10 different islands in the North East Coast Group
- EIRA-IS – 10 different islands in the Isles of Scilly Group
- EIRA-CM – at least 1 island in each island group
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- EIRA-CS5 – at least 1 island in 5 counties
- EIRA-CS10 – at least 1 island in 10 counties
- EIRA-CS15 – at least 1 island in 15 counties
- EIRA-CS20 – at least 1 island in 20 counties
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Requirements
- Contacts must be made with stations operating from islands listed in the official EIRA list.
- Each island counts once only towards the award totals, identified by its unique EIRA reference.
- Repeat contacts with the same island do not count as additional islands for award purposes.
- Activator-to-activator contacts may also count towards chaser awards, in accordance with the GMFF General Rules.
- QSOs may be made on any permitted amateur radio band or mode.
These points follow the same chaser/activator and band-mode framework used by GMFF’s published award rules.
Activator Awards – “Explorer Series”
The EIRA Explorer Series recognises radio amateurs who personally activate qualifying English islands.
Award Levels
- EIRA 10 – 10 different islands activated
- EIRA 20 – 20 different islands activated
- EIRA 30 – 30 different islands activated
- EIRA 40 – 40 different islands activated
- EIRA 50 – 50 different islands activated
- EIRA 60 – 60 different islands activated
- EIRA 70 – 70 different islands activated
- EIRA 80 – 80 different islands activated
- EIRA 90 – 90 different islands activated
- EIRA 100 – 100 different islands activated
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- EIRA 110 – 110 different islands activated
- EIRA 120 – 120 different islands activated
- EIRA 130 – 130 different islands activated
- EIRA 140 – 140 different islands activated
- EIRA 150 – 150 different islands activated
- EIRA 160 – 160 different islands activated
- EIRA 170 – 170 different islands activated
- EIRA 180 – 180 different islands activated
- EIRA 190 – 190 different islands activated
- EIRA 200 – 200 different islands activated
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- EIRA-SS – 10 different islands activated in the Solent & South Coast Group
- EIRA-SI – 10 different islands activated in the Southern Inlets & Dorset Group
- EIRA-SE – 10 different islands activated in the South East Coast & Thames Estuary Group
- EIRA-EE – 10 different islands activated in the East Coast (Essex to Lincolnshire) Group
- EIRA-HH – 5 different islands activated in the Humber & Holderness Group
- EIRA-NC – 5 different islands activated in the North West Coast Group
- EIRA-DE – 10 different islands activated in the Devon & Cornwall Group
- EIRA-ML – 5 different islands activated in the Merseyside & Lancashire Group
- EIRA-NE – 10 different islands activated in the North East Coast Group
- EIRA-IS – 10 different activated islands in the Isles of Scilly Group
- EIRA-EM – at least 1 island activated in each island group
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- EIRA-CS5 – at least 1 island activated in 5 counties
- EIRA-CS10 – at least 1 island activated in 10 counties
- EIRA-CS15 – at least 1 island activated in 15 counties
- EIRA-CS20 – at least 1 island activated in 20 counties
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Activation Requirements
- Operation must take place from land on the qualifying island itself.
- Maritime mobile operation is not valid for EIRA.
- All parts of the station, including operator, equipment, power source, and antenna system, must be located on the qualifying island.
- A minimum of 50 QSOs with 50 different stations is required for an activation to qualify.
- Each island counts once only towards the Explorer award totals, identified by its unique EIRA reference.
- Repeat activations of the same island are welcome, but do not count as additional islands for Explorer award purposes.
- Activators are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions before operating from any location.
- Possession of an amateur radio licence does not in itself grant any right of access to land or property.
- Activators must comply fully with all relevant laws, regulations, site restrictions, environmental protections, and land management requirements.
- Club stations may also qualify, provided all operation is carried out under a valid callsign and in accordance with the GMFF General Rules.
- If you plan to activate an island that is not listed in the official EIRA list, please contact us before the expedition. We will consider the island and, if accepted, assign it a unique EIRA reference number and add it to the official list.
The stricter 50-QSO island-activation threshold mirrors the IOSA award page, while GMFF’s general default for normal activations is otherwise 10 QSOs with different stations.
Application Procedure
To apply for an EIRA award:
- Pay the award fee.
- Record your PayPal Transaction ID, as this must be included with your application.
- Download and complete the appropriate application form:
- Submit your completed application to info@gmff.uk.
Applicants are advised to ensure that all claims are correct before submission.
GMFF’s published application flow is pay first, retain the PayPal transaction ID, then submit the correct form; awards are issued to members only and the fee is £10 per award.
Optional engraved plaques may be available for certain award levels, subject to current availability and pricing. GMFF’s general rules say plaques may be requested for awards, with pricing confirmed at the time of request.
Links
EIRA Official List: https://gmff.uk/eiralist.ods
Activator Application Form: https://gmff.uk/eiraactivatorapplication.ods
Chaser Application Form: https://gmff.uk/eirachaserapplication.ods
GMFF General Rules: https://gmff.uk/gmff-awards-general-rules
Award Fee: https://gmff.uk/product/gmff-award-fee
GMFF Membership: https://gmff.uk/gmff-membership
Coordinate Converter: https://www.adif.uk/coord
Useful Map: https://kwirk.github.io/pota-gb-map
QRA Locator Map: https://www.egloff.eu/qralocator
