A special call sign, a diploma and a piece of Swiss history: From 6 to 20 November 2026, various YLs will be active on the bands under the special call sign HB88YL. The occasion is the 55th anniversary of women’s right to vote and stand for election at the federal level.

Anniversary diploma

Amateur radio connects people across all borders, and so the female operators carry the memory of this milestone out into the whole world. Alongside this, there is an anniversary diploma for licensed radio amateurs and SWLs, which can be downloaded as a PDF once the conditions have been met. The rules can be found at QRZ.com/HB88YL.

A long road

On 7 February 1971, Switzerland said yes to women’s right to vote and stand for election at the federal level. The road there was long: as early as 1959, a first proposal had been clearly rejected at the ballot box, and many cantons introduced women’s suffrage only gradually. The last canton to follow was Appenzell Innerrhoden in 1990, by order of the Federal Supreme Court. In the autumn of 1971, the first women entered the Federal Parliament. Let us celebrate together: keep your ears open and get HB88YL into your log!

More information at QRZ.com/HB88YL

Published by HB9HGH