trails, voice modulated radio signals may sometimes be used, but the constant movement of the ionized gas leads to heavy distortion of the signals causing the audio to sound "ghostly" and whispered. In most instances using auroral reflections on 2 meters, audio or voice is totally unintelligible and ham operators wishing to make contacts via aurora, must resort to CW (Morse code). CW signals returning from an auroral reflection have no distinct sound or tone but simply sound like a swishing or whooshing noise. An exception to this phenomenon would be the 6 meter band which is significantly lower in frequency than the 2 meter band by 94 MHz. In many instances 6 meter voice modes are readable but with varying degrees of difficulty when reflected off an aurora. Therefore, when using an auroral event as a radio signal reflector, the reflected signal strength and signal intelligibility decreases with increasing transmitting frequency. Moonbounce (EME) To communicate over the longest distances, hams use moon bounce. VHF signals normally escape the Earth's atmosphere, so using the moon as a target is quite practical. Due to the distance involved and the very high path loss getting a readable signal bounced off the moon involves high power ~1,000 Watts and steerable high gain antennas. Receiving these very weak return signals, again involves the use of high gain antennas (usually the same type used to transmit the signal) and a very low-noise front end RF amplifier and a frequency stable receiver. However, new and recent technological advances in weak signal detection has allowed the successful reception of signals off the moon using much smaller or less well equipped stations allowing reception of signals that are "in the noise" and not audible to the human ear. One of these modes is JT65 which is a digital mode. Due to the delay of the signal traveling to the moon and back (travel time approx. 2.5 seconds), a person transmitting may hear the end of their own transmission returning. The Brendan Awards The Irish Radio Transmitters Society has provided a series of awards for the first successful all-natural, non-bounce contacts on 2 metres between the North American and European continents. Named for Saint Brendan of Clonfert, the three awards differentiate between successful "traditional" phone/CW contact (the Brendan Trophies), successful "non-traditional" digital two-way contact (the Brendan Shields), and an award for the first verified reception in either direction, regardless