The Magic of Contest Station PJ2T Curacao: Geoff Howard W0CG

Legendary is the word most often associated with the PJ2T contest station in Curacao. This ham radio station which is located 12 degrees north of the equator, in what is informally referred to as a magical propagation zone, has a very long and rich history of well known operators. The PJ2T story begins with hotelier Chet Brandon PJ2CC who is credited for first noticing the unique HF conditions in Curacao. Chet then convinced CW Contest Hall of Famer, John Thompson W1BIH, to build a house at Coral Cliffs. In his first contest from his new home, John’s team took the World #1 spot in the 1967 CWWW CW contest beginning a long tradition of multi-operator wins. The PJ2T story continued in 2001 when another CQ Contest Hall of Famer, Geoff Howard W0CG, took over stewardship of this world renowned station. Geoff not only rebuilt the house and the station but formed a unique consortium of contesters that would be instrumental in keeping the station active and winning contests. In this interview, Geoff W0CG provides an overview of the station history, the Curacao Contest Consortium, and the magic that has led to years of worldwide contesting wins.