Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio

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.

Your Next POTA Antenna: Mike W5REZ and the REZ Antenna Startup

When I first spoke to Mike Giannaccio W5REZ six months ago, he was at the very early stages of creating a new ham radio antenna company. REZ Antenna was more than just an idea, but not much more than that. Mike was working hard on creating a quality production plan, he had built some prototypes and even sold those prototypes to a few lucky operators. From the beginning, it was clear that Mike was on a specific mission to create a quality, successful, and sustainable company. So, I wasn’t surprised to recently see an announcement that REZ Antenna had teamed up with DX Engineering to distribute his antennas to their massive customer base. Checking in with him for this interview, Mike already has several hundred antennas in the field and has plans to expand his product line. Watch this video interview to get Mike's update on REZ Antenna and what the future holds. And, look for him in Dayton in 2024.

California QSO Party is the Gold Standard: CQP Chairman Dean Wood N6DE

California QSO Party chairman Dean Wood N6DE is passionate about his state’s QSO party for good reason. With over 1200 submitted logs, the CQP easily tops the list of state QSO parties for participation. What’s their secret? Start with the fact that the CQP is sponsored by contesters - the Northern California Contest Club - making this one of the few QP’s run by a contest club. Their other unique characteristic is an Expedition class of operator (think “POTA meets Contester”) who fan out across California to activate even the hardest to get to counties. Non-California contesters have plenty of stations to log and many will work hard for a clean sweep of the 58 counties. Participants are split nearly equally between CW, Phone and Mixed Mode but, with no awards for single modes, those playing to win will operate mixed mode. Watch this interview with Dean N6DE to learn more about the October 7-8 2023 CQP and to see Dean's photo highlights from 2022.

CW for Life: The Max George NG7M Ham Radio Story

Max George NG7M has many, many pursuits within ham radio but there is one consistent thread - an abiding love for CW. He can’t explain what it was about this mode back in his earliest memories of ham radio but his passion for morse code, and the thrill he gets from running stations, drives his choices. Whether learning contesting under the tutelage of W7CT, setting an Expedition Single Op record in the 7QP, honing his contesting chops at the famed PJ2T station in Curacao, or earning his DXpedition stripes on the J28MD Djibouti effort, Max is usually running CW. Watch this episode to learn more about Max George and his NG7M ham radio story

The WRTC 2026 Games Begin Now: Mark Haynes M0DXR

Within weeks, ham radio competitors hungry for one of only 50 team slots in the WRTC 2026 will have their first chance to earn qualifying points. The CQ Worldwide DX SSB contest in late October is the first of only fifteen contests over the next couple of years where points can be earned. In this interview with London area contester and WRTC chairman, Mark Haynes M0DXR, you'll learn more about how the best of the best contesters qualify, how various operating categories are weighted, and the meticulous planning that is required to make this 24-hour contest fair, efficient, and enjoyable. Mark estimates that several hundred people - competitors, referees, site managers, sponsors and spectators - will all converge in England in July 2026 to celebrate this milestone 10th World Radiosport Team Championship. If the conversation leaves you curious to learn more from a competitor's vantage point, look for my earlier interviews with recent winner Yuri VE3DZ, Randy K5ZD and Tim K3LR.

Team Ukraine: Ham Radio Champs VE3DZ & UW7LL at WRTC 2022

What's it take to win the Ham Radio Olympics? Yuri, VE3DZ, would suggest that luck is a big factor and, at this level, he's likely correct. Then you learn that Yuri has participated in 8 of the 9 World Radio Team Championships telling us that experience and proficiency are also very important. When he explains that his WRTC teammate, Yarik, UW7LL is a technical wizard, one can easily see the competitive benefit of being able to analyze and correct a problem in the moment. Yuri says that he and Yarik did not have time to communicate during the contest, and had no specific strategy, yet they worked in lockstep with band changes and multiplier chasing. Yuri makes it sound easy, or a result of luck, but it's clear that there's a lot more to it. Watch this video interview with Yuri VE3DZ and decide for yourself.

US Islands Award Program with Jay NS4J

The US Islands program is a nationwide initiative that promotes amateur radio operations from various islands across the country's inland waterways and coastal regions. The program encourages hams to set up stations on these islands and for others to contact them. The program maintains a comprehensive list of designated island reference numbers, aiding operators in identifying specific islands for activation. Hams earn recognition for island activations based on established rules and point systems. Through this initiative, the US Islands program fosters camaraderie among operators, public awareness about amateur radio, and reinforces the vital role of ham radio in disaster response and community connectivity. Join me for this conversation with Jay NS4J to learn more about the US Islands program.

Swains Island W8S DXpedition

On October 4th 2023, a band of ten experienced ham radio DXpeditioners will be QRV from Swains Island in the South Pacific. This is a much sought after QSO as Swains is ranked #27 on the Club Log most wanted DXCC list. DX Hall of Famer, and W8S teammate, Adrian Ciuperca KO8SCA explains their entire operation in detail including the team’s unique relationship with the island owners, the Jennings family, who are providing a significant amount of logistical support for the trip. Before you get on the air to make your contact, learn more about Swains and the effort being made to bring you this rare DXCC, IOTA and POTA contact.

TX5S Clipperton Island DXpedition Update from Co-Organizer K3EL Dave Lloyd

Clipperton Island, the atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean, has a storied history of presidential visits, castaways waiting to be rescued, government squabbles over ownership and, of course, ham radio DXpeditions. In January 2024, the Perseverance DX Group will add their names to the history of this rare entity that is #38 on the Clublog's most wanted list. In this conversation, PDXG co-founder and Clipperton co-organizer, Dave Lloyd K3EL, offers an overview of their activation plans as well as specifics about equipment, antennas, operating schedules and more. Learn about the team behind the 2024 Clipperton DXpedition in anticipation of getting this rare one in your log early next year.

Young Ham Radio Leadership: Katie Campbell KE8LQR

Katie Campbell, KE8LQR, is 15 years old and clearly not the image of ham radio that has everyone worried about an aging hobby. Not only is she a licensed and active ham radio operator, Katie holds positions as the Assistant Youth Section Coordinator for Ohio, is a correspondent for the Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL), and is the assistant PR manager for Youngsters on the Air (YOTA). She has presented at many ham conventions working closely with the legendary youth educator, Carole Perry, WB2MGP. Most recently, Katie was one of a select group of young ham radio operators who took over the K3LR superstation for the RSGB IOTA contest. If you’re curious about attracting more youth to ham radio, you should get to know Katie Campbell KE8LQR and follow her work in promoting the hobby.