Contesting from Aruba

Spurred on by the pioneering efforts of AI6V (P40V) and W2GD (P40W), Aruba has been a prime contesting location for several decades.

Clearly, it's been a good location over the years, but like anywhere, it has plusses and minuses. Here are a few of them:

Pro:

Con:

Contest Results

2024

2024 ARRL DX SSB, P40L (K1DG, W0YK, W6LD, WE9V ops), Multi-two. Doug, Ed (remote), John, and Chad celebrate the Station's 200th Contest in grand form! Claimed Result: First place world. Summary Rates Story

2024 ARRL DX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOUABHP. Fabulous worldwide condx for NA and EU; not so much for the Caribbean. Claimed Result: Second place world, first place SA. Summary Rates Story

2024 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed struggles with weaker signals than normal this year, particularly on 40 and 80. Claimed Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRates Story

2024 CQ 160 Meter CW, P40AA (DL4MM), SOABHP(A). Tough conditions this year, but Mat and family have a great trip. Claimed Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRates Story

2024 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed starts his 20th year operating RU from our station with a bang. Claimed Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2023

2023 FT Roundup, P40L (W6LD, WE9V ops), Multi-op LP. John and Chad forsake the ARRL 160m contest with its terrible condx for a new contest and do very well.  Claimed Result: First place world. Summary Story

2023 ARRL 10 Meter, P40L (W0YK, W6LD ops), M/S HP. A hybrid operation, but this contest favored further south SA stations.  Claimed Result: Sixth place world. Summary Story

2023 CQWW CW, P40L (N7MH, WØYK, W6LD, WE9V ops), M/S LP. Mike, Ed, John and Chad try our first ever local-remote operation with great results. Claimed Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRatesStory

2023 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP Classic Overlay. Andy's fourth Classic entry in this contest yields a world-wide win in great high-band conditions. Contest #192. Claimed Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2023 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues his winning ways; this year his score is bettered only by three M/Ms. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2023 Worked All Europe CW, P40W (W2GD op), SOABHP. John tries out WAE for the first time from our station. Claimed Result: Third place non-Europe. SummaryRatesStory

2023 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP Classic Overlay. With 20 and 15 open in the middle of the night, strategy calls became crucial for a 24-hour operation. Claimed Result: Second place world. SummaryRates Story

2023 CQ WPX SSB, P40L (W6LD op), SOABLP. John repeats last year's LP win, and does a lot of house maintenance as well. Claimed Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2023 ARRL DX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP. Fabulous conditions are always a mixed blessing for us. Andy wins the world LP (and only two HP stations have a higher score), though 80 and 160 are tough. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2023 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK, KX7M ops), Multi-One. John, Ed, and Denny enjoy great high band propagation. Claimed Result: Second place world, first place SA. Summary Story

2023 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues to own this contest, though there was significant EU competition this year. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2023 CQ 160 Meter CW, P40AA (DL4MM), SOABHP(A). The competition is much tighter this year; Mat also makes a ton of WARC-band QSOs. Result: Third place world. SummaryRatesStory

2023 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed gets back in the saddle for another worldwide win! Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2022

2022 CQWW CW, P44W (W2GD op), SOABHP(A). John triumphs once again, this time achieving his best score ever in 36 years of contesting from Aruba. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2022 CQWW SSB, P40L (W6LD, W2GD, K3CT, NY3B ops), Multi-Two. John, John, John, and Steve enjoy great high band conditions, and get the silver on log-checking. Result: Second place world, first place SA. Summary

2022 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed surmounts equipment problems; his score is exceeded only by two M/2s and two M/Ms. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2022 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), Single Band 15m HP. Andy puts in a rather casual 15m single-band effort, not knowing he was going toe to toe with superstation ZX5J. Result: Firsts place world Contest Expedition. SummaryRates Story

2022 CQ WPX SSB, P40L (W6LD op), SOABLP. John returns to Aruba and does great in the contest, also remedying a great deal of deferred maintenance on the cottage. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2022 ARRL DX CW, P44W (W2GD op), SOABLP. John goes low power this year and easily wins the world (in fact, only two HP stations beat him). Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2022 CQ 160 Meter CW, P40AA (DL4MM), SOABHP(A). Mat wins again, though conditions are much worse than 2020. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2021

2021 CQWW CW, P44W (W2GD op), SOABHP(A). John triumphs on CW as he did on phone from our station. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2021 CQWW SSB, P40W (W2GD op), SOABHP(A). John continues his world mastery from our station. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2021 IARU, P44W (W2GD op), SOABHP(A) CW. John repeats his 2019 effort, hampered by unexpected noise, but perseveres. Result: Fifth place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2021 ARRL June VHF Contest, P40P (W5AJ op), SOLP. Robert uses our new 2 el. SteppIR for the first ever entry in this contest from the station -- and makes lot of Qs on 17 with it as well. Result: Not really relevant. SummaryStory

2021 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP Classic Overlay. Excellent conditions on 40, 20, and 15 make for a productive Classic, 24-hour event as Aruba returns to normalcy. Result: Second place world. SummaryRatesStory

2021 CQ WPX SSB, P40A (KK9A op), SOABLP. John braves a trip from NC to Aruba for a convincing low power victory. Claimed Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2021 ARRL DX CW, P44W (W2GD op), SO (U) HP. John beats all the Multi-ops and Unlimited Single-ops in a dramatic win. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2020

2020 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP Classic Overlay. Andy encounters horrible condx on 160 and 80, but enjoys wonderful runs on 15, and even 10 opens to EU. Log checking yields a 6 kilopoint (1/2 of a mult!) victory over P3X. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2020 CQWW RTTY, P40P (W5AJ op), SO(A)AB LP. The pandemic darkened the shack for both WPX SSB and CW, but Robert revived it for this contest, braving mediocre conditions to try out our new antennas. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRates Story

2020 ARRL DX SSB, P40A (KK9A op), SOABLP. John comes back to the island, borrows the station, and wrings out the new antennas. Claimed Result: First place world. Summary Story

2020 ARRL DX CW, P40L (AE6Y, K2LE, W0YK, W6LD ops), Multi-Single. After a week of tower and antenna work, four tired guys manage to hold it together for a major contest effort. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2020 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed's score is bested only by one M2 and one M/U. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2020 CQ 160 Meter CW, P40AA (DL4MM), SOABHP(A). Mat really rocks -- who knew you could work 87 countries on 160 from Aruba? Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2020 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed's 15th consecutive worldwide win in this contest! Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2019

2019 CQWW DX, Tower/Antenna Replacement Party. No contest, but 10 days of hard work by John, Andy, Ed, and JP replacing all towers and antennas. About 85% of the job was done, with the rest left for early 2020. Whew! Full Story An abridged story with many pictures is in the NCCC JUG, Jan. 2020. Link to JUG.

2019 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Aruba was the place to be for this one, and Ed's claimed score is exceeded only by one EU M/S and two EU M/Ms. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2019 IARU, P44W (W2GD op), SOABHP(A) CW. John reprises his 2016 opportunity to run high power from our station Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2019 CQ WPX CW, P49X (W0YK op), SB20HP.  Ed is laid low by illness, but manages a part-time 20m effort. Result: Survival. SummaryRates Story

2019 CQ WPX SSB, P40L (K5ZD, N4OC, W6LD ops), Multi-Single. Randy, Ed, and John do some rotor repair and manage a shorthanded multi-single effort. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2019 ARRL DX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. In conditions very similar to 2009, Andy struggles for mults (only 3 on 10m!) and makes 2,000 fewer QSOs than in 2017. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRates Story

2019 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK, N5KO ops), Multi-One. John, Ed, and Trey make only 2 QSOs on 10, but do enjoy superb lowband conditions. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2019 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues to own this contest. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2019 CQ 160 Meter CW, P40AA (DL4MM), SOABHP(A). Mat does another fine job (e.g.,75 countries and same total mults as Multi-op PJ2T). Result: Third place world. SummaryRatesStory

2019 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP(U). Ed survives poor conditions and even makes some FT8 QSOs to notch the highest score in any category. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2018

2018 CQWW CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SO 40m HP. With his whole family on the island for Thanksgiving, Andy does a single band 40, which is the place to be this year. Result: Third place world. SummaryRatesStory

2018 CQWW SSB, P40L (W6LD op), SOABHP Classic Overlay. Without teammates, John opts for 24-hour Classic category and notches the station's fifth consecutive Classic win.Result: First place world. Summary

2018 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABLP. Ed decides to try low power, and stays on top.Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2018 CQ WPX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. A tough slog with only 14% EU (compared to 31% in 2016), due to declining high band conditions.Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2018 ARRL DX SSB, P40L (K9NW, K9PG, W6LD, WE9V ops), Multi-two. Mike, Paul, John, and Chad do it again with by far the highest score in the contest in any category. Result: First place world. SummaryStory

2018 ARRL DX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. A similar result to Andy's last serious single-op effort in 2012: Bronze medal, behind two NA stations. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2018 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed keeps winning this contest, but the competition got closer this year, due mainly to propagation that seemed to favor the Europeans. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2018 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op). Andy continues to prefer our station to his time-share with LP and a vertical.   Claimed Result: First place SA.

2018 CQ 160 Meter CW, P40AA (DL4MM), SOABHP(A). Mat comes back again to reprise his excellent results from last year on 160. Result: Second place world. SummaryRatesStory

2018 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. In spite of no 10m and virtually no EUs on 15m, Ed continues his string in this contest. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2017

2017 CQWW CW, P40L (N5KO, N7MH, WØYK, W6LD ops), Multi-two. Trey, Mike, Ed, and John stretch the station into multi-two shape, even erecting a tower and tribander in the cunucu, and enjoy great low band conditions but almost no 10m. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2017 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP Classic Overlay. Andy goes with the "old man's" category again, with reduced 10m conditions, but good stateside runs on 40 to compensate. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2017 ARRL DX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy is beaten by two NA stations, but pulls out a podium position on log checking, and is pleased to have the same mult total as PJ2T (M/M, 16 operators). Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRates Story

2017 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK, HA1AG ops), Multi-One. John, Ed, and Zoli would have won the world if a car hadn't hit a local power pole and knocked them off the air for six hours of prime time. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2017 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. On his 11th try, a personal best for Ed, mainly due to excellent 40/80 conditions. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2017 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Third place world, first place SA.

2017 CQ 160 Meter CW, P40AA (DL4MM), SOABHP(A). Mat's first visit to our station is highly successful (only 2 mults and a few Qs behind the PJ2T Multi). Who knew the station could play so well on 160? Result: First place world (new SA record). SummaryRatesStory

2017 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Another victory for Ed in the first RTTY contest of the year. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2016

2016 CQWW CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP, Classic Overlay. Andy reprises his 2014 win in the Classic category -- so civilized to do 24 hours with one radio. Conditions are much worse than in 2014, leading to lower mults but more QSOs with NA. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2016 CQWW SSB, P40L (W6LD, KM3T, K5ZD, ops), Multi-One. John, Dave and Randy put together a fine effort in miserable conditions.  The stations ahead of them had 10, 13, 5, and 7 operators. Result: Fifth place world, first place SA. Summary

2016 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. By a wide margin, Ed wins the world again. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2016 IARU, P40W (W2GD op), SOABHP(A) CW. John enjoys the opportunity to run high power from our station. Claimed Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2016 CQ WPX CW, P40L (W6LD op), SOABHP. The Southern Caribbean isn't the place to be for this one, with no 10m and noisy low bands.  Result: Fourth place world, first place SA. Summary

2016 CQ WPX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy was proud to be the only guy on 3830 to claim over 5,000 Q's ... until 8P5A posted a total over 6,000! Oh well...Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2016 ARRL DX SSB, P40L (K9NW, K9PG, W6LD, WE9V ops), Multi-two. Paul, John and Chad add Mike and reprise their 2014 result in another winning multi-two effort. Result: First place world. SummaryRates

2016 ARRL DX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SO 40m HP. Not wanting to sit for 44 or so hours, Andy does a single band 40m. Partly fun, partly boring.  Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2016 ARRL DX CW, P40LE (K2LE op), SO 10m HP. With Andy operating at night on 40, the other Andy enjoys using the station for eight hours during daylight on 10m.   Result: Sixth place world. Summary

2016 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: First place SA.

2016 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues his string of victories in this contest. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2015

2015 CQWW CW, P40L (W6LD, K1KI, K6AW, N5KO, ops), Multi-two. John, Tom, Steve, and Trey put together a fine effort, hindered by high noise levels on the low bands. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2015 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP Classic Overlay. Andy liked the 24-hour Classic Overlay Category so much in last year's CQWW CW, that he decides to follow suit this year on phone. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRatesStory

2015 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Another sterling result for Ed as he once again wins the world. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2015 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), Single Band 40m HP. A four and one half hour power failure starting one minute before the start of the contest dampened Andy's enthusiasm for this event, but he slogged through it. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2015 CQ WPX SSB, P40L(W6LD op), SOABHP. John's super effort yields a house-record score and a near win. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2015 ARRL DX SSB, P49Y (AA6VB, AE6Y, K0DQ, N4OC ops), Multi-two. Andy, Scott and Ed team up with contest newbie Bob and decide that M/2 will be more fun than M/S. Result: Third place world. SummaryRates Story

2015 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK, N7MH ops), Multi-One. John, Ed, and Mike find that rates are unaccountably a bit disappointing this year. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2015 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP.  A very similar result for Ed, though quirky conditions on 10 and 15 led to more use of 20 than last year. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2015 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Fifth place world, first place SA.

2015 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed improves on last year's score in spite of (or maybe because of) erratic conditions. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2014

2014 CQWW CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP, Classic Overlay. With family on the island for Thanksgiving, Andy decides the new 24-hour, one-radio Classic Overlay category is the family-friendly way to compete. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRatesStory

2014 CQWW SSB, P40L (W6LD, K9NW, K9PG, WE9V ops), Multi-two. John, Mike, Paul, and Chad battle radio blackouts and high absorption levels for a fine result in a tough category. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRates

2014 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed goes back to single-op and continues his mastery of this contest. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2014 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy's first HP WPX victory also gets him the plaque for highest combined SSB/CW score and another one for the highest combined SSB/CW prefix total. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2014 CQ WPX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Superb conditions actually disadvantage the Caribbean and make this a tough one for Andy. Result: Third place world (narrowly missed second, on log checking!), first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2014 ARRL DX SSB, P40L (K9PG, P43A, WE9V, W6LD ops), Multi-two. John and JP team up with SMCers Paul and Chad in a winning multi-two effort. Result: First place world. SummaryRates

2014 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK ops), Multi-One. Andy has to sit this one out at the office, so John and Ed go M/S again, and find paradoxically that excellent high-band condx result in less activity than last year. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2014 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP.  High participation and “exciting” solar conditions make this a fun weekend for Ed. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2014 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Fifth place world, first place SA.

2014 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues his mastery of this contest, now running 6 decoders at once. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2013

2013 CQWW CW, P40L (W6LD, K6AW, N7MH, W0YK ops), Multi-two. John, Steve, Mike and Ed enjoy the continued great conditions, keep refining their teamwork, and post our all time QTH-record score. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRates

2013 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy enjoys the worldwide fabulous conditions, but is hampered by very bad noise on 80 and 160, and by accidentally turning a two-hour nap into a six-hour sleep. Result: Sixth place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2013 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK, W6OTC ops), Multi-2. Ed and Glenn, in their usual two-man M2, almost make it a three-peat. Result: Second place world. SummaryRates Story

2013 CQ WPX SSB, P40L(W6LD op), SOABHP. John has fun in a WPX single-op, and finishes exactly as Andy did last year: behind CN2R and 8P5A. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2013 ARRL DX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy does almost the same as 2011, but is plagued with high noise levels. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRates Story

2013 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK ops), Multi-One. John and Ed go M/S again, and miss winning the world by a hair, finishing less than one percent behind CR3A. Result: Second place world. SummaryRatesStory

2013 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP.  A rare combination of good high-band and low-band conditions makes Ed's weekend a record-beating one. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRates Story

2013 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Fourth place world, first place SA.

2013 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Another win for Ed. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRatesStory

2012

2012 CQWW CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP. Andy tries low power for the first time and has a ball. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2012 CQWW SSB, P40L (W2GD, W6LD, P43A ops), Multi-single. John, John, and Jean-Pierre have a lot of fun doing a bare-bones three-man multi-single. Result: Fourth place world, first place SA. SummaryStory

2012 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK, W6OTC ops), Multi-2. Ed and Glenn, a small crew for M2, repeat last year's result. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2012 SARTG RTTY, P40S (K7MKL op), SOABLP. Shelley has a great contesting experience and learns very quickly how to do a RTTY contest from a DX location, accompanied (but not assisted) by hubby Jack, W6NF. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2012 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy's third-place finish is good enough to win him the plaque for highest combined CW-SSB score. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2012 CQ WPX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy beats his previous high score by several million points, thus winning the usual battle for third place in this contest, behind the perennial 1-2 finishers, CN2R and 8P5A.  Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2012 ARRL DX SSB, P40L (K0DQ, N4OC, W6LD ops), Multi-single. Scott, Ed, and John share camaraderie and "partner mode" operating in a very close struggle with PJ2T. Result: Second place world. SummaryRates Story

2012 ARRL DX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. A personal best for Andy, but he can't beat two NA stations that have the twin advantages of geographic proximity to W/VE and contest uniqueness. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2012 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP.  Ed's score is down due to dodgier low band conditions, so last year's world record is safe. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2012 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: First place SA.

2012 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues his winning ways in this contest. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRatesStory

2011

2011 CQWW CW, P40L (W6LD, N6XI, N7MH, W0YK ops), Multi-single. John, Rick, Mike and Ed enjoy fabulous conditions, refine their teamwork, and come very close to the top. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2011 CQWW SSB, P40A (KK9A op), SOAB(A)HP. Once again, John Bayne fills in for Andy (who decides the better part of valor is to spend time with new grandchild), and does a terrific job.  Andy during the contest  Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2011 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK, W6OTC, K6AW, N4RR ops), Multi-2. Ed, Glenn, and Steve reprise their 2009 effort in an outstanding manner, aided by new team member N4RR. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2011 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP. The power stays on this year, and Andy wins low power and sets a new world record in conditions that are much poorer than in the SSB contest. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRatesStory

2011 CQ WPX SSB, P40L(W6LD op), SOABHP. John enjoys greatly improved high band conditions in only his second WPX SSB contest from our station.  Result: Fifth place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2011 ARRL DX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy does much better than 2009 thanks to improved high band condx (e.g., 2700 Qs on 10!), but so do some others. Result: Fourth place world. SummaryRates Story

2011 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK ops), Multi-One. John and Ed go M/S again and improve on last year's score. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2011 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP.  Ed dodges solar flares to trump all competitors again. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRates Story

2011 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Third place world, first place SA.

2011 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues his ownership of this contest. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2010

2010 CQWW CW, P40L (W6LD, KX7M, N7MH, W0YK ops), Multi-single. John, Denny, Mike and Ed best their score from 2005 in an oustanding effort. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2010 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y, K0DQ, N4OC, P43A ops), Multi-single. The two admirals, Scott and Ed, along with Andy and JP mount a fairly casual multi-single effort. Lots of Qs, but they can't compete with stations further east for mults. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2010 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed gets his world record this time, aided by improving 10 and 15m conditions. Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRates Story

2010 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP. A power failure sidelines Andy for the first 7 hours of the contest, but he perseveres, and enjoys condx that are the exact opposite of 2008 -- good for the Caribbean and poor for NA and EU. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2010 CQ WPX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP. Andy goes Low Power and wins the world. 10 Meters is back! Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2010 ARRL DX SSB, P40A (KK9A op), SOABLP. John is dismantling his own station, so he operates from ours, which is available due to Andy's scheduling snafu. Andy during the contestResult: First place world.

2010 ARRL DX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK ops), Multi-One. John and Ed have a great time Multi-Single with improving conditions. Result: First place world (new M/S record). SummaryRatesStory

2010 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP.  Ed breaks the world record for the fourth straight year (13.3M, 3426 QSOs, 886 mults). Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRates Story

2010 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Fifth place world, first place SA.

2010 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Result: First place world. SummaryStory

2009

2009 CQWW CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy goes back to all band high power for the first time since 2006. Makes his goal of 6k QSOs, but at the expense of the mult total. Result: Seventh place world, First place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2009 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK, W6OTC, K6AW ops), Multi-2. Ed, Glenn, and Steve do well but can't overcame a geographic advantage this year for CT3. Result: Second place world, First place SA. SummaryStory

2009 ARRL DX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy's first ever ARRL SSB meets with surprising success. Result: First place world. SummaryRates Story

2009 ARRL DX CW, P40LE (K2LE op), SOABLP. Andy narrowly beats out Roger, P40R, in LP. Result: First place world.

2009 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed breaks the world record for the third straight year (11.2M, 3193 QSOs, 801 mults). Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRates Story

2009 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Fifth place world, first place SA.

2009 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed wins for the fourth straight year, setting a new QSO record(387K, 3166 QSOs, 124 mults). Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryStory

2008

2008 ARRL 10 meter, P40K (K6KO op), SSB. Kay does SSB. Result: Second place world.

2008 ARRL 160 Meter, P40TA (K6TA op).  Ken does CW. Result: First place world DX.

2008 CQWW CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SO 40m HP. Andy does another single band 40, in a very competitive category. Without his daughter on the island, he puts in more hours. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2008 CQWW RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed wins the world, but notes that it is without a record score (6.1M, 3438 QSOs, 594 mults). Result: First place world, First place SA. SummaryRates Story

2008 CQ WPX CW, P40L (W6LD, AE6Y, W0YK, KX7M ops), Multi-2. John, Andy, Ed, and Denny put in a fine effort with new antennas/towers/feedlines, but encounter miserable conditions (the worst they've ever experienced on Aruba). Score: 18,220,175 points. Result: Fourth Place world, first place SA. Story

2008 CQ WPX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy can't beat two NA and two AF stations, but does win SA. Result: Fifth place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2008 ARRL DX SSB, P40V (AI6V op), 20m SB HP. Andy misses ARRL CW for the first time in 5 years due to the antenna/tower refit project, but Carl tries the new 20m antenna in a single-band effort on phone. Result: First place world (new world record by 10%).

2008 ARRL DX CW, Tower/Antenna Replacement Party. No contest, but a week of hard work replacing all towers and antennas. Whew! Story

2008 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed breaks the world record for the second straight year(10.1M, 2997 QSOs, 731 mults). Result: First place world (new world record). SummaryRates Story

2008 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Fourth place world, first place SA.

2008 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed wins for the third straight year, setting a new QSO record (346K, 2877 QSOs, 127 mults). Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2007

2007 ARRL 160 Meter, P40TA (K6TA op).  Result: Second place world DX.

2007 CQWW CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SO 40m HP. Andy goes single band 40, so he can spend time during the days with his daughter, Holly, who is visiting. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2007 IARU, P40W (W2GD op), SOAB CW.  Result: Second place world.

2007 CQ WPX CW, P40L (W6LD, W0YK, KX7M ops), Multi-one. John, Ed and Denny try another multi-one effort and defeat all the competition, despite being plagued by issues with aging antennas. Score: 15,992,048 points;  Result: First place world. Summary

2007 CQ WPX SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. A tough contest with no 10 meters and very high noise levels, making low band activities difficult. Result: Third place world, First place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2007 ARRL DX SSB, P40LE (K2LE op), SOABLP. Andy had less than one day to operate, but made 2490 QSOs in 17 hours! Result: Fourth place world, A+ for effort.

2007 ARRL DX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP. Andy defends his low power crown, helped by a brief 10m opening. Aruba is the right place to be this year, as P40W also wins high power. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2007 CQ WPX RTTY, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed breaks the world record (10.0M, 3023 QSOs, 723 mults). Result: First place world (new world record by 40%). SummaryStory

2007 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Second place world, first place SA.

2007 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed continues on his record-setting pace (373K, 2803 QSOs, 133 mults). Result: First place world (new world record by 15%). SummaryRatesStory

2006

2006 ARRL 10 Meter, P40K (K6KO op), SSB. Tough time for 10 meters; Kay tries to compete with the true South Americans who have much better propagation.  Result: Seventh place world.

2006 ARRL 160 Meter, P40TA (Ken K6TA op).  Result: Third place world DX.

2006 CQWW CW, P49Y(AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy has his first go at CQWW CW, loves the contest and does pretty well, but is humbled by two CQ Contest Hall of Famers: N6AA at P40T and W2GD at P40W.  result: Seventh place world, third place SA, third place Aruba!SummaryRatesStory

2006 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op), SO 20m HP. After a week spent rebuilding antennas, Andy barely has energy left for this one, but is only beaten by CN2WW. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2006 CQ WPX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP. Andy remembers little about this contest, since he operated it in a valium-induced haze due to a wrenched back. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2006 CQ WPX SSB, P40L(W6LD op), SOABHP. John does his first WPX SSB contest from the DX side and defeats all the competition other than fellow NCCCer W2SC at 8P5A and NCCC founder N6TJ at ZD8Z. Score: 15,400,304 points. Result: Third place world, first place SA. SummaryStory

2006 ARRL DX CW, P49Y (AE6Y op), SOABLP.  Low Power this year, with neighbor P40W going high power. Andy's first world-wide win. Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2006 Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge, 160 Meter Contest, P40W (W2GD op), SOHP. Result: Tenth place world.

2006 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P49X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed starts to dominate this contest (300K, 2455 QSOs, 122 mults). Result: First place world (new world record by 20%). SummaryRatesStory

2006 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op). Andy says this is the only time the G4CP silver trophy has traveled outside of EU or NA. Result: First place world.

2005

2005 ARRL 10 Meter, P40K (K6KO op), SSB. Result: Fourth place world, third place SA.

2005 ARRL 160 Meter, P40TA (K6TA op). Result: First place world DX.

2005 CQWW CW, P40L (W6LD, KX7M, N6XI, N7MH ops), Multi-one. Excellent low band conditions and great team work help John, Denny, and Rick, joined this year by Mike (N7MH), to overcome failures of both primary xcvrs, improve their prior year's results and win the world again. Three fully functional switchable 500’ beverages are a great addition. Score: 16,270,104 points.  Result: First place world. SummaryRatesStory

2005 CQWW SSB, P49Y (AE6Y op),SO 15m HP.  Andy goes single band due to a desire to be able to sleep at night after an exhausting work schedule. He has the same number of QSOs as the winner of the category (PX5E) but 40 fewer mults due to the propagation advantage on the other side of the equator. Result: Second place world. SummaryRatesStory

2005 ARRL DX CW, P40Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy did better than in 2004. 5800 Qs, only narrowly beaten by Tom, W2SC, at 8P1A by 180 Qs. Result: Second place world, first place SA. SummaryRatesStory

2005 Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge, 160 Meter Contest, P40TA (K6TA op), SOHP. Result: First place world, top score Central/South America.

2005 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P40X (W0YK op), SOABHP. Ed gets his RTTY feet wet (217K, 1728 QSOs, 126 mults). Jackie (P43P) wins the world and sets a new record. Result: Second place world, second place Aruba. SummaryStory

2005 FOC Marathon, P40LE (K2LE op).  Result: Fifth place world, first place SA.

2004

2004 CQWW CW, P40L (W6LD, KX7M, N6XI ops), Multi-One. Team comprised of John and NCCC cohorts Denny and Rick comes together on short notice and wins the world in first multi-op effort from the station since John and Andy became owners. Score: 13,592,408 points. Result: First place world. SummaryStory

2004 CQWW SSB, P49Y(AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy's first ever CQWW. He finds he has a lot to learn about finding and moving multipliers. Result: Ninth place world. SummaryRatesStory

2004 CQ WPX CW, P40L (W6LD op), SOABHP. John builds on last year's effort to improve his score and contest standing. Score: 10,338,072 points.  Result: Fifth place world. SummaryStory

2004 CQ WPX SSB, P40Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. Andy improves his score from last year slightly, but still ends up in the same place. Result: Fourth place world. SummaryRatesStory

2004 ARRL DX SSB, P40L (W6LD op), SOABHP. John does his first ARRL DX contest (and first phone contest) from the DX side and defeats all of the competition except fellow NCCC member W2SC at 8P5A despite missing the first and last hours of the contest due to local interference issues.  Result: Second place world. SummaryStory

2004 ARRL DX CW, P40Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP.  Andy does better than in 2003. Twenty more mults, a hundred more QSOs, more hours of operation (and resulting hallucinations). First operation from the station as an SO2R station. Result: Third place world. SummaryRatesStory

2004 ARRL RTTY Roundup, P4/K6UFO (K6UFO op), SOABLP. Mark operates his first major RTTY contest, while his wife plays on the beaches.  Result: Second place world.

2003

2003 ARRL 10-Meter, P40K (K6TA, K6KO ops), Multi-Single. Ken did CW and Kay SSB in a more serious Multi-Single operation than the prior year. Result: Fourth place world.

2003 ARRL 160, P40K (K6TA op). Ken toughed out a very difficult contest, as the whole Caribbean was plagued by very high thunderstorm noise originating between Aruba and the U.S. He got a lot more sleep than he had planned to get. Result: Second place SA; other than that, Ken won't say.

2003 CQWW CW, P40TA (K6TA op), SO 15m HP. Result: Second place world, first place SA (new Aruba record).

2003 CQ WPX CW, P40L (W6LD op), SOABHP. John's first contest expedition and first visit to the QTH. He found contesting from the Caribbean to be a lot more fun than from California. Score: 9,490,320 points. Result: Eighth place world.  SummaryShort Story

2003 CQ WPX SSB, P40Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP. The story of this contest was (1) poor conditions to Europe, and (2) the Caribbean gets bashed by the D4s. But, to show you how much fun operating from Aruba is, his final score of 15.1M points was higher than any W/VE score in any category, including Multi/Single, Multi/2 and M/M. Result: Fourth place world, and first time winning Aruba. SummaryRatesStory

2003 ARRL DX CW, P40Y (AE6Y op), SOABHP.  Andy's first ever operation in ARRL DX CW from the DX side. Also first ever operation on 160m. Quite a learning experience, to put it mildly. Next time gotta (1) stay on for more than 40 hours, and (2) work harder on mults for 160 and 80. Result: Fourth place world. SummaryRatesStory

2003 FOC Marathon, P4/K2LE (K2LE op). Result: Fourth place world, first place SA.

2002

2002 ARRL 10-Meter, P40K (K6TA, Kay ops), Multi-single. Ken and Kay do a fairly casual Multi-Single operation during a multi-week vacation. Result: Fifth place world.

2002 ARRL 160 Meter, P40TA (K6TA op). Result: Second place world DX, first place SA (new SA record).

2002 CQWW CW, P40Q (K0DQ op), SOABHP. Scott operates SO1.5R, but is only beaten by a full-fledged SO2R operation from P41P by CT1BOH. In this contest, the top three scores were all from Aruba. Result: Second place world.

2002 CQ WPX CW, P40Y (AE6Y op). Andy's first contest expedition to Aruba, and only his second DX contest expedition. Result: Third place world, winner of the G3FXB Memorial Award for top combined score (along with his ZF2AF Phone WPX entry). SummaryRatesStory

2002 FOC Marathon, P4/K2LE (K2LE op). Result: Fifth place world, first place SA.