Top Contest Results

Since October, 1993, the W5KFT Ranch Station has entered over 160 radio competitions. Over 50 different operators have used the station in over 35 different events featuring all aspects of competitive amateur radio. Be it HF or VHF, a domestic W/VE-only competition or world wide DX, be it RTTY, Phone, or CW, the W5KFT Ranch Station has probably fielded a competitive entry.

RTTY Contesting

From the beginning, W5KFT has had a major presence in the RTTY contesting world. From 1996 to 2000, Ron Stailey AB5KD (now K5DJ) piloted the station to five consecutive victories in the Single Operator High Power category of the ARRL RTTY Roundup. Operating from W5KFT, Ron also won the BARTG Spring HF RTTY Contest in the Single Operator High Power category twice in a row (1998 and 1999). Ron's score in the 1999 contest, 2,108,880 points, remains the USA record score for Single Operator High Power. In both 1997 and 2000, Ron teamed up with Don Hill AA5AU to pilot W5KFT to Multi-Operator, Multi-Transmitter victories. The 2000 score of 4,009,824 points is still the current world record. In 1996, a team of operators at the station set a new USA record for the Multi-Operator High Power category of the CQ/RJ World Wide RTTY Contest. For a five year period of time, the W5KFT Ranch Station was the dominant station in the world of RTTY contesting.

ARRL November Sweepstakes

The ARRL November Sweepstakes has long been considered by many to be the single most competitive domestic W/VE-only radio competition, drawing out the top operators from around the country. In 1994, George Fremin III WB5VZL (now K5TR) piloted the W5KFT Ranch Station to its first major contest victory by winning the prestigious Single Operator High Power category of the ARRL November Sweepstakes, Phone. In total, George would record seven Top Ten entries in the SOHP category of the contest from the W5KFT Ranch Station before moving on to operate from his own station in 2001.

IARU HF World Championship

In 1996, 1998, and 1999, George Fremin III WB5VZL (now K5TR) won the Single Operator High Power, Phone Only category of the IARU HF World Championship, while operating at the W5KFT Ranch Station. In 1999, not only did George win first place in W/VE, he finished third place worldwide, one of the best ever results for a W/VE station in the contest. In 2000, George finished in only second place, W/VE, but set the current ITU Zone 7 record score of 1,629,024 points. Three other operators (Ken Harker WM5R, Russ Rinn N5LT, and Robert Brandon K5PI) have also achieved Top Ten scores from the W5KFT Ranch Station in this contest. In total, there have been eight Top Ten single operator entries in the IARU HF World Championship from the ranch.

DX Contests

W5KFT has been most competitive as a multi-operator station in the big DX contests. W5KFT holds the current W5 record score for the M/2 category in both the ARRL International DX Contest, CW and the ARRL International DX Contest, Phone, both set in 2002. In the ARRL International DX Contest, Phone, W5KFT has entered five times in the M/S or M/2 categories and placed in the Top Ten W/VE every time. The W5KFT Ranch Station has been entered in the CW DX contests in a variety of categories. George Fremin III K5TR won the Single Operator Single Band 15 Meters category while operating at the W5KFT Ranch Station in the 1998 ARRL International DX contest, CW.

ARRL June VHF QSO Party

Operation in the ARRL June VHF QSO Party was a priority for the W5KFT station from the beginning. The station has been very competitive in the Multi-Operator, Limited-Band category. With fewer dense population centers within 500 kilometers of the station than there are in other parts of the country, the teams at W5KFT have had to make their mark on six meters, working stations all over North America on Sporadic E propagation. The W5KFT Ranch Station has four Top Ten finishes in the M/L category, and won the contest in 1998. The current West Gulf Division record score of 628,705 points was set by W5KFT in 1998.

ARRL 10 Meter Contest

George Fremin III K5TR had great success in the Single Operator High Power, Phone Only category of the ARRL 10 Meter Contest while operating from W5KFT. From 1997 to 2000, George finished no worse than 3rd Place W/VE, won the contest in 1998, and then set the W/VE single operator phone only record for high QSO total in the contest (3705 QSOs) in 1999.

NCJ North American QSO Parties

The W5KFT Ranch Station has had great success in the Multi-Operator, Two Transmitter category of the NCJ North American QSO Parties. Teams at W5KFT have two phone contest victories (January, 1996 and August, 1998), two RTTY contest victories (July, 1997 and July, 2004), and one CW contest victory (August, 2001). The station has also had at least seven other Top Five finishes in the M/2 category.