Contest recaps, Field Day announcements, member news, and club updates.
The Gulf Coast Contest Club made a strong showing in the 2026 Florida QSO Party, fielding three teams across two days of operating. With mobile operations covering counties across the panhandle, central Florida, and the south, GCCC members racked up contacts from 10 meters through 40 meters despite challenging band conditions and a few bouts of Florida weather.
Operators: Rich AA2MF, John N4MMR, Joe W4GGJ
Setup: 2× IC-7100, 1× IC-7300, multiband antenna (3 band elements at a time), duplexer, triplexer, and bandpass filters per band
Day 1 — April 25: The team launched their mobile operation through Citrus, Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla, Franklin, Gulf, Bay, Walton, Washington, and Holmes counties. Skies were clear with no rain. Band conditions were up and down continuously across 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters. The team logged 30 QSOs on the day. Primary challenges were RF interference from the truck and bleed-over between radios — the hazards of running three rigs in a moving vehicle.
Day 2 — April 26: The team continued their mobile run through Holmes, Washington, Jackson, Calhoun, Liberty, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, and Citrus — covering a significant swath of north Florida's panhandle and Big Bend counties. Conditions again varied throughout the day across the same band lineup. Another 30 QSOs in the log. Same RF and bleed-over challenges persisted, but the team kept moving and kept operating.
Team 2 split into two independent single-operator efforts running coordinated operations across DeSoto, Pinellas, Pasco, and surrounding counties.
Orin KG1S
Setup: ICOM IC-7200, desk mic, headphones, bandpass filter
Day 1 — April 25: Orin arrived in DeSoto County around 9am local and deployed a ¼-wave vertical for 15 meters. He worked 15 and 20 meters through the morning, but afternoon rain forced a pack-out around 3pm. He relocated to Pinellas County, deployed a ¼-wave vertical for 40 meters, and worked 40 meters through the evening before wrapping up around 11pm. Total for the day: 39 QSOs.
Day 2 — April 26: Rather than adding 45 minutes of drive time to reach Hernando, Orin set up in Pasco County. He deployed a ½-wave antenna for 20 meters and operated until around 4pm local. Total for the day: 37 QSOs. Weekend total for KG1S: 76 QSOs. Special mention to Orin's wife, who graciously washed the car twice to deal with the love bugs.
Bruce K2BHS
Setup: ICOM IC-718, desk mic, headphones, bandpass filter
Day 1 — April 25: Bruce also arrived in DeSoto County around 9am and deployed a ½-wave vertical for 20 meters, working 15 and 20 meters through the morning. Rain arrived in the afternoon and pushed him out around 3pm. He relocated to Pinellas County, deployed a ¼-wave vertical for 20 meters, and continued operating through the evening. Total for the day: 46 QSOs.
Day 2 — April 26: Bruce joined Orin in Pasco County, deploying a ¼-wave antenna for 15 meters and operating until around 4pm. Total for the day: 20 QSOs. Weekend total for K2BHS: 66 QSOs.
Operator: Kyle N4KPS
Setup: Yaesu FT-710, Mats tuner, Rez antenna in delta loop configuration
Day 2 — April 26: Kyle operated Day 2 only, hitting three counties across south-central Florida. He arrived in Glades County at 0700, had the station set up and through an ops check by 0745, and confirmed equipment with a 40-meter contact to a panhandle operator. He worked 41 QSOs from Glades — 7 on 40 meters and the rest on 20, including approximately 6 VE/DX contacts. After lunch and slowing conditions, Kyle relocated to Okeechobee County near the lake, found a shady tree, and added another 20 QSOs on 20 meters. He then headed toward Highlands County, but incoming weather at the location convinced him to pack up and head home. Total QSOs for the day: approximately 61 QSOs.
Across all three teams, GCCC members covered counties from the panhandle to the Everglades, logging contacts on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters over two days of operating. Band conditions were inconsistent throughout the weekend, and Florida weather kept everyone on their toes — but all teams kept operating and all came home with solid logs. A strong debut for GCCC in the Florida QSO Party.
Thanks to all operators — Rich AA2MF, John N4MMR, Joe W4GGJ, Orin KG1S, Bruce K2BHS, and Kyle N4KPS — for representing NE2CC across the Sunshine State. 73!
GCCC will operate from a waterfront location in the Redington Beach area for ARRL Field Day 2025. We're planning a 2A operation and welcome all licensed club members to participate as operators, loggers, or support crew.
Field Day is one of the most public-facing events in amateur radio — a great chance to operate with the club and introduce the hobby to the community. More details on frequency assignments, operating shifts, and equipment will be shared via club net in the coming weeks.
If you're interested in helping out or operating, reach out through the . Members only.
Members operating under the NE2CC banner turned in a strong performance in the 2024 CQ WW CW contest. Conditions on 20 and 15 meters were favorable, with solid European runs on Saturday and good Caribbean activity throughout the weekend.
The club multi-single operation finished with a claimed score of 2,847,320 points — a solid result for the West Central Florida section. Individual operator scores are posted on 3830scores.com under the NE2CC club affiliation.
Thanks to everyone who got on the air and submitted under the club banner. Full results will be updated on the results page once adjudicated scores are published by CQ.
The club completed another successful ARRL Field Day operation in June 2024. Operating in the 2A category, GCCC accumulated 4,210 points over the 27-hour event.
Conditions were mixed — 20 meters was reliable throughout Saturday afternoon and evening, while 40 meters opened up nicely after local sunset. 10 meters offered some surprise openings on Sunday morning that yielded a solid run of contacts before the band faded.
Thanks to all operators, loggers, and support crew who participated. Field Day is always one of the best days of the year to be a ham radio operator. See you next June.
Results are in for the 2023 CQ WW CW contest. The NE2CC multi-single operation finished with a claimed score of 2,214,860 — a solid performance from the West Central Florida section.
Conditions were particularly strong on 15 meters this cycle, with long-path openings to Asia and consistent European runs through Saturday evening. The club will be looking to improve on this in the 2024 season.
All scores are posted on the results page and on 3830scores.com.