W8USR - Special Events

Aruba Amateur Radio Club (AARC) Contesting Event

The Aruba Amateur Radio Club

The Aruba Amateur Radio Club (AARC) is a national non-profit organization founded in 1957 for amateur radio enthusiasts in Aruba. They operate amateur radio repeaters located at points of high elevation on Sero Yamanota that can be accessed from around the island. The repeaters are also often accessed from Curaçao and parts of Venezuela. They operate a QSL bureau for those members who regularly communicate with amateur radio operators in other countries.

Representing Aruba on the Global Stage: P40HQ

The primary club call is P43ARC, but other calls used by the Aruba Amateur Radio Club are P40HQ and P41HQ. P40HQ, the one used at the 2005 event, is a special Multi-Operator, Multi-Transmitter contest and event callsign assigned to them. The AARC uses this callsign primarily to represent Aruba on the global stage during international amateur radio events, the most notable being the annual IARU HF World Championship.

However, at the 2005 special event, the idea was to introduce CW and SSB contesting to more local hams. As a member of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), the club represents the interests of Aruban amateur radio operators before Aruban and international telecommunications regulatory authorities.

Every year since 1997, the Aruba ARC, as a member of the IARU, has made an effort to activate the club calls P43ARC, P40HQ and/or P41HQ. Often, the IARU contest is run as a Single Operator or Multi Single station. However, every few years, the local contesters form a serious effort, and guest operators are invited. Any member can request the usage of the club call for this contest. Guest operators may be granted special permission to hand out the HQ multiplier on occasion by a vote in a general meeting.

Station Log: Contact History

Date / Year	Special Event Call	My Callsign Used	Time (UTC)	Band	Mode
July 9, 2005	P40HQ	W8USR	20:38 UTC	10 Meters	SSB