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The 2009 CQ-WE Contest

Held the weekend of November 14-15  --  50 years and still going strong!

CQ-WE stands for CQ - Western Electric, the company whose ham employees originated the contest. The annual CQ-WE Contest is open to all Radio Amateurs. The objective is to contact as many Bell System Radio Amateurs as possible via ham radio. A Bell System amateur is any ham who is a current or former employee of any part of the pre-divestiture Bell System -- that is, any company that was spun off from or shares a part of its heritage with the original AT&T Corporation. Examples include the current-day AT&T, Bell Labs, Western Electric, the Baby Bells, Bellcore, NCR, Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Agere, as well as other companies that have sprung from them. Normally held the second full weekend in November, the contest combines a spirit of competitive contesting with the chance to relax, have fun, and renew acquaintances with old friends and colleagues while fostering friendships with new ones.

2009 Contest Results: Yes, we know you've been waiting, and we're pleased to report that the results are now official. We'd like to congratulate our 2009 CQ-WE contest winners. (You can see the full results here.) 

High Total Score         W4BXI      113252
  2nd Place              K8LJ       112110
  3rd Place              W8MET       98729
High Phone               K8RSP       90256
High Active Employee     W2EQ        85516
High CW                 KV8Q         70252
High QRP Score           K4OCE       67184
High Non-Bell Score      W2MN        63883
High Digital Score       N5KGN         282

Congratulations are due John Drum/W4BXI for taking High Total Score in this closely fought contest. (I don't believe we've ever had as close a finish among those vying for top honors as we had this year; both W4BXI and K8LJ deserve praise for their outstanding performances.) And congrats to the Columbus Works crew (location CB) for once again taking the top location honors. In terms of demographics, it was all good news: Participation (submitted logs) was up 20% over last year, breaking a four year downtrend; the sum of all scores was up 40% and the average score was 15% higher than last year's; the number of locations represented was up 15% as well.

Thanks to all who took part in this year's CQ-WE contest. We wish you a stellar year, and we look forward to working you once again this November, if not before.

Have a specific question about CQ-WE? Email the National Coordinator. Interested in discussing the contest or just want to keep in touch? Feel free to join Ma-Bell-Hams, a Yahoo E-mail Group where such discussions are welcome: Just enter your email address in the space below and click "Join Now!".
2009 Host Location Named: We are pleased to announce that the CRES Amateur Radio Club of Columbus, Ohio, (formerly the Columbus Works) has been selected to be the host location for the 2009 CQ-WE contest. The CRES-ARC was chosen because they were among the clubs that were instrumental in getting the contest going in the early 1960s. On the 50th anniversary of the CQ-WE, we find it fitting to honor the 50 years of participation by members of the former Columbus Works, including their 48 years of participation as a formal entity. Congratulations to the CRES Amateur Radio Club.

CQ-WE Contest Information    Prior-Year Scores
   
 
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