My Experience in the 2025 Hawaiʻi QSO Party
by KH6ML – Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu
This year I once again participated in the The Hawai`i QSO Party (HQP) https://www.hawaiiqsoparty.org/ — a contest designed to promote HF operation from our islands and give the rest of the world a chance to work KH6 on the bands. I operated from my home QTH in Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu, as KH6MLusing 100 watts and a wire antenna — and still had incredible reach across the U.S. and around the world.
📡 The Numbers
Total QSOs: 145
Operating Modes: SSB and FT8
DXCC Entities Worked: 16
U.S. States Worked: 18
Coolest DX Contact: C21TS (Nauru) – ~2,810 miles
Farthest Europe DX: Germany & UK – over 7,200 miles
🌍 Countries Worked
Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Nauru, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
🇺🇸 U.S. States Worked
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaiʻi, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin
🌟 Highlights from the Airwaves
While contesting is often about the numbers, the real joy came from the stories that unfolded during the weekend.
🧳 I had some great conversations with hams who had lived in or visited Hawaiʻi — many with strong ties:
One op was born in Hawaiʻi and moved to the mainland in the 1960s.
Several were military veterans who had been stationed in Hawaiʻi — from Pearl Harbor to Kaneohe MCBH.
I had a QSO with a ham who's touring the U.S. with a traveling museum exhibit about the history of Aloha shirts — complete with vintage examples and cultural context.
Another shared stories of hitchhiking Oʻahu’s North Shore and beachcombing in the 1970s while working seasonal gigs.
These kinds of connections are what really make the HIQP more than just a contest — it’s a shared celebration of Aloha spirit, history, and community.
🤙 Mahalo
Big mahalo to all the ops who found KH6 on the bands. Whether you're chasing DX, collecting states, or just dropping in to say “aloha,” it was a pleasure making the contact.
If you’re in Hawaiʻi, or plan to visit, keep an antenna in your go-bag — you never know who’s listening on the other end.
73 and Aloha,
Michael – KH6ML