The official results of the RTTY Roundup are published a month later. The W1Z team has not just done well; we have shattered our previous records. We win first place in our category for North America, and we place in the top five in the world. Our callsign is at the top of the list, a bold declaration of our return.
The news sends a ripple through the online ham radio community. Major contest clubs and DX news sites feature our story. They do not mention the harassment - we had decided to keep that part of our FCC complaint private - but they do focus on our team: a multi-generational, multi-location group of operators, with two young women at the core, using cutting-edge SDR technology to achieve world-class results. We are presented as a model for the future of the hobby.
The international recognition is overwhelming and deeply validating. We receive emails of congratulations from some of the biggest names in contesting, operators we have looked up to for years. A famous German contester we have often competed against sends us a short message: "Fantastic score. Your team is a machine. Hope to work you in the next one."
This global validation has a powerful effect back home. The local sad-hams, who had been so loud in their criticism, fall completely silent. Their baseless accusations of cheating are now laughable in the face of our public success and the respect we are receiving from the world's elite operators. They have no credibility left. By refusing to sink to their level and focusing instead on excellence, we have made them irrelevant. Their signal has been completely lost in the noise of our achievement.
Our team, now more confident than ever, doubles down. We set our sights on the holy grail of contesting: the CQ World Wide DX Contest, in both the SSB (voice) and CW (Morse code) modes. These are the biggest, most competitive events of the year, with tens of thousands of participants worldwide. We spend months preparing. We refine our operating schedules, we upgrade our antennas, and we practice our high-speed exchanges until they are second nature.
When the contest weekends arrive, we operate with a new level of precision and intensity. We are no longer just a group of friends having fun; we are a world-class competitive team. The W1Z callsign is a coveted catch for other stations. When we get on the air, we are often met with a pileup of stations from around the globe, all wanting to get us in their log. It is an incredible feeling to be on the other side of the pileup, to be the "rare DX" that everyone is hunting.
During the SSB contest, I have a memorable run on the 10-meter band. The solar conditions are perfect, and the band is wide open to Europe. For two solid hours, I have a wall of Italian stations calling me, one after another. My voice grows hoarse, but my adrenaline is pumping. I am a traffic cop, an auctioneer, a pilot guiding planes in for a landing, all at once. "You are five-nine in Italy, thank you! QRZ, Whiskey One Zulu!" I say, over and over, my rhythm perfect, my focus absolute.
In the CW contest a month later, I experience the same thing, but in the beautiful, rhythmic language of Morse code. The dits and dahs flow from my paddle, a seamless extension of my thoughts. I am having a high-speed conversation with the entire world at once, and it is the most natural thing imaginable.
The results of these contests cement our reputation. We win our category in both modes for our region and achieve top-ten world scores. Our callsigns, both the team's W1Z and our individual calls, become well-known throughout the global contesting community. When I get on the air now as 9W8ABC, I am often greeted by name. "Hello Haruka, nice to work you again." The world of amateur radio, which once felt so large and intimidating, now feels like a neighborhood. A very, very large neighborhood.
The recognition is more than just an ego boost. It is a shield. The respect of the international community is the ultimate rebuttal to the petty jealousy of our local detractors. We have not just overcome them; we have left them so far behind that they are no longer even visible in our rearview mirror. Our signal is clear, it is strong, and it is being heard around the world.