Pizza Lovers 259

Pizza Lovers 259 (PL259) is a Contest Club located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley.  We are a competitive group of Ham Radio Contesters who love to have fun (pizza!) and win contests!
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PL259 in brief

PL259 was formed by a group of Silicon Valley based contesters who wanted to have fun while being competitive in RadioSport.  Our goal was to create a small club to participate in contests either as a team or to compete against our peers in the club.

We often create our own “contest within a contest” where PL259 members compete against each other with real time scoring provided via the Internet.  This creates the “thrill of the chase” as you can see how you are scoring relative to other club members.

We encourage one another to improve our skills, stations and knowledge. PL259 is fortunate to have several world class contesters as members as well as others with deep experience in station automation and remote station building/operating.

We meet when the need/opportunity presents and our name comes from the staple food group served at our meetings – Pizza!

  • Be competitive participants in RadioSport
  • Help one another improve (skills, stations, knowledge)
  • Have fun!
  • Further RadioSport via sponsorships, presentations and example
  • Winners of the ARRL Sweepstakes Affiliated Club Competition (Local Category) in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020.
  • Pioneered Real Time contest score reporting via the Internet on the West Coast
  • Contributors of many articles & presentations on Radio Sport.
  • Tent Sponsor for WRTC-2018
Makrothen RTTY Contest

Contest Sponsorship

Makrothen RTTY Contest

PL259 is proud to sponsor the annual Makrothen RTTY Contest which is held the second full weekend of October

Frequently Asked Questions

For many of us, Ham Radio has been a shaping influence in many aspects of our lives – careers, friends, travel and life long learning.

A key part of our mission is furthering Radio Sport by giving back to the hobby (obsession!) that has given so much to us.

How I join PL259?

Membership in PL259 is open to any licensed Radio Ham who is passionate about contesting.  Full members must reside within the club “circle” – a 35 mile radius circle at the center of Maidenhead Grid locator CM97bm.

You can find a map showing the club circle on the About page.

What can I expect as a PL259 member?
We are a friendly and helpful group of contesters who want to help one another improve.  Improvement might mean contesting skills, station construction, automation, remote control to name just a few areas where members have expertise.

We meet periodically over Pizza at one of the homes of our club members.  The critical goal is to have FUN!

Can my club get PL259 to present?
Yes!  We have a number of members who are available to give presentations at Ham Conventions, Regional or Local Clubs.  Contact us to discuss your interests and needs.

Some of the topics on which we have presented in the past include:

  • Contesting (!)
  • Power Line Noise – finding & resolving
  • Antennas and Propagation
  • Station Remote Control
  • DXPeditions

Don't Be Shy

PL259 welcomes active contesters who want to have fun while being competitive! 

We look forward to hearing from you!

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