Amateur radio has these quiet, exceptional talents who are talked about far too rarely. One of them holds the callsign OE8YAK and goes by the name Anna-Maria. Anyone who has read the AOEE result lists carefully over the past three years cannot have missed her name. 2023, 2024 and 2025: three times in a row right at the top of her category. That is no longer coincidence — that is class with a system behind it.
What the AOEE actually is
The AOEE (All Austrian Exercise) is something special in the Austrian contest calendar. It traditionally takes place on 1 May on the 80 and 40 metre bands and is organised by the ÖVSV HF Contest department together with the emergency communications department. Unlike a pure points competition, the AOEE is at the same time an emergency and disaster communications exercise: it is about operating under realistic conditions, about clean contacts, and about working as many stations as reliably as possible within two time windows. This is exactly the environment in which Anna-Maria shines.
Scoring is done in several categories, separated by power and experience. Anna-Maria competes in the Newcomer Low-Power (NCLP) class — that is, with reduced transmit power and among the still-young radio careers. Anyone who thinks that is where the small results live should take a look at the raw numbers.
2023: an opening statement
Right from her first appearance in the result list, Anna-Maria took the top spot. 188 contacts and a final score of around 26,884 points meant first place in the Newcomer Low-Power category. What was remarkable was not just the win, but the margin: the second-placed station came in at a good 7,000 points. So Anna-Maria did not edge out the field — she left it well behind. A debut that made people take notice.
2024: stepping it up
Anyone expecting a dip the following year was proved wrong. Anna-Maria added a big margin: 321 contacts and a final score of 66,126 points. That not only earned her first place in the NCLP category for the second year in a row, it also put her result in a league that many an experienced low-power operator would have been happy to claim. Getting more than 300 QSOs cleanly into the log within the tight AOEE time windows takes concentration, stamina and a really well-mastered operating technique.
2025: the hat-trick
And then came 1 May 2025. 313 contacts, a final score of 61,661 points and with it the third win in a row in the Newcomer Low-Power category. Here too the same picture as in 2023: the competition in the field did not even reach half her score. Three entries, three first places, and not once was it close. You do not put together a run like that on luck. That is the result of preparation, practice and the ability to keep your nerve on the day.
Why this is so impressive
Contest operating on 80 and 40 metres is no walk in the park. The bands are packed, the QRM is real, and with reduced power every contact has to be fought for. Anyone who wins their category three times in a row here can listen, can hold their own, and knows exactly when which band is open. On top of that comes the special character of the AOEE: here it is not only the score that counts, but also the idea behind it. Emergency communications lives on people who work calmly, precisely and reliably when it matters. These are exactly the qualities Anna-Maria has been showing on the air for years.
The fact that all of this comes from OE8 land, that is from Carinthia, naturally makes us here at oeradio.at especially happy. It shows that solid, ambitious radio work is not the secret of the very big stations, but can be at home with those who go about it with enthusiasm and discipline.
If you have caught the urge to try a contest for yourself: we have a dedicated article explaining why it is worth getting started and how to do it. See Contests for Beginners: Why You Should Enter at Least One Contest. Anna-Maria's results are the best argument that sticking with it pays off.
Hats off — and 2026 will be one to watch
Three years, three first places, and a higher level from year to year. Anna-Maria, OE8YAK, has built a run in the Newcomer Low-Power category that commands respect in Austrian amateur radio. At this point, a warm congratulations and an honest hats off from the editorial team.
Which leaves the most exciting question of all: what comes in 2026? A fourth win in a row? The next jump into a higher category? A new personal best? It will be worth watching, and on 1 May 2026 we will be looking very closely at the result list. Anna-Maria, we are keeping our fingers crossed.
73 de OE8YML
