Ham Radio Contest & Live Streaming! Monetization?
Why You May Not Have Heard About This — And Why It Might Be Worth a Look Now
It’s been happening quietly, mostly under the radar. A new wave of ham radio creators is finding real success by streaming niche like POTA. But here’s what’s surprising: It’s small pistol YouTubers, ham radio enthusiasts who are tapping into something special online. Most folks just haven’t noticed — at least not yet.
How Can You Make Money Streaming a Ham Radio Contest?
The obvious answer most people jump to is sponsorships, right? Wrong.
The real money is coming from monetization on popular media platforms — YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, even TikTok and Instagram. Every view, every like, every second someone replays that nail-biting reload or that perfect pileup management? That’s revenue. Ad revenue, super chats, memberships, affiliate clicks. Streaming is the product. The contest is just the hook.
But let’s get into the questions people are scared to ask…
Is It Legal?
Short answer: Yes.
But legality doesn’t always equal popularity. That leads us to...
What Do Contest Committees Think?
It depends. Some love the exposure. Some hate the idea that someone’s making money off their event.
Should You Get Monetized?
If you’re already streaming or thinking about it, the answer is yes — absolutely.
The earlier you build your platform, the better. The algorithm favors consistency and momentum. You don’t need 100,000 subscribers on day one — you need to show up, shoot clean content, and hit that upload button. Monetization isn’t the goal — it’s the vehicle.
So… what do I know? Well, to monetize on YouTube, you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. On Meta and TikTok, the bar is usually around 10,000 followers. These are very achievable numbers if you’ve got the ambition and consistency to go after them.
I know this: there’s an entire creator economy being built inside niche hobby like Ham Radio and its growing fast.
You just need a camera, a little know-how, and a willingness to show the world what most people never see.
🎯 Did you know most ham radio contests allow live streaming? Its in the rules.
Yup — the goal is simple: promote the event, bring more eyeballs 👀, build the hype.
But here’s the kicker… 💥
If done right, live streaming can make you money 💸
Not someday. Not "when you're big."
Now. Already happening.
🎥 Stream the pileups
📱 Post on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, TikTok.
🔥 Get views. Get shares. Get monetized. Every click = cash. And no, it's not from sponsors… It's from ads, super chats, memberships, and affiliate links.
The contest? That’s just the content.
The real product is the stream.
✅ Legal? Yes.
✅ Allowed? Most times, yes.
✅ Already happening? Absolutely.
✅ Worth your time? 1000%.
Some folks are quietly building entire side incomes in Ham Radio Media — and you’d never know unless you stumbled across their feed.
💡 Think you need pro gear? You don’t.
💡 Think you need a big audience? Start small — algorithms love consistency.
💡 Think it’s too late? It’s barely started.
This is your early-mover moment. Don’t sleep on it. 🚀
Mind Blowing Stats
🚨 Wait… he’s got 58 MILLION views from streaming CW?
Yes. Morse code. dits and dahs. 📡
And the craziest part?
You probably never heard of him.
I hadn’t either — until someone casually dropped his name in conversation.
Meet Forrest — KI7QCF 🎙️
A quiet legend on YouTube. No flashy thumbnails. No overhyped intros.
Just a radio, a key, a camera — and a whole lot of consistency.
🚨 Mind-blowing stat alert — and proof that niche livestreaming can PAY 💰
I bet most of you have never heard of Forrest (KI7QCF)…
He’s not a viral TikToker or on Facebook.
Not a podcast star.
He’s a CW operator — streaming Morse code operations, mostly from POTA sites and demonstrations. 📡
Sounds niche? It is.
Sounds like it wouldn't make money? You'd be dead wrong. 🧠💥
🔎 Let’s break it down:
📺 74K subscribers
👀 58 MILLION total views
📹 Just 541 videos
Let’s do some quick math:
58,000,000 ÷ 541 ≈ 107,000 views per video — on average 🤯
Yes, some have over a million views (shorts) and skew the numbers — but even if we cut it in half… that’s still wild for CW ops.
Now here’s where it gets real:
🚀 This weekend for example: If Forrest happened to stream in CQWW WPX,
Let’s assume his average view count holds… He would make real money!
At $1.5-$3 per 1,000 views (a common YouTube RPM),
Just one stream could net real income if 107,000 his average or 250,000. He has one CW (Morse Code) short with 21 Million views. The sky is the limit! Things do go VIRAL!
And if the stream keeps climbing post-event (as they usually do)? That number grows while he sleeps 😴💸
🚀 Let’s say for instace that Forrest isn’t just streaming to YouTube...
What if he’s going multi-platform? 📺📱🎮
Because with software like Restream, that’s not just possible —
👉 it’s easy.
Imagine this:
🎯 1 CW contest
📡 1 camera setup
⚙️ 1 stream
📤 Broadcasted to YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitch — at the same time.
Every platform = a new audience.
Every view = more ad revenue, more engagement, more long-term growth.
And that revenue?
It multiplies. 💸
What used to be one income stream is now four or five, all running off the same content in a Ham Radio contest.
No extra effort. No extra filming. Just smart distribution.
💡 Add chat overlays, donation alerts, affiliate links…
Suddenly that "just a hobby stream" becomes a seriously profitable operation.
It’s not hypothetical.
🙌 I’m not trying to put Forrest (KI7QCF) on the spot — and if you’re reading this, Forrest, hey and sorry in advance! 👋 But honestly, you’re a perfect example of something genuinely impressive unfolding in real time.
🎯 58 MILLION views. Mostly CW! WOW!
Let that sink in.
It’s consistency, passion, and a niche audience that LOVES it.
Forrest is quietly proving that you don’t need flashy editing or mainstream content to succeed —
just purpose, a camera, and a good personality with a niche.
And honestly? I’m mightily impressed.
My shack when I stream, Check out the props. You have to do this right!
🎯 The question most of you are probably wondering…
“When is W2RE going to live stream a 48-hour contest?”
Not Yet?
I’m focused right now building ham stations and launching and scaling my own online e-commerce store.
That’s my priority.
But if I ever decide to stream a major contest…
💥 The world’s gonna see it.
It’ll be a full media experience — and yes, it would generate a huge audience. Nobody right now in Ham Radio has the platform or the MEGA sites. But, I do!
But I’m holding off.
I’m watching to see what the contest committees do, because they have to know what’s coming.
Because here’s the truth:
📈 Forrest (KI7QCF) has 58 million views streaming CW & POTA operations, this can easily be dupliacted in contests! You would think?
But here’s what you should remember: Over a 48-hour contest, you’re going to have a steady stream of eyeballs tuning in—checking in and out the whole time. That kind of engagement adds up fast.
After the contest ends, the real opportunity begins.
Those epic QSO runs you just logged? Cut them into 60-second shorts or reels and turn them into content that earns. There’s software now that does the heavy lifting—automatic editing and captions.
It’s not just about live streaming anymore.
Those high-rate runs can be transformed into long-form YouTube videos, training material, or even storytelling content that captures the intensity of the moment.
There’s a lot more to this than just the contest.
Done right, it can grow your brand and become a serious income stream.
Trust me—I’ve seen it happen.
HH2AA (Haiti)
I ran a little experiment: I recorded just one hour of contesting from Haiti (HH2AA) and made 267 contacts in ARRLDX. After the event, I broke that footage into several shorts and reels — each showing 5 to 6 contacts per minute to keep things fast-paced and engaging. Some got 10,000 views while others got way more!
🎯 Watch how 267 Q’s were made in just 60 minutes — operating remotely from New York while the station in Haiti ran on solar ☀️, pushing 100W over Wi-Fi 📡.
No amp. No perfect conditions. Just raw, real contesting — and proof that you don’t need the ideal setup to make big things happen. 💪🔥
I know some of you might dismiss everything I’ve written — and that’s okay. But here’s the thing: I’m living it. I’ve seen what’s possible, and I know others who are already monetizing through contesting.
This isn’t theory. It’s happening. And it’s just getting started. 💡💰
But here’s the real win: ham radio contesting reached the masses. 🎯
People who had never seen it before were hooked — watching, commenting, and engaging. That’s powerful.
Contest committees should take notice. 📣 Embracing live streaming could open the door to a whole new audience.
How they choose to handle monetization — if at all — will say a lot about the future of the sport. ⏳📺
📩 Want to learn more about this?
Curious how to build an audience, monetize your operations, or dive deeper into the world of ham radio media?
I’ve got plenty more insights, strategies, and behind-the-scenes stories to share.
👉 Shoot me an email: ray.w2re@gmail.com
Let’s connect
