A few days ago, we heard from Contest Crew North America. Now it’s Europe’s turn. Braco E77DX, Dave 9A1UN, Mike SJ2W, Kris ES7A, and Sven DJ4MX—collectively Contest Crew Europe, and five of the continent’s most respected operators—join Q5 with their war stories and final prep before CQ Worldwide SSB. Dave recaps the standout Istra Conference, a magnet for serious ops and next-gen tech, with attendees flying in from across Europe and the U.S. Braco walks through the high-stakes logistics of EF8R in the Canaries: six 32-kilo bags, customs delays, and a tribander stuck somewhere between Madrid and mystery. Kris reports from Estonia, where a 20-person crew is rebuilding ES5TV’s site—moose damage, marshland, and all—in pursuit of his 2013 multi-multi record. Mike, up at SJ2W in Sweden, is fighting similar terrain and hoping for a clean polar path. And Sven? He’s caught between university deadlines and competing offers from Estonia to SM2. There’s no ego here—just precision, resilience, and a drive to pass the torch. Each station runs its own rhythm, each team its own doctrine, but the goal is the same: extract every QSO the bands will give.
I hate these contests. You wreck it for everyone else. You are a small minority of Ham Radio Ops. There should be an international meeting where they decide to regulate your band width for contests. Your selfishness is astounding!
Was a great weekend... I worked 10M only and worked countries I havent even heard of! It was great to see good band conditions and all the activity. Was cloudy here on the west coast so all the solar panel noise was at a minimum.
Had an awesome weekend. Enjoyed making contacts with different countries that I would have more than likely never reach. Look forward to next time.
so is yours. I guess you dont understand how much work goes into this. I hate rag chewers who blocks DW Window on 80m saying they hate us... at least we try, we try better, we try to be heard better, and you are right, we are minority....majority only moans and complains.
Never been a contester but I can see the appeal so long as you're a considerate operator. I have friends who were really into contesting back in the 1970s and 1980s before everything had been done so many times over and over that it kinda took the magic out of it.....
