Jason Goldsberry CE3/N5NU is quietly redefining what contesting can look like when you have no choice but to leave the house. In this episode, I’m joined by the contest crew—Randy Thompson K5ZD, Bill Fehring W9KNN, Chris Hurlbut KL9A—and their guest Jason Goldsberry CE3/N5NU, joining us from Chile. Living in a sixth-floor apartment in Las Condes, just outside Santiago, Jason quickly discovered the reality of urban RF noise—an S9 wall that made home operating nearly impossible. So he did what contesters tend to do when faced with a problem: he engineered around it. The solution? Hiking into nearby parks with a full portable station—antennas, batteries, laptop, and radio—sometimes hauling 60 pounds of gear in two trips just to get on the air. During CQ Worldwide CW, Jason packed a Yaesu FT-891, lithium batteries, and a carefully designed vertical antenna system—including a two-element vertical beam for 10 and 15 meters and a parasitic vertical array for 20. Running 100 watts on battery power, shaded only by a giant umbrella to fight the Chilean sun, he logged more than 800 QSOs in roughly 15 hours of operating. For Jason, it’s less about competing for plaques and more about giving out the mult and having fun—experiencing the magic of propagation, like hearing Mongolia at 20-over-9 or working rare openings into Asia and Europe from a hillside. Along the way, he’s discovered an unusual intersection between worlds. Portable operators and contesters don’t always overlap—but Jason lives squarely in that narrow sliver where both passions meet. Whether it’s navigating pileups with clever listening techniques, managing battery life by watching his radio screen dim, or hiking into remote spots for a better takeoff toward North America, his approach proves that big fun doesn’t always require a big station. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.
Fun change of pace interview. I worked CE3/N5NU a total of 3 times - on 12 and 10m. Two of those qsos were on ssb/one on cw. in a recent contest. Loud enough to work! Always fun to see the face behind the voice. Bob W3HKK ( since 1956) Ex: F7AL - 5A3TG - 5A3TG/SM7 - 9G1GS - ON8UD - W3HKK/PY8 (Belem on the Amazon) - W3HKK/PS7 (Natal)
So cool to hear about Santiago and "Las Condes". I lived in La Reina in 1976 as an exchange student. Pretty grim place back then... right after the coup. At 16, and recently a Ham, I was fascinated seeing a few yagis mounted on houses. Before I went to Chile, I used to listen to Radio Nacional de Chile on SW. I stopped by their office downtown one day when I was just messing around. The DJ at the time called me in and interviewed me on the air! Pretty funny. It's a good thing I had a little mic experience with Ham Radio. ;-)
