Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio

Call for Volunteers: Help ARDC Shape Ham Radio’s Future

Chelsea Parraga KF0FVJ and John Burwell KI5QKX are calling on the amateur radio community to step up. Representing Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), they’re actively recruiting new volunteers to help drive the next wave of innovation, education, and technical stewardship in ham radio. Whether you're a seasoned operator, an open-source developer, an educator, or simply someone eager to give back—this is your chance to shape the future.
ARDC is a private foundation funding $3–4 million in grants each year—supporting everything from school station buildouts to open-source software development. But money is just part of the picture. The engine behind ARDC’s success is its dedicated volunteers. Chelsea and John describe a wide range of roles now open: from grant reviewers to results evaluators to science communicators. There's also critical work to be done within the 44Net IP address space—protecting resources, advising on technical development, and building community.
If you’ve ever wanted to make a difference in ham radio, now’s the time. Apply at www.ardc.net. The commitment varies—from an hour a week to five—so there’s room for all kinds of contributors. The term? One year, with options to stay longer if you’re making an impact. The need is real. The door is open. Get involved. Application Deadline is October 31st so act quickly!
Go to this link: https://www.ardc.net/join-ardcs-2026-volunteer-team/
oin the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.
This episode comes your way with support from Icom—pioneering amateur radio innovation for more than 50 years.

Contesting from W6: Chris Tate N6WM

Chris Tate N6WM is a late-blooming force in amateur radio who discovered the hobby in his forties—and never looked back. A lifelong technologist and adventurer, Chris quickly made his mark in both contesting and DXpeditioning. He's the founder of the K6LRG hilltop contest station and station coordinator for the powerhouse N6RO Superstation, where he helps drive multi-multi operations in the West. With marquee wins in Sweepstakes, RTTY Roundup, and NAQP, Chris has built a strong reputation as a skilled and dedicated West Coast operator.
What sets Chris apart is not just his skill behind the mic, but his commitment to building teams and nurturing talent. From co-founding K6LRG with a rotating cast of contributors to leading high-octane ops at N6RO, Chris has turned his love of camaraderie into a competitive edge. He’s also joined the TX5S Clipperton and VP6D Ducie Island expeditions with the Perseverance DX Group—bringing his contesting skills to demanding field environments and helping log thousands of contacts under pressure. One standout detail: his K6LRG shack is fully remote—four miles and one steep hill away—powered by FlexRadio and fine-tuned for elite performance.
Chris is also a longtime leader with the Northern California Contest Club, where he’s served as President and Contest Chair, helping steer the club through changing times while keeping the scoreboard competitive. A passionate evangelist for remote ops and online scoreboards, Chris sees technology not as a threat to contesting—but as its future.
Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.
Thanks to DX Engineering for supporting operators like Chris and powering everything from Parks on the Air to top-tier contesting efforts worldwide. Your dedication keeps stations competitive and dreams on the air.

406 QSOs in 60 Minutes: K1AR & N3GJ’s Record Run at K3LR400 Q's

John Dorr K1AR and George Gross N3GJ are fresh off a record-setting run at K3LR during the CQ Worldwide SSB contest, logging 406 QSOs in a single hour on 10 meters. This wasn’t luck or brute force—it was a masterclass in synchronized contesting, 21 years in the making. From a clean frequency above 28.500 MHz, the duo operated in seamless coordination: John on the run station, George working multipliers, backed by K3LR’s unassuming but game-changing four-square receive antenna.
Their shorthand—“let’s do our thing”—captures a kind of operating telepathy. At 11:58 Zulu, with Europe showing up and conditions ripe, they flipped the switch. What followed was a two-hour pileup that never let up. In the first hour, John ran 272 stations; George pulled in 134 more. It’s not just the numbers—it’s that from a U.S. station, with two ops operating this tightly, this is rare air.
There was a quick high-five at the top of the hour, then back to work. And as K1AR quipped, they “actually kind of like each other,” which might just be their secret weapon. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.
Thanks to DX Engineering for supporting the operators who make moments like this possible—whether they’re DXing from the edge of the noise floor or pushing the limits from contest superstations. Your commitment keeps the spirit of radio alive and loud.

Contest Crew Europe Recaps CQWW SSB 2025

Braco E77DX, Filipe CT1ILT, Sven DJ4MX, Chris ES7A, Mike SJ2W, and Dave 9A1UN - Contest Crew Europe - return from the CQ Worldwide SSB contest with stories that stretch from the Canary Islands to the Arctic edge of Europe. This isn’t just a recap—it’s contesting at its most competitive, collaborative, and chaotic.
Braco E77DX may have rewritten the record books at EF8R, logging 11,000 QSOs and 27 million points over 48 relentless hours. At ES9C, Chris ES7A battled blown amplifiers, runaway rotators, and led a multi-multi team split between grizzled veterans and first-timers. Mike SJ2W surged into Europe’s top tier thanks to rare polar path openings that let him run the high bands long after others faded—landing him third worldwide and likely first in Europe.
Filipe CT1ILT, the engineering mind behind CR6K, built a switching system from scratch—custom boards, full in-band transmit, touchscreen control—only to face a router failure minutes before go time. The system held. The vision proved out. Sven DJ4MX quietly pushed low-power limits from home. Dave 9A1UN slugged it out in the Single Band trenches. And tying it all together: the online scoreboard, now the heartbeat of high-level contesting. #onlinescoreboard is more than a hashtag—it’s the new mantra.
Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.
This episode of Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio is powered by Icom—innovative radios trusted by amateur operators worldwide.

CQ WW CW Showdown: 10x Winner CT1BOH Breaks it Down

Jose CT1BOH is back on Q5 Worldwide—and just in time for a historic showdown. The ten-time CQ World Wide CW winner, one of the most respected voices in high-stakes contesting, returns for a masterclass in operator performance, propagation edge, and psychological warfare. This isn’t just another contest preview—it’s a forensic breakdown of who might claim the crown in the most prestigious CW event of the year.
With Dan N6MJ and Chris KL9A setting up in Zone 33 (the Canaries and Madeira), and Braco E77DX operating from Colombia, Jose walks us through what really matters: the 2BSIQ technique that now defines elite-level wins, the path geometry that privileges east-west propagation, and the subtle but decisive advantages of geography, sunrise timing, and antenna takeoff angles. He’s measured, candid—and brutally honest.
Jose calls it the “Clash of Titans” and picks a favorite, though barely. One operator holds the edge in history, QSO rates, and location; another is the more consistent performer, sharper under pressure, and sitting at a better-engineered station. Both are entering unfamiliar territory, not just geographically, but mentally. A third would need a surprise shift in propagation—but as Jose reminds us, anything can happen. He’s been in their shoes: he’s failed, broken records, and learned to stay calm when the log falls apart. That experience, translated here, becomes a roadmap for anyone who wants to understand what separates world-class from world-best.
Thanks to Icom and DX Engineering for their ongoing support of Q5 and the CQ WW Showdown.
Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.

CQ WW SSB: From CQ9A to V47T, the Contest Crew Brings the Heat

CQ World Wide SSB strategy & station plans with the Contest Crew—Dan N6MJ, Chris KL9A, Bill W9KKN, and Randy K5ZD—who break down final preparations for the SSB Super Bowl of radiosport. Operating from the elite CQ9A station in Madeira, Chris, Dan, and Bill are diving into a high-intensity, six-radio, 24/7 multi-single effort hosted by EW6W Valery Zhytkovich, joining forces with top-tier European ops. The fusion of American and European contesting styles could unlock new records—or at least hard-won lessons for the U.S. contingent. From antenna-based distributed listening techniques to the rare luxury of arriving at a fully built site (thanks to Valery and his tireless team), this episode is rich with strategy and logistics. Chris and Dan break down in-band run timing, audio sharing, and the fight for every last QSO when margins against stations like P33W can come down to 1%. Bill, for once, just gets to show up and plug in—an unfamiliar but welcome shift from his usual role as technical architect. Randy adds perspective from his spartan setup as V47T in St. Kitts, where batteries, spare parts, and repair supplies get packed alongside hope for clear skies and clear bands. He’s joined by N2NT and K4ZW for what he calls a “poor man’s multi-single,” operating with two radios and three ops from a station that may—or may not—still be intact when they arrive. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Thanks to DX Engineering for equipping operators around the globe—from island expeditions to full-stack contest superstations—with the gear they need to chase DX, win contests, and keep Parks on the Air alive and thriving.

Europe’s Contest Crew: Ready for CQ Worldwide SSB

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 thesis 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. Brought to you by Icom—the choice of operators who know that peak performance is never optional.

Rich N6KT: The Man to Beat in CQ WW 2025l

Rich Smith N6KT is a quiet titan in the world of radiosport. With ten CQ WW SSB wins to his name, an ARRL DX Phone record that has stood since 1993, and multiple WPX titles, Rich heads into this weekend’s contest from PJ4K with a legitimate shot at another world title. He’s not just a competitor—he’s a legacy builder. His rivals know it. Braco E77DX is mounting a massive effort from the Canaries (EF8R) with hopes of a win and a possible world record, but the Contest Crew's KL9A says Rich is his top competition. Rich’s path started in a suburban California shack, where he built his first transmitter into a Band-Aid box. He climbed the ladder from modest sweepstakes ops to twenty years of contesting from the Galapagos, where he and a tight-knit crew engineered a rugged contesting fortress that weathered tropical winds and political headwinds. Today, Rich is part of the PJ4K rebuild team, operating from a Bonaire site once decimated by ocean surge. His strategy is clinical—hour-by-hour band planning, post-contest self-audits, and relentless focus on efficiency. No overall score goals. No scoreboard distractions. Just aiming for a performance he can be proud of. This weekend, Rich squares off against Braco in the Canaries and Tom 8P5A—both elite 2BSIQ operators. The stakes are high. But Rich isn’t here for the stress or the showmanship. “If I’m proud of how I operated, that’s good for me,” he says. That calm perseverance—and his unshakable belief in radio’s magic—has made him a beacon to every contester wondering what’s possible with discipline, humility, and grit. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Thanks to Icom for sponsoring Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio—because legendary QSOs deserve legendary radios. Their commitment to the amateur community helps make these stories—and operations like PJ4K—possible.

How Braco E77DX and Dan N6MJ Are Rebuilding EF8R and Preparing for CQ World WideN

Dan Craig N6MJ is one of three world-class operators aiming to shatter world records in the CQ Worldwide CW contest this November. From Magic Mountain in the Canary Islands, Dan will operate as EF8R—joining a global showdown where perfect propagation, cutting-edge engineering, and elite operator skill might converge to make history. He’s teaming up with Braco E77DX, who will run SSB from the same site, in a rare and strategic collaboration between two of the radiosport’s fiercest competitors. Dan is going all-in on a three-radio setup, running Icom 7610s and supported by trusted tech allies Bill W9KKN and Levi K6JO. Levi, now a professional antenna hand, will be on-site to handle potential tower repairs and power challenges on the wind-battered summit. Meanwhile, Braco is already retooling the shack to serve both SSB and CW, with an eye toward leaving behind a fully functional station for local ops like Juan EA8RM. This is another installment in Q5’s new CQ WW CW Showdown series—a behind-the-scenes look at how the top contenders prepare for the biggest weekend in contesting. Whether Dan, Braco, or Chris KL9A at CQ9A comes out on top, one thing is clear: conditions are ripe for a new world record—maybe even three. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Thanks to Icom and DX Engineering for making this series possible. Their continued support drives innovation among DXers, Parks on the Air activators, and top-tier contesters operating from the world’s most rugged and remote sites.

ES7A Hit by Lightning, WAE Fallout & CQ WW Pivot: Contest Crew EU

Braco Memic E77DX hosts this special edition of Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio, stepping in after Kevin W1DED encountered technical issues. Contest Crew Europe gathers to unpack the 2025 Worked All Europe SSB contest, recent IARU VHF, and plans for the upcoming CQ Worldwide SSB contest.
Kris Kass ES7A opens with a cautionary tale: a lightning strike took out his station, frying everything from rotators to computers. With WAE off the table and the station out of commission for CQ Worldwide SSB, he's pivoted to a multi-op plan at ES5TV with an international team—including youth. Sven Lovric DJ4MX describes wrestling with remote station glitches while operating as 9A5MX, but still posting over 400,000 points.
Dave Kucelin 9A1UN joins late but brings the heat: his team operated from an ex-military mountaintop site at 1,600 meters, battling fog, humidity, and 80 km/h winds. The result? Over 1,100 QSOs and the second-best VHF score south of the Alps. The crew closes with insights on WAE propagation, the flood of QTCs from Brazilian stations, and yes—AI-generated voices now flawlessly handing out QTCs.
Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.
This episode of Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio is powered by Icom—innovative radios trusted by amateur operators across the globe.