This Saturday (19/07/2025) saw the 2nd round of the Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) contest. This 12 hour contest gives the chance for younger operators to speak to experienced contesters to get a feel for the format and pace of contesting.
As a young operator (21 years old), I had the pleasure of giving away 11 points per station per band, and operated for the full 12 hours. My station config and details are below:
Usually during a contest, the bands can be quite chaotic and it is hard to find a clear frequency. When you do find one, it’s common for another station to start calling over the top of you. Luckily, the YOTA contest encouraged some of the best contesting etiquette I’ve heard on air. Operators were very patient with all stations, particularly YOTA operators.
Throughout the day I heard a variety of operators from all different ages. The oldest operator I spoke to was 90 years old and the youngest was only 7 years old (operating using her father’s callsign and supervision). This event gives a great chance for operators to get their children involved and hopefully encourage the next generation into the hobby.
Conditions were quite difficult on the day due to varied solar activity and propagation. Quite unusually, 20m died off as usual but opened up again to inter-Europe later in the evening. 40m was poor throughout the day and only started to pick up around 1900UTC.
You can find out more about the YOTA contest HERE(link opens in new tab).
Map of my contacts – courtesy of QSLWorld.Statistics of my contacts – courtesy of QScope.
Following the successful World Wide Award month provided by Hamaward in January, a second “sprint” event was held between June 30th and 6th July 2025. The aim is to contact as many of the special “WWA” callsigns and other participating activators, once per day per band per mode. Points are awarded automatically and your progress in the award can be checked via the Hamaward website or via the “embed” within the QRZ page of the activating station.
I was pleased to participate again this year. Unfortunately, I had antenna issues due to strong winds and my cobweb came down below roof height. I participated using my end-fed with a 49:1 unun until I was able to have the cobweb reinstated midweek.
I was very pleased to finish with the following results:
Country/Region
Mode/Band
Score
England
All Bands Mixed
116 of 3743
England
All Bands Digital
27 of 866
Worldwide
All Bands Digital
580 of 24857
You can check your score HERE (link opens in a new tab). For this award, you do not need to submit your log as scoring is automatic.
I am very pleased to, today, receive my Worldwide Flora Fauna (WWFF) Hunter Certificate for working 14 European DXCCs within the program.
I am a keen hunter for Parks on the Air (POTA) stations, and there is a lot of overlap with this program. Therefore, I am very happy to be awarded this certificate.
If you are interested in starting to hunt or activate WWFF sites, you can check out my guide HERE (link opens in new tab).
If you have read any of my previous blog posts, you will know that I have an affection for the E7POTA group of radio amateurs. Their work has always been innovative, creative and showed the best that portable radio can offer. With Parks on the Air (POTA) an ever-growing scheme within the hobby, it’s great to have a group of keen operators who are a perfect example of how to participate and enjoy the outdoors while winning awards.
I was speaking with Husein, E75HZ, who drew my attention to the activities of another member of the team. Dino (OE2BRO) has recently modified his trusty Kawasaki motorcycle specifically for portable radio activations and the result is impressive. Husein writes:
“From the very beginning of the E7POTA story, colleague Dino (OE2BRO) surprises us again and again with his creativity and passion for radio amateur activations. His latest idea – to combine his love for motorcycles and POTA activations – has resulted in a unique project that could set new standards in mobile activations.
Dino converted his old but reliable Kawasaki into a real little POTA rig. Along with the carefully crafted mounts, he mounted a modified pole for the Rotary Dipole antenna, while on the handlebars he installed a practical mount for a QRP radio (Xiegu G90 or similar). The power supply is provided by self-modified batteries, designed precisely for such off-road challenges.
Dino used a Rotary Dipole fitted to a modified mount.
The preparations took several days, mostly due to waiting for the delivery of certain components, but the result was worth every moment of the invested work. Dino successfully and stylishly activated two Austrian POTA parks – AT-0334 and AT-0335 – (the first activation) using the call sign OE/E7POTA.
The smile on his face speaks volumes. The activations were more than successful, and for some of these parks they were the first recorded activities. His moto-approach attracted attention both among hams and beyond, as a great example of how passion, technical ingenuity and a spirit of adventure can come together in an unforgettable experience.
Is Dino the first to activate POTA destinations in this way? Maybe he is, or maybe not – but one thing is certain: his project is unusual, innovative and inspiring.
73 and 44 from the E7POTA community – and congratulations, Dino!“
Often in amateur radio, the perfect solution isn’t readily available and requires some creativity. This is the best example of that, and this proactive and innovative approach to portable activating by Dino and the other members of E7POTA is exactly why I love the group and the POTA scheme as a whole.
If you haven’t already watched my recorded interview with Esad E77PY, another member of the E7POTA group, you can can check this out HERE (link opens in new tab). If you would like to work E7POTA on the air, keep an eye on the POTA Cluster and follow the group on Facebook HERE (link opens in new tab) for info on upcoming activations and activities.
This evening, the 26th April 2025, band conditions were fantastic. Across 15m, 17m and 20m, there was a wide opening from the United Kingdom to North and South America and Australia in particular. I managed to work all 6 continents this evening, and the distribution of FT8 contacts were scattered across the globe.
Map of Contacts, 26.04.2025, courtesy of Qscope.orgList of DXCCs, 26-04-2025 (evening) and 27-04-2025 (early hours of morning)
Thanks to the high sunspot number and SFI, the bands have been in great shape recently. In addition to widespread FT8 openings, many SSB contacts to North America were also possible. Did you manage to get any in the log?
Last weekend (19-20th April 2025) was the Spring edition of the “Support Your Parks Weekend” event. This is a quarterly event run by the Parks on the Air (POTA) team encouraging radio amateurs to “get on the air” from/to a park to support the program.
I was pleased to be able to make contact with Riso OM6RT in his activation of Rumanovský park. Luckily for me, this meant I was issued with the special award for the event, which you can view below.
I continue to support the Parks on the Air program, and I am pleased that such events exist to support the portable community within the hobby. Some of my best contacts have been while activating a local park/beach, and the proximity to the sea in my local area boosts signal propagation.
I was very pleased to open an airmail letter to find my DX Century Club (DXCC) award. One of the most prestigious and most sought-after awards in amateur radio, I was delighted to receive mine.
The award celebrates making QSOs to 100 different DX entities, and proof of contact (QSL) must be provided for each.
More on the scheme can be found HERE (link opens in new tab).
I have launched a new series of articles on my site, titled “Foundation Stories”. In the United Kingdom, there are three tiers of amateur radio licence; foundation (M3, M6, M7 prefix), Intermediate (2E0 and 2E1 prefix) and Full (M and G prefix).
This series focuses on the first of these, celebrating the entry level licence and opening the hobby to new people. Thanks to online examinations offered by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), more people than ever are taking up the hobby and getting involved.
In the first of these articles, I had a Q&A session with John M7DDL (now 2E0IYB) on his experience in amateur radio, particularly with getting his foundation licence and the online examination.
This weekend, the CQWW WPX (Prefix) award on SSB was held, one of the biggest events in the annual contesting calendar.
I took part as M7OJA from my home QTH with 25w, a 5 band cobweb and 10-40m end-fed. I entered the fixed, single-op, low-power, all-band category with youth overlay.
In total, I achieved 546 QSOs to 65 DXCCs.
Contests like this help to keep the bands alive, with no shortage of DX available this weekend.
As I was away from the shack today, I decided to leave my radio (Yaesu FT-991A) connected to my PC (running MMSSTV) to see if any SSTV images could be decoded.
I was very surprised when I returned to the shack to find over 100 images saved. Although some were blurry and distorted, the majority were clear and readable.
The following images were received 20/03/2025 between 11:00-17:00 on 20m SSTV (14.230MHz) with a cobweb antenna:
I had the pleasure of talking to Esad E77PY for a recorded conversation about the E7 POTA special event callsign for Parks on the Air (POTA) activations. You can watch the interview HERE.
A never-before-seen scale expedition is planned to Bouvet, the most remote island in the world. Planned for February 2026, the 3Y0K team of 18-24 operators are planning to operate on the island for around 3 weeks. The group has a budget of approximately $1.6 million dollars funded by various DXpedition groups and corporate sponsors.
The group plans to arrive on the island by helicopter (by the Norwegian Polar Institute) before sailing on an icebreaker for around a week. Two camps are planned to be setup, one focusing on North American contacts and the other on the rest of the world. SSB and CW will be prioritised, with some operation on digital modes such as FT8 and RTTY and via the QO-100 satellite.
The DXpedition will participate in various awards schemes, with the following references:
Parks on the Air (POTA) –BV-0001
Islands on the Air (IOTA) – AN-002
World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) – LAFF-0044
Summits on the Air (SOTA) – BV-001
QSL cards will be offered for any contacts during the expedition. Currently, a PayPal Online QSL Request (OQRS) and Logbook of the World (LOTW) confirmation will be $15, with bureau requests priced at $3. Direct cards will also be answered, with a suggested minimum contribution of $5 or more. For those unable to make a financial contribution, a free bureau QSL card option will become available after the expedition and when other requests are processed.
QSL requests will be available via Charles M0OXO at his website HERE (link opens in new tab).
Further information about the expedition is available at the 3Y0K dedicated website, accessible HERE.
A new guide is live on my website titled “Improving your QRZ Page”. The guide covers how to format your page, useful information to include in your biography, how to add images and set featured images and how to embed useful tools such as POTA Statistics and Clublog OQRS into your QRZ page.
You can view the guide HERE (link opens in new tab).
So far, I have received positive feedback from the guide, and I hope it will be useful for you.
A new ongoing challenge and awards scheme has launched. Grids on the Air (GOTA) provides the opportunity to claim awards for working as many grid squares as possible on Phone and CW modes only (a similar award scheme operates for digital modes).
The awards scheme, which is accessible via their website HERE (link opens in new tab) is now accepting log submissions. Endorsed by the RSGB, GMdx, AGCW and others, the program provides an addictive and fun way to chase grid squares and receive awards in the process.
You can also join the Facebook group to connect with other chasers HERE (link opens in new tab).
Each unique grid square will count towards your total, and a leader board is available on the website to compare yourself with other chasers. Only QSOs from after January 1st 2025 are valid for the awards.
The special callsign E7POTA from Bosnia-Herzegovina is now active on the HF bands for the Parks on the Air (POTA) program.
E7POTA and OE/E7POTA will be active across the HF bands on SSB and FT8/FT4. Keep an eye on the POTA cluster HERE (link opens in new tab) for information. The callsign is also active on Facebook and you can follow them HERE (link opens in new tab).
An award scheme for the special callsign is also available, awarding diplomas for making QSOs with the station. Details of the award scheme is available on their website HERE.
I am pleased to have received the Bronze Award so far, and I will continue to work the callsign in their POTA activations.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Esad E77PY, one of the activators and leaders of the E7POTA callsign. You can view the interview HERE (link opens in new tab).
Despite a minor solar storm causing disruption and poor propagation on HF, I enjoyed operating today. I achieved 200 QSOs on Sunday, including 60 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) contacts, 11 Parks on the Air (POTA) contacts and a new DXCC (Cocos Keeling Island) on 20m SSB.
On Sunday 10th March 2025, the first round of the Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) contest took place. The aim of the contest is to provide an opportunity for young people (under age 25) to be the focus of a contest. For 12 hours, amateurs all over the world made contact with each other, with bonus points available for QSOs with under 25s.
I chose to take part in the “6 hour” category of the contest, and as I am 21, I am classed as a “YOTA” station. In between other things, I put a few CQs out on 20m and 40m and finished the contest with 60 in the log. The oldest operator I spoke to was 82, and the youngest was only 7 years old operating with a youth club in Hungary!
Log submissions are to be in Cabrillo format and can be submitted HERE (link opens in new tab).
A few statistics from my log is below:
Map of my YOTA contacts (M7OJA) – Courtesy of Adventureradio.YOTA Contest Submission – M7OJADXCC list for my YOTA QSOs – Courtesy of QScope
Enjoyed the article? Share it here!
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
