Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio

WRTC was created to remove the biggest variable in contesting: the station. What happens when the world's best operators compete with equal stations, equal power, and equal opportunities? I'm joined by Randy Thompson K5ZD, Chris Hurlbut KL9A, Dan Craig N6MJ, Bill Fehring W9KKN, and special guest Tim Duffy K3LR, for a deep look at the World Radiosport Team Championship just weeks before competition begins. We explore the history of WRTC from Seattle and San Francisco to Finland, Brazil, Moscow, Boston, Germany, Italy, and now the United Kingdom. Along the way, the group explains how the event evolved from borrowed stations with wildly different conditions into one of the most sophisticated operating competitions in amateur radio. The conversation also pulls back the curtain on the qualification process. Earning a seat at WRTC can require years of contesting, travel, station access, planning, and sacrifice. For many operators, qualifying may be harder than the event itself. Finally, we discuss what actually separates the top teams once the contest starts. Is it preparation? CW speed? Strategy? Accuracy? Propagation knowledge? Or something else entirely? Past champions and competitors share what they believe determines who stands on the podium when the weekend is over. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Thanks to DX Engineering for supporting Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio and the operators who push the limits of amateur radio performance. Whether you're chasing DX, building a contest station, activating a park, or improving your station one component at a time, DX Engineering continues to support the worldwide amateur radio community. Welcome to the Q5 community.

James Cribbs N0WRL is the founder and CEO of World Radio League, and in this special episode he unveils—publicly for the first time—the live scoring platform being developed in collaboration with the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) 2026. With WRTC now just weeks away in England this July, James walks the Contest Crew through a working demonstration of a new operator experience designed to bring the competition to life for contesters around the world. More than a traditional scoreboard, the platform combines live rankings, team profiles, spotting integration, performance analytics, station status monitoring, and visual race tracking intended to keep the amateur radio community engaged throughout the event. Joining the discussion is DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy K3LR, alongside Contest Crew regulars Randy Thompson K5ZD, Chris Hurlbut KL9A, Bill Fehring W9KKN, and Dan Craig N6MJ. What follows is far more than a software demo. The crew puts the system through a thoughtful review, challenging assumptions, questioning edge cases, and offering practical feedback on everything from spotting fairness and network reliability to promotion, onboarding, and user experience. The result is a rare behind-the-scenes look at how technology, contesting, and collaboration are coming together ahead of one of amateur radio's most prestigious events. If you've ever wondered how fans at home will follow WRTC in real time, this conversation offers the first detailed look at what is being built for July. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Special thanks to DX Engineering for helping make conversations like this possible. Through their support of contesters, DXers, Parks on the Air operators, and radio enthusiasts worldwide, they continue to strengthen the communities that make amateur radio thrive. Welcome to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.

Contest Crew Europe returns with a post-WPX debrief and a look ahead to WRTC 2026. I'm joined by Kris Kass ES7A, Filipe Lopes CT1ILT, Braco Memic E77DX, Sven Lovric DJ4MX, and Dave Kucelin 9A1UN as they unpack CQ WPX CW from a European perspective. At the center of the discussion is ES5TV’s ambitious eight-month multi-multi project. Kris shares the numbers behind the effort: 46 operators from 15 countries, more than 53,000 QSOs, and—most importantly—a remarkable influx of young operators. Nearly a third of all contacts were made by youth participants, many of whom arrived as beginners and left as confident contesters. The conversation becomes a case study in mentorship, showing what can happen when experienced operators give newcomers real operating time, real responsibility, and access to a world-class station. The crew also dives deep into CQ WPX CW. Filipe explains how his high-rate operation was less about chasing records and more about preparing for WRTC, using the contest to stress-test equipment, refine strategy, and sharpen operating skills. Along the way, the group debates operating speed, synchronization, live scoreboards, propagation surprises, and the tactical decisions that separate good scores from great ones. Attention then turns to WRTC 2026. Braco and Sven describe their preparation trip to England, complete with travel chaos, antenna studies, and low-power practice. Kris, Filipe, and the others discuss station testing, equipment logistics, customs challenges, and the realities of transporting radios and backup gear across borders. The result is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how some of the world's top contest operators prepare for amateur radio's biggest stage. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. A special thanks to DX Engineering for supporting contesters, DXers, and operators worldwide as they push their stations and skills to new levels. Their continued commitment to amateur radio helps make projects, competitions, and on-air adventures like these possible. Welcome to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.

The Contest Crew is back. Randy Thompson K5ZD, Dan Craig N6MJ, Bill Fehring W9KKN, and Chris Hurlbut KL9A join Kevin Thomas W1DED for another deep dive into the biggest stories in competitive ham radio—from Dayton Hamvention and CQ WPX CW to the mounting pressure surrounding WRTC 2026. Fresh off a packed Hamvention weekend, the crew recaps CTU, the crowds in Xenia, memorable presentations, and why Dayton remains the epicenter of contesting culture. Randy describes it as one of the premier gathering places in the world for contesters and DXers, while Bill shares stories from hosting powerhouse operator Val EW6W/CQ9A through the nonstop pace of the convention weekend. The weekend also underscored how much the series has connected with contesters, with plenty of operators stopping by to talk about past episodes. The episode then shifts into full contest mode as the group breaks down CQ WPX CW strategy. Dan discusses operating remotely from N2QV while quietly escalating from a “casual effort” to chasing the existing record set by Milen ND3T. Randy and Chris unpack the unusual summertime propagation patterns that make WPX one of the most strategic contests of the year—where 40 meters becomes king, high bands stay alive late into the night, and smart off-time decisions can determine the final score. But the heart of the conversation is WRTC. The Contest Crew gives an unusually candid look at what preparation for the Olympics of contesting actually feels like: the stress, second-guessing, endless log analysis, and even the politics surrounding spotting networks and fairness. Randy explains the reasoning behind the new automated spotting systems, while Chris describes the psychological challenge of hearing dozens of elite competitors operating only miles away during the event itself. It’s equal parts technical strategy session and inside baseball from some of the best operators in the world. The episode closes with reflections on the newest CQ Contest Hall of Fame inductees and a reminder about youth opportunities at J62K in St. Lucia—another example of how mentorship continues to shape the future of contesting. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Thanks to DX Engineering for continuing to support contesters, DXers, and operators around the globe with the equipment, technical expertise, and community investment that help keep amateur radio thriving at every level.

The Contest Crew Europe returns to break down a CQ WPX SSB contest that promised records but delivered something messier. Filipe CT1ILT pivoted midweek from a planned multi-two to a single op effort—and still topped Europe. For a day and a half, 10 meters was electric; North America poured in until late evening. Then Sunday hit like a switch flipped. Signals vanished, beams pointed the “wrong” way, and what felt like a record run dissolved. It’s a reminder that even at the highest level, contesting is still at the mercy of propagation. Around him, the stories stack up. Emir “Braco” Memic E77DX battled literal ice—antennas frozen, noise surging—yet stayed in the fight, glued to live scores in a transatlantic duel. Kris Kass ES7A fielded a youth-powered multi-multi, where a high school operator stole the show by relentlessly QSY’ing stations like a seasoned closer. Meanwhile, Dave Kucelin 9A1UN and crew clawed back from a brutal start to nearly overtake ES9C in one of the tightest finishes of the contest—fractions of a percent separating them. And then there’s the undercurrent: something is changing. AI voices are creeping into SSB in ways that feel both inevitable and unsettling. Is this evolution—or erosion? Even among elites, there’s no consensus yet. The episode closes far from Europe, with Sven Lovric DJ4MX recounting a grueling Bangladesh DXpedition: 24-hour travel legs, improvised generators, relentless noise hunting, and fleeting propagation windows. The payoff? Tens of thousands of QSOs, rare all-time new ones for many, and a reminder that the spirit of amateur radio still thrives far beyond the contest scoreboard. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. DX Engineering continues to power the passion behind efforts like these—supporting operators from rare DXpeditions to high-stakes contest weekends. Their commitment helps keep the bands alive, whether you're chasing multipliers or building the next generation of contesters.

Tim Shoppa N3QE is a seasoned contester chasing a different kind of edge, packing a competitive station into a carry-on and heading deep into the Everglades for a Parks on the Air activation during the Florida QSO Party. What began last year as a spur-of-the-moment detour, rebooking a flight, grabbing a painter’s pole at Home Depot, and improvising an inverted V in a remote campsite, turned into one of his most memorable operating experiences. The combination of low noise, strong high-band propagation, and POTA spotting created a surge in contacts and a new appreciation for portable contesting. This year, he returns with intention: a refined setup, a 3-element inverted V Yagi, and a 3D-printed center insulator designed to make band changes less painful in the field. Shoppa’s approach reflects how naturally contesting and Parks on the Air can complement each other in practice. POTA operators bring enthusiasm, real-time spotting, and a welcoming on-ramp to activity, while contesters contribute pacing, structure, and operating discipline. His activation sits right at that overlap, where a casual hunter might stumble onto a contest station and both walk away with a contact that counts. And then there’s “Tina,” his AI-generated contest voice, returning for 2026, eliminating the need for a microphone entirely while pushing the boundaries of how operators interact on phone. There’s also something refreshingly human underneath the technical ambition: a contester from suburban Maryland adapting to life dozens of miles from the nearest power line, relying on a rental car battery, and learning that success sometimes means fewer backups and more trust in your system. His goal isn’t perfection, it’s progress. Better than last year. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Special thanks to DX Engineering for continuing to support operators wherever they set up, from remote parks to competitive stations around the world. Your commitment to POTA activators, DXers, and contesters keeps the hobby moving forward.