The Contest Crew is back—and this time, it’s all about a CQ WPX SSB weekend that didn’t quite go to plan.

Randy Thompson K5ZD is operating from V47T, where preparation starts strong and immediately go sideways: a shack full of amplifiers, and only one survives. What follows is a stripped-down station—one radio, one amp, and a relentless chase against Tom at 8P5A. The result? A second-place North America finish, just 800K behind, and a quiet revelation: even in a hyper-optimized, two-radio world, a disciplined single-op can still hang on if the decisions are sharp.

The contest itself was a study in contrasts. Solar numbers promised magic, but northern operators struggled while the Caribbean and North Africa thrived. Randy finds gold on 15 meters in the dead of night—an hour and a half of uncontested Europe—while Kevin Thomas W1DED, operating ZF2KT, battles the eternal beginner’s dilemma: is it me, or the band? His breakthrough comes not in raw Qs, but in confidence—holding a frequency, trusting his setup, and pushing through the low-band grind he once avoided.

And then there’s the future creeping in. AI voice keying isn’t fringe anymore—it's here, controversial, and effective. Some call it innovation; others, a step too far from the human element. But as Chris KL9A puts it plainly: “It’s not going away.” The subtext is clear—contest strategy is no longer just about propagation and endurance, but about how far you’re willing to lean into automation.

Underneath the tech and tactics, though, the human moments still win. A last-minute headset scramble. A footswitch handoff at an airport. A wife wondering what kind of hobby involves strangers delivering gear at baggage claim. In contesting, logistics can be as intense as the pileups—and just as rewarding when it all clicks.

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DX Engineering continues to show up where it counts—whether it’s overnighting critical gear or backing operators chasing every last multiplier. Their support keeps contesters, DXers, and portable ops in the game when it matters most.

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.

Mark Pride K1RX is a veteran contester who believes the real upgrade isn’t your station—it’s you. In part five of this contesting fundamentals series, Mark shifts the focus away from gear and toward operating skill—the subtle, often overlooked craft that separates competent operators from great ones. His message is clear: improvement happens in the chair. Through short contests, special events, and deliberate “stress tests,” operators can sharpen timing, listening, and decision-making. Whether it’s CWOps sprints or month-long award programs, the goal isn’t just points—it’s building confidence and predictability on the air. What stands out is how quickly growth can happen. Mark shares the story of a Welsh operator he mentored who, with modest equipment, logged over 2,700 QSOs in a single event—discovering along the way her best band, improving her pileup skills, and even curing mic shyness. That’s the throughline: contesting compresses learning. It forces you to hear better, think faster, and adapt in real time. But Mark is equally blunt about what holds operators back. Bad habits—like repeating exchanges, over-talking, or failing to identify—quietly destroy efficiency. Contesting, at its core, is about transmitting maximum information in minimum time. The operators who thrive are the ones who strip communication down to its essentials and learn to match the cadence of whoever they’re working. Perhaps the most original idea here is “parallel play”—a kind of shadow operating where you practice logging real QSOs by listening to top operators, even from an SDR or hotel room. It’s a reminder that improvement doesn’t require perfect conditions—just intention. From search-and-pounce fundamentals to the adrenaline of running a frequency, Mark frames contesting as a discipline built on awareness, repetition, and small, compounding gains. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. DX Engineering continues to be a driving force behind operators pushing their limits, whether chasing DX, activating parks, or competing at the highest levels. Their support helps turn learning into performance across the global ham radio community.