OZ1GER and OZ1FTU preparing for the 5th antenna-mast disassembly and cable fixing Each year a different contest, and each year the unexpected happens. With all the moving parts of equipment people and logistics -it is always fun! Having established the basic station and equipment with a recent change from tube PAs to LDMOS we where ready for what looked like a technically stable contest. It did not really happen, but in the end it all worked out. A new feature to be tested in 2025 was a remote operator. AG6QV residing in Seattle on the US west coast was to operate the station during the late night hours giving the rest of the crew just a little sleep. All equipment was tested and serviced (we thought) before the contest and OZ1GER, OZ1FTU, OZ1FDH and PA5DD, where all ready to start the assembly on friday. An unexpected event! The weather forecast for Friday September 5 promised record rains and thunderstorms, not the best conditions for driving across the country ...

5P5T, full setup at the contest site  Since 2007 5P5T has been active in the Region 1 VHF September contest, with 2024 it makes 18 consecutive tests in a row. The equipment and team have seen changes over the years, but long-lasting friendships and a barn at OZ1FDH has enabled us to build up and develop our station setup. Last year after successfully testing an Italab PA we decided that going forward, it was time to make the full change from tube PAs to LDMOS. More than a decade of bumpy transport and use had taken its toll on the old PAs. They had started breaking down and a major refurbishment was needed. Another reason was the Russian tubes used in the PAs. Supporting Russian manufacture is not good for anybody, and we decided to get rid of every piece of Russian derived equipment for good. Station and antennasThe setup we are using is a 3-array phased system of 8x3 element each and 4x10 element. All DK7ZB designs and all vertically stacked to secure as wide a horizontal ...

A different year The year 2020 has been the year of anomalies, also for VHF-contesting. With the covid pandemic and the IARU Region 1 shut down of multioperator contesting in the spring, the question was if there would be a September contest at all. A number of individual IARU member states had opened for multioperator contests in the late spring and early summer, but IARU was still taking a cautionary approach. Furthermore, in the weeks leading up to the contest the infection rates were rising and maybe PA5DD Uffe could not join the team due to travel restrictions, and definitely AG6QV Frank would be locked down in the US. It turned out OK, IARU decided under the extraordinary circumstances not to impose their own rules but would leave it up to national guidelines and the individual member organizations whether or not to allow multioperator contesting. For OZ we were in the clear, but of course we also asked ourselves if it would be safe to participate in light of a covid infection risk, ...

In 2018 we had a major redesign of our antenna system inspired by a lecture given by Henning DF9IC at the Nordic VUSHF meeting, where he described how DR9A had redesigned their multi-antenna system to obtain a more uniform radiation pattern. The idea on our side was to obtain a more homogenous pattern of radiation by phasing our 8x3 el antenna systems. Having 3 systems in phase would in theory enable us to cover from 90 to 270 deg. Lots of time was spend in the summer of 2018 to rebuild, extend and redesign everything, but the final test during the contest failed because some of the driven elements were not in phase. Read the full story of the 2018 phase-disaster here. The antenna setup prior to 2018 and 2018/2019 is shown below.  Figure 1. 5P5T antenna setup. distance between 4x10 and the phased system is approx 25 meters. Drawing is not to scale. For 2019 the strategy was quite simple. No more changes to the setup, focus on getting the new antenna system up in the right order ...

5P5T Region 1 VHF test 2013 –best contest ever! Looking back at the past 20 years region 1 VHF contest, it is pretty clear that you have to live near central Europe if you want to win. In 2004 G8P won the contest, but otherwise the winners has all been located in central Europe. Thus for stations located at far away from the main activity centers you need a little bit of luck in the form of good con and no major equipment failures, tough work and a good station. In the weeks leading up to the contest we followed the weather forecast anxiously. Heavy rain makes access to the Kongsbjerg very difficult, but the forecast looked good and Hepburn gave indications of good conditions. Kongsbjerg is the southern tip of the limestone formation on the island of Moen. The site is 134 m ASL and from 90 to 270 degress there is a clear view to the ocean giving an almost perfect horizon. Besides being a good radio QTH, it is also very beautiful and scenic. Preparations for a big test like this always ...