On the weekend of September 26-27, 2026, the Radio Amateur Association of Western Greece – SZ1A once again participated in the CQ World Wide RTTY DX Contest, one of the largest international digital-mode contests in the world.
Our team competed in the Multi-Two High Power (M/2 HP) category and finished the contest with:
- 2,029 QSOs
- 530 multipliers
- 4,593 QSO points
- Claimed score: 2,434,290 points
Most of our activity came on 20 meters with 703 QSOs, but 15 meters also performed extremely well, with 593 QSOs. In fact, 15 meters produced more DXCC multipliers than any other band, with 82 compared to 80 on 20 meters. This was followed by 40 meters with 428 QSOs and 80 meters with 267, while 10 meters was clearly the most difficult band, producing just 38 QSOs.
Propagation conditions were not at their best and varied considerably throughout the weekend. Nevertheless, activity on 20 meters, and particularly on 15 meters, allowed us to maintain a good rate and complete a very respectable effort.
A Special Visit from Germany
This year’s CQ WW RTTY also brought us a special guest.
Martin Rost, DB6CX, a radio amateur from Bavaria, Germany, was vacationing in Aetolia-Acarnania with his wife and wanted to visit the station and meet the SZ1A team in person.
Martin first visited SZ1A on the Sunday before the contest, where he was welcomed by SV1CQK, SV1CQG, SV1CIB, SV1DPJ, SV1RLC and SV1RRX.
SV1DPJ gave him a tour of the facilities, explained in detail how the station and its automation systems work and, ahead of CQ WW RTTY, took care of preparing the station setup and training DB6CX in its use, so that he could quickly join the operating team.
And, as you would expect from a true radio amateur, Martin did not limit himself to just the tour.
He immediately got to work with us, also helping to reinstall the 80-meter vertical antenna.
On Friday, he returned to the station for CQ WW RTTY, this time loaded with supplies and, much to the delight of some of our members, plenty of Haribo made in Germany!
He stayed with us throughout the entire effort and right through to the end of the contest, actively participating as an operator and effectively becoming a member of the SZ1A team for the weekend.
Contesting, Wind and… Antennas Still in Place
Besides propagation, we also had to deal with very strong northerly winds, which kept us on our toes throughout the weekend.
Fortunately, this time we managed to finish the contest without having to search the neighboring fields for our antennas!
The operators who participated in CQ WW RTTY 2026 were:
- DB6CX
- SV1CIB
- SV1DPJ
- SV1RRX
with the valuable support of:
- SV1CQK
- SV1CQG
- SV1RLC
More Than Just a Contest
Beyond the QSOs, multipliers and points, what stays with us once again is the camaraderie and the true spirit of amateur radio.
Before he left, we presented Martin with a commemorative station T-shirt, while he gave the Association a book with a personal dedication. As he told us, the book had played an important role in introducing him to amateur radio.
Martin told us that he was impressed by the station, the equipment and the automation systems at SZ1A, as well as by the peace and natural beauty of Kokkinologgos. He also promised that he would return.
Martin, DB6CX, thank you for your company, your help and your participation in the team. We look forward to welcoming you back to SZ1A very soon!
We wish the best of luck to all the stations and teams that participated in CQ WW RTTY 2026, and good results once the final log checking has been completed.
A big thank you to everyone who gave us a QSO over the weekend and contributed to this year’s effort.
See you again next year, even better, with even more operators and even more QSOs!
73 de SZ1A
