Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio

Braco Memic E77DX and Sven Lovric DJ4MX speak publicly about their disqualification from WRTC 2026. They apologize, accept responsibility for arranging to have their starting frequencies held before the contest, and agree that the Judging Committee made the correct decision in disqualifying them. They also emphasize that they were not involved in the separate fake-multiplier scheme. The conversation then expands into a candid discu...

Amateur radio took two operators from Malawi halfway around the world—and what they bring home from Tokyo may matter even more than the trip itself.

I'm joined by Urgent Jere 7Q6UJ and Elayi Banda 7Q7EB as they prepare to leave Tokyo after attending the Tokyo Ham Fair and events surrounding the Japan Amateur Radio League's 100th anniversary. For Urgent, the journey included his first...

One of the Southeast’s longtime gatherings for DXers and contesters is returning to Pigeon Forge—and W4DXCC has some new ideas for its comeback.

Jay Slough K4ZLE previews the return of the W4DXCC DX & Contest Convention on September 19 at the LeConte Hotel in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. After a one-year hiatus, the convention that traces its beginnings to 2005 is bringi...

There’s a side of the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) that has nothing to do with radios, antennas, multipliers, or scores—and Bill Vinci believes it can make ham radio stronger. Bill Vinci is the husband of noted contester and WRTC judge Rusty Epps W6OAT, and for years Bill has watched serious operators disappear into the intensity of contests while their spouses and significant others are left on the sidelin...

The Oceania DX Contest gives operators worldwide a reason to turn their antennas toward a part of the world that can be surprisingly easy to overlook. Grant VK5GR and Holger ZL3IO are experienced contesters and members of the community behind the Oceania DX Contest, an event whose history reaches back to 1935. They explain how the contest works, why roughly half of submitted logs come from outside Oceania, and why organizers would ...

WRTC 2026 ended with one podium. Weeks later, an investigation produced another. The World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) brings together many of the world’s top contest operators to compete from comparable stations under a common set of rules. I'm joined by Randy Thompson K5ZD, Chris Hurlbut KL9A, Dan Craig N6MJ, and Bill Fehring W9KKN to examine the investigation that led to four WRTC teams being disqualified and the f...

The Beta Version of the Next.POTA.app is live, bringing new tools for operators and a faster development model for what comes next. Thom Martin W8TAM is a member of the Parks on the Air board and part of the technology team working on the "Next" POTA system. He joins me as Next.POTA.app becomes available to operators to test drive, connected to POTA’s production database and ready for real-world use alongside the existing sit...

Dan Craig N6MJ is one of world's top contesters—and now the new contest manager for the North American QSO Party SSB contest. It’s a fitting assignment: NAQP was the first major contest Dan ever won, back in 1997 when he was just 16 years old, operating from his dad’s house and discovering that maybe you didn’t need the biggest station to compete with the best. Dan explains what goes on behind the scenes of ...

Finishing near the top at WRTC takes far more than fast operating. It demands preparation, teamwork, logistics, and thousands of decisions made under pressure.

Connor Black W4IPC and Kees Van Oosbree W0AAE join me after their outstanding performance at WRTC 2026, where they captured the Youth Championship and finished 17th overall, outperforming many veteran world-class contest team...

WRTC may be over, but for serious contesters, the work that determines the next season is already underway.

I'm joined by Randy Thompson K5ZD, Chris Hurlbut KL9A, and Bill Fehring W9KKN for another Q5 Contest Crew roundtable, starting with the still-unresolved WRTC results and moving quickly into a remarkable August NAQP CW. Randy worked roughly 650 stations in only four and a half hours, while the crew looks at huge rates from 8P5...

What does the future of amateur radio actually look like? At YOTA Summer Camp 2026 in Austria, it's already on the air. Florian "Flo" Zwingl OE3FTA and Emir "Braco" Memic E77DX take us behind the scenes of one of the largest international youth amateur radio events in the world. Nearly 100 young operators from more than 35 countries have gathered for a week of building, operating, experimenting, and learning from some of the hobby'...

Parks on the Air has grown into one of amateur radio's biggest success stories. So what's next? Thom Martin W8TAM, co-founder of Parks on the Air and a current member of the POTA Board of Directors, joins me for a candid conversation about the organization's next chapter. We discuss POTA's remarkable growth to nearly 90,000 participants, the unique challenges of running a global volunteer organization, and the work happening behind...

What separates a podium finish from the rest of the field at WRTC? Success is always grounded in raw operating skill, but it's also built on hundreds of small decisions made before and during the contest. Manfred Wolf DJ5MW and Uli Ann DM5EE joined me after earning second place at WRTC 2026 in Wyboston. England to explain exactly how they prepared and adapted through one of the most competitive World Radiosport Team Championship ev...

The scores are final, but the real lessons from WRTC 2026 are only beginning. I'm joined by Emir "Braco" Memic E77DX, Sven Lovric DJ4MX, Kris Kass ES7A, Dave Kucelin 9A1UN, Filipe Lopes CT1ILT, and Mike Larsmark SJ2W just days after WRTC 2026 to break down one of the closest and most competitive World Radiosport Team Championships yet. Braco and Sven reflect on their third-place podium finish, Filipe explains how preparation time, ...

What really separates the winners from everyone else at the World Radiosport Team Championship? One week after WRTC 2026, Contest Crew North America sits down for an honest look at the contest, the strategy, and the moments that made the difference. I'm joined by Chris Hurlbut KL9A, Dan Craig N6MJ, Randy Thompson K5ZD, and Bill Fehring W9KKN as they break down their experiences competing in England at WRTC 2026. Rather than simply ...

The Cincinnati Hamfest has become much more than a flea market—it's a gathering built around learning, friendships, and the future of amateur radio. Ron Brooks, AC8MA joins Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio to preview the 2026 Cincinnati Hamfest, which also serves as this year's ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention. From major exhibitors and technical forums to VE testing, RV camping, and club recognition, Ron explains why this regional...

The world's best contesters are almost on the air, and this is what the final days before WRTC really look like. Just days before WRTC 2026 begins, I'm joined by Randy Thompson K5ZD, Dan Craig N6MJ, Chris Hurlbut KL9A, Bill Fehring W9KKN, and special guest Tim Duffy K3LR for one last conversation before everyone heads to the UK. From last-minute radio problems and travel logistics to strategy, pit crews, youth teams, and the new li...

The World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC 2026) was far more than a 24-hour contest. It was three years of planning that culminated in one of amateur radio's most ambitious international events. Mark Haynes M0DXR, WRTC 2026 Chairman, joins Q5 just days after the closing ceremonies to reflect on what worked, what nearly didn't, and what it really took to bring the world's best contest operators together under equal conditions. Fr...

Contest Crew North America and Contest Crew Europe come together for a rare cross-Atlantic conversation just days before the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC). Chris Hurlbut KL9A, Randy Thompson K5ZD, Filipe Lopes CT1ILT, and Braco Memic E77DX pull back the curtain on the final scramble before one of amateur radio's most demanding competition. The discussion is equal parts technical and entertaining. The group dives into ev...