A pleasant +8°C with a light breeze signals that spring is coming to Černecký vrch as well. I arrive a little early, so I have my entire setup ready half an hour before the start of the VHF PA.
The response to my call sign is slow, so I alternate between searching for stations and calling them out. In the first hour (08:00 – 08:59 UTC), 35 contacts were logged. In the second hour (09:00 – 09:59 UTC), there was a slight drop to 32 contacts. The final hour (10:00 – 10:59 UTC) yielded 29 contacts.
VHF PA Country Statistics for March 2026
A total of 13 DXCC countries were represented in the log. Stations from the Czech Republic (OK) were the most numerous, accounting for nearly 40% of all contacts. They were followed by stations from Slovakia (OM) and Croatia (9A), where activity was exceptionally high, particularly toward the south. Connections to Austria (OE), Serbia (YU), Bosnia and Herzegovina (E7), and Germany (DL) also made a significant contribution to the point total. Rare but all the more valuable were logs from Italy (I), Romania (YO), Poland (SP), Hungary (HA), and Slovenia (S5).
Although the Operational Activity contest is primarily a local competition, the logbook contains several remarkable connections exceeding 500 kilometers. The absolute ODX of the contest was a connection with Dennis F6DCD/P from locator JN38RQ. The distance of 734 kilometers covered in the 2-meter band is an outstanding result under normal propagation conditions. Other challenging contacts included those with stations I4GHG (680 km, JN63DT), YT5W (545 km, KN04OO), YT3N (531 km, KN04LP), and DK5KMA (521 km, JO50IK). A notable contact was with OM0AB. Jozef has mastered the airplane scatter method, so the contact went perfectly and very quickly. Thanks to him, the KN08 multiplier is complete.
Map of VHF PA contacts, March 2026
The average distance per contact was approximately 245 kilometers, which I think is good given the total of 96 QSOs and the absence of significant tropospheric conditions. I was particularly pleased with the 28 multipliers and the reliable performance of the equipment.