CQ WPX SSB 2026 – Another Shot from Madeira
After winning the 2025 CQ WPX SSB from Madeira, operating as CQ3W, I thought: why not give it another shot and see if I could push the score even further?
So, back to Madeira!
The Setup
The trip started almost suspiciously smoothly.
Flights were on time, the taxi was waiting at the airport, and I could start setting up almost immediately after arriving at Casa Da Tia Clementina in Santana.
This year I had one day less than usual, arriving on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. But fortunately, everything was ready to go by the end of the first day.
I put a few hundred test QSOs into the log on SSB and also had FT8 running for those who are still collecting Madeira.
The plan was simple: repeat last year’s strategy.
Avoid the slow hours and concentrate on periods where high rates were possible. Stay away from the low bands unless there was a good reason to go there.
The math is pretty straightforward:
100 QSOs on 40m are worth roughly the same as 200 QSOs on the higher bands.
So, in this game, anything above 100 QSOs per hour is a win!
Day One – What a Start!
Day One started with a bang.
The low-band rates weren’t particularly exciting, but the high bands were absolutely rocking.
The numbers looked really promising, and I had a very good feeling that I might actually be able to improve on last year’s score.
There were many hours close to 200 QSOs/hour, with a few even higher.
Exactly what I had been hoping for.
I finished the first day with around 2,700 QSOs.
Sounds great, right?
Well… there was a problem.
My score was approximately 900,000 points behind last year’s score at the same stage.
What the hell had happened?
Day Two – Where Did Everybody Go?
I started Day Two highly motivated.
But no matter what I tried, I simply couldn’t find a decent rate.
20m?
Below 100 QSOs/hour.
Try 15m?
Not much better.
Maybe 10m?
Nothing.
Where had everybody gone?
The frustration slowly started to build, and at this point my dreams of improving the world record were pretty much gone.
I had to settle into hour after hour below 100 QSOs, repeatedly calling CQ just to squeeze another contact out of the band.
And that really sucked.
The obvious decision would have been to stop accepting the slow hours, take a break and wait for conditions to improve.
But I didn’t do it.
That was my huge mistake.
Instead, I kept grinding away.
Only about half an hour before my allowed 24 hours of operating time for the Classic category expired did I finally take a break and wait for the US to open.
And guess what?
That decision was absolutely right — just way too late!
When I restarted, I suddenly had a really good 1.5-hour run.
Well… „really good“ for Day Two.
The problem was that only the first 25 minutes of that run actually counted towards my Classic-category score.
DANG!
The Classic Result
The final score for the Classic category was therefore well below last year’s result.
At first, it looked like I had lost roughly 120,000 points compared with the previous year.
That was disappointing.
But contesting isn’t over until the logs have been checked.
Update – June 9, 2026
The final results are now out.
And the good news?
That initial 120,000-point deficit melted down to just 5,200 points.
Or, put another way:
Two QSOs.
That’s how close it ultimately was.
After all the hours of sweating over rates, propagation and band changes, the final difference came down to just two contacts.
That’s contesting!
But I Kept Going…
Even though the Classic competition was effectively decided for me, I wasn’t ready to shut everything down.
I continued operating, mainly because I wanted to get to 4,000 QSOs.
And, just for fun, I even spent some time on 80m.
After around 27 hours, I finally decided that it was game over.
Time to stop staring at the screens and find myself a glass of wine in the kitchen at Casa Da Tia Clementina.
A contest has to end eventually!
And of Course… The Map!
No proper contest report can end without a map.
Right?
Contest Map first:
The tool I use for creating the QSO map is:
And yes, there will be maps here.
Because apparently, I can’t do a contest without them.
Thanks to the CR3W Team
A huge thank you once again to the entire CR3W team for continuously improving the station in Madeira and for giving me the opportunity to operate from there.
This was my 26th trip to operate from the station.
And there is already another one planned:
Trip #27 will be CQ WW SSB in October!
Without you guys, none of this would be possible.
Thank you!
And Now… The FT8 Part
If you’ve actually made it this far through the story, it’s time to say goodbye to all the FT8 haters.
You know the drill. 😉
As usual, I also added around 3,500 QSOs in FT8, plus a little FT4, to the log.
And I still don’t really understand why there is such a huge pile-up and so much demand for FT8 from Madeira.
You can work Madeira on FT8 practically every day.
There are plenty of local stations active, including CT3MD, CT3IQ and CT3KN, just to name a few.
But apparently, people still want another one.
So… who am I to complain?
FT8 Statistics
Here are the numbers.
The statistics were taken approximately 1.5 hours before the end of the operation, so the final totals were slightly higher.
And, naturally…
There are maps, too.
QSL Information
Thanks to everyone for all the QSOs!
All CT9/DF7EE and CQ3W QSOs have been uploaded to LoTW.
For paper QSL cards, please use Club Log OQRS only.
Please do not send your card via the bureau.
I am not monitoring bureau cards for these calls and will not be answering them.
OQRS only
This also applies to QSOs from previous years.
Through OQRS you can request a paper QSL card via bureau or direct, and I will be happy to send it.
That’s It!
Another Madeira contest adventure is in the log.
The score wasn’t quite what I had hoped for, but that’s the beauty — and frustration — of contesting.
Sometimes everything comes together.
Sometimes the bands simply don’t cooperate.
And sometimes you spend hours calling.
Some pictures from Madeira …
73
Helmut DF7EE