WW DIGI Contest 2026 – LX7I
Here we go again — the end of August means it’s time for the WW DIGI Contest!
After having an absolute blast in 2025, I was really looking forward to another round at LX7I.
With almost 2,000 QSOs in the log last year, I was highly motivated to see if I could repeat that performance.
Getting Ready
I started setting up on Friday before the contest. The hardware and antennas at LX7I were already in place, so the main job was getting the two remote PCs at home connected and ready to go.
Everything went smoothly, and I was able to start right on schedule.
The setup consisted of:
- Two laptops running SmartSDR
- A second 27″ monitor for WSJT-X, remote antenna switching and PXGL monitoring
- Up to 500 W output on FT8
- A third PC as my normal station computer, with two 27″ monitors for N1MM, log management and all the other tasks that inevitably come with a contest
- And, of course, the 65″ screen on the wall, dedicated to real-time propagation monitoring with the PSKReporter map
Because apparently, you can never have too many screens during a contest! 😉
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Where Is Everybody?
One of those classic contest moments:
You look at the map and wonder why nobody is calling from exactly the places you need.
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Unfortunately, after just a few hours it became obvious that both propagation and participation were significantly below the levels of 2025.
That made reaching last year’s QSO count impossible, despite a lot of effort.
At some point in the morning, I had to take a short nap — I simply couldn’t concentrate properly anymore. And later, a small technical problem that I couldn’t fix remotely forced me to stop about two hours earlier than planned.
Not exactly the perfect recipe for another 2,000-QSO weekend!
Still a Lot of Fun
Despite the lower activity, the contest was great fun.
In the end, I finished with a claimed score of:
410,640 points
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If the log checking is kind to me, the final result should put me somewhere around #1 in Europe and #3 worldwide.
Of course, now it’s time to wait and see what the official results say!
Thanks, Philippe!
A huge thank you to Philippe for once again giving me access to his fantastic superstation LX7I.
It is always a pleasure to operate from such a great station, and I really appreciate the opportunity.
Hopefully I’ll be back there for CQ WW RTTY in September!
Thanks to Everyone Who Called
And, of course, a big thank you to all the callers!
Sorry to everyone I couldn’t work — whether because of propagation, timing, QRM, fading signals, or simply because the contest gods decided otherwise.
There is always another QSO waiting somewhere on the bands.
Wait… Where Is the Map?
Come on…
There can’t be a contest without a MAP! 😎
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And, naturally, a few statistics to go with it:
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Thanks again to everyone who made the contest enjoyable.
See you on the bands — and hopefully from LX7I again in September!
73 de DF7ZS / DF7EE
Helmut
Are you interested in contesting? JOIN THE RRDXA!
