13/07/2026
Another fun contest, sharing the controls with good friends and operating the station fully remotely!
The best category for our station and operators would normally have been Multi-Single. However, this contest does not offer a Low Power M/S category. Since our station is completely off-grid and powered by solar energy, we cannot support an amplifier, at least not yet! Therefore, we decided to enter Multi-Two, which is Low Power only.
Summer propagation conditions in the Caribbean are always challenging. Fortunately, thanks to the operators’ high level of commitment, we pushed through the first six to eight hours of very poor conditions and kept the station active.
As usual, we also encountered a few technical issues. Shortly after the contest began, we lost communication with the Rotor Genius controlling the smaller tribander. A one-hour drive to the station and a power cycle solved the problem.
Halfway back home, the team reported losing control of one radio, the Antenna Genius, and the GHE system. Since all of them shared the same power supply, we suspected a common power failure. Although one radio remained operational, we had no antenna switching capability, so we had to go QRT.
A second trip to the station revealed a blown fuse. Once it was fixed, we were back on the air after losing approximately one hour of operating time.
Many thanks to my YL, WP4MTS, as well as WP4TZ, KP4JRS, KP3J/W4, and Lugo, NP4E (participating in his first “serious” contest) for the great time and outstanding teamwork.
The team continues to improve its remote-operating skills, and with every contest, the operation becomes smoother and more efficient.
73 de Eric, NP3A
