What was originally planned as a structured antenna workshop ultimately turned into what radio amateurs love most: a vibrant field day full of hands-on practice, exchange and genuine radio enthusiasm.
Several of our newly licensed and aspiring radio amateurs from Kärnten Funkt had requested a workshop — focusing on antenna basics, tuning, using the NanoVNA, simple antenna building and everything that goes with it.
The request was taken seriously: as early as autumn 2025, Hagen OE3IHT began planning and organising in coordination with Josef OE3FSJ, and the date was announced. But life intervened — two bereavements made a postponement necessary. With shorter days and falling temperatures, the decision was made to move everything to spring 2026.
The new date was set for the Saturday before Mother’s Day — and on 9 May 2026, this special event became reality.
A Round Full of Radio Enthusiasm
A heartfelt thank you to all participants for your interest and active involvement.
Attending were: Kathrin OE8AKY, Stephan OE8SSX, Rene OE8SRM, Dominik OE8DLE, Jürgen OE8RMJ, Christian OE8AGV, Wolfgang OE8WBG, Sandro OE8KSM and Labis OE8GRK.
We also received visits from Josef-Werner OE8JWK, Anton OE8ACK and Michael OE8YML, who further enriched the gathering.
The Location: Technology Meets Nature
The meeting point was a timber storage yard and the Buschenschenke Brock in Pörtschach, which provided us not only with space but also excellent catering.
Shortly after 8:00 AM, the first participants arrived — ready to get to work. Special thanks go to Jürgen OE8RMJ for radio-assisted coordination of the meeting point.
Set-up went quickly and smoothly thanks to many helping hands: sun shade, seating and equipment were rapidly assembled. After that, the way was clear for what it was really about — radio, technology and exchange.
Antennas, Practice and Plenty of On-Air Activity
A highlight was the spontaneously erected 20m dipole, built by Dominik OE8DLE together with several participants. After successful tuning and measurement, an excellent SWR of 1:1.18 was achieved — and soon the first successful QSOs were made.
In parallel, there was intensive discussion and experimentation: TX/RX equipment, amplifiers, paddles, keys, UNUNs, antenna wires, antenna types and their pros and cons — everything was examined, questioned and enriched with personal experience.
The entire day was accompanied by lively radio activity. Many thanks to Jürgen OE8RMJ and Dominik OE8DLE for your active QSOs and your commitment on the air.
Radio Operations in Numbers and Stations
Finally, a look at the equipment used and the contacts made:
Xiegu G90 (20W)
1:1 current balun with 10 bifilar turns (silicone wire on FT140-43) as common-mode choke between antenna and cable
Inverted-V Random Wire (13,5 m) mit 1:9 UNUN (FT-82-43, ca. 5 m Höhe):
- MM7EH (Schottland) – 20m – 1558 km
- IQ4FE/P (Italien) – 40m
- EW1MM (Belarus) – 20m – 1257 km
- RP81SVY (Russland) – 20m – 6651 km
- DC6PK/P (Deutschland) – 40m – 147 km
- DL3NE/P (Deutschland) – 40m – 163 km
5,6 m Teleskop-Whip (mit 20×5 m Radials):
- IQ9GD (Sizilien) – 20m – 969 km
- LZ100LZ (Bulgarien) – 20m – 935 km
- TA1/K4LAS (Türkei) – 20m – 1705 km
- IZ2WYA (Italien) – 40m – 336 km
- OK1MAR/P (Tschechien) – 40m
- HA/OM1ALT/P (Ungarn) – 40m – 365 km
(Distances rounded, reference QTH Lake Ossiach — still a good impression of the ranges achieved.)
Additional Stations & Equipment
IC-705 + AH705 bzw. MicroPA100 mit EFHW Eigenbau (Bausatz):
- PK2APY/P – 40m – 443 km
- IK5IFH – 40m – 415 km
- TA1/K4LAO – 20m – 1300 km
- IU4DR – 40m – 360 km
- IK2UCL – 40m – 270 km
- DC6PK/P – 40m – 340 km
IC-705 mit Magnetic Loop Marke Eigenbau von Anton:
- OE/S57S/P – 20m – 53 km
- RP81W – 20m – 1850 km
IC-705 mit 1:1 Balun für 20m Dipol:
- OK1MAR/P – 40m – 450 km
- OK1MCS/P – 40m – 230 km
Yaesu FT-891 mit FC-50 + EFHW:
- DL3NE/P – 40m – 360 km
- RP81SVY – 20m – 2100 km
- HA/OM1ALT/P – 40m – 250 km
- UA7K – 20m – 1550 km
- IZ1CCK – 40m – 500 km
(These distances are also approximate — but still give a good impression of the ranges achieved.)
Another highlight was that Anton OE8ACK provided several of his home-built loop antennas for testing and experimentation — which led to additional exciting comparisons.
Conclusion
What started as a planned workshop ultimately became a true radio experience day: hands-on, spontaneous, technically deep and incredibly sociable — exactly what amateur radio should be.
Many heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the day and to the creation of this report. Here’s to a possible repeat of the event!
73 de OE8IHT, Hagen
Transparency Notice
This report was written by Hagen OE8IHT and prepared by the editorial team for publication on oeradio.at. Translations were created with AI assistance (Claude, Anthropic). Comments and corrections by email to [email protected].
