Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club ( M0HFC & MX0HFC & M6C )

As we reflect on the journey since 2010, when we formed our radio club and started participating in contests and doing events, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come. For a small club, we’ve managed to rack up some impressive scores in big contests over the years. We compete in the multi-multi category because we want to get as many radios on the air as possible—giving both members and guests a chance to operate in a major contest. We dream big, but we’re realistic; we know we can’t compete with the massive super stations. Still, the fun is in trying!

Along the way, we’ve secured first-place finishes in the UK in several contests, along with second and third-place honors when the playing field was more balanced. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how the club has evolved—from starting with just 1,000 points per contest using a low-power radio, to now hitting millions of points with high-power setups and small antenna systems.

In the beginning, it was just a tribander at 25ft and dipoles at 20ft and let me tell you, we had a blast.

Fast forward to 2024, and here we are with our setup for CQWW. This year, we used mobile scam masts and poles for our dipoles and verticals, and most of the gear was only up for the weekend. But despite that, we managed to hit an incredible 8 million points. Every time our contest bell rang, marking another million points, it felt like a huge victory! That score is an all-time record for our small club.

Here’s what we were working with this year:

• 2-element Yagi on 20m at 45 ft and Yaesu Ftdx10

• 2-element Quad on 15m at 45 ft and Kenwood Ts590gs limited

•4-element Yagi on 10m at 45ft and Yaesu ft-2000

•Dipole on 40m at 40ft

• 2 phased verticals on 40m

And Yaesu FT-1000mp field

• Dipole on 80m at 40ft and

Kenwood TS-940s and Yaesu FTDX-5000

• 3/8 wave inverted L on 160m

Yaesu FT-1000pm mkv

This setup helped us achieve our best performance yet, and the excitement we felt reaching that 8 million-point mark was simply unbeatable.

Looking ahead, we plan to keep enjoying contests for years to come and encourage anyone interested to give it a try. You don’t need a massive commercial antenna farm to enjoy the thrill of contesting—just do your best and aim to improve with every attempt. We consistently welcome around new members or guests to each contest, and they all love the experience. It’s about having fun, learning new skills—like networking, PC logging software, setting up bandpass filters, understanding antenna separation, tackling EMC problems, and much more.

The camaraderie, the catering, the logistics—it’s all part of what makes this so rewarding. These contests aren’t just about scores; they’re about team-building and strengthening the foundations of our club. It’s a group of individuals working together with one goal: enjoyment, competitiveness, and stamina.

We’re excited to share with you the fun and thrills we had during the CQWW SSB Contest in 2024 in a video we made. Enjoy it as much as we did making it.

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Excitement is brewing this month at the Club as preparations ramp up for this year’s CQWW contest! We’re gearing up bigger and better than ever, with new antennas, masts, and a total of seven stations operating around the clock.

This year, our 10m and 15m stations will be powered from upstairs, featuring impressive four-element mono-band Yagis and Quads. Achieving this required a monumental effort to install new masts and rotators specifically for the contest.

Steve M0EBJ will once again roll in with his mobile trailer mast, adding a unique twist to our strategy and expanding our options for the event. Our phased verticals for 40m are complete, and we’re optimistic they’ll perform well this time around. Each element has been meticulously maintained, tested, and tuned, with custom coax runs made to measure.

We’ve also laid down new coax and control cables to the towers, with extra runs ready for deploying RX antennas and verticals as needed. Standby radios and amplifiers are on standby, and all bandpass filters have been revamped and tested, ensuring we can null out any interference.

Of course, our preparations faced a small hiccup when a recent storm visited, causing some minor damage to our main tower rotator. But our dedicated members swiftly took care of it.

This year, the M6C team has organized schedules to ensure we have full coverage of all open bands throughout the weekend. And let’s not forget the culinary delights in store! Our members and their spouses have planned a feast to keep our operators fueled and focused, balancing radio duty with delicious meals.

As we gear up for the contest, we hope you’ll listen in and call us if you hear our signals.

Unfortunately, this is our only closed event and is invite-only, but if you’d like to visit the club in the future, please reach out through our website.

Stay tuned, and wish us luck! Until the contest, 73 from the M6C team!

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