WAG contest 2026

It was time for a relaxing weekend behind the radio and key. The annual running of the Worked All Germany (WAG) Contest was on the calendar for this weekend.

Band conditions were not too bad, considering what the solar numbers had been just a short time ago. I was able to put a few new items that were recently added to the shack through their paces during this contest, but more on that in another post.

For this contest, I found that search and pounce was the way to go. I entered in the CW-only category (surprise, surprise!) and, with only 100 watts and no assistance, I found that calling CQ (running) was hit and miss.

I was up early on Sunday morning, listening to very weak German stations just above the noise floor. But I hung in there, and as propagation loosened its grip on them, I was able to make contact. As the sun rose, I could see leaves falling from our maple tree through the shack window, along with frost on the roof of our shed, as the temperature sat at -3°C.

I find it very interesting how propagation can sit on a signal and then, all of a sudden, let it go, allowing me to hear the call sign and make the contact. Then, just as quickly, the signal is gone and back in the grasp of the propagation gods once again!

This is when you have to listen, work at it, and stick with a contact to get them into the log.

As you know, if you are a regular reader of the blog, I also use HamClock, more specifically, the Open HamClock Backend. The VOACAP DE-DX feature in this program is amazing.

In contests such as WAG, where you can only work German stations, I can see the propagation paths from my QTH to Germany. This is done by selecting Germany as my DX propagation destination. The program then displays the best propagation paths from my QTH to Germany. You can see this from the top picture the DE-DX path per band. 

The final results below.