❄️ Survived Winter Field Day 2026!

I headed out to a field near Bonn for the annual cold-weather stress test. The elements definitely showed up: -2°C, icy rain, and pitch blackness during setup. It was a true shakedown - my telescopic mast even froze shut! 🥶

I started fully focused on CW, but realized that Winter Field Day feels distinctly more SSB biased (given the event's focus on emergency communications, where voice is often the primary mode). So I eventually plugged in the mic and logged my first-ever portable SSB contacts. Lesson learned: Next time, I’m bringing the mic into the game much earlier! 🎤

A massive thanks to the organizers for their efforts in making this event happen. It’s a great way to find the breaking points in your kit.

📝 Read the full report on my site: https://dg5cw.darc.de/portable/2026-01-25-wfd/

73 de DG5CW

#HamRadio #WinterFieldDay #WFD2026 #AmateurRadio #EmComm #PortableRadio #CW #SSB #OutdoorRadio #MorseCode #FieldDay

Kind of forgot about winter field day until I stumbled across it while spinning the dial this evening. Hope everyone actually setting up outdoor stations this weekend is being safe.

#HamRadio
#WFD2026

Well - it's going to be cold, but stuff is packed and ready to go into the car tomorrow morning to setup for @WFDA Look for W9YRC as a 2I IL on the bands tomorrow.

#wfd2026 #winterfieldday