Our student Igor Krzywicki has made it to the top in the global shortwave radio competition CQ World Wide DX Contest SSB. Competing with thousands of participants from around the world, he classified tenth in Europe and third in Poland. His success was possible owing to a little help from his friends from the SP6PWT Radiocommunication student research club.

CQ World Wide DX Contest is among the largest and most significant amateur radio contests in the world.

Igor Krzywicki, who is a second-year Telecommunications student at our Faculty, classified third in Poland and tenth in Europe in the voice-connecting operators (SSB) competition in the Low Power Youth category (transmitter output power not higher than 100 W, operators up to 25 years old).

The scale of his success is even greater as over 10,500 people took part in this edition of the competition, and a total of over 19,000 radio amateurs from around the world took part in both categories.

Global connectivity

The CQ World Wide DX Contest is 48 hours of intensive work at the radio station. Participants aim to establish as many long-distance connections as possible, ideally spanning across continents.

“I primarily focused on DX, which refers to long-distance communications. The furthest station I managed to connect with was located in Australia. That's nearly 16 thousand kilometres!” says Igor Krzywicki.

Participants earn points for the number of connections, countries, and the so-called CQ zones that the world is divided into. The further the distance, the higher the score.

Technology, team, and persistency

Although Igor Krzywicki started as a solo operator, his performance was the result of the entire team's effort. He was assisted in his preparations by members of the SP6PWT Radiocommunication student research club operating at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

“My colleagues inspected the station, antennas, and cabling. They carried out tests and measurements. It was the first competition after the launch of the new directional antenna system, funded by our University,” says Igor.

The competition also called for a lot of persistency. Igor spent nearly 20 hours at the radio station.

“It's quite demanding because you're sitting in a windowless room, only hearing the murmur of the radio. By the end, your voice is already quite weary,” he admits.

Passion that connects and helps

Shortwave radio became a part of our student's life during the pandemic. Today, it's not just a hobby, but also a practical skill used in critical situations.

Igor is involved in emergency communication activities. He collaborates with, among others, the Lublin Shortwave Emergency Network and the Lower Silesian Emergency Radio Network. He is also interested in modern solutions, such as LoRa Mesh networks.

“These systems enable encrypted radio communication in emergency situations” he explains.

Surfing the waves of successes

Igor Krzywicki competes regularly in amateur radio contests under the call sign SP8KZW. He has already several successes, including second place in Poland and eighth in the world at the Youngsters On The Air competition, as well as eighth place in the country at the EUHF Championship.

The SP6PWT Radiocommunication club, of which he is the president, also achieves successes. Its members regularly compete in international competitions and are in the process of planning new projects and trips.

For Igor Krzywicki, amateur radio is a blend of technology, passion, and community. “A piece of wire outside the window is all you need to connect with the other end of the world. It's an incredible feeling,” he concludes.