>>> 🐧ACTIVATION WBA 2026 🐧 <<< 161DA/D021 GAJKOWSKA ISLAND IWI by 161DA135 Sylvester / 5 PTS (H)/2 PTS (A) / DATE: 18/07/2026 start @ 13.00 UTC / Freq. stay tuned on WhatsApp WBA DA-RC News / PROVINCE 0223 ( Breslavia )/  Municipality 0223022 ( Czernica ) 

ANT: SKYPPER 3 EL. / PW 100W / PTS(A):2POTA(IWI by bridge)=2

📻 ACTIVATION REPORT: WBA 161DA/D021 – Gajkowska River Island (Part 2) 🇵🇱

Reference: WBA 161DA/D021 (Gajkowska Island – IWI) 🏝️

Operator: Sylvester 161DA135 🎙️

Outcome: 119 QSOs logged 📝

🎙️ Sylvester’s Story

“Here is the report from the second part of the activation from Gajkowska Island (161DA/D021).

Curiously, there seems to be a real ‘curse’ or magic on this island: just like in the first stage, the counter stopped once again at 119 logged contacts! 🎯 However, the operating conditions and propagation were completely different and very interesting.

In the afternoon, propagation turned out to be generous, giving us great backscatter openings, mainly toward Europe 🇪🇺. But there were also wonderful DX surprises from outside Europe thanks to short yet intense opening windows:

• 🇧🇷 3DA001 Tulio (Brazil) – The very first non-European DX station to enter the log! ⚡
• 🇦🇷 153DA102 Lars (Argentina) – Logged after a few unanswered calls while turning the antenna toward Asia; he suddenly popped up with a solid 5/3 signal and excellent audio! 🎧
• 🇨🇻 34DA183 Juan Carlos (Cape Verde / Africa) – Made it into the log during a very brief sporadic opening! 🌍

In addition to several contacts with Northern Europe (with strong signals from Finland like 56DA020 and 56DA047) 🇫🇮, a special moment was the QSO with fellow countryman Janusz (161DA015) 🇵🇱: during a period of absolute silence on the frequency, I dropped a call and he answered with a nice 5/3 signal.

Setup & Location: ⚙️🏕️ For this second stage, I decided to ‘dust off’ and bring back my old, trusted Zetagi B300P amplifier. Driving it with just 5 to 6 Watts from the radio, it delivered around 120 to 180 Watts PEP, protecting the finals and giving me that extra S-unit needed to punch through the QRM! 🔋⚡

Unlike last time (when I set up near the beach in the center of the island, shielded by dense trees), this time I placed my station right next to the access bridge 🌉. I had a completely open 180° view toward the horizon, while behind me the signal was partially shielded by vegetation and mainland structures. The Skypper directional antenna pointed between 230° and 240° delivered the absolute best performance! 🛰️

Initially, the weather threatened us with rain and thunderstorms, but in the end, the sky cleared up, giving us a beautiful, sunny day. ☀️

A heartfelt thank you to all the chasers who called with patience. 🤝 If anyone was missed due to fading (QSB) or weak signals, we’ll catch each other next time! A special thanks to Alex for his constant support.

73 & 11 de Sylvester 161DA135! 🎙️💙

📊 Technical Summary & Highlights

• 🛰️ Antenna: Skypper Directional Antenna (Optimal heading: 230°-240°)
• ⚡ Amplifier: Zetagi B300P (120-180W PEP)
• 🌍 Top Extra-EU DX: Brazil (3DA001), Argentina (153DA102), Cape Verde (34DA183)
• 📝 Total QSOs: 119 contacts logged

QRZ… 161DA/D021 clear and QRX for the next adventure! 📡✨

🚨 THE MOST ANTICIPATED SEQUEL: Sylvester 161DA135 returns to Gajkowska Island (161DA/D021) on July 18th! 🚨

Dear DXers and hunters of the World Beauties Award (WBA),

Warm up your gear and tune your antennas! Following the extraordinary success of last June 4th—which saw an impressive 119 QSOs logged despite highly volatile propagation conditions—our tireless Sylvester 161DA135 is ready to jump back into action.

The date to mark in red on your calendar is Saturday, July 18th, 2026, starting at 13:00 UTC.

A step back: what happened on June 4th?

The first activation was a true “Field Day” adventure. Operating from the stunning natural setting of Gajkowska River Island (reference 161DA/D021, a protected area within the Natura 2000 network in Poland), Sylvester had to battle fierce winds. These forced him to move his station 50 meters deep into the thick vegetation, completely giving up on his antenna mast guy wires, which had accidentally been left at home.

Despite the logistical challenges and a sudden collapse in propagation during the second half of the day, the log recorded some mind-blowing contacts:

• The extraordinary long-path DX with Indonesia thanks to 91AT109 Agus.
• Constant and loyal hunters from South America, including Brazilians 3AT133 Lio and 3AT303 Renato.
• Breathtaking signals from Europe, such as the thunderous 5/9 from Brian 93DA101 in Malta and the high-altitude contact with Maciek 329/161AT154.

What to expect from “Round 2” on July 18th?

Sylvester will return to the exact same river reference with a clear goal: to finish the job, clear the log of pending contacts, and hand out the reference to anyone who couldn’t break through the pile-up or QSB last time.

This time, the equipment will be fully complete (guy wires included!), and the start time (13:00 UTC) has been strategically planned to make the most of the summer propagation openings toward different areas of the globe. The transit will once again take place over the striking and historic suspension bridge, 20 meters high, which serves as the only real gateway to this natural paradise.

Activation Details:

• Reference: WBA 161DA/D021 (Gajkowska River Island – IWI)
• Operator: Sylvester 161DA135 🎙️
• Date & Time: July 18th, 2026 – 13:00 UTC 🗓️
• Frequencies: Monitor the international calling frequencies (11m band / 161 division).

Don’t let others tell you about it: tune in, listen carefully, and respect the operator’s listening intervals (QRX). Sylvester is waiting for you “on the air”!

73’s de WBA Team! 📻💙

Are you in the Log? Click below.

LOG

165AT131 Riccardo 1AT400 Vittorio 14DA49 Fred 14DA20 Pascal 1AT227 Livio 14AT16 Bruno 165AT448 Franco 14GT44 Pierrot 1RC118 Vittorio 14AT824 Philippe 14AT371 Michel 13AT715 Pete 13DA285 Tommy 18HD1 Eugene 1AT14 Vincenzo 1AT771 Marco 165PAT104 Pierpaolo 47DX11 Finn 1SD14 Fabio 35SSB79 Björn 1TW25 Claudio 20LR117 Rune 1DA6 Sergio 30DA10 Sergio 1AT678 Vicio 1AT127 Luciano 13AT13 Steve 3DA1 Tulio 19AT145 Eddie 108AT46 Jim 108FB213 Brian 56TR277 Timo 153DA102 Lars 14AT23 Jean Marc 35DA159 Chris 26DX25 Paul 1RC300 Frank 108CT338 Kenny 14AT219 Alain 68AT121 Robert 30/13LR76 Roger 14AT369 Alain 68AT108 Richard 1RC167 Marco 1ALE13 Alessandro 26DX47 Darran 30DR1 David 14DA1 Stéphane 1DA1 Gaetano 14AT661 Gérard 26LR5 Kevin 14AT259 Allan 14DA496 Marino 30RC13 Fran 14RC295 Rémi 34DA183 Juan Carlos 3KPI1 Fernando 14LE928 Bruno 14RA41 Chris 1AT519 Giuseppe 14CI177 Olivier 14LE1191 Manuel 14DA62 Gérard 30DA201 Pepe 15KW15 Pablo 14AT250 Michel 14SG67 Stephane 14GEF721 Pascal 26AT23 Ian 14AT247 Hervé 1AT804 Davide 1LW1 Guglielmo 14AT75 Georgette 14AT759 Xavier 13SD114 Matt 14GT54 Gérald 16AT128 Stéphane 19AT161 Carlo 14EK154 Daniel 14KS62 Sébastien 26RC123 Colin 31AT183 Nuno 14AT201 Farid 19AT43 Corne 1VL63 Giuseppe 14WAC186 Xavier 26AT33 Chris 1SP1 Santo 29LR49 Michael 13CT139 Dejan 14DX19 Chris 26AT169 Bill 14VD66 Christophe 26EC35 Sam 19LR1 Ger 26RC437 Derek 161DA15 Janusz 26RC333 David 13SD208 Wolf 14VD443 Jean François 26RG1720 Paul 14FDX62 Vicent 26TE32 Adam 14ST1 Sylvan 14AT197 Philippe 163TM777 Paul 137MX2 Robert 14PAT737 Xavier 19TBM204 Cees 14AT252 Eric 56LR288 Onni 14VD137 Hervé 16DF3 Terry 14PAT1030 Thierry 29MO660 Johnny 3AT59 Valdecyr 68AT142 Paul 1RC200 14EK34 Michel ———————— 165AT131 1AT400 14DA049 14DA020 1AT227 14AT016 165AT448 14GT044 1RC118 14AT824 14AT371 13AT715 13DA285 18HD001 1AT014 1AT771 165PAT104 47DX011 1SD014 35SSB079 1TW025 20LR117 1DA006 30DA010 1AT678 1AT127 13AT013 3DA001 19AT145 108AT046 108FB213 56TR277 153DA102 14AT023 35DA159 26DX025 1RC300 108CT338 14AT219 68AT121 30/13LR076 14AT369 68AT108 1RC167 1ALE013 26DX047 30DR001 14DA001 1DA001 14AT661 26LR005 14AT259 14DA496 30RC013 14RC295 34DA183 3KPI001 14LE928 14RA041 1AT519 14CI177 14LE1191 14DA062 30DA201 15KW015 14AT250 14SG067 14GEF721 26AT023 14AT247 1AT804 1LW001 14AT075 14AT759 13SD114 14GT054 16AT128 19AT161 14EK154 14KS062 26RC123 31AT183 14AT201 19AT043 1VL063 14WAC186 26AT033 1SP001 29LR049 13CT139 14DX019 26AT169 14VD066 26EC035 19LR001 26RC437 161DA015 26RC333 13SD208 14VD443 26RG1720 14FDX062 26TE032 14ST001 14AT197 163TM777 137MX002 14PAT737 19TBM204 14AT252 56LR288 14VD137 16DF003 14PAT1030 29MO660 3AT059 68AT142 1RC200 14EK034