My participation in the CQ WPX CW 2025 contest

This last weekend (May 24 and 25) I took part in the CQ WPX CW contest. I requested a contest call for 2025, and I got one of the shortest (in CW) amateur call signs in the world: EE5E (I5E would be shorter, but Italy does not issue it, apparently).  

This is not my first participation in a CW contest. I took part in CQ WW CW as EE5E, or in the Croatian CW contest as EA5IYL, just to name two.

This time I sat for about 15 h, with pauses. I participated in the QRP, Classic category, with a Xiegu G90 set at 5 W, a vertical antenna made of 5 metres of wire on a fishing rod, not too high, and a 49:1 unun; there was almost no need to tune it on 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz. I used not1mm (a GNU/Linux program resembling N1MM) but only for CAT control and to have a bandmap: I used my MFJ-564 bench paddles to send.

I logged a total of 203 contacts and 48924 points (whatever that means). I know there will be errors: in call signs, and also in exchange numbers. I worked stations that sent probably at 40 WPM. We'll see when the log check comes! I am a CW learner (currently taking the advanced course at CW Academy) and I still struggle when sending and receiving. But I had fun.

Here are some additional comments:

• I searched-and-pounced. Running with 5 W and my CW skills would be too challenging.
  
• When working fast-sending stations, sometimes I listened to them for a while, to get an idea of what serial number I would get. Other times, if I was not sure of the number I got, I stuck around for a while to see what the next caller got: I corrected myself a couple of times.
• EE5E is a short call, right, but it is a bit challenging. Many stations would ask "5E?" or hear "EI5E", or even think I am the famous contester Ingo SE5E (which I worked, by the way, thanks Ingo!).
  
• QRP is challenging. Many stations do not hear you. When a station was calling CQ and had no callers, I tried 4 times. If the fourth time they did not hear me, I turned the dial to find other callers.
  
• Following Buzz AC6AC's advice (Buzz is my instructor at CW Academy), I turned off the AGC in the Xiegu G90 and set the gain to around 50%. As I was going for the strongest stations, I turned off the preamplifier and, for extra strong stations, I turned the attenuator on to protect my ears. It worked for me.
  
• Sometimes it took me a minute to know if a station was calling or replying, as some stations did not say "TEST" or "CQ" when calling. Only a few.
• I hate it when running stations do not send their call sign after the last "TU" after a QSO just because they know they have a pile-up and can work other callers.
  
• I noticed a number of call signs that do not conform to what ITU requires (volume I, chapter V, article 19 of their Radio Regulations), such as D4DX (D4 is a country prefix and would need a number after it), or E7DX (same: E7 is a country prefix). I'm sure their countries issued these call signs as valid, but against ITU Radio Regulations.