Dear reflector,
I wanted to write about this for a long time, and I figured that reaching 500 unique chased summits this week was as good a reason as any! We’re also already about two-thirds of the way through the 2026 VHF/UHF Challenge - so this time, I’m actually making a post! 
My goal with this post is to share some of my activity as a chaser and, hopefully, motivate others to give VHF/UHF a try over the next four months if they haven’t done so yet. You might be surprised by just how much is possible!
I’ll save the long story for a possible final post after the challenge. For now, I just want to tell you the following after showing you the following plot, which I will explain in more detail later.
I’m lucky to be able to use the university club station DK0PT spontaneously most of the time. Over time, I gradually started to realize the potential of 2 m and began working stations in the Alps, around 150–200 km away, on 2 m FM. But there was always the same struggle. We have a large directional antenna on the roof, but all of its benefit is lost on FM because of the different polarization. It has happened many times and still happens today on SSB, that I hear absolutely nothing from an activator. Then they switch polarization to horizontal for me, which can be as simple as holding the FM handheld horizontally, and suddenly I hear them loud and clear!
One of these 2m chases before the challenge in particular stands out. On 12 December 2025, I was at the station chasing some shortwave when I noticed a spot from Adam @OM2ADM on 2 m SSB from OM/TN-001, 480 km away. Without a doubt, this summit is a top location, but I thought there was absolutely no chance of making the QSO. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in amateur radio, it’s that it’s always worth a try. So I switched on the other radio and heard him immediately - even though the antenna was pointing away from him. When I turned it around, he was booming at 57! 
This must have been some above-average tropo conditions, and it became one of my most memorable QSOs of 2025.
I continued chasing SOTA stations in the Alps, often struggling to hear the FM stations because of the different polarization, while dreaming of SOTA activators using horizontal antennas paired with SSB and CW. And what can I say - without even knowing it, my dream was about to come true when I heard about some kind of VHF/UHF Challenge being announced towards the end of 2025! 
Now I have to be careful, because there are way too many activators I would like to thank! But for now, I’ll just tell you the beginning of the story.
I wasn’t able to access the club station during the winter break, but on 3 January 2026, I made my very first Challenge QSO with Michael @OE5HKT, whom I already knew from 2m FM. Towards the end of 2025, he had always been up for trying horizontal polarization for a sked with me. And countless SSB QSOs with him have followed since then this very first one. 
On the same day, Sebastian @DL8MEK, Peter @DC6PK and Armin @DF1AI were activating the little hill Högl DL/CG-107 together, booming in on 2 m SSB from 142 km away. That was the moment when I finally realized just how much potential this challenge opens up.
On 9 January 2026, my first 2m CW QSO followed with Alex @DL5AZZ. And soon after, on 13 January, I worked Arthur @HB9CEV on CW for the first of many times - the QSO I consider my first 2m DX SOTA chase!
This was soon followed by the first of many 2m CW QSO with Chris @DL1CR on a small hill in DM/NS, breaking the 400 km mark for the first time!
I could write multiple pages about all the QSOs I’ve made this year, but the time for that might - or might not - come.
Meanwhile, I’ve worked 513 unique summits in the challenge this year. 389 of them were worked from DK0PT, and 189 were worked as S2S QSOs (with some overlap of course). The plot above shows all the QSOs I’ve made from DK0PT this year. I’m incredibly grateful to be able to use such an amazing antenna with 4 × 12 elements for 2m almost every day. I really feel like I’m in just the right place at just the right time! 
I’m really looking forward to seeing what the final four months of the Challenge will bring! I’m hoping to get at least one I and one OM summit into the log from DK0PT (I worked both for a S2S) - and maybe even a F summit to add to the FL ones I’ve already chased. 
I want to encourage everyone to give 2 m VHF/UHF from a summit a try this year! You can make some amazing contacts, especially during the contests, when there are plenty of DX stations on the band. And if anyone is interested, I’m always happy to try a sked with you! Preferably on 2 m CW with some kind of directional antenna - the bigger, the better!
Best 73s
Thomas DF7TR
