Have you been to Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen? Have you been to Hamvention in Ohio? Then why weren’t you in Poland at ŁOŚ?
ŁOŚ is the largest hamfest in Poland and takes place annually, on the last weekend of May. We meet at the point where three Polish regions come together: (Ł)ódzkie, (O)polskie and (Ś)ląskie. And yes, there is a bit of wordplay here: in Polish, “łoś” means “moose” - which is fitting, because let’s be honest, some of us hams can be real moose sometimes.
This year, our mountain radio community also showed up in force.
What an amazing time it was! The SOTA tent was buzzing with life from Friday morning onwards.
So, what did we manage to do together?
We spent long hours talking - and had countless fantastic conversations about radio gear and mountain hiking. It was a brilliant opportunity to exchange experience: newcomers to amateur radio, as well as people who do not yet have their callsigns, could ask the old hands about practical gear tricks, field - proven setups and the best trails.
We showcased lightweight antennas, QRP radios and the kind of equipment we take with us into the mountains.
The “SOTA for Beginners” talk drew a great crowd - and we hope we managed to infect at least a few of you with the mountain - radio bug! Huge thanks to Miłosz SP9PND, who stepped in for Artur SP9WLG, not only at short notice, but with absolutely brilliant results.
We would also like to thank our friends from the HOTA - Hałda On The Air - project for their technical support and for lending us a laptop. Another bit of local flavour: in Polish, “hałda” means a mining spoil heap, a man - made hill where mines dump waste rock. And yes, we really do have a bunch of wonderfully crazy people here who climb those “mountains” too, radio gear included.
You proved once again that the SOTA community is a close - knit, helpful and genuinely fantastic crew.
