CQ WPX SSB 2025 – #1 Single Op Sweden
I kicked off the CQ WPX contest aiming for Sweden’s top Single-Operator High-Power (SOHP) spot in one of my favorite events. With limited antennas and weaker propagation in the forecast, I knew that record results were unlikely. With my Lannabo 80/160 m vertical on the ground I decided to try an end-fed wire antenna for 160 to be able to work these bands. It was a practical experiment: is an end-fed wire enough to compete in a major contest? Read on—I’ll let you know how it worked out.
CQ WPX SSB Single-Operator Highlights
Over the past few years, SEØX has maintained a leading position among Swedish Single-Operator stations, especially in the High Power All Band category. Below is a summary of notable Single Operator entries and results from recent CQ WPX SSB contests.
SEØX – Selected Single‑Op High Power Results
| Year | Category | Score | QSOs | Prefixes | Hours | Operator | Sweden Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Single‑Op High All | 6,251,408 | 2,288 | 1,136 | 35.2 | SM0MDG | 1 |
| 2025 | Single‑Op High All | 3,446,586 | 1,593 | 927 | 34.3 | SM0MDG | 1 |
| 2019 | Assisted High 80 m | 1,044,246 | 860 | 529 | 31.3 | DD1MAT | 1 |
| 2018 | Assisted Low All | 743,000 | 682 | 500 | 34.0 | SM0MDG | 1 |
These results showcase the consistent performance of SEØX, with back-to-back national #1 results in 2024 and 2025 despite challenging propagation conditions. The station’s flexibility across categories and bands continues to demonstrate its competitive edge from 59° N latitude.´
HF Propagation Summary WPX SSB 2024/2025
The sharp contrast in performance between 2024 and 2025 underscores how HF propagation can dominate contest outcomes—especially at higher latitudes where solar events disrupt HF propagation significantly. But I cannot only blame the atmosphere on the lower score this year. Already at the beginning of the contest I ran into technical difficulties with the 40 meter array. The control of the array started to play games with me, and in the middle of the nights I had to take a break and go outdoor to install a temporary control box at the antenna to be able to switch directions.
Low Bands, Big Results with a Single Wire
With my 160/80 m vertical offline, I deployed the RF-Guru EFHW16080 end fed dipole as a temporary antenna — just wire, a flagpole, and Baltic salt water. The result? Over 250 low-band QSOs, 163 multipliers, and nearly 1.2 million points added to the final WPX SSB score.
Curious how it performed, what needed tuning, and which DX came through? Read the full antenna breakdown here »
See you in WPX CW and SAC. Thanks for every call!
73 de Björn, SM0MDG / SEØX