Alpe Adria Contest Story
An “historical” trace of the Alpe Adria Contest
The Alpe Adria contest is an initiative between some neighboring countries of southern Europe, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, located in the area between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, “Alpe Adria” in fact.
Born in 1971 He has nearly forty years and is an important date, a significant milestone in the journey of the idea emerged at that time, by the contribution of some VHF ham’s.
At that time, the VHF was the highest band of amateurs radio operation, the typical station was operating fixed frequency and AM (SSB had not yet arrived here). Everything was experimental and hams tried their hands to work with mostly homemade equipment.
Compared to the HF, there was little activity, few radios ready to operate available on the market, and with the electronic components suitable for these frequencies beginning to become affordable. So there was lot for the experimentation.
The most activity in VHF at that time was concentrated in central Europe, with Germany leading.
This ham band is suitable for short-range QSO, so he found fertile ground in Germany for the first because ham’s were more numerous and neighbors, the land was mostly flat with absence of obstacles (and this is important for this frequency), there were more economic opportunities but also great enthusiasm for this world that was opening.
We did not lack enthusiasm, but he felt the need to liven this frequency, this new world.
So it was that some hams, Anton Stipanič YU3BH (now S53BH), Yogoslavian VHF manager, Franco Armenghi I4LCK, Italian VHF managers and Rainhard Mayer OE8MI Carinthian VHF managers began to discuss opportunities to increase traffic in the area of Europe, “prevented” a major obstacle to the north by the Alps as a natural
Since they were all very active hams, the first approaches to the “problem” were made in air during contests. Later on there was the need to meet personally to better defining the issue.
The VHF contest was perhaps the first concrete fact of collaboration and was called “Alpe Adria Contest”, organized annually in rotation by the three nations Austria, Italy and Yugoslavia.
The initiative was successful and over the years increased the importance of this event. Other initiatives were joined later in the VHF Contest and was also set up a session and then UHF and SHF.
Surely these contests were also established in Europe as a landmark event. The proof is that both rounds continue to be very popular, even by hams of other European nations. On several occasions during the contest has been made QSO-records in distance on some frequencies.
Furthermore, the choice of dates (in full summer, resulting in good propagation and coinciding with the summer holidays) for the holding of events and incentive portable categories are the reasons for success.
After the contest followed the awards and this was an opportunity to meet all the nations in a meeting. In the early years, the meeting was held in Italy, at Villa Manin close to Udine, in the beautiful eighteenth-century villa, half a way between the nations. Then over time this event has become itinerant and is held every year in the nation organizer on duty.
From the overview above written, comes just a final comment:
This initiative remains a unique episode in Europe even now that a united Europe is in an advanced stage of implementation.
Is an example of cooperation between different countries.
There is no news of such initiatives with the exception of Scandinavia where those nations, sisters have some common initiative.
We “now” talk about Europe, but think about forty years ago. The political climate then was completely different and certainly did not encourage joint initiatives like this. Fact that Yugoslavia had played a leading role among international role of the non-aligned countries, a position very different from Italy, and Austria which had a status all its own.
There was not “winds” of United Europe among these nations, yet this initiative resulted from that three people has been sighted very far.
Great idea this.
by Dino Fachin IV3FDO
June 4, 2010
Croata has access to the Alpe Adria Contest Management
It is true that in 1971 OE8MI, I4LCK, and YU3BH (now S53BH) started an
international contest called ALPE ADRIA to increase VHF activity.
The initial idea was to move most participants by portable radio, because at that time this was practically the only way to establish DX QSOs on VHF. At the beginning, ALPE
ADRIA was a VHF-only contest; the rest did not exist.
From 1971 until the end of the former Yugoslavia, VHF AA was managed by
Slovenian managers. In Austria, it was managed by regional managers from the
Federal Land (OE8), in Italy by Udine (IV3).
After the separation of Croatia and Slovenia ( from YU ), the president of the
Croatian Amateur Radio Association, Boris Vrbanović (9A2JY), following the
proposal of VHF manager 9A3AQ, already in 1990 expressed the desire to join the
organizing activities.
At the AA meeting on November 30, 1991, in Lipica (Slovenia), we also presented
the official note requesting permission to join the AA organizers’ group. Apart
from organization, we also contributed almost 1,000 km of Croatian coastline ( for
Adria part of contest..hi).
We received an immediate positive response, and since then, Croatia has been
organizing AA with the regional associations.
Zagreb, August 1, 2010. Zlatko 9A3AQ
Upper text is prepared for completing the history text on the web page of
Alpe Adria Contest written by Dino IV3FDO June 4, 2010.
Zagreb, August 26, 2026. Zlatko 9A3AQ
Pics from the Lipica (SLO) AA Meeting in 1991 – YT2AQ-YU3BH-OE8KIK-IV3UT
First A&A diploma with HRS ZRS ARI OVSV