Relentless Competitor: Dave 9A1UN Rebuilds 9A1P to Greatness

Dave Kucelin 9A1UN, also known by his contest call 9A1P, is one of the most accomplished HF contesters in Croatia and the tenacious force behind a station that’s endured devastating storms, unresolvable land disputes, and a rotating cast of club members—all while racking up thousands of QSOs. In this episode, Dave opens up about building (and rebuilding) the 9A1P contest station, a decades-long project that started with five-element yagis on a 30-foot tower and evolved into a rugged, sea-facing setup now spanning four towers on a ridge above the Adriatic Sea. A third-generation ham, Dave first got on the air using his father’s call at age six. He cut his teeth on VHF contests, but it was CQWW that pulled him toward HF. After a freak storm in 2018 leveled the original station, Dave and his small team were forced to start over—only to be evicted from the land they’d occupied for 30 years. (Yes, there’s more to the story.) What followed was a two-year hunt for a new site, culminating in a station perched above a river valley with sea paths to North America and Japan, optimized with fixed antennas built to withstand the region’s brutal winds. The story is full of grit and unexpected laughs—like the time Dave hung a tribander between two towers with rope just to beam east for ARRL SSB, or his candid take on remote operation and the fear it might kill the camaraderie he treasures most. His daughter, now licensed and active in the YOTA scene, marks the family’s fourth generation on the air. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio—where we're working hard to illuminate the wonderful world of ham radio. Special thanks to DX Engineering for supporting the global ham radio community—from trailblazing POTA activators to teams pushing the limits in the world’s toughest DX and contesting environments. Your gear powers the pursuit.