World Radiosport Team Championship 2018 (WRTC 2018) organizers have announced the 63 teams that have been invited to compete in the international event next July in Germany. A WRTC is a competition among two-operator teams. Team leaders have been selected for each qualifying region based on 2 years of qualifying contest scores. Team leaders may choose any operator as a teammate to complete their team. Ulf Ehrlich, DL5AXX, managed the selection process.

“This will be a very competitive field. The top three teams of WRTC 2014 in Boston will participate once again in the 2018 event!” Ehrlich said.

WRTC 2018 President Christian Janssen, DL1MGB, said event organizers were pleased to see a mix of WRTC veteran as well as first-time participants among the competitors. “The teams represent over 35 countries and a wide range of personal backgrounds,” he said in making the announcement. “While the focus will be on the competition, we are looking forward to hosting the teams and celebrating a week of ham spirit together with competitors, organizers, volunteers, and sponsors during the WRTC week.”

WRTC 2018 noted that the five sponsored teams, all representing high-level contesters, were announced some time ago. The selection of the youth and wild card teams required a more formal application process and could only be completed recently. Seven applications came from youth teams, representing contesters younger than 25. The selection was based on the number of qualification points, as defined in the rules. Team leaders will be CE2MVF (9,107 points), YO8TTT (7,254 points), and HA8RT (5,056 points).

Issuing wild cards was an entirely different process, the event organizers said, noting that they adopted an approach similar to that taken by WRTC 2014 organizers and selecting UN9LW (with team mate UN7LZ), who missed the qualification criteria by just 24 points. Honoring the cleanest log of high scorers, ZL3CW (with F6BEE) was offered another wild card slot. Because of the close competition in region EU#5 featuring outstanding results, another wild card was offered to 9A7DX (with 9A3LG) to join WRTC 2018. Also invited was YV1DIG, “performing excellently behind the curtain of Zone 9 DXpedition stations,” WRTC 2018 said.

Doug Grant, K1DG, the chairman of the WRTC 2014 and a well-known top-level contester, also merited a wild card slot, WRTC 2018 said. Grant was a champion of the first WRTC, held in 1990. “By offering a wild card to him, we also wanted to express our appreciation and thanks to all of the many fine people making WRTC 2014 in Boston such a great success. His teammate will be N2NT — the WRTC 2014 competition director and number five in NA#1 with 10,600 points.”

Questions regarding WRTC 2018 team selection may be submitted by e-mail.