SCI 2026 Santa Catarina Integrada — PP5GP is activating Brusque, October 10–18 (UTC). Look for “CQ SCI” on FT8. Rules(opens in a new tab)
PP5GP
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Amateur radio · Brusque, SC — Brazil

PP5GP

Geraldo Lucas Poli

Born into a family of radio amateurs, passionate about DX, antennas, and showing how simple and efficient it can be to operate HF from an apartment.

  • Class A
  • Araucária DX Group
  • DX · FT8 · SOTA

Explore the station How to send a QSL

PP5GP station with Yaesu radios, linear amplifiers and two monitors
The PP5GP station, in Brusque — Santa Catarina
  • Class Asince September 9, 2025
  • 1 kWHF power
  • 80 W · 20 WVHF · UHF
  • BrusqueSanta Catarina — Brazil
Geraldo Lucas Poli smiling, with the Grand Canyon behind him
PP5GP — Grand Canyon, USA

About me

Hello everyone! My name is Geraldo Lucas Poli (PP5GP). I was born and raised in a family of radio amateurs, and I learned everything about radio from my father, PP5GLP. Since childhood, I've been fascinated by communications, antennas, and the art of reaching distant places through the airwaves.

Datacenter & Cloud

I'm married and currently living in Brusque, Santa Catarina — Brazil, where I work in the technology industry. Today, I act as Head of Datacenter & Cloud, leading mission-critical infrastructure, high-availability platforms and large-scale cloud environments.

My professional website: TechPoli(opens in a new tab)

Geraldo next to an open datacenter rack at a technology event
Datacenter & Cloud

Operating style

I'm passionate about DX and testing how far my station can go. I also enjoy SOTA contests and field activations with friends across the region.

My focus is to show how simple and efficient it can be to operate HF from an apartment.

  • 1 kWHF
  • 80 WVHF
  • 20 WUHF

My radio journey

  1. Childhood

    Learning from my father

    I was born and raised in a family of radio amateurs. My father, PP5GLP, taught me everything I know about radio.

  2. Until Sep 2024

    PU5GCP

    My first call sign, with more than 3,000 QSOs before it was discontinued in September 2024.

  3. Sep 2024

    Class B — PP5GP

    I was promoted to Class B and became PP5GP.

  4. Sep 9, 2025

    Class A

    I achieved my Class A license, consolidating my journey and marking a new milestone as PP5GP.

Araucária DX Group crest — 50 years, Golden Jubilee, 1976–2026

Since 2025

Araucária DX Group

In 2025, I was proudly accepted into the Araucária DX Group, one of the most respected DX-focused radio amateur groups in the world, composed of exceptional operators with deep technical knowledge and an impressive DX pedigree. Being part of this group is an honor and a strong driver of my evolution as an operator.

Group website(opens in a new tab)

The station

The radios, amplifiers and accessories behind everyday operation at PP5GP. Tap a name to learn about each piece of gear.

Antennas

Hustler 5-BTV vertical antenna installed on the rooftop, with wire radials

The Hustler 5-BTV on the rooftop

This image shows my Hustler 5-BTV installed on the rooftop with 32 radials made of 4 mm wire, using 8 radials per band (no radials on 80 m). Despite its simplicity, this antenna consistently delivers excellent DX performance, allowing me to work the USA in SSB with signals exceeding +20 dB. The system currently presents a maximum SWR of around 1.5 and is operated at up to 1 kW.

The feedline is Rosenberger SL 012S PE, incorporating an air choke wound on a 150 mm tube, a 1:1 current balun (FT240-43) at the feed point, and additional RF suppression using distributed Mix 43 ferrites along the coax. This configuration, refined over time, results in an extremely low noise floor, and the rooftop elevation further enhances radiation efficiency. Although it is not a full-size vertical, in practice it performs exceptionally well in several operating scenarios and has become an antenna to which I am particularly attached.

My own project · 05

HamExpert

Analyze your QSOs with intelligence.

HamExpert is an advanced QSO log analysis platform for radio amateurs, built for contesting, DX and FT8. A log with thousands of contacts holds far more than a list of call signs: HamExpert turns it into answers — when your station performs best, what is missing for your next award, and which stations on the air right now are a new country for you.

I developed it myself, PP5GP, and a group of ham radio friends uses it. Everything below comes from my own log, with real data.

Discover HamExpert(opens in a new tab) See the full dashboard

What it does

  • Imports from wherever you already logADIF and Cabrillo, QRZ Logbook (incremental import), LoTW sync, and real-time upload from MSHV and WSJT-X. It also receives QSOs from Log4OM, N1MM and GridTracker.
  • Intelligent log analysisA report generated from your contacts: best bands and time windows, effectiveness by rarity, and year-over-year evolution. An assistant, Heraldo, answers questions about propagation and antennas.
  • Awards and goalsProgress toward the DXCC Honor Roll, DXCC Challenge, 5BDXCC, WAC, WAZ and WPX, plus the CQ DX Marathon, with a ranking among operators.
  • Propagation and alertsA 12-hour forecast, solar data and MUF, “hunt now” with the stations on the air that are new entities for you, New One alerts and storm warnings.
  • Maps and statisticsA map of worked grids, the DXCC growth curve, distances, bands, modes and hours — all computed from your log.
  • Contests and public profileStandalone analysis of contests, Field Day and special activations. It generates a dashboard to paste into your QRZ profile — like the one you see here.

My log in numbers

Real data from the PP5GP log, read from HamExpert.

—QSOs logged
—Unique call signs
—Grids worked
—Longest distance (km)

My contacts on the map

Azimuthal map centered on Brusque: the direction and distance of every contact, out to the other side of the planet (about 20,000 km).

QSOs by band

    Modes

      QSOs by hour of the day (UTC)

      Daily average of QSOs in each hour, in UTC.

      Open the full HamExpert dashboard

      The full dashboard, as it appears on my QRZ profile. Open in another tab(opens in a new tab)

      QSL & contact

      I confirm contacts via LoTW, eQSL, direct QSL or bureau via PP5GP. For the direct QSL address and other ways to reach me, see my QRZ profile.

      QRZ.com profile(opens in a new tab) Visit TechPoli(opens in a new tab)