BCC Member of the Year 2025: OE1EMS

Im Rahmen des diesjährigen BCC Buffets am 28. Juni 2025 wurde die Auszeichnung „BCC Member Of The Year“ an Emir „Braco“ Memic, OE1EMS, verliehen. Hier ist die Rede unseres Präsidenten Chris, DL1MGB:

For around a quarter in its history, the Bavarian Contest Club is awarding the “BCC Member of the Year” award to honor members with outstanding dedication and commitment to the contest community and the BCC.

There are definitely two things our Member of the Year 2025 has:
1. Based on the things (according to Facebook pictures) he already found in his car: he must have a BIG car.
2. Based on the things he already achieved and his spontaneity: A very understanding, supporting and patient wife.

These two points don’t make a Member of the Year. But at least the one with the wife makes a solid base for what follows to round up the vita.

Starting his amateur radio life at the age of 13 in former Yugoslavia, he soon (one year later) got into contesting. In 1992, the war in Bosnia forced him to move to Vienna, Austria (NOT the country with the kangaroos). He soon became a student at the Technical University Vienna – and a member of their club station OE1XTU.

Over the next 16 years, he built up and operated from various contest stations in Austria and abroad, like OE4A, OE3K or 9A0R.

But he finally found his contester home in his Bosnian hometown Prijedor. Together with a bunch of other Bosnian hams, he started to build E7DX in 2007. What followed was handing out a solid E7 multiplier on all bands and countless European or Worldwide victories in the major contests. Either as Single Op or as Multi Single.

In 2013, after finding out that he can build things, climb towers and by having the Balkanese characteristic in his blood – import and export – he decided to start his own Ham Radio related company (there we have the link to point #1 – a very big car) with focus on building towers and antennas.

He is the founder of the Austrian Contest Club and the Bosnia and Herzegovina Contest Club.

He is somehow guilty that Chris 9A5K started developing the contest logging software DXLog.

He is co-founder of the Istra Contest Conference which is being held in Porec, Croatia beginning of October every year.

He took part in the WRTC for three times (2014 – Boston, 2018 – Wittenberg, 2023 – Bologna) and most probably will be there again in 2026 in the UK.

Whenever possible he also invites young people to do contests. Either at E7DX or – mostly on VHF – at OE1W. In February this year, he joined the BCC Youth Team to supervise the V73WW DXpedition. Or was it assisted operating for him?

Our Member of the Year joined the BCC in 2011. Right after he claimed a new SOABHP record for Europe in the WPX SSB. Over the following years, he showed that he really is an active and frequent contester. In the BCC, we have the Frequent Contester program to push the activity of our members throughout the year and to win certain club competitions. You have to earn over 5 million points in different contests to be called a BCC Frequent Contester. Our Member of the Year collected that many points until now that he would qualify for a Frequent Contester for 87 years.

His latest single op contest activities were from the Cape Verde Islands. Operating as D4DX he came in as second in WPX CW, but won the SSB leg with a new world record. And as the highlight in his contest career, he won the CQWW CW last year with a new world record.

A very understanding, supporting and patient wife. Now you know why.

His commitment and dedication to Amateur Radio in general and Contesting in particular is outstanding. His captivating nature gets the projects rolling and done and also motivates many others to join.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honor for me to present the

BCC Member of the Year 2025

And the plaque shows his Austrian callsign because there wouldn’t have been enough space for all the sevens

Emir “Braco” Memic, OE1EMS