Best Sprint and Sanctity: Xàtiva’s Devotion to Radio and Heritage

XÀTIVA, VALENCIA — In a world enamored with digital brevity and Wi-Fi saturation, the EA5URX amateur radio club in Xàtiva offers a curious blend of high-frequency communication and historical pilgrimage. Here, radio waves resonate not only across continents, but through the walls of hermitages nestled in the Valencian hills.

A Signal from the Past

Led by Vicente Aznar Vicedo (EA5JCJ), a local professional and devoted radio amateur, URE Xàtiva finds its headquarters fittingly housed within the town’s bus station — a transit hub for both people and signals. But their true stage lies further afield: the hermitages (ermitas) scattered around the region.

Two stand out as spiritual and electromagnetic landmarks:

• Ermita Santo Cristo de la Fe in Torrella (Ref. EV-370, DME-46243)

• Ermita del Santo Cristo in Llanera de Ranes (Ref. EV-371, DME-46154)

These rural sanctuaries, rooted in Catholic tradition, now double as points of contact for the Diplomas de Radioaficionados, particularly DVGE (Diploma de Vértices Geodésicos de España) — the Spanish Geodetic Vertices Award. By activating these locations with portable stations, EA5URX contributes to a national effort to log and validate topographical and historical landmarks via radio.

Contests in Sacred Ground

In 2012, EA5URX organized a DVGE SPRINT at VGV-206 (DME-46246), demonstrating how local clubs can amplify national radio culture through carefully timed, geographically focused activities. It’s radio contesting with a reverent twist — a pursuit of signal clarity and divine quietude.

These events aren’t just technical feats; they represent a quiet form of cultural preservation. Through QSL cards, logs, and shared contacts, sites like Torrella and Llanera de Ranes find their names whispered in Morse across continents.

Why It Matters

Amateur radio is often described as a hobby of innovation and nostalgia — and nowhere is that duality more evident than in Xàtiva. The local section doesn’t merely operate radios; it weaves them into the fabric of local identity. It brings together history buffs, nature lovers, and operators eager to push portable stations into the remote Valencian landscape.

In doing so, it affirms what every good contact does: that someone is listening, even from a hermitage in the hills.