In 1938, a Franciscan friar named Maximillian Kolbe began shortwave radio broadcasts from his homebuilt station in a monastery to share his words of faith during a troubled time in the world Three years later, he was a prisoner of the Nazis in Auschwitz. On the 14th of August, 1941, he traded his own life to save that of a doomed Polish army sergeant. Maximilian Kolbe, SP3RN, was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1982 - and is considered the patron saint of amateur radio.

The days surrounding August 14th have grown to be important ones for more than a decade at the San Max Church in Mexico where, with the help of a homebrew rotating dipole installed at the church, hams from around the country team up to call CQ using the special callsign 4A2MAX. The presence of the saint is prominent at the church in more than just its given name and callsign. Some relics that once belonged to him are housed in a small museum inside the church building. The museum also displays some of the awards the amateurs have won while operating in contests with this callsign as a way to pay tribute to St. Maximillian. The operators are on the air this month from the 1st through to the 31st using all modes on all HF bands through to the end of the month.

The station's operations manager, Chuy, XE2N/N5MEX, told Newsline "We want to celebrate what we love on the radio."