The ARRL September VHF Contest gets underway on September 12 at 1800 UTC and wraps up on September 14 at 0259 UTC. This operating event provides a chance for radio amateurs at all levels to experience contesting on the most popular VHF and UHF bands, as well as on those less-frequented frequencies above 450 MHz. Newcomers and veterans alike will attempt to work as many 2 × 1 grid squares as possible on frequencies above 50 MHz from home stations, from the field, or from “rovers” that travel from grid square to grid square. With a heightened potential for tropospheric conditions, the September VHF Contest offers something that VHF contests at other times of the year often cannot.
In January 2015, the ARRL Board approved rule modifications for General Rules For ARRL Contests Above 50 MHz. Assistance is now allowed for all entry categories. This includes the use of assistance to announce your availability for contacts (ie, self-spotting.)
Don’t forget about the Single Operator, 3 Band, and Single Operator, FM Only categories that allow stations with limited equipment to get in on the fun. With just a hand-held transceiver and Yagi, a single operator can take to the air and compete against other stations with similar equipment. Utilizing frequencies that require smaller, lightweight antennas provides an excellent opportunity for homebrewing and finding a favorite hilltop operating location.
Six meters is the most popular band for this event, since many HF transceivers include that band. Most SSB activity on 6 meters will take place between 50.125 MHz and 50.250MHz, and CW activity between 50.080 MHz and 50.100 MHz. The frequencies between 50.100 MHz and 50.125 MHz are considered a “DX window” for contacts between US/Canada and DX stations, so avoid US-to-US contacts in that part of the band.
Activity centers for SSB are 50.125, 144.200, 222.100, and 432.100 MHz. These are calling frequencies, however, and contest participants should avoid monopolizing them. Those operating FM on 2 meters are reminded that theARRL General VHF Contest Rules prohibit contest operators from using the national simplex frequency of 146.52 MHz to make or solicit contacts. Check theband plans for details on all bands.
Rules and entry forms are on the ARRL website. All logs must be e-mailed or postmarked no later than 0300 UTC on October 15, 2015. Electronic logs are preferred. Send paper logs to September VHF Contest, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
For more information about the ARRL September VHF Contest, e-mail the ARRL Contest Branch.
Source:ARRL
The National Geographic has produced A Guide to Ham Radio to support its recently released digital short, Before MARS — a prequel to its upcoming MARS... Read more
FlexRadio Systems announces the immediate availability of SmartSDR v2.1.33 for the FLEX-6000 Signature Series SDRs. SmartSDR v2.1.33 is a General Ava... Read more
NBTC and RAST presented the amateur radio callsign HS10A to His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn and provided equipment at a ceremony in the Dusi... Read more
Description: WHAT IS SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO (SDR)? In traditional hardware radios, the mathematical operations required to decode and proces... Read more
Ailunce HD1 Dual Band DMR Digital DCDM TDMA Waterproof Two Way Radio Description: HD1 dual band digital radio uses Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) Tier 2 S... Read more
A Soyuz rocket launched D-Star ONE Phoenix and 10 other satellites into orbit on February 1 from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. Developed by German O... Read more
An FCC Enforcement Advisory released in late May seems to state the obvious: All FCC-authorized equipment must be used in compliance with laws and rul... Read more
Event celebrating 450 years of the city of Rio de Janeiro PQ450RIO The city of Rio de Janeiro complete this March / 2015, 450 years of existenc... Read more
“The MFJ-2010 off-center-fed dipole (OCFD) looks like a much better candidate for the reference station antenna. This video looks at is features... Read more
Children are born atracted with buttons, lights and things that make noises. They may not speak yet, but if they see our equipments, their reaction is... Read more
Recent Posts
National Geographic Channel Ham Radio Guide Supports Before MARS Prequel
SmartSDR v2.1.33 Now Available
King Vajiralongkorn receives ham radio callsign HS10A
100KHz-1.7GHz Full Band UV HF RTL-SDR USB Tuner Receiver/ R820T+8232
The Remarkable Retevis Ailunce HD1 DMR Handheld
D-Star ONE Phoenix, First D-Star Communication Spacecraft, Launched
FCC Warns that Use of Authorized Equipment Must Comply with All Laws and Rules
PQ450RIO – Event celebrating 450 years of the city of Rio de Janeiro
Reference Station Antenna Redux: MFJ-2010 OCFD for 40, 20, 10, 6m
Guilherme – PU2XCW Amateur radio operator at 8
Warning: file_get_contents(https://plusone.google.com/_/+1/fastbutton?url=https%3A%2F%2Fqrznow.com%2Fthe-arrl-september-vhf-contest-beckons%2F): failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found in /home/qrznow/public_html/wp-content/themes/goodnews5/framework/functions/posts_share.php on line 151
