Get On the Air During VHF Contest Season

VHF contesting season is in full swing! Summer weather brings with it enhanced propagation. With good conditions, stations hundreds of miles away can be worked via tropospheric ducting, E-skip, and perhaps even meteor scatter. If you have an HF rig that includes 6 meters or VHF/UHF capability, you’ve got just the tools you need to take advantage of these enhancements! US amateurs of all license classes may participate in these events, so they are a great way for Technician Class hams to compete in contests.

There are several upcoming VHF+ contests coming up. The 2024 CQ World Wide VHF Contest is this weekend, beginning at 1800 UTC on Saturday, July 20 and concluding at 2100 UTC on Sunday, July 21. Participants can operate on the 6- and 2- meter bands.

The first of the VHF Fall Sprints, the 6-meter Sprint, will be held from 1800 – 2200  UTC on Saturday, August 20. The sprints continue in September with single-band events on 144, 222, and 432 MHz. The final sprint, held on the first weekend of October, includes all bands 902 MHz and above. For rules, see https://www.packratvhf.com/sprints/2024_Fall_Sprint_Rules_Final.pdf.

Closing out the VHF contest season is the ARRL September VHF Contest, which will be held from 1800 UTC on Saturday, September 14 through 0259 UTC on Monday, September 16. All amateur frequencies above 50 MHz may be used.

For activities on the higher VHF and UHF bands, there are two contest opportunities coming up. The ARRL 222 and Up Distance Contest begins at 1800 UTC on Saturday, August 3 and concludes at 1759 UTC on Sunday, August 18. Operation is allowed on all bands from 222 MHz through 241 GHz. 

The ARRL 10 GHz and up Contest will be held the weekends of August 17-19 and September 21-23, from 0900 UTC Saturday through 0759 UTC Monday. Any amateur band from 10 GHz through light may be used. 

If you need an antenna for the VHF contest season, ARRL has a space- and budget-conscious solution, with two antennas in one. The ARRL Dual-band Momobeam 6/10 Antenna features a 10-meter Moxon (28 MHz) and 6-meter Yagi (50 MHz). The antenna is made of aluminum tubes, galvanized steel hardware, UV-resistant POM-C driver insulators and polypropylene clamps. Assembly is easy, and all tubes are labeled. It comes with two sets of hardware – one for permanent install and the other for portable use. The antenna retails for $299.95 and is available in the ARRL Store. It is designed to get Techs active on 6 and 10 meters while Solar Cycle 25 is near its peak.