VHF QSO Party

The ARRL Sept. VHF QSO Party which runs from 2pm on Sat. the 12th until 11pm on Sun. the 13th. There's a lot of Midwestern activity and we're always looking for newcomers or the curious. Here's the link to the ARRL rules:
http://www.arrl. org/contests/ rules/2009/ sepvhf.html

What follows is a 5-minute primer on how to get started in VHF Contesting.

Remember to get on and have some fun this weekend with the ARRL VHF QSO Party. All bands from 6m, 2m and on up are in play. Operate as much or as little as you like. USB mode is what 80-90% of the contesters use, with horizontally- polarized antennas.

Even modest horizontal loops will work stations out 50-150 miles. I know this because in my first contest (Sept. 2003) I had only horizontal loops for 6 and 2m, and I worked some stations as far away as 300 miles, without any special enhancement. Using headphones and keeping the squelch low is essential for digging out those distant, light signals. You'll be amazed how far some of those S1 signals will travel, if you listen carefully. Also be aware that on VHF/UHF bands, propagation is usually better after sunset and well into the morning hours. If I only had a few hours to spend, I'd operate from about 7-11pm, and then again from about 7-11am.

Those with beams and/or higher antennas (above trees and obstructions) can get out farther. Bread and butter VHF bands are 6 and 2 meters. At least 90% of us have one or both of those bands.

The basic contest exchange is callsign and grid square. Log the callsign of the station you worked, what band it was on, their grid square and the time of the QSO within a minute or two. Most QSO's are voice mode, but there is plenty of CW activity, as well. Each year, more and more ops benefit from using the various digital modes.

On 6m, you operate from 50.125 up to about 50.175 or so. If there's a good band opening, activity can spread above 50.200.
On 2m, the call freq. is 144.200, but tune around and call CQ between about 144.150-144. 250. Maybe more like 144.170-144. 230 if the band isn't that busy.
Avoid the temptation to use 144.200 too much. Far better to tune around and find some elbow room.
On 70cm, the SSB call freq. is 432.100 MHz. Hardly anyone calls CQ on 70cm because of the pointyness of horizontal beams. Standard practice is to do your CQ'ing on either 6 and/or 2 meters, and then "work up the bands" with the station you've contacted. Experienced hams will be happy to help you get your feet wet. VHF/UHF contests are far more casual than HF, and we can always use newcomers.

If you are limited to FM gear, then you'll find the most activity on 146.550, followed by 223.500 on the 1.25cm band. You may also find some activity on the 6m FM call freq. of 52.525 and the 70cm call freq. of 446.000. On FM, use vertical polarization.

VHF/UHF contesting levels in the entire Midwest have really improved the past year. 2010 should see continued improvement.