January VHF Contest Contacts (Near or in DM13)

Greetings to any that may read,

I am looking to try a second contest and will be partaking in the January VHF. I am located at DM13HQ and am looking for others that are also participating so that I might be able to schedule some contacts in advance. Back in June I, unfortunately, did not understand the rules regarding the SO-FM only category and ended up running my score as a rover. This time round, I will be stationary at my QTH with 55 W on 2m and 45W on UHF. Hope to see some responses here.

73,

KD2CKO
Tom

 

I haven't checked for any recent rules changes, but it "used to be" that it was against contest rules to make "skeds" for contests other than via amateur radio: For example, you can make a contact on 2m and then make a "sked" to take that station up to 70cm to work him again. But using the telephone, the internet or other non-amateur means for making skeds was prohibited.

I think it still is, but would need to carefully check the most recent rules.

 

This is what I just found in the rules and it corresponds what was explained to me, but I am new to this, so feel free to set me straight. DURING the contest, it is prohibited to solicit and schedule contacts with something other than your Radio. Having said this, I understand the rule below to say that I am in compliance with the rules. But please, let me know what y'all think.

1. 3.10. The use of non-Amateur Radio means of communication (for example, Internet or telephone) to solicit a contact (or contacts) during the contest period is not permitted.
2. 73,
3. KD2CKO
4. Tom

 

I have emailed the contest contact at ARRL and am awaiting a response to this question. I don't want to be breaking any rules.

 

Actually, the key is the phrase "during the contest period". It is permissible and used to be common practice to arrange skeds via the internet reflectors prior to the contest.

One year, someone who received the VHF Reflector as a "digest"--where you get several days worth of messages at a time to avoid spamming your e-mail so much--reported all of us to the ARRL. I got an e-mail from Dan Henderson (then Contest Branch Manager) asking for an explanation. By the time I noticed his e-mail and responded, he already had received a lot of complaints from the contesters.

73, Jim N3AWS & GL in the contest!

 

Just be on the primary freqs during the contest. If u make some noise, the Contestors will find YOU! Lotsa activity in DM13! On 2M, stay around 144.200 SSB. On 6 stay near 50.125. If you have any kind of signal, U will make LOTSA contacts!

 

I think the OP said he'd be on FM only.

If that's the case, stick with 146.49, 146.55, 146.58 and 446.00 mostly. There can be some activity on 146.535 and 146.565 also on 2m. AFAIK, 146.52 (the main 2m FM simplex calling frequency) is prohibited for contest contacts.

Thanks for the clarification on the rules -- it's been a very long time since I looked them up, since I never make any prearranged skeds in advance of any of the contests.

I might be a "rover" two weeks from now, not sure yet and still working that out. If the SCCC (southern CA contest club) mounts a rover effort (Wayne, N6NB coordinates most of that), I might be one of the rovers. When we rove, we have ten bands on board, 50 MHz through 10.3 GHz for each rover and at each stop we do solicit contacts from "anybody," although some of the stops are in very isolated places. Problem is, to have the most effective range possible, none of us use any vertically polarized antennas; we're all horizontal on all bands and no room for more antennas. So none of us do that great on FM except for working "each other," since we're all horizontally polarized.

We have found the difference between V polarization and H polarization for over-the-horizon VHF-UHF-SHF contacts is notable, in favor of horizontal polarization. Which is why we use it. But it's 100% wrong for working the majority of FM stations.

BTW to KD2CKO, I'm pretty sure I worked you in the June VHF contest. My call was N6VI at that time (multioperator 10-band station operating from Frazier Peak on the Ventura County/Kern County line about 70 miles NW of L.A.) I was the primary 2m operator there. I made over 250 contacts and I think in 22 grids as I recall, on 2m. We did run power, and separate vertical beams for FM, with horizontal beams for SSB-CW, from that site at over 8000 feet above sea level.

 

Posting operating grids and approximate times has always been standard OP for rovers and portable QRP stations as we need all the help we can get. For meteor scatter and other digital modes skeds greatly increase your chances of success and speed things up considerably over random QSOs.

Good luck to all and I look forward to the day when I'll be working these contests again!

BTW: Don't forget if the skip is short on six, look for 2 meter openings. Long haul QSOs will be tougher on FM than SSB or CW but not impossible!

73

 

WB2WIK,

You are correct. I made contact with your station during the June contest. I am staying at my QTH this time and hoping to make some contacts but remaining realistic. I had a fun time during the contest in the summer and learned a thing or two, so I hope to build upon that. That rover gig sounds like it would be a good time. I need to find a group around me that needs an extra operator.

Thanks everyone else for the responses. As of this writing, I have not received a reply from the ARRL contest branch,however, I feel more confident of my interpretation due to the responses here.



73,
KD2CKO
Tom

 

Are the use of repeaters ok, or is this simplex only?

R.M.

 

Simplex only, usually not on the national calling freq. of 146.520.

 

Simplex only. No repeaters

 

I sent a question about the permissible modes to use and thinking about it, it wasn't a very intelligent question.
Apparently you can use any mode you want (that's legal) to make a contact. So, if you manage to get on the air via EME using JT65, that's okay.
AM,SSB,FM,CW and any other digital mode is just ducky. This is a contest that just wants contacts and activity.
It's not like the 70's to early 80's and VHF has seemingly slacked off.
It might be an idea to get the ARRL to drop the no 146.52 simplex contacts. Could help get a tiny bit more activity.
Last September I went up to my 6722' location and sweated trying to put up my antennas. I finally settled for just the 6 meter beam and an HT for 2 and 440.
Netted one contact on three bands (wowie) and 2 of the bands were with a 2 watt Baofeng UV3R+ with it's rubber duckie.
The WX is so mild and no snow that I was contemplating heading up there today. Car trouble put an end to that but now I have a rental and perhaps it's game on.
Can't do much worse the the last one.
BTW the simple doable range from that location is about 20 grids. I'd have to sweat it for more than that without something neat popping up.
Mabbe, just mabbe......
Hope to hear someone this afternoon from DM05 (I really should hear a lot more then I did).
Hey Steve, Frazer Peak is most likely just as accessible as it was in June. Might have been fun to do a January VF from there....

Have fun
73
Gary

 

Good luck to all and please post your results here. Especially if you are operating in one of the new categories!

73 and Good Luck!

Jim N3AWS

 

For this contest (log just submitted, early), I worked SOFM-only from DM13 with 50 Watts VHF and 45 UHF. The band was dead. I made 3 contacts and almost had a fourth, but a HAM's IRLP node on 446.00(is this common?) in my area wrecked that when a distant HAM connected and stepped on my other contact. I can only hope that modes other than FM are more active in these VHF contests because from my experience and the only other contester that I could hear out there, we were alone. Quite a let down.