[HCRA] ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes

[Jim - KK1W]

Hey folks,

 

I'm sure everyone is aware Tom, N1MUV is really beating the ground hard to
drum up excitement for the upcoming VHF Sweepstakes. This is a fun contest
that EVERYONE can enjoy. License class is not important as Technicians have
pretty much unfettered access to the HOT bands in this event.

 

There was a nice article on the ARRL web site by Sean, KX9X about the
contest. Rather than point you to the site I've reproduced it below to save
you the time and trouble!

 

>From the ARRL Website:

 


Warm Up with the ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes!


VHF weak-signal operators will be on the bands in force the weekend of
January 23-25 as the ARRL
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2010/jan-vhf-ss.html>  January VHF
Sweepstakes hits the airwaves. This contest gives the VHFer in all of us a
chance to do some contesting during the winter months.

ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X said that January may not seem
like the ideal time to hold a VHF+ contest: "After all, sporadic-E
propagation is most commonly associated with summer months; however, the
propagation gods like to surprise and confound, and there have been plenty
of QSOs made via sporadic-E in the colder months through the years. Plenty
of other chances for enhancement exist as well, thanks to tropospheric
ducting and auroral propagation. Thanks to the advent of WSJT
<http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/>  software
<http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/> , making QSOs via meteor
scatter in the wee hours of the morning on 6 and 2 meters has never been
easier. You have plenty of opportunities to make long-haul QSOs on the VHF+
bands in January!"

Kutzko said that getting on the VHF bands is easy. Technician class
licensees have permission to use all amateur bands above 50 MHZ, and the
antennas for VHF frequencies are comparatively smaller than their HF
counterparts. A dipole for 6 meters is less than 10 feet long and most
modern transceivers come with 50 MHz built-in. So, string up a dipole for 6
meters and see what you can work!

"While most contest QSOs will be made using SSB and CW," Kutzko said, "don't
forget about FM simplex. There are numerous stations that enjoy 2 meter FM
simplex QSOs, especially if you live near a large population center. Just be
sure to keep the national 2 meter calling frequency of 146.52 MHz clear of
contest activity. Don't neglect the higher bands, either -- 222 MHz, 432 MHz
and 1.2 GHz and up will see activity this weekend, too."

The 2010 ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes runs from 1900 UTC Saturday, January
23 through 0359 UTC Monday, January 25. Participants can submit their
Cabrillo-formatted logs via e-mail <mailto:januaryvhf at arrl.org> . Paper logs
may be sent to ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes, 225 Main St, Newington, CT
06111. All logs must be postmarked no later than 0359 UTC Thursday, February
25, 2010.

__________________________________________

So what are you waiting for? Now's the time to figure out how to get some
'open time' for the contest, what equipment you will use, etc. For those who
may be interested in giving it a try but feel you're too 'new' to go for it
on your own I know a few HCRA members will be opening up their shack for
guest or multi-operators and I'm one of those. If you would like to spend
some time at the KK1W hamshack, operating 6 and 2 meters, just let me know
and we can schedule it. You can operate, watch, log or whatever makes you
happy - the big thing is to come on over and see what it is all about. If
you've never tried it you owe it too yourself to give it a shot.

As N1MUV has said, Western Mass (WMA) used to be a hotbed of activity in
this contest. I remember listening on the FM channels of 146.49, .55 and .58
(146.52 should not be used for the contest) and it was so crowded you
sometimes had to wait quite a while to make a contact. Wouldn't it be great
to hear that kind of activity again?

Look for KK1W and other area calls during the contest, give us a call and
have some fun.

'73.

Jim, KK1W