September 2023 ARRL VHF Contest

[JohnyMac]

My radio club decided at the last minute to participate in this years ARRL VHF Contest.

This contest is open for 6-Meter, 2-meter, 1.25- meter, 70-Cm and new this year, 902 Mhz & 1.2-Ghz.

As of this morning we have three "pop up" towers with 6m, 2M, and 70Cm Yagi antennas. There way be a fourth going up for 1.25M antenna if that ham makes it. Sometimes Murphy shows his ugly head.

The contest runs from 1400E hrs. today through 2300E hrs. Sunday. We will be manning the radios all night long into Sunday afternoon.

It will be a rainy weekend so the club sprung for a 20x30' circus tent. Simple food at this event as it was last minute. Hamburgers and hotdogs with everyone bringing a side.

If you participate today please post any info on this thread.

I will post more info as they develop. 

73,

[JohnyMac]

Here is a quick update on this weekends ARRL VHF contest.

In short,

> We had two mobile towers up. One had two antennas, a 11-emement 2- meter Yagi beam, and a 3-element 6-meter beam. The other tower had a 2-meter 2-pole.

> We had three stations that the club members who showed up worked. All told we made about 20 contacts (QSO's) as propagation was poor.

> Then the thunder & lightening rolled in along with torrential rain around 1700 hrs. so we disconnected the antennas for fear of having a new perm hair style. Thank heavens for the big party tent we rented.

> All told we had thirteen out of the thirty club members showed up for fellowship, good food, and of course work one of the radios. We also had an employee of the ARRL show up who happened to be in the area from his home base in Connecticut.

> Last, we spent some of our down time planning the big Pennsylvania QSO Party in October. This is a big statewide radio event, where you try to get a QSO from each county in Phone, CW (Morse Code), and digital. Most of the club turns out for that event for the fellowship, food, and of course manning a radio off and on for 24 hours.

73 & God Bless