ARRL June VHF Contest, June 9th and 10th
Sunspot numbers got you down? Burned out on nets? Itching for something new? Try VHF contesting! The ARRL June VHF Contest is coming and you do NOT want to miss out!
Bouncing radio waves off mountains to see around corners . . . child’s play! Firing up long-boom yagis from mountaintops . . . all in a day’s fun! Loading up your truck up with antennas and roving across the state making contacts . . . now you’re talking!
Contests are THE time to find out just what the VHF/UHF bands can do, and you WILL be surprised. Join in as a “single operator” entry and test your home station’s simplex capability. Take your go-box to a hilltop and enter as a “portable” station. Or you can fire up the amplifiers and light up the clouds as a “high power” entry.
Don’t think you need a lot of gear to participate though . . . even an HT and some guts can get you plenty of contacts from a good location. Any and all stations who want to participate are encouraged to coordinate with Brandon Clark (me), KL7BSC, who will be leading a rover route through south-central during the event (route details below).
Let’s light up Alaska this June!
KL7BSC Rover Route
I’ll be entering as a “rover” (mobile station) and operating from multiple grid squares over two days. In true “ham-cation” style the route will go from Homer to Fairbanks with opportunities for contacts to/from up to ten different grid squares. (Check out QRZ for photos from past events.)
Friday night is a camp out in Homer to relax and prepare. On Saturday it’s time to light up the airwaves, starting in Homer and continuing through Soldotna, Turnagain Arm, Kinkaid Park, Eagle River, Susitna North, and Talkeetna.
After some downtime to recharge, refuel, and maybe sleep a little, it’s time to man up and saddle up for the final push north: operate from Healy, the hills above Fairbanks, and UAF to finish the event. Any other interested mobiles are welcome to participate. All you need is an FM dual-band or better rig and external antennas.
73
Brandon, KL7BSC
