VHF Contesting School Articles
6:30 pm Monday —
Back on April 26th, I posted the following info. Now is a good time to repost it, plus give everyone permission to share it with fellow hams who want to learn more about VHF/UHF contesting.
Originally posted 4/26/12 at kc9bqa.com…
Want to know a lot more about V/UHF contesting? I did, too, when I first got on in the summer of 2003. It was hard to find this info, so I wrote these articles sharing my experience. I am constantly amazed that there aren’t hundreds more VHF contesters. For me, it’s still the single-most exciting time to be on the V/U bands.
As I said above, I’ve written a series of articles called VHF Contesting School. They are thorough. It may be more than a total newbie will want to read thru. That’s fine, skim thru the articles, and take what you need. Don’t worry about every last detail. You can be a casual contester, and have fun on your terms. VHF Contesting is much more laid back than on HF. At least in the Midwest, there’s plenty of room to operate, plus it’s not so much about competition, but more about having fun and enjoying lots of activity. If you want more contesters on the bands, do what you can to spread the word. Plus tell those hams with lousy QTH’s to consider becoming rovers or hilltoppers.
I firmly believe that if the 700,000 + hams in USA and Canada knew more about what they can *really* do on VHF and UHF, we’d have several thousand new enthusiasts within a year or two. The key is in spreading the word. Please remember you are always welcome to share the VHF Contesting School articles with hams everywhere.
These links are in order from a basic introduction, to antennas, to what bands and frequencies to use, and so on.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1677 VHF Contesting School — Introduction.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1689 Antennas – The Most Important Part of Your V/UHF Station.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1700 What Bands and Frequencies to Use.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1717 How to Log a V/UHF Contest.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1727 Helpful Hints — Being a Smarter Operator.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1737 Go Roving! Put the Antennas and Rigs in the Mobile.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1740 More Detailed Rover Info.
http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1750 Rules and Scoring.