Another fun VHF contest. I didn't put in a lot of operating time, but I enjoyed making some qsos.
Rig was my Yaesu FT-450d, and most of my qsos were made on my 6 meter two-element beam. 73 de Jim
ac9ez

Six Meters robbed the activity from the other Bands.  I am sure there will be some huge scores in
this Contest.

First time using SDR Pluto.

Despite high expectations, the shack and antennas at my new Tennessee QTH were not ready for this
contest. I revived an ancient FT726R to operate on 6 meters with an omni-directional PAR OA50 loop
on a push-up pole.  On 2 meters an FT857D and OA144 snagged a few QSOs.  The SCU-17 digital
interface for the FT857D did not work, so FT8 was not possible.  I operated old school SSB and CW,
with a few local FM QSOs for some extra points.  Even with just the low omni antenna on 6 meters I
was able to work most of the SSB stations that were heard.  The sporadic-E propagation up toward New
England was pretty consistent, but I never was able to attract any attention with my CQs. I also had
a 6 meter vertical antenna tuned for 52 MHz in hopes of working some FM stations there, but I heard
no activity.  All in all, the June VHF contest is still my favorite contest.

First VHF contest from J6.  Working the bugs out.  Propagation
was so-so.

This was my first experience using more than 50, 144 and 440 FM transmitters, (I did CW, SSB and FT8
on 6). It was a blast while 6 was open. I slept when 6 became silent overnight, and got up when
there was one signal available on the decode. I saw the same issues of FT8 operators not set on
contest mode, adding multiple contacts for the same call sign and wondering how they would log me. I
bet that I have several stations that may not have the same QSO time that I have logged. Hopefully I
added to the interest on the local level with my calling on 146.52, but I had only a handful of
contacts there.

VUCC on 10G from the driveway!  My 5 y.o. daughter made a few Q's on 2m FM too.

First VHF log submitted in years...logging SW acted up, will submit anyway.

I was running 8 bands like in January, but this time no snow or ice.  Only activated 15 grids this
time.  Due to some delays, my potential end of contests destinations became to iffy to reach so I
didn't attempt them.  My rove started Southeast of San Antonio TX and finished just outside Tulsa
OK.  



A surprising amount of this was only loosely planned.  I did plan to meet up with a few of the Texas
rovers hence my starting location.  And I planned to work my way up to where the OK Rovers were
active.  Pretty much nothing in between went anywhere close to how I thought it might.  And as
mentioned before, I had to scrap my final run chasing multipliers and fresh Qs which was either
going to be towards Memphis, TN or St. Louis, MO.  



Unlike other parts of the country, 6m seemed to be inert in the West Gulf region Saturday.  The only
stations heard on 6m were ones that I, or someone else, QSYed to the band.  I heard some FT8, but I
was unable to run that at the time.  



Sunday, I heard some out of area 6m activity for a short bit mid-day when I was in Oklahoma.  I also
heard the occasional distant voice that faded in and out.  Fortunately, for the last few hours of
the contest, 6m opened very strongly on this allowed me to pile on multipliers and extra Qs that
made up somewhat for having to cancel the final run.  More on that later.



As for technical issues these were rather minor except for one incident that I was able to resolve. 
This occurred very early in the contest.  I was using my air conditioning sparingly due to some
problems with the AC compressor.  This was only a small discomfort for me, but I started to realize
there was a problem when the tablet for my logging system became sluggish and was running slow.  A
restart didn’t help.



It was just occurring to me that maybe the temperature had something to do with the slow
performance.  At that point I remembered I had a temperature problem before with both the Flex Radio
and the tablet I use for its console.  No sooner do I think this, the tablet for the Flex Radio
console shuts off as if it read my mind.  I go looking in the back and the Flex Radio starts to
indicate over temperature shutdown as well.  This had the effect of taking all four of my microwave
bands off the air.



To get it all cooled down, I was forced to run the AC continuously.  My already unhappy compressor
was screaming like a jet engine.  This is Texas and what I could get away with up north with AC off,
or running intermittently, just wasn’t enough here.  Despite all the noise, the air conditioning
did work.  After about 20 minutes, the tablet and Flex Radio cooled enough that I got the micros
back up.  The sluggishness in my logging system also went away with the cooler temps.



The other technical issue was minor.  For some reason my little USB GPS module wouldn’t sync again
so I couldn’t get time lock for digital modes.  I could do a reasonable manual setting if my
iphone clock would show seconds, but waiting for it to change to the next minute to manually sync is
sloppy.  I’ve done it but it takes multiple tries and it is never right on.  That has been one
irritation about this iphone.  I suppose I could get a third-party app to resolve it.  Anyway,
digital modes would have been nice to run on the otherwise dead 6m Saturday, especially while
moving, but it was what it was.  I was more focused on the micros.



For the start of the contest I met up with some of the TX rovers KA5D/R, KD5IKG/R and W5TN/R.  These
gentlemen were invaluable helping me with the local information about this part of Texas. 



Tim KD5IKG had some new hardware for the microwave bands giving us both eight bands.  Unfortunately
he had some teething pains and this gave us some headaches early in the contest when trying to work
each other.  There seemed to be an intermittent in the switching.  So we ended up working thru those
headaches which likely cost us opportunities to catch some other stations. 



One of my favorite times during the contest was when there were four of us rovers headed towards a
hilltop spot called the “Devil’s Backbone” southwest of Austin.  We were going to meet up
there for dinner as well as some operating.  We were proceeding at different times and some had
different routes.  I was very much the late one and somewhat lost.  During this period, we ended up
in some different grids in a piecemeal fashion so had opportunities to work each other as well as
work a number of the fixed stations that were following us.  It was a very active time for all of
us.



Thanks to the rovers, I discovered that Texas (and later Oklahoma) does have some big hills.



Much of my time on that hilltop was socializing with the other rovers and some curiosity seekers. 
It was a bit hard for more than one of us to operate anyway and I was ready for a break.  I was the
late one still up on the hill after 9pm while the other rovers were headed home for the overnight. 
Once they left the hilltop, I started my operation there seriously.  



It was close to 10 PM when I decided to roll off the hill.  My idea that I might continue up the
gridline on the west side of the DFW metroplex went out the window as I had a morning appointment in
Oklahoma too far to the east.



So, after rolling off the hill, I needed a more direct route.  That appeared to be a run up I35 thru
Austin, then Waco, before branching on I35E towards the Dallas side of the metroplex.  This didn’t
let me optimize the number of grids I activated, but my goal for the night was already a solid 5
hours away.  It wasn’t looking like I would get too much sleep.  



I worked a number of fixed stations during the first hour or so of that travel, but fixes stations
were calling it a night.  That included Ron K5LLL which would have been easy to get 7 or 8 bands for
the next couple grids.



K5TR however was working late into the night and seemed to be tracking me on APRS.  Not long after I
would cross a grid, I could pretty much count on hearing CQ from K5TR on SSB in what was otherwise
dead time for all but the diehard ops mostly running meteor scatter.  The only other station I heard
really late was K5QE.  These two stations insured I was able to activate the grids I was passing
thru during those nightime hours.  



When I got into my desired overnight area, I discovered that some event had caused all the lodging
to be booked.  After killing a half hour with no luck, and seeing my available sleep time dwindle to
less than 3 hours, it just became impractical to get a room.  



Even if I found a place, by the time I checked in, got my stuff in a room, got to bed, and then the
time I needed in the morning, my sleep time would be too little to make it worthwhile.  At this
point I decided it was best to go back to the ole sleep in the car routine.  That would give me more
sleep even if not as comfortable.  I found a distant corner of a Buc-ee’s parking lot where the
lighting wasn’t so bright.



The bad part of this plan was that it was hot.  Yes hot, this is Texas.  Outside temps had dropped
down to mid-70s which was better than normal, but the vehicle was just hot from running all day. 
Even though the AC had been on, as soon as I turned the engine off, the interior temp climbed.  I
didn’t want to sit parked with car running to keep the AC running.  Keeping windows closed and
doors locked for security quickly became a non-option if I wanted an sleep.  



I tried opening the windows and inch or too get some air flow while making it very difficult, if not
impossible to reach in.  This got a slight cross breeze, but it was still too hot.  I opened the
windows some more, but it was still was too hot.  At this point I was still trying to justify that
while the widows were open more, it still offered some degree of security.  Yes, someone could reach
in and unlock the door, but it would take some time and if they were just trying to grab something
it would be a hard reach.  



Eventually fatigue and the heat took its toll.  I decided that the risk of getting murdered or
having stuff stolen while I slept was worth it if I could get just some sleep.  I rolled the windows
all the way down.  This improved the cross breeze significantly and I finally got the temp down to a
tolerable level.  With one arm hang hanging out a window for extra cooling I finally fell asleep.  



I woke after dawn, about 6am not having been murdered.  As far as I could tell, nothing was taken
either.  There was already a good amount of activity on 2m.  I went into Buc-ee’s where I quickly
washed up as well as I could.  I also changed into some fresh clothes and brushed my teeth.  Then I
was off again continuing north.  



As is typical, the early morning time was fairly busy with lots of fresh stations to work.  Even
though I was on the north side of Dallas now, I still heard K5TR calling CQ regularly and we were
able to work on a few bands.



I caught up with two of the OK rovers, N0LD/R and KB0YHT/R, about 10:30am.  I ended up sticking with
them thru lunch and up to the grid corner in the Tulsa.  They showed me a couple of their hilltop
locations where we were able to work a number of the fixed stations.  Time just seemed to vanish and
it wasn’t long before it was clear that I couldn’t make my MO or TN targets without too much
risk of falling short.  



My last stop with them was a huge hilltop overlooking Tulsa.  There was a bit less than 3 hours left
in the contest.  6m had opened wide at this point.  I never heard 6m open like this before.  With so
many stations coming in from so many areas, it actually made operation more difficult on SSB than
less strong conditions.  



The Pacific northwest, Midwest, and East coast were all coming in strong.  The crowding was so bad I
had very limited luck o SSB so I went to CW which was better.  I appreciated Randy N0LD giving
digital modes a break to let me work some multipliers.  The constant carrier was completely blanking
out 6m when they transmitted.  I eventually moved off the hilltop to a spot about a half mile down
the road to avoid the mutual interference.  



With about 90 minutes left in the contest, and band still hot, I interrupted operation for some
photos as the OK rovers were starting their run back towards home.  This ended up being about 40
minutes of chatting as curious public came up to ask questions.  Public relations is something most
every rover has to deal with at one time or another.  Be it answering the curiosity seeker’s
questions, or trying to calm the nerves of the suspicious.  



When I finally got back to operating the band had cooled.  The southeast was now coming in a little,
but much of the northeast was no longer being heard.  The up side to this is that SSB became more
productive and I alternated between SSB and CW for the last 45 minutes working stations as I found
them.

Operated K2TAS/P from Alley Pond Park in Queens, NYC. I used a Netbook for FT8 and logging with
N1MM. Antenna was a log-periodic for 144 on a fiberglass / aluminum tripod mast. Radio was
IC-706MKIIG powered by a 6 Ah sealed lead acid battery, continuously charged through a controller
with a 100W flexible solar panel. Had a blast.

K3CCR is the club station at the Collington continuing-care
retirement community at FM 18OW in MD, just east of DC. In the
June 2020 ARRL VHF test, I (N3UM) operated SOLP 3-band, with no
spotting. The start was slow; few sigs, all LOS. In 3 hrs before
supper break and 1 hr after, I made 20 Qs on 6m, 14 on 2m, and 8
on 0.7m. Then, at 0108Z I got my first 6m. E skip QSO, in EN54.
After that, for the rest of the test, most ops just chased the
spotlight/whack-a-mole sporadic-E on 6m. I made just 5 more Qs
on 2m. and 2 more on 0.7m, but 66 more Qs on 6m, 52 of these on
CW. I did better on CW because I was using the 2-el. 40-m. part
of our Falcon 20/40 with a tuner; very little gain, but > 100ft.
up. Also, my TenTec 6-m. transverter failed after ~25 years, and
I had to use a QRP FT818 to work with the 100W 6-m. amp. A good
radio on CW, just fair on SSB; no speech processing, no voice-
recorder input. From 0108Z to 0230 QRT I made 7 more CW skip Qs
in EN and EM, 6 of them mults, and 4 SSB Qs in EN, all mults. At
14Z Sun. AM, no Es; I got 4 LOS Qs. Then at 1425Z 4 Es Qs on CW
in 10 min, all in EN52. By lunch at 1608Z I had 12 more Es Qs, 7
of them mults, 1 a double-hop to DM38 in AZ. After lunch 7 LOS
Qs, but Es was sparse, just 3 Qs and 1 mult. Back at 0015Z after
supper and chores, the Es spotlight was on FL; 6 Qs and 3 mults
on CW, in EL97-99. Next I got a last 5 Es mults by 02Z, in EM.
All 3 bands then emptied until I got WA3NUF on 2 and 0.7m, plus
W4EO/R loud in FM18 for 5 Qs and 3 mults to claim 6.06 K. Our
best June VHF claim was 6.35 K in 2016; 2 ops, a real 6m. beam,
but only 48 Qs on 6m. Far more ops in 2016 on 2 and 0.7m SSB.

First time Unlimited Rover category.  Team of K3RW and K4PVA; first
VHF contest for K4PVA.  COVID concerns changed our plans to roving
instead of Limited Multioperator.  Heavy rain during the contest
hampered some off-road roving locations.  A rare tornado was noted
during the contest in CN85.  Highway blockades due to protests and in
some cases, riots, impacted our ability to rove in Portland, it
threatened to block our grid transit to CN95 on Mt Hood, and I-5 was
reportedly shutdown in the Puget Sound area.  We had planned at least
5-7 grids including CN87, CN88, CN95 and CN96, but managed only CN85,
CN86, and CN84.  We managed to activate two SOTA summits in CN85.  We
noticed several rover stations calling /r in voice modes but not
signing /r in digital modes; this may adversely affect our score as
well as numerous other participants.  When we asked about other
planned grids, one station inconsistently calling /r and had no plans
at all to rove in a second grid, apparently did not know this was a
rover requirement and did not know where the gridlines changed; we
gave that info, and urged they rove to at least one other grid square
during the contest--after the QSO was compete the station again
reverted to calling without /r again despite pleas to be consistent
from us and other operators.  Replies to CQs and changes between
grids, bands, and modes inadvertently produced several dupes; we
logged all QSOs even if dupes however we expect other stations may
omit theirs causing some NILs.  We frequently emphasized the callsign
as being K3RW/r and not K7RW or K3RW without the /r; however in past
contests the /r is frequently missed by other operators and the 3 area
call is missed by others despite our best efforts, and we expect that
the combination of both may produce some NILs.  We signed K3RW/R in
FT8 though some rover stations apparently did not know how to, or
chose not to; some operators may have logged these incorrectly without
the /r.  It should be noted that FT8 diligence to change the grid in
the configuration software, especially when roving and approaching
grid changes.  As the RF gremlins emerged, we discovered our 6m
screwdriver would not tune under 3:1. We made several 6m FM QSOs then
gave up on 6m until the next day.  We were forced to use a 2m 5/8s
whip, cross-polarized and mag mounted, as our 6m FT8 and FM antenna as
well as our 2m FT8, SSB, and FM antenna.  We made a contact on each
band from 6m through 1296; FM-only on 223, 927, and 1296.  No 902 FM
activity was observed.  Due to high SWR on the 2m 5/8s vertical we
made no 6m SSB or CW contacts but made numerous FT8 QSOs, most while
in-motion between grids.  Per usual, we found a few QSOs likely to be
uniques from Sunday drivers and several from operators with heavily
compromised systems and poor local propagation due to geography.  We
encountered a concerned neighbor in CN84 adjacent to a vacant hillside
field who said our activity appeared suspicious; a well timed CQ from
another ham that was clearly audible assuaged her concerns we were
somehow spying on her with electronic equipment, and rather part of an
ongoing contest as we had claimed.

Great to hear all the SSB stations during the contest, no FT8 used here.

First time i had a radio that could do 6 meters.  It was great.  Now I have to put up an antenna for
6 meters!

I enjoyed operating my 1st VHF contest since I was initially licensed in 1960 and hope I can do it
again next year. It was very slow on Saturday, but Sunday morning there was a 6M band opening and it
got busy.

Butt in seat = 14 hours contesting and 18 hours driving -- including drive to the start as well as
back and forth to home for the evening. Best ever results with a few great openings on six meters.
Surprise of the contest was calling FT8 CQ TEST and getting a response from EA8RH, didn't work him
though. See my full blog post including a three-minute video overview at

https://www.k5nd.net/2020/06/arrl-june-2020-vhf-contest-results-driving-and-wsjt-x/ 

Thanks to everyone for the QSOs particularly those that worked hard to add my grids on 144, 222, and
432. 73, Jim, K5ND

The Old Guys Started Late and then got busy.

Thanks to all the rovers who make it fun!  I only melted a couple of things this time.

This was a fun contest.

We are Der Funkwagen. KA5D.com

100 WATTS, 120 FEET OF RG8X, 40 METER DIPOLE AT 20 FEET. STILL HAD A BLAST.

Driver: Mike Farlow
Paralleled the course of N0LD/R.  All radios were FM handhelds.
Only one external antenna - the 2m, 70cm.  It tripled for 1296.

Checklog

This is a corrected log. The club name was wrong on the first submittal.

My son, Jason (currently studying for his technician), and I headed up to the northwest corner of
FM19 to a mountain in WPA on Saturday morning.  The weather was perfect with temperatures in the
mid-60's during setup.  After making a few phone contacts on 6m, 2m and 70cm, I switched over to FT8
on 6m.  It was almost nonstop from there on out on 6m, only taking a few breaks every once in a
while to make a few contacts on 2m.  Contacts were consistently made on 6m up until around 2am EDT
when things slowed significantly and I decided to catch a few hours of sleep in the back of the
truck.  When starting again around 6am EDT, the action on 6m continued for the remainder of the
contest.  We only stopped to ensure we didn't have to disassemble and pack up in the dark.

Fun to get called in the rover on 6 M by
a fixed station in CT. 30 MPH headwinds
into the antenna stacks caused the truck
to shift down at only 50 MPH speed. But
they didn't blow loose or off !

TxRx Kenwood TS-590SG

I made a very unique contact. I called CQ for the June VHF contest. I made a contact both Saturday
and Sunday with "Parachute mobile".

Go to 9:15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SktstqPpMqE&t=20s

Go to 6:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNufdvtcBJI&t=469s

I'm still recovering.... some pictures available or check my QRZ page later.

73!  Taking antenna and coax donations.  LOL.

Working FM only in my back yard

First time on VHF+ SSB, new antennas.  6m on IC-756proII 5el, 2m
on TS-700A 13el, 70cm on FT-897 6el.  Caribbean cruises
cancelled.  Time for Ham Radio!

Shorter rove this June due to the pandemic. Enjoyed the 6m E-skip, though missed a lot of valuable
runs on 144 MHz and higher. Managed one FT8 contact in 20 minutes - not time well spent. The rover
has been equipped with WSJT-X for two years thinking it would provide some competitive advantage.
The reality is, that has not panned out - poor run rates for, at most, a few multipliers. No offense
to the WSJT-X team, but to help justify roving I support solutions that bring more
human-intelligible activity back to the bands for the VHF contests.

First time solo effort to a familiar mountain top. Was
slow getting started and then got chased off by rain,
storms. But did what I came to do and that was camp
out, ham radio, and mountain-topping. Might not do it
solo again though. Thanks for the stations dealin with
my bad audio on 6m, need a new mic...or radio.

Had lots of fun.

Here are some photos of my "semi-permanent" antenna array as mounted on my rooftop in Eagle River,
Alaska.  I use the term "semi-permanent" because our home was severely damaged in the November 7.1
earthquake and will have to be torn down in the near future.  Therefore everything that you see is
easily removable in an afternoon and can be broken down and transported to my new QTH hopefully
without damage.  Since a rotor was not available, I used parachute cord pulling on a steering tiller
to access the shack through a scrap plywood window replacement panel.  The cord then passes
immediately above the operating position to a bungee-tensioned laundry pulley. Small color-coded
zipties attached to the parachute cord are used as directional indicators: blue (cold) for north,
green for due west, and red (hot) for south.

FT8 played a major role for me in this contest. Tropo on 2M and up was not the best. Many contacts
were possible only on FT8. I am an old-school contester and a convert to digital mode when needed.
On VHF and UHF I used single squalo antennas. Enjoyed the contest!

I didn't get to participate in this contest like I would have
liked. I ended up stuck out of town with access to only my 6
meter station via remote. One band and not a much free time. I
did what I could to give some points out to others.

Lots of fun from the top of Utah Hill.  Worked the first 7 hours of
the contest.  Good activity for this area, but only two skywave six
meter contacts.

Fun to get called in the rover on 6 M by
a fixed station in CT.

Did a "legacy old school" single op QRP Portable on 6 Meters with a
2020 update for WSJT-X. Radio was MFJ-9606 @ 10 watts, antenna 2 el
yagi on a 15 ft mast. I made contacts on SSB, and also FT4 and FT8.
The little radio did a credible job on the WSJT-X digital modes. Audio
from radio to laptop via a small USB microphone. Audio into radio -
held the microphone over the laptop speaker. I made my first FT4
contacts including one with K1JT. FT4 worked fine, contacts seemed
easier to complete at times than on FT8. FT4 moves quick, and I needed
to pay close attention to what was going on. Picked up some rare new
grids including DL78, DL99, DM57, DN84, and DN88.

Lashed a PVC-and-tentpole 2-element 6-meter yagi, fixed southwest, to a short mast on the roof. Had
a blast on CW and SSB.

great opening on 6m on Sunday.. Thanks for all the rovers.

Beginning June 8th with help from N1NK, WA1BXY, N2RDF, AA1ON, W1HY and W1YM this station added VHF,
UHF and FT8: M2 6M5X 5L6M yagi @ 75ft at 800W, Cushcraft 14L-LFA-2M yagi @ 65ft at 1kW on a common
mast & IIX side-mounted rotor, switched by an Ameritron RCS-8V. On Sunday morning of JUNE-VHF I
added A DSE432FO 25L-432-yagi @ 90ft fixed SSW at 50w into the RCS-8V switch. Had a fabulous time
adding these bands to the station, enjoying the propagation and having fun with my friends! CU next
year with more fire-power on VHF & UHF. Tough in VHF contesting when more than 60% of the grids
around you are an OCEAN, empty of stations or multipliers to work. Maybe we need a YCCC Ocean Rover
Regatta & Fishing Tournament !! It could happen !

I guess everybody was on 50mhz as I heard nobody on 144 or 432 despite
spending a little time calling on those bands.

New to Contest.  Filed so the others can get the points.

Due to being on-call for work, I ended up operating from my shop as time allowed with the antennas
out in the driveway.   Nice 275 mile contact with AI5I at a few watts using the internal 2 meter
transverter and a 14 element big honking beam, as well as several 6 meter QSOs.

1st 900 MHZ Contact, Short cable length is more important than a good
antenna on 900 MHz.

ARRL:
How do I submit 2 logs from 2 computers? I see no way to combine logs on my Mac! I lost points by
not being able to add my 2 meter contacts! uggh!

After not being active for pretty much a year, I spent the last 6 months doing my best to update the
station and make a big bang this last contest..Re-tuned every antenna, updated main feed lines to
LMR-600, New amps on 3 of the 4 bands. New radios to include IC-7300 and a IC-9700. New Hy-Gain
Rotor and digital control box. 

Things I missed and cost me a few points. Rotor tails were not checked. I was focused to much on the
main feed lines. This caused the antennas on 2M and 432 to fail the 2nd day. The 6M Cushcraft is not
rated at 1KW, only 500PEP  and it started showing high SWR the 2nd days also. The 2nd day I was down
to 1296 at 50W, a 6M loop at 40 feet, and 2M loop at 45 feet. Knowing these were not able to handle
1KW I backed down the amps power to just under 500 Watts. The new amps put out 2Xs the power as
before and the lower rated items gave up after a constant 18 hours of 1KW being feed to them. Im
thinking the Connectors were not up to stuff and I need to upgrade to much better versions. The SWR
rises as the power is increased and settles back down at lower power. Lesson learned. Don't cheap
out on anything if your going QRO.

Over all I feel pretty good. 6M was open in one direction most of the time with a few direction
changes through out the contest. 2M did not see an opening, but the M2-18XXX and 1KW while it lasted
was reaching out and touching stations 5-600 Miles with ease. 432 Was reaching up to 300 miles, and
1296 was reaching 150 miles.

I did switch between SSB/FT8/FT4, with some MSK meteor scatter on 6/2 when times were slow. Even got
in a few JT65 on the higher bands. I wish we had more 432 and 1296 stations on the air for out out
in the weeds grids to work. 

With that note.. This contest was my best contest in 10 years.. Hope to see a few of you in the next
one!

50 Mhz : 216 Contacts / 110 Grids
144 Mhz : 42 Contacts / 25 Grids
432 Mhz : 5 Contacts / 5 Grids
1296 Mhz : 1 Contact / 1 grid

Totals
264 Contacts
QSO points 271
Multipliers : 141
Score : 38,211

Dave
N5ITO / EM23

For the June VHF contest (June 13-14, 2020), I drove the N6MI ham van to DM15aa.

I camped in the open desert. For a few photos, visit n6mi.com.

It was nice weather. Not too hot during the day and not too cold at night. On Friday, the wind
peaked at about 50 miles per hour. However, the wind was usually 20 miles per hour or less. No, I
don't use outriggers on the ham van. The Will-Burt pneumatic mast just sways a little...

On 6 meters, I operated the Yaesu FTdx101D and ACOM A600S amplifier (about 500 watts on USB and CW).
I used a five element yagi at 60 feet. The FTdx101D is a fine contest radio.

I used an ICOM-9700 for 2 (100 watts), 432 (75 watts), and 1.2 (10 watts). I attached an external
Leo Bodner Precision GPS Reference Clock; I don't have any drift problems with this setup.

On 2 meters, I used a 12 element yagi, mounted about four feet above the six meter yagi.

On 432, I used a mid-sized yagi, about 15 feet high, mounted on a push up mast from Will-Burt.

On 1.2, I used a small Comet yagi, about 20 feet high, mounted on the top of the Will-Burt mast.
This mast required an "arm strong" rotator.

On 223.5 FM (only), I ran 5 watts to a whip on the van roof.

Several hams said, "I have never heard or worked a ham in DM15 on this band." Super! That is why I
try to travel to amusing spots for the June VHF contest.

This was my first contest with FT8. I like the FT8 activity, but I still prefer voice and CW modes
on VHF.

On Saturday morning, I received a surprise visit from K6VCR. Tom tracked my location on APRS. We
shared (socially distant) cups of coffee and caught up on old times.

My most difficult QSO was with N7DA in DM12. We worked at it until we received some airplane flutter
assistance.

Band   Mode  QSOs     Pts  Grd  Pt/Q
          50  CW       9       9    4   1.0
          50  FT8     51      51   13   1.0
          50  USB     38      38    9   1.0
         144  CW       2       2    0   1.0
         144  FM       1       1    0   1.0
         144  USB     24      24    9   1.0
         222  FM       5       2    1   2.0
         222  USB      4       8    3   2.0 (should be FM)
         420  FM       1       2    0   2.0
         420  USB     16      32    7   2.0
        1240  USB      4      12    4   3.0
       Total  Both   151     181   50   1.2

I will work you from the van on Field Day. Remember! Field Day is a contest.

Other commitments prevented me from participating during "prime time" which cost me many possible
contacts. I observed no openings when I was able to operate. No excuses. I plan to be back next time
better prepared. "No score is too small". Rig: Elecraft KX3 with 5 watts output. Antenna: Radio
Works "Carolina Windom" an HF antenna.

73,

Steve N7VS

I decided to not use ft8 this time.  Missed most of the good
openings.  Local noise at this qth is terrible.

Could have done better, but can only take too much FT8.

Great Conditions, 6m open almost all weekend!

During Transcription, entered dates one day later
for QSOs showing times starting with "0"

I'm just submitting a log because I was handing out a few points. Not
a "serious" contester, and I didn't have much time to devote to it.
It
was fun , though, running the TS-440S into the Hallicrafters HA-6 and
HA-2 transverters.

My rove started in BP46, 25 miles south of the Arctic Circle, then
thru BP45, 55, 65, 64, 54. Not sure which was worse; wildfires,
lightning storms, or the mosquitos. Tnx to the Fairbanks/North Pole
hams who listened for me in very quiet grids. Special tnx to Larry
KL2R Two Rivers Contest Club and John KL7HBK.

My first VHF contest and what a great time it was!

BAND           QSOs              MULTS

50             88                53
144            63                17
222            37                13
432            39                11
902            21                11
1.2G           21                11
2.3G           17                10
3.4G           2                 2
5.7G           14                8
10G            12                9
24G            0                 0
LIGHT          8                 8

RVHFG eligible score is 71120 (end of EN92)

My transmitted mode is shown for cross-mode contacts
Equipment -
50 MHz K2 + homebrew xvtr + amp 70W, Moxon
K2 + DEMI xvtr + amp 100 W, dipole
222 MHz K2 + XV222 20W, 7el. Indoors
432 MHz K2 + MM xvtr 10W, 10 el. Indoors
903 MHz K2+rx conv., homebrew tx, 5W, 7 el. Indoors
1296 MHz FT-290R+xvtr+amp 6 W, 10 el. Indoors
Log contains two duplicate QSOs (VE3II, KM4HI) not counted in claimed score

My transmitted mode is shown for cross-mode contacts
Equipment -
50 MHz FT-818, mobile vert.
144 MHz FT-818, mobile vert./5 element Yagi
222 MHz HTX-100 + homebrew 2 W xvtr, mobile vert.
432 MHz FT-818, mobile dipole
5760 MHz K2+2m xvtr + 5760 xvtr 50 mW, horn
10 GHz K2 + 2m xvr + DB6NT xvtr + amp, 2W, 2 ft. dish

BAND           QSOs              MULTS

50             86                54
144            8                 8
222            10                9
432            8                 8
902            8                 8
1.2G           8                 8
2.3G           8                 8
3.4G           0                 0
5.7G           7                 7
10G            7                 7
24G            0                 0
LIGHT          8                 8

158               125

OVHFA claimed score 24109, end of EN92

I was very surprised at such a low score in a June VHF contest
but enjoyed it.

473 * 110 = 52030 in 7:47

SOME OPENINGS THIS YEAR

This was with no digital, only CW and SSB. FT950 feeding KT34XA triband beam up 60 feet. It's fun
when there is some sporadic-E.

Don't know how the log got listed as "mixed mode"...they were all Phone QSOs.  Neither is it "All
Band" .... just 6m.

Well once again I have successfully attained a spot on the HAM RADIO WALL OF SHAME with my measly 18
Q's in the VHF contest.  I had a good time though!

73 de W4DL  Mike in EL96wf

Great weather and two 6M opening! We worked EU and the Azores on Saturday. FT8 appeared to be the
most popular mode, but 6M SSB frequencies sounded like an HF contest at times. Propagation on 2M and
up was poor.

Rig: Icom 2730A
Antenna: Comet GP-9 at 20 ft
Power: 50w

This contest was fun, thanks!

I didn't have any intent of working this seriously, but once I got started, I had a bit
of fun. My first VHF contest.

This year I actually made a few contacts here in Michigan, although the number wasn't fantastic.
Compared to the last couple of years here in Michigan when I heard and worked nothing, this was a
major step forward. I focused mostly on FT8 and 6M, I listened and called on 2M but never made any
contacts. I heard nothing on voice.

Saturday 6M was pretty much dead the whole time I was parked. The extra elevation apparently didn't
make much difference.

Sunday afternoon 6M was hopping and then it just died, just about the time I got everything working.
Heard more for a short while than I did sitting 800 feet higher, I just couldn't get the system to
work them any faster.

My friend, El KD8DJL, and I were comparing what I was hearing in Michigan and what he was hearing in
Montgomery Alabama Sunday afternoon - much more activity down south. I miss that here in Michigan. I
also miss sitting on Mount Cheaha working the contest from the campground right under the peak. 

This is the first time I've run FT8 on VHF primarily, usually tried voice. I noticed a number of
people didn't have their FT8 software setup for VHF contesting - it doesn't sequence correctly when
cross connected. The NA VHF Contest CQ TEST really should be changed to CVHF or maybe CNTST or
something that indicates you are working the contest. Maybe I missed some memo on how to set it up
but it seemed most had it doing CQ TEST. 

Equipment was a borrowed Icom 7300 and my 7100. I ran everything off of a 105AH battery and an MFJ
battery booster. I have a 400W inverter that after a while had a lot of trouble keeping the computer
charged and running the rotator, it would fault out every 20 minutes or so. The 6M Beam is an M2
three element yagi. The 2M beam is also M2, 7 element. They have served me well for almost 10 years
of VHF contesting. I had a 432 antenna but never put it up, figuring if I can't hear anything on 2M,
70CM won't be any better.

Had grate time... wish i had more time to operate!!

Technically, we going multi-op as we decided to make it a family
fun afternoon with my 8-year old daughter, Ellie learning how to
operate using FT8 and Phone with guidance from me (W9KVR) and her
grandfather (KC9HHT).  We didn't set the world on fire with Q's,
but it was a lot of fun seeing Ellie make contacts for the first
time!  In fact she even snagged a few new grid squares for the
W9KVR station, hi hi.

First contest using FT8.  Quite a learning curve for an old ham, but I will be ready for you next
year!

2020 ARRL June VHF Contest – Thoughts / Reflections – Jeff Pulver WA2BOT

When I uploaded my logs I was looking for the category:

 - 6 Meters Only
 - Digital Only  (FT4/FT8/MSK144)

I look forward to the day when we can compete Single Band, Digital Only.

I guess I was dreaming but I actually thought this was one of the competition categories. Maybe one
year it will be...

Who knew FT4 on 6 meters would be so, so good? Operating FT4 during 2020 ARRL June VHF Contest was
the highlight for me. At times 50.318 had intensity of operating on 20 meters.

I have been a ham since 1975 but it took until about six months ago for me to discover the magic of
6 Meters. My modest "contest" station antenna was a 5 element 6 meter beam on tripod with an "arm
strong" rotor. On a good day the antenna is 20 feet in the air. 

In the 80s, when I participated in a contest, I enjoying having SSB responsibility (sometimes
shared) and enjoyed working pileups and speaking as fast as I could. While I can operate a higher
QSO rate using SSB, given my operating conditions, I am pretty sure operating digital modes
empowered me to make more QSOs and discover more Grids than operating SSB.

When the contest started, 6 meters was in pretty good shape and I did net get to sleep much before
1:30 AM the first night. On Sunday morning I enjoyed operating Meteor Scatter for a few QSOs and
after 6 meters opened up operated until the end of the contest. The most surreal moment for me was
around 2120z on Sunday when 6 meters shut down. At first I thought it was my antenna but no; the
magic band ran out of magic...and then it was back! When the band returned I experienced one of the
best opening I have had for West Coast QSOs. 
 
In the end I submitted a log with 449 digital QSOs and 171 grids on just 6 meters. I look forward to
more QSOs and more Grids next year.

I am grateful for the experience I invested my weekend in. I am looking forward to using Digital
modes in future contests.

2020 has been a surreal year. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. 

73s, Jeff Pulver WA2BOT

I operated on Saturday with my QRP Yaesu FT-818. At 5 stories up I have an advantage on VHF &
particularly 432 Mhz...Unfortunately sideband on that band gets little use as far as I can tell and
so I was surprised to find some activity there late on Saturday night. It's a nice band and even
with my V dipole antenna, I can cover a lot of miles with just low power. This, especially if
someone on the other side of the QSO has a nice yagi on a tower, pointed my way.

After The BARA 2 meter net last week, a couple of us changed to 432.1 just to make some chatter: It
was nice.

Super fun openings.  All contacts SSB.  Highlights were working G8BCG, G4FJK, MW0ZZK, CU3AC, and
XE2X.  Icom 7300 100 watts and my design of stacked turnstiles to get gain and be omnidirectional
(no rotator needed).  73  Jim  WA3FET

This one went much better than expected, though I was disappointed at the poor showing on 432. There
were good openings on 6 into the northeast and the midwest. Don't think I've ever managed South
Dakota before.

Motley, VA

Nice 6m openning on Sumday afternoon

Wow Factor FT8 a true game changer for vhf. So many more signals on the air now. VHF is alive and
well. See you next time maybe on SSB?

checklog

Had fun. The 2M band conditions were very poor. Thankfully, the 6
meter band opened up on Sunday evening - was happy to get a QSO with
the VE5 location. Thanks for the VHF opportunities.

A little warm this June and lots of bugs although, still fun to operate Portable QRP. IC706 w/Moxon
on 6m and 2m, HB 7ele yagi on 70cm at 17 ft.
No Digital Contacts, ALL SSB in the field.
x
1 dupe - kd2lgx

Weather predictions dictated a simple and quick setup with simple antennas.  Operated from a 4400
Ft. ASL ridge, about ten miles north of the summit of Mt. Rainier

Decided to operate at the last minute.  Threw some radios and
accessories into the truck Friday night, headed out to site
Saturday morning.  Operated using only vertical omni antennas.
Forgot interface and cables for 6m radio so couldn't do FT8, but
openings kept things busy on SSB/CW.  Thanks to all the rovers!

After being a ham radio operator for over 55 years, this is the first time I’ve ever operated on 6
meters!  What a challenge to work new states and even a couple of countries.  Never thought it could
be so much fun!  I’m hooked!

Major station upgrade for 902, 1296 and 2304 in progress