RSGB VHF/UHF Contests
Each month the Radio Society of Great Britain runs ‘Activity Contests’ on the VHF and UHF bands. Full details are on https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/readcal.pl. These are a great way to cut your teeth in contesting, as they are nowhere near as cut throat as HF contests.
For those new to the radio hobby these contests are a great opportunity to do some listening and to check out VHF and UHF receiving equipment and antennas as there is usually a lot of activity.
The last part of the contest exchange is of most interest if you are not entering. It is the Locator Square (Maidenhead Locator) which is described in:
When you hear a Locator, enter it in the Grid Square box at
and it will display a map showing the area where the station is located.
European contries run similar contests at the same times so you may hear stations from there as well as UK stations.
To enter, you must have an amateur radio licence and be a member of RSGB or a member of an affiliated club. Do check the rules before entering as they are quite detailed.
If you are not entering the contest then the stations you hear, particularly those far away, will appreciate an email with the date and time you heard them and your location. You can find amateur station email addresses at www.qsl.net.
Contest Timetable
1900-1955
(Local) |
2m FM Contest 144.5125 to 144.7875 MHz and 145.200
to 145.400 MHz
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Every 1st Tuesday
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2000-2230
(Local) |
2m Multimode Contest (see below). Mostly 144.150 to 144.400 MHz
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Every 2nd Thursday
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2000-2230
(Local) |
6m Multimode Contest (see below). Mostly 50.130 to 50.300 MHz
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Every 2nd Tuesday
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1900-1955
(Local) |
70cm FM Contest 432.525 to 432.975 MHz and 433.400 to 433.475 MHz
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Every 2nd Tuesday
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2000-2230
(Local) |
70cm Multimode Contest (see below). Mostly 432.1 and 432.3 MHz
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Every 3rd Thursday
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2000-2230
(Local) |
4m Multimode Contest (see below). I have never entered this
contest, but band plan suggests 70.1 to 70.250 MHz
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NOTES
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For the FM contests, only FM mode can be used, for the
other contests SSB, CW, FM, AM, JT6M, ISCAT and FSK441 can be used. Most
contestants use SSB and a few call on CW (Morse) as well. Contest times are UK Local time, NOT UTC. |
Good listening, and please leave a comment on here telling us how you get on.
