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January VHF contest

[Today’s run: 5 miles]

The annual ARRL January VHF contest started today at 1:00 pm local time and goes until about 10:00 pm tomorrow night.

VHF contests are strange because I rarely hear anybody on.  But I do hear a few.  I’ve had the radio on for most of the contest period and I have two contacts so far.

Without a contest there would be even less happening on the band.  This is why VHF/UHF ham radio often involves scheduling a contact by other means and then attempting to get through on the high bands.  It just isn’t that reliable.

But, I hear that the new computerized meteor-scatter software can make that mode almost a regular channel.  I have not tried that.  Someday.