ARRL June VHF Contest this weekend, 6/8 - 6/10/2019.

[ThaDood]

 If we can ever get a weekend break in T-storms, there's the VHF, on up, Contests this weekend,   http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf
          Even if you don't have CW / SSB capabilities, check the following simplex FM FREQ's of 52.525MHz, 52.540MHz, 146.550MHz, 146.580MHz, the 147MHz simplex FREQ's, 223.500MHz, 446.000MHz, 446.050MHz, and 446.100MHz. The exchange here is mainly for the grid square and if you have other bands to work points from. And, any licensed amateur worked is a point to any serious contester. Good practice for Field Day. Now, wish these T-storms away!

[WA4FHY]

FYI: Six meters has been open here at least part of every day for the past week.
I hope it holds up through this weekend. Only problem is everyone seems to
hang out on 50.313 FT8. When I go down to ~50,125 or even 52.525 nobody's
at home there! If I'm seeing lots of strong FT8 sigs then the other freqs should
also be active - if anyone would give them a try.

I did work my first Cuban last weekend. First on USB then later saw and worked
him on FT8. Personally, I don't get much thrill out of the automated FT8 exchanges
but it should be a good indicator of the band being open.

[Matt285]

I don't currently have 6m capabilities right now, but Six is a blast when its open. According to the DX clusters there has been a lot of activity lately.

[Josh]

The day I got my ticket in the mailbox was a v/uhf contest. I had a Icom 3 watt 6m rig that took d cells, looked like a book with a tuning knob on it. Had an antenna you pulled out like a sw portable. I was laying in bed with the rig on my chest and turned it on, holy crap there were stations coast to coast! I worked NY to Cali for the better part of an afternoon.
Up till that point I hadn't heard a thing on 6m and that was that, after the contest was over I rarely caught anyone on 6m.

https://rigreference.com/rigs/3115-icom-ic-502

[Strange Beacons]

If we can ever get a weekend break in T-storms, there's the VHF, on up, Contests this weekend,   http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf
          Even if you don't have CW / SSB capabilities, check the following simplex FM FREQ's of 52.525MHz, 52.540MHz, 146.550MHz, 146.580MHz, the 147MHz simplex FREQ's, 223.500MHz, 446.000MHz, 446.050MHz, and 446.100MHz. The exchange here is mainly for the grid square and if you have other bands to work points from. And, any licensed amateur worked is a point to any serious contester. Good practice for Field Day. Now, wish these T-storms away!

Cool, thanks for posting about this (I hadn't heard anything about it). OK, I'm off to fire up my 2 meter rig and Signalink.

[Matt285]

That's a neat rig. Looks like a military field radio.

[WA4FHY]

Yeah, Josh, I remember the IC-502 but never had one. That's the fun thing about six - when
the band is open (like it is now, into New England) you can get out using a wet shoestring. Six
was the first band I operated after I got my Tech ticket, using a homebrew rig with
"Advanced Modulation"   A 6146 modulated with a pair of 6L6s, as I recall.

[i_hear_you]

Josh, that's a really cool-looking radio. Reminds me of the military aesthetic on the Sony ICF-5900w.

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier, I've never heard contesting above HF.

[ThaDood]

Oh yeah??? Well, you have another chance this September,    http://www.arrl.org/september-vhf
I've worked that one too, several times. Propagation usually is Temp Inversions and Aurora.    Sporadic "E" is pretty much non-existent then.   

[Josh]

Josh, that's a really cool-looking radio. Reminds me of the military aesthetic on the Sony ICF-5900w.

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier, I've never heard contesting above HF.

I tried about once a year for a decade or so to buy it back from the guy I sold it to, always saw him at the Bellevue radio club fleamarket. Never saw another of its kind.