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Guide to 6 Meter DXing — Getting Started on the Magic Band

Jim Wilson - 14
Guide to 6 Meter DXing — Magic Band Key Points Here are the AI-generated key points for this article: DXing on 6 meters, the Magic Band. The Magic of 6 Meters and Propagation Modes: 6...
Logo for VHF Contesting: bold blue 'VHF' with orange 'Contesting' overlaid, plus a black antenna graphic above

Guide to VHF Contesting

Jim Wilson - 1
Learn all about VHF Contesting, including tips, tricks, and how to have a blast over a contest weekend.

Latest Posts

VHF-UHF

Sporadic E June 10-11 2026 — 6 and 2 meters

In case there was any question about Sporadic E occurring in June 2026, it was convincingly answered on the 10th and 11th. I was away...
Antennas

432 MHz Once More — This Time with Power

After my last full-blown VHF rover operation in June 2021, I decided to focus on 50 and 144 MHz, selling off my 222 and...
Antennas

Magic Band Revealed — Fourth Edition

The book "Magic Band Revealed" is now in its fourth edition. The page count has increased substantially (116 to 146 pages) with expanded treatments...
Antennas

Portable and Rover Antennas — My Favorites for Six Meters

Ever wondered what makes great portable and rover antennas? Here’s my insight from years of rover and portable operations, from winning contest entries to...
QRP

January 2026 VHF Contest — Single Op Portable Saturday Only

The January 2026 VHF Contest was very, very similar to the 2025 contest. Same location in EM01wv. Same cold weather, but overcast and windy....
Antennas

K5ND 2025 Operations Update

The year 2025 went quite well here at K5ND. The usual activities occurred, such as installing new antennas and taking part in the VHF...
Amateur Radio

Ham Radio Odds & Ends

About this time last year, I published a blog titled Ham Radio Bits & Pieces, which covered all sorts of happenings in and out...
Radio Contesting

Behind the Keyboard — VHF Contest Results Writeup

So far, I’ve written the ARRL VHF Contest Full Results articles for the June and September contests. The 2025 article is my third year...
QRP

September VHF Contest 2025 — Butt-in-Chair

The September VHF Contest is usually slow, with few or no six-meter openings. That’s what happened this year, although I did manage to boost...
Meteor Scatter

Meteor Scatter QSOs and Space Debris — 6 Key Factors That Say “No Way”

Can our meteor scatter QSOs use space debris or junk? I considered this proposition further and arrived at six key factors for consideration. What are...
QRP

CQ VHF Digital Contest 2025 — Working from Home

For the last several VHF contests, I’ve operated single operator portable or hilltopper from EM01 near Hico, TX. I actually “worked from home” for...
Rover

VHF Texas Panhandler Once More in DM85

I set up at my daughter's place, the Rillo Ranch, in DM85xk. From July 3 to July 5, I managed to log 235 VHF...
QRP

ARRL June VHF 2025 Edition — Single Op Portable — Fun in the Sun, Not in the Rain

The ARRL June VHF contest typically offers numerous QSOs, with seasonal Sporadic E propagation facilitating long-distance QSOs on 6 meters. That’s what I experienced...
Amateur Radio

Fiberglass Push-Up Mast Revisited — Portable and Home Stations

I recently decided to purchase another fiberglass push-up mast to make it easier to take my show on the road. The current 25-foot mast...
Antennas

New 6 and 2 meter Dual Band Yagi

The past few days have been dedicated to building and setting up an Antennas-Amplifiers Dual Band 6m2m14DX-2C. I was searching for something that would...
Radio Contesting

January VHF Single Op Portable – Freezing Temps, Cold & Cruel Propagation

The temperatures were in the 20s with some wind, and six meters was even colder—as is often the case during the January VHF contest....
Antennas

K5ND Operations — 2024 Recap

I’ve typically posted an annual report on website traffic. This year, when developing a new presentation on VHF Operations, I built some maps and...
Amateur Radio

Website Traffic 2024 — Top Blog Posts

It’s time, once more, to review website traffic and determine the top blog posts. The total page views from January 1 to December 30, 2024: ...

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