2026 ARRL June VHF Contest
Begin: Saturday June 13 at 1 PM Central
End: Sunday June 14 at 10 PM Central
My call will be N5ZY/R for Rover
ARRL VHF Contest Rules: arrl.org/june-vhf
Also check for my friends in OKROVER.INFO
I plan to arrive at Mount Magazine Friday evening June 12 for testing and car camping. I will be testing 6m on the North face. I likely cannot move around with even the 6m loop on top due to low hanging limbs there due to the time involved with remove/stow, scoot, unstow/attach I may not be visiting the South face.
My primary goal is to beat my personal best score, and if I happen to break into the section’s top 10, that would be the icing on the cake. I’ll also be experimenting with 10 GHz.
Of course, rover life is never predictable. From dodging tree limbs that threaten the antennas to fielding questions from curious onlookers, every stop brings its own surprises. Sometimes, explaining the “offensive-looking” rover vehicle takes more time than making contacts! But that’s all part of the adventure.
After wrapping up on Mount Magazine Sunday morning, I’ll hit the road, chasing new grids north and west before heading home. The schedule below is more of a wish list than a guarantee—rover plans always seem to change on the fly. No matter what, I’m looking forward to a weekend of radio, road miles, and Arkansas mountain air.
Grid Squares – Where and when
| Local Time | Grid | Lat, Lon | Elevation (Ft) | Note | Gmap Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SATURDAY 1PM until band dies | |||||
| All Evening | EM35 | 35.17419, -93.64629 | 2570 | North face of Mount Magazine AR | Google Map |
| Possibly in evening | EM35 | 35.16378, -93.64182 | 2540 | South face of Mount Magazine AR | Google Map |
| SUNDAY 8AM to 10PM | |||||
| 7:30 – 7:45 AM | EM25 | 35.48456, -94.22541 | 430 | Alma, AR | Google Map |
| 8:30-9:00 AM | EM26 | 36.05842, -94.20301 | 1495 | S Centennial Park Ln, Fayetteville, AR 72704 | Google Map |
| 9:30-9:45 AM | EM36 | 36.18162, -93.99804 | 1400 | Nob Hill, AR | Google Map |
| 12:35- 12:50 | EM27 | 37.07552, -94.03992 | 1200 | Sarcoxie, MO | Google Map |
| 12:55- 1:10 PM | EM37 | 37.07470, -93.99944 | 1280 | HW99 & I44 | Google Map |
| 5:40- 6:25 PM | EM16 | 36.07059, -95.99410 | 880 | Turkey Mountain West Upper Trailhead Tulsa, OK 74132 | Google Map |
| 6:30- 7:15 PM | EM26 | 36.07535, -96.00526 | 800 | Turkey Mountain East Upper Trailhead Tulsa, OK 74132 | Google Map |
| 7:30- 7:50 PM | EM15 | 35.98664, -96.00997 | 700 | Clarion Hotel Glenpool | Google Map |
| 8:00- 8:20 PM | EM25 | 35.94438, -95.98875 | 750 | 151st Elmwood Glenpool | Google Map |
| 9PM – 9:30 PM | EM15 | 35.84418, -96.39772 | 872 | Bristow | Google Map |
| Contest over! | |||||
Map for Sunday Rovering
APRS Position Beacon
I will use APRSdroid to beacon my live position.
You can see where I am using https://aprs.fi/ and searching for my callsign N5ZY
Frequencies
For this contest we are allowed to use everything above 6m and the National Simplex Frequency may be used if not busy however for 222 and 902 I’m using transverters from 28 Mhz so my band is limited to 1.7MHz (28.0 to 29.7 MHz).
| Bands | Antenna |
|---|---|
| Verticals | |
| NONE | Always experimenting, I’m bringing only stacked horizontals! |
| Horizontals | |
| 6 M | Par Electronics Stressed Moxon, (50.3 Mhz) or M2 Antennas 6M-3SS beam or Par Electronics 6M Omniangle (OA-50) |
| 2 M Stacked | 2 x OA-144 |
| 2 M | M2 Antennas 2M7X (144-148MHz) 7ele 12.3 dBi |
| 1.25 M Stacked | 2 x OA-222 |
| 1.25 M | M2 Antennas 222-10EZ (222-226 MHz) 10 ele 14.1 dBi |
| 70 CM Stacked | 2 x OA-432 |
| 70 CM | M2 Antennas 440-11X (420-450 MHz) 11 ele 13.4 dBi |
| 33 CM | M2 Antennas 917HD (900-930MHz) 17 ele 17 dBi |
| 23 CM | M2 Antennas 23CM35 (1250-1300MHz) 35 ele 20.94 dBi |
| 3 CM | Ebay 22 dBi (10.368 GHz) rectangular horn |