ACARTS VHF/UHF Simplex Contest

ACARTS VHF/UHF Simplex Contest Rules

This contest is open to all radio amateurs.

Contest Dates and Deadlines

Start of operation
Saturday, April 19th 2025, 7:00 PM Eastern Time
End of operation
Saturday, April 19th 2025, 10:00 PM Eastern Time
Total contest duration
3 hours
Log submission deadline
May 17, 2025
Winners announced on
May 20, 2025

This contest is designed for hams to have fun over a short period. You don’t need to devote an entire weekend, just an enjoyable Saturday evening. So, get a cup of hot chocolate, a comfortable chair, and sit down for a few hours to see who is on the air. There will be some rovers running around during the full contest period to keep activity going the entire time.

Contest Rules

Operational Modes
FM phone is the only permitted mode in this contest.

Operational Frequencies

All contest activity will take place on the 2-meter (144 MHz), 1.25-meter (222 MHz), and 70-centimeter (440 MHz) bands.

The following frequency ranges are expected to be used:

2-meter (144 MHz)
146.400–146.595 MHz, 15 kHz spacing.
147.405–147.585 MHz, 15 kHz spacing.
1.25-meter (222 MHz)
223.400–223.520, 20 kHz spacing.
70-centimeter (440 MHz)
445.9125–446.1750, 12.5 kHz spacing.

Additionally: avoid the normal simplex calling frequencies of 146.52 MHz, 223.50 MHz, and 446.00 MHz.

General Rules

Teams of operators are permitted, but only ONE transmitter may operate at any one time.
This is a simplex contest. Utilization of repeaters, satellites, or EME, is not permitted. Cross-band contacts or split-frequency contacts are also not permitted. (However, requesting to QSY to another band, is allowed.)
Skeds (pre-arranging contacts by use of repeaters, telephones, or other contact methods) are against the spirit of the contest, and as such are prohibited.

Operating Classes

Base
Rover
Rovers may not drive and operate at the same time. A solo rover must be stationary to operate, a rover team may operate while moving so long as the driver and operator are separate individuals. Rovers may not straddle township lines and must remain within one township for a minimum of 15 minutes before moving to another township.
Portable
Maximum of 5 Watts output, and must use a transeiver-mounted antenna. Portables are subject to the same movement restrictions as rovers (must be within one township and must remain for 15 minutes minimum).
Park Activation
Must operate fully within park limits. Three contacts are required to be considered activated.

Contest Exchange

• Callsign
• Sequence number
• Township
• County

Do not use separate sequence numbers for each band.

Sample exchange:

• KB9JDL this is K9FFF, please copy number 3, Jefferson Township, Noble County.
• K9FFF this is KB9JDL, please copy number 13, Milan Township, Allen County.

Scoring

• 1 point per confirmed QSO.
• 1 multiplier per each unique township or park worked.
• (For rovers, portables, park activations) 1 multiplier per activated township or park, in addition to previous multipliers.
• Final score will be points X multipliers.

Log Format and Submission

As this contest does not quite fit the Cabrillo format, we are requesting logs in a more free-form manner. Your log should start with a “header” consisting of your name, callsign, operating category, and contact information. After this, include a list of contacts, one per line if possible. Each contact must include:

• Contact time (local 24-hour time, NOT UTC)
• Worked callsign
• Contact serial number
• Operating band
• Worked township
• Worked park, if applicable
• Worked county

For rovers and portables, please also include your township and county as of that QSO.
Logs may be submitted in any text format, electronically or physically. (Spreadsheets do also count).

Submit your logs to

ACARTS FM Simplex Contest
PO Box 10342
Fort Wayne, IN 46851
Or by email to cm@acarts.com.

Submit questions to Stuart Hall, KD9LFW, cm@acarts.com