[CQ-Contest] ARRL Removes Restrictions on 146.52 in all ARRL VHF contests

[Ward Silver]

Just received from Dan Henderson, N1ND at HQ.

73, Ward N0AX

At its July 16 meeting, the Programs and Services Committee unanimously 
accepted and approved a recommendation from its VHF and Above 
Revitalization Committee to remove the prohibition of making contest 
contacts on 146.52 MHz simplex.  This rule, as we understand it, 
originated back to when 2-meter radios were mostly rock-bound and the 
use of 146.52 MHz was commonplace.  The VHF and Above Revitalization 
Committee's research concluded that the 146.52-exclusive restriction is 
unnecessary today. It was also reviewed by the ARRL Executive Committee 
at its October 2015 meeting.

Permitting the use of 146.52 MHz would allow new/curious contesters 
possessing only FM mode radios to stumble on more contacts, increasing 
the chances that they will be drawn further into VHF+ contesting, which 
is the primary aim of the Revitalization committee.  Word of the 
Revitalization committee's recommendation and PSC's subsequent approval 
was floated at last July’s Central States VHF Conference and met with 
great enthusiasm.

This rule change eliminates Rule 1.8 in the “General Rules for ARRL 
Contests Above 50 MHz”, with the subsequent sections of Rule 1 being 
renumbered accordingly.It becomes effective with the 2016 ARRL January 
VHF Contest and subsequent ARRL VHF Contests. It also will be 
incorporated into the ARRL Field Day rules.

Dan Henderson, N1ND

Regulatory Information Manager / Acting Contest Manager

ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio

860-594-0236

dhenderson at arrl.org <mailto:dhenderson at arrl.org>