[VHFcontesting] How Good Was 6 Meters in the July CQ WW VHF Contest?

[curtis roseman]

VHF Contesters: 

We were asking the same question after the June contest.  In that one at least five stations entered the “1000 Club” by working at least 1000 QSOs on 6 meters.  The only (North American) contest that had supplied members to the 1000 Club up to that time was the June ARRL VHF QSO Party. Prior to this June, the club had fourteen members, the first being W5KFT and N5HHS in 1996 (although K5CM came very close with 985 QSOs on 6 in 1987).  Up until this year, the highest total was held by W5KFT in 1998 with 1358 QSOs.

Now it looks like several entries in the 2006 CQ WW VHF contest will be joining the club.   3830 claimed scores show that W1XX, K1TEO, K5QE, WD0T, and K2DRH each made over 1000 QSOs last weekend--in a 27 hour contest!  The list is likely to lengthen as more scores are reported.   The highest previous 6 meter QSO totals in the current version of the July CQ contest (since 2000) were W3ZZ with 789, followed by KC4PX with 721, both in 2003.  

One of the interesting patterns that emerges, from both the June and the July contests, is that working 1000+ QSOs can be done from a wide variety of locations.  In June it was accomplished from Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Massachusetts (and maybe elsewhere), and in July from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Texas, South Dakota, and Illinois (and probably elsewhere). 

Perhaps the biggest news from the July contest is that K2DRH (Single OP, both bands) made 1428 QSOs to take the current top spot in the 1000 Club.  (Of course, it is possible that someone else surpassed that total last weekend; we will find out).  Remarkably, Bob’s grid total of 288 also surpassed the previous high grid total for a North American VHF contest.   The previous high was 279 worked by K5JL in June 1987 (and the fourth previous high, 270, was worked by K8GP in June this year).  The previous high for the CQ July contest was 200 grids worked by W3ZZ in 2003. We will see if Bob’s numbers hold up; but he and others had outstanding performances in any case, and the 2006 CQ WW VHF contest will be represented in the record books for a long time. 

73, Curt Roseman k9aks