The 2025 ARRL June VHF Contest is this weekend, starting at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 14, and concluding at 0259 UTC on Monday, June 16. Late spring weather brings enhanced tropospheric ducting and meteor scatter. Plus, it’s the peak of the sporadic-E season. Take advantage of these propagation enhancements and have some fun on the VHF and UHF bands.

ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, who is also an active 6-meter operator, says that it could be the band to watch. “Propagation on 6 meters has had some wonderful surprises, with openings from the East Coast to Europe, as well as transcontinental propagation being reported in recent weeks,” he said.

The exchange is the four-digit Maidenhead grid square you're operating from. For more info on grid squares, visit www.arrl.org/grid-squares. All authorized modes on the bands 50 MHz and higher are permitted to be used in the contest.

You don’t need to have a powerhouse contest station to enjoy this event.  If you have an HF rig that includes 6 meters and VHF/UHF capability, you’ve got just the tools you need to join in the fun of this contest!  With good conditions, stations hundreds of miles away can be worked via tropo, meteor scatter and E-skip.

With several different categories in which to participate, there’s something to match your favorite style of operating. Single operator participants can enter in either all-mode, or analog-only (CW/phone) categories. From seasoned contest veterans to newly licensed Technicians, VHF contesting is a great way to have fun on the bands this weekend.