Pack Rat Bowl 2026 Jan VHF Contest Sunday Jan 18th

Make Some Noise During the 2026 Jan ARRL VHF Contest

Jan 2026 ARRL VHF Contest 

Pack Rat Bowl   

Sunday Jan 18th    19:00 UTC to 22:00 UTC

2 MTRS CALL CQ USB 144.180 - 144.220

The Mt. Airy VHF Radio Club will be hosting a special activity period during the upcoming January VHF Contest. 

On Sunday afternoon January 18th from 19:00 to 22:00 UTC the Pack Rats will be gathering on 2 Meter SSB looking for contacts to move up the bands.

2 MTRS CALL CQ USB 144.180 - 144.220

Sunday afternoon is usually the slowest part of the contest with many stations drifting off to check out the NFL activity. In order to provide an incentive to stay in the VHF game we will be hosting the Pack Rat Contest Bowl a 3-hour period to find stations with multiple bands that will help raise your grid totals and final score.

Take advantage of the Sunday afternoon doldrums. Join the Pack Rats on 2M SSB/CW and move stations up the bands. Increase your higher band Q's and grid totals. More efficient than sending endless unanswered CQ's on FT8. 

Tell everyone you know - the place to be on Sunday afternoon from 2 PM to 5 PM EST is 2M SSB and QSY UP.

GET IN THE GAME!

JOIN US AT THE PACK RAT BOWL

Jan 2026 ARRL VHF Contest

Pack Rat Bowl   

Sunday Jan 18th    19:00 UTC to 22:00 UTC

2 MTRS CALL CQ USB 144.180 - 144.220

Take advantage of the Sunday afternoon contest doldrums, join the Pack Rats on 2M

• SSB and move stations up the bands. Increase your higher band Q’s and grid totals.

• More efficient than sending endless unanswered CQs on FT8. Tell everyone you know –

• The place to be on Sunday afternoon from 2 PM to 5 PM EST is 2M SSB/CW and QSY UP.

Pack Rat Playbook - Get Ready for the 2025 Jan VHF Contest

Introduction to the N1MM chapter of the January Pack Rat Playbook

Operating The January Contest  With N1MM+ and WSJT-X

About the Pack Rats

Check out the Pack Rats Nets Here

The Pack Rats initiated VHF nets on Monday night the first year the club was formed. The nets are open to all radio amateurs. The purpose of the nets is to promote activity and share information of a common interest to the VHF community. You do not have to be a member of the club to participate in any of the Pack Rat nets! 

https://www.packratvhf.com/index.php

https://www.packratvhf.com/index.php/on-air

Dedicated to serving the VHF / UHF /microwave  Amateur Radio community as well as enhancing the state of the art for 50 MHz and above weak signal operation.

The Mt. Airy VHF Radio Club was founded in 1956 by a group of Philadelphia area hams whose main interests were building equipment and operating the amateur radio frequencies of 50 MHz and above. The founding members almost immediately were nicknamed the "Pack Rats" because of their propensity for collecting all manner of electronic equipment and parts. The nickname stuck and for more than 60 years the Mt. Airy VHF Radio Club, better known as the "Pack Rats", has grown and prospered.

Although the higher frequency and microwave bands carry the mystique of requiring specialized technical skills, our members come from all walks of life but share a common interest in VHF and above operating and help each other wherever possible. We do have a number of members with technical expertise and many of the transverter, amplifier, and antenna designs that these members have created have been publicized in the major Amateur Radio journals and conferences.