As you've probably heard, the Quansheng UV-K5 is the hot new HT. And there is a good reason it is so popular. I've been having a lot of fun with mine, and I would highly recommend getting one. 2m FM is fun, and 2m SSB or CW is even funner. And if you choose the same firmware to load as I did (uvk5cec), it will transmit APRS and SSTV.

I made a video going over how mine is setup. Hopefully it helps if you have one. And I'm sure there'll be more videos coming with it in use. The CQ VHF contest is just a week away....

The first weekend of the ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest starts tomorrow (August 19) at 0600 local. https://contests.arrl.org/10g/ There will be plenty of activity in California, and probably other regions. It's a fun contest, and everyone should get on the band!

I'll be on a SOTA summit (W6/NC-151) on Saturday, not sure if I'll be able to get out on Sunday.

The ARRL 222MHz and up contest is this weekend: http://www.arrl.org/222-mhz-and-up-distance-contest

I'm planning to get on from a summit with the lower four bands. Probably won't be as much activity as the regular VHF contest, but should be fun

The CQ VHF contest starts soon. Sadly, I'm not able to get on the air, but if you have 6&2 meters you should give it a try. https://cqww-vhf.com/

Finished cutting together some clips from my 10MHz reference box construction: https://youtu.be/aVKIIHGPXMA

Finally mounted the 10MHz OCXO in a box. Now when I go do microwaves, I should be on frequency. 🥳

Now I have to set up the 10GHz system and look for the local beacons to see how it works.

What's your best VHF DX?

For me, I've gotten QSOs 280km on both 2m FM and 1296 SSB.

On 10GHz my best so far is 213km, SSB.

All those contacts were from mountain tops, mostly to people on other mountains or ridges.

The June VHF contest was this weekend. How'd you do?

I hooked up to a SOTA peak and brought 6 bands. Stayed on for about 6 hours, made 89 contacts. 6m was open for a while, and worked AZ and CO from northern California. Overall, a great day!