Ross Hull Memorial VHF/UHF Contest
A National VHF-UHF DX Contest
Contest Manager
John Martin VK3KM
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MAJOR CHANGES IN THE CONTEST RULES THIS YEAR
SEE DETAILS IN THE "FILES FOR DOWNLOAD" SECTION
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Contest Introduction
The WIA maintains a perpetual trophy in honour of the late Ross A. Hull and his pioneering achievements in VHF and UHF operation. The name of each year's contest winner is engraved on the trophy, and other awards may be made in the various divisions of the contest.
The contest is open to all amateurs and is held every year during the summer "DX season".
Aim Of The Contest
To encourage DX activity on the VHF-UHF bands, and to reward achievement in working the greatest possible distances on the VHF-UHF bands.
Previous Years Winners
A list of all previous winners since 1950 is available under the "Files for Download" heading.
Contest History
This contest is in honour of the late Ross A. Hull, who was a pioneer of VHF equipment techniques. Ross was born in Melbourne in 1902 but travelled to the United States and became the Associate Editor of QST in 1931, a position which he occupied until his untimely death in 1938. He is best known for his discovery of tropospheric propagation on the VHF-UHF bands.
(An article about Ross Hull and his pioneering achievements is available for download below.)
The contest was first held in 1950.
Upcoming Contest Date & Time
From 1 to 31 January 2009.
Contest Rules
The contest is divided into two sections, to cater for different areas of interest:
 All Bands;
Digital Modes, all bands.
Full details of the rules, and a sample cover sheet for scoring, are available for download in the "Files for Download" section.
Contest Scoring
Scoring is based on the number of contacts made and the number of Maidenhead grid squares worked on each band. There are also band multipliers, which help to equalise the scoring potential of the various bands.
The score for each band is made up of 1 point per contact and 10 points for each locator square worked. The total for each band is multiplied by the band multiplier. The final total is the sum of the points scored on all bands.
The scoring process is described in more detail in the rules file, which is available for viewing or download in the "Files for Download" section below.
The length of the contest period should allow everyone to find enough free time to spend in the shack. But the largest part of the score for each band will come from working new locator squares, so it isn’t necessary to work the maximum number of stations every day. This allows entrants to take advantage of band openings during the contest period, while still being able to take time off for other activities or commitments.
Further Information on Maidenhead Locators
Each four-digit Maidenhead locator identifies an area which covers 1 degree of latitude and two degrees of longitude. Detailed explanation of the Maidenhead locator system can be found on the Ross Hull Contest page on the WIA web site. If you have your latitude and longitude but do not know which locator square you are in, a computer program is available for download on the same web page, or directly from the contest manager. This program will also calculate distance and bearings between two locations.
Submitting Your Log
Logs should be accompanied by a cover sheet including a scoring table as described in the rules. A sample scoring sheet is available for download at the bottom of this page. Logs can be submitted either on paper or as email attachments.
Paper logs can be mailed to the Manager, Ross Hull Contest, 3 Vernal Avenue, Mitcham, Vic 3132.
Electronic logs can be e-mailed to vhf-contests@wia.org.au. Acceptable log formats include ASCII text, Office 97 or later RTF, DOC, XLS or MDB.
Contest Results
Results are finalised in February and the entrants notified by mail, or by email if they prefer.
Full details of the results are in the Download section below.
Contest Award
The name of the winner of each year's contest is engraved on the perpetual trophy. All entrants receive certificates.
Logging Software
Any logging software can be used so long as the necessary information is included in the log. Please refer to the rules for details about this.
A suitable logging program is VK Contest Log, developed by Mike VK3AVV. It is available for download by clicking on this Link.
Please note: the current version of VKCL (version 2.14) does not support the new contest rules. The author will be releasing an updated version, so please check the VKCL web site - or this page - for details of the release date.
Contest Sponsors
This contest is sponsored by the WIA.
Files For Download
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Software to find Maidenhead locators, distances and bearings
DXLOC30.EXE
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Page Last Updated: Wednesday 29 October 2008 at 14:6 hours
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