Every January, the ARRL Ohio Section puts on the Ohio VHF+ Simplex Contest. This contest is a short, six hour event to test simplex (i.e. repeater-less) communications on the amateur bands most often thought of as “where repeaters and hotspots are”. The full goal is for those those who are interested to map out their communications footprint in the case of an emergency or who want to exercise their mobile/portable operations. However the BEST part is that every single person can participate regardless of their license class or skill.
No large station or expensive equipment is required! Participation is even possible with an HT and an elevated antenna or your vehicle-mounted mobile radio. Height is king. VHF, UHF, etc. are line-of-sight modes. If one doesn’t have a fixed station with a good antenna, consider erecting a temporary mast with a dual-band or tri-band vertical at the top. Since this is a short contest, consider going mobile or portable to high ground in your area. Consider building an inexpensive J-Pole antenna and get it up in the air on a temporary mast or even hanging it from a tree. This will be better than any HT and almost any mobile mount. You can use it even with your HT – with the right feedline 5W will go surprisingly far when properly elevated.
To participate, simply operate! Listen to recommended frequencies for operators and response. Even better, call CQ to get stations to respond. Some participants – notably big stations, rovers, and EOC support – will announce their operations so everyone knows when and where to find them.
Ohio Simplex Information: