VHF Fixed Station Contest

For 2025 VHFCC changed the rules.  The changes and reason was

'We are going to change the Sweepers Section of VHF NFD into a separate full fixed station contest. This will allow the fixed station entrants to work everyone for points, but scoring will include a 500 point bonus for working UK portable stations who enter either VHF NFD or the Backpackers events. This is intended to ensure that entrants in the fixed contest are incentivised to look hard for UK portables'

Previously sweepers got one mult for every portable participant they worked and abronze, silver and gold certificate for contacting 40, 60 and 80% of portable VHF NFD stations.

So how did this work out in practice ?

On the face of it quite well.  The number of entrants for VHFNFD was 36, the same as it 2024.  And the number of entrants for this contest was 70.  There were 57 sweepers in 2024. So the number of stations sweeping rose and the number of stations entering VHFNFD remained the same.  In the context of the steady reduction in VHFNFD entrants over the years this is a good outcome.

So how did the bonus system work out ?  On 144MHz there were 40 available bonus stations (remember backpackers counted too).  On 144MHz the station working the most bonus stations was Band Leader Matt G0XDI who found 27.  Most entrants worked a lot less than that and I wonder whether entrants either did not understand how the new bonus system worked or whether the bonus stations themselves were hiding a bit too hard.  Time slicing between bands must have been a factor since chaser and portable station had to be qrv at the same time to find one another.

So what did entrants think ?  In their comments there were no mentions of the format.  Contesters are not known for restraint when considering new formats so this too perhaps counts as a result.  Comments generally lamented poor conditions and lack of activity.

Matt G0XDI says 'found very few UK stations who were /P during the contest! Looked and looked for bonus mults. The backpackers really helped for more bonus mults and I spent most of the end of the contest chasing them.'

The format is new this year and I am sure VHFCC would welcome feedback.  But on the face of it a better contest than the 2024 version of sweepers.

Congratulations to all the Certificate winners listed below.

Stephen Purser GW4SHF