RULES IARU R1 50/70 MHZ, 145 MHZ AND UHF/µW CONTESTS
New rules for 2021

OBJECTIVE
The main objectives are to make as many contacts as possible and to have fun. Other objectives may
include improving your operating skills, testing new equipment configurations and techniques,
expanding your horizons by operating on the microwave bands and exploring radio propagation.

DEFINITIONS
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Station: set of antennas, transmitters and receivers used during the contest on each frequency
band (i.e. multiband setups are composed of multiple stations).
Location: geographical area with diameter of no more than 500 meters where the station resides
during the contest.
Call Sign: identification of the station during the contest. Added prefix and/or suffix do not
generate different call sign (i.e. S50AAA/p or DL/S50AAA are the same call sign as S50AAA).
Operator: an individual that operates the station during the contest using the station’s call sign.
Operator may reside inside (local operator) or outside (remote operator) the location. During thecontest an operator may operate only stations that form one entry.
Entries:o MULTI operator: stations from the same location, operated by more than one operator
and using one callsign on all bands.
o SINGLE operator: stations from the same location, operated by the same operator andusing one callsign on all bands, with no operational assistance of another person during
the contest.
o 6 HOURS: stations from the same location, operated by any number of operators andoperating according to the 6 hours’ time rule. The 6 hour time segment can be divided
into maximum two periods. The time of the first QSO sets the start time of the first
period. When operating in two periods, the pause between the periods must be longer
than 2 hours. The first time difference of 2 hours or more between two consecutive
QSOs marks the pause segment. Only the QSOs that fall into the combined 6 hour time
segment will be counted for points. Participants are welcome to operate longer than 6hours and in such case they shall send their complete log (the contest robot willautomatically extract the 6 hours part from the log, while the rest of the log entries will
be used for cross-checking purposes).
o LOW POWER: multi or single operator entries, transmitting with total of up to 100 W PEP
from the transmitter and using only one directional or omnidirectional antenna system.
The same antenna must be used for transmit and receive. Directional antenna system isa single directional antenna or a group (array) of single directional antennas, grouped
together to achieve maximum obtainable gain in a given direction (that is, all theantennas in the group shall be pointed in the same direction). Omnidirectional antenna isan antenna with a radiation pattern that has approximately the same gain in all azimuth
directions.

CONDITIONS FOR ENTRANTS
All licensed radio amateurs in Region 1 may participate in the contest.
The entrants must operate within the letter and spirit of the contest. Entrants must operateaccording to the license conditions of the country where the station resides. Stations operating
under special high power license can only entry as check logs.

DATE OF CONTESTS• IARU Region 1 50 MHz MGM Contest will begin on the third Saturday of April• IARU Region 1 70 MHz MGM Contest will begin on the third Saturday of May• IARU Region 1 50 MHz (CW-SSB Only) Contest will begin on the third Saturday of June
• IARU Region 1 70 MHz (CW-SSB Only) Contest will begin on the third Saturday of July
• IARU Region 1 145 MHz contest will begin on the first Saturday of September• IARU Region 1 UHF/Microwaves contest will begin on the first Saturday of October.
Each contest will commence at 14:00 UTC on the Saturday and end at 14:00 UTC on the Sunday.

CONTEST SECTIONS
The contests shall comprise the following sections for:50 MHz Contest:• SINGLE (SO): single operator entries only CW/SSB)• MULTI (MO): multi operator entries (only CW/SSB)• 6HOURS (6H): 6 hours entries (only CW/SSB)• SINGLE (SO-MGM): single operator entries MGM• MULTI (MO-MGM): multi operator entries MGM• 6HOURS (6H-MGM): 6 hours entries (MGM)••••70 MHz Contest:
SINGLE (SO): single operator entries (only CW/SSB)
MULTI (MO): multi operator entries (only CW/SSB)SINGLE (SO-MGM): single operator entries MGM
MULTI (MO-MGM): multi operator entries MGM

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145 MHz contest:
SINGLE (SO): single operator entries.
MULTI (MO): multi operator entries.
SINGLE LOW POWER (SO-LP): single operator low power entries.
MULTI LOW POWER (MO-LP): multi operator low power entries.
6HOURS (6H): 6 hours entries.

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435 MHz Band:SINGLE (SO): single operator entries.
MULTI (MO): multi operator entries.
SINGLE LOW POWER (SO-LP): single operator low power entries.
MULTI LOW POWER (MO-LP): multi operator low power entries.
6HOURS (6H): 6 hours entries.

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1.3 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 3.4 GHz, 5.7 GHz, 10 GHz bands and for the Millimetre group(the combined group of amateur bands above 10 GHz):SINGLE (SO): single operator entries.
MULTI (MO): multi operator entries.

OPERATING
Only one signal on the band is allowed at any time.
Station must operate from the same location throughout the contest time.

CONTACTS
Each station may only be worked once per band. If a station is worked again on the same band, only
one contact may count for points. Any duplicate contacts should be logged without claim for points
and clearly marked as duplicates.
Contacts made via active repeaters and EME contacts do not count for points.
Competitors are obliged to follow the common definition for a valid QSO (as defined in the VHF
Managers Handbook and replicated below). The contest exchange (call, report, QSO number andlocator) shall be sent and confirmed on the band where the contact started and only during thecontact.
No attempt should be made during the QSO or after the contest to obtain any part of the required
exchange information via other communication methods such as the Internet chat channel, WEBDSR
and remote receiver outside 500 metres diameter from the station location, DX Cluster, talk-back onanother amateur band, telephone etc.. Such a secondary method invalidates the contest QSO.
Correction of logged exchanges after the contest, by use of any database, recordings, email or othermethod, is not allowed. The log should contain what happened (sent and received) in the band
during the contest.(VGC 2020)
Self-spotting is permitted on all media except the DX Cluster (sending lots of self-spots to chat rooms
is not recommended and is discouraged).

Acceptable examples when using a secondary method:••••“Shall we make a sked on 144.388?""I have QRM, let's move to 144.218 kHz and start again""Nothing received, please try again" and the QSO starts again"Thank you for a nice QSO" - Note: Only after the QSO has completed on the radio!

•••"I need your serial number""Please repeat all information"“Please confirm <report>, <serial number>, <locator> etc.”

Unacceptable examples when using a secondary method:

Definition for a valid contest QSO:
A valid contact is one where both operators during the contact have:• mutually identified each other• received a contest exchange, and• received a confirmation of the successful identification and the reception of the contest
exchange.

TYPE OF EMISSION
Contacts may be made in A1A(CW), J3E(SSB) or F3E(FM) (G3E(PM)).
MGM (Machine Generated Mode) modes are allowed only during the 50/70 MHz contest. Every
MGM contact shall be properly marked in the LOG with EDI mode code 7.

CONTEST EXCHANGESCW, SSB or FM/PM modes
Code numbers exchanged during each contact shall consist of the RS or RST report, followed by aserial number commencing with 001 for the first contact on each band and increasing by one
for each successive contact on that band. This exchange must immediately be followed by thecomplete QTH locator (6 digit) of the sending station (examples: 59003 JO20DB or 579123 IN55CC).
All times must be logged in UTC.
Call signs logged must be the same as those exchanged over the air by the entrants during the QSO.
For contacts on 50 MHz, outside of Region 1, the received locator can be 4 digits and “MM” will be
added as 5th and 6th digit.
Correction of logged exchanges after the contest, by use of any database, recordings, email or othermethod, is not allowed

MGM modes
Code numbers exchanged during each contact shall consist of the report (as appropriate for themode in use) and 4-character QTH locator (e.g. IO91). Serial number is not required.
All times must be logged in UTC.
Call signs logged must be the same as those exchanged over the air by the entrants during the QSO.
Correction of logged exchanges after the contest, by use of any database, recordings, email or othermethod, is not allowed.

SCORING
50 and 70 MHz CW/SSB only, 145 MHz and UHF/Microwave Contests
For the amateur bands up to 10 GHz inclusive, points will be scored on the basis of one point per
kilometre, i.e. the calculated distance in kilometres will be truncated to an integer value and 1 km
will be added. The centre of each locator square is used for distance calculations. In order to makecontest scores comparable, for the conversion from degrees to kilometres a factor of 111.2 should be
used when calculating distances with the aid of the spherical geometry equation.
All QSOs including those with unique stations shall count for points (unique station is a station thatappears in the log of only one contest entrant).
For the combined higher bands (Millimetre group) the score will be the sum of the points scored oneach of the bands, using the following multiplication factors for the number of kilometres scored oneach band:• 24 GHz 1 x• 47 GHz 2 x• 76 GHz 3 x• 122 GHz 4 x• 134 GHz 8 x• 245 GHz 10 x

50 and 70 MHz MGM Contests
The points will be scored on the basis of one point per kilometre, i.e. the calculated distance inkilometres will be truncated to an integer value and 1 km will be added.
The centre of the Large Locator Square (e.g. IO84MM to IO91MM) is used for distance calculations.
In order to make contest scores comparable, for the conversion from degrees to kilometres a factorof 111.2 should be used when calculating distances with the aid of the spherical geometry equation.
A QSO between stations in the same Large Locator Square will count for 50 points.
All QSOs including those with unique stations shall count for points (unique station is a station that

appears in the log of only one contest entrant).
The final score is total kilometres worked multiplied by the number of large Locator Squares (e.g.
IO91) worked.
E.g. 10.000 (total qrb points) x 20 Large Locator Square = Final Score of 200.000 points

ENTRIES50 and 70 MHz CW/SSB only, 145 MHz and UHF/Microwave Contests
The entries must be set out in EDI digital/electronic form (refer to VHF Managers Handbook, Part 3
section 5) separately for each frequency band. EDI header shall as a minimum contain the following
fields:• Callsign and WWL used (PCall and PWWLo)• Section and band (PSect and PBand)• Operators callsigns (RCall for SO entries, RCall and Mope1, Mope2,… for MO entries)• E-mail address (RHBBS)• TX power in watts (SPowe)• Antenna (SAnte); it shall be clearly identifiable how many antenna systems were in use
Logs shall be sent no later than the second Monday following the contest weekend. Late entries will
be accepted as check logs.
By submitting the contest or check log, an entrant agrees that he / she has:
• understood the contest rules and agrees to be bound by them,• operated according to all the rules and regulations that pertain to his and/or station license,• agreed the cross-checked log may be made open to the public, except for the personal data
in PAdr1, PAdr2, RName, RAdr1, RAdr2, RPoCo, RCity, RCoun, RPhon and RHBBS lines of EDI
file format,• agrees the contest organizer can score, amend, publish, republish, print, and otherwise
distribute (by any means including paper or electronic) the entry either in its original format,
in any other suitable format with or without modifications or combined with the entries fromother contestants for entry into the specific contest, other contests, or for other reasons
including training, development and advancement of amateur radio,• accepts all decisions of the contest organizer as final.

50 and 70 MHz MGM Contests
Since MGM modes need proper software packages that can’t export their logs in EDI format, it has
been decided to permit the upload of WSJT-X and MSHV ADIF files.
For the 2021 year, ADIF files can be directly uploaded to the entry robot at
https://iarulogs.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/vhfenter.pl (thanks to RSGB); participants shall declare on thesame page all the necessary fields to convert the ADIF file into a valid EDI format :• Callsign and WWL used (PCall and PWWLo)• Section and band (PSect and PBand)• Operators callsigns (RCall for SO entries, RCall and Mope1, Mope2,… for MO entries)• E-mail address (RHBBS)• TX power in watts (SPowe)• Antenna (SAnte);
From 2022 the IARU Region 1 Contest Robot will be ready to allow ADIF upload.
Logs shall be sent no later than the second Monday following the contest weekend. Late entries will
be accepted as check logs.
By submitting the contest or check log, an entrant agrees that he / she has:
• understood the contest rules and agrees to be bound by them,• operated according to all the rules and regulations that pertain to his and/or station license,

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agreed the cross-checked log may be made open to the public, except for the personal data
in PAdr1, PAdr2, RName, RAdr1, RAdr2, RPoCo, RCity, RCoun, RPhon and RHBBS lines of EDI
file format,
agrees the contest organizer can score, amend, publish, republish, print, and otherwise
distribute (by any means including paper or electronic) the entry either in its original format,
in any other suitable format with or without modifications or combined with the entries fromother contestants for entry into the specific contest, other contests, or for other reasons
including training, development and advancement of amateur radio,
accepts all decisions of the contest organizer as final.

Stations eligible to win a prize••

In every category of all the IARU Region 1 Contests the stations willing to win their categories
must submit their logs individually to the IARU R1 Contest Robot within the 23:59 UTC of the
Monday after the contest (34 hours); only these stations will be eligible to the victory andprizes.
If the first station in the classification did not send his log before the deadline to be eligibleforthe victory (34 hours), then the first station which sent his log within the 34 hours deadline
willbe the winner. (VGC 2020)JUDGING OF ENTRIESAll logs are checked using custom software and human judgement.
The claimed contact shall be disqualified for any error in the information logged by the entrant.
When there is high evidence that the error is due to the wrongly logged information of thetransmitting station (i.e. wrong date/time or call/UL) such a LOG shall not be used for adjudication
purposes.
The final judging of the entries shall be the responsibility of the contest organizer whose decision
shall be final.
Entrants deliberately contravening any of these rules, attempting fraud or flagrantly disregarding the
IARU Region 1 band plans shall be disqualified. Each VHF Manager and/or national Contest
Committee can propose to the contest organizer disqualification or penalization of an entrant.

AWARDS
Section winners:
Certificates will be issued by the contest organizer to the winners of the sections on each band up to
10 GHz and for the Millimetre group.

Overall winners for UHF/Microwave contest:
The overall winner of the IARU Region 1 UHF/Microwaves contest will be declared separately for the
SO and MO sections.
For the overall results tables, the scores of the entrants operating on at least two of the following
bands will be combined, using an adaptive multiplier system:

Millimetre group
group
Note: SO entries to the 6H section on 435 MHz will be included in the Overall SO classification if theentries on all bands are SO. MO entries to the 6H section on 435MHz will be included in the Overall
MO classification.

The band multipliers for the overall score are calculated as follows:• The multiplier for 435 MHz is one.
• The multiplier for each of the other bands is equal to the winning score on the 435 MHz band
divided by the winning score on each band. The multiplier on each band for the SO and MO
sections are determined separately.
• Example:o Winning score in SO on 435MHz is 200,000 points
o Winning score in SO on 1.3GHz is 20,000 points
o The multiplier for SO on 1.3GHz is 200,000 divided by 20,000 = 10
o So, all scores in SO on 1.3GHz are multiplied by 10 for the Overall SO results table• The overall millimetre group scores are calculated according to rule 9 before the multiplier forthe millimetre group is calculated.