Pune Hams VU2RCP – ARSI Field Day & Hill Topping Contest

Pune Hams VU2RCP – ARSI Field Day & Hill Topping Contest

Pune Hams VU2RCP organized an overnight ARSI Field Day & Hill Topping Ham Radio Contest at Rule (रूळे) village, approximately 45 km from Pune city, situated 600 ft above MSL, on 24–25 January 2026.

This two-day program was dedicated to Ham Radio activities and experimentation.

Below image shows the contacts made during the contest. Red represents 10 meter band while Blue is for 20 meters band

Longest contact made 7652 Kms -Madrid, Spain.

Link – DX map for all international contacts made during hill trooping contest

Participants at Rule MK68TI (24–25 Jan 2026)

  1. VU2VPR – Vilas
  2. VU32GO – Indrajeet
  3. VU2MXE – Kiran
  4. VU3ZNE – Parth
  5. VU2VAB – VK Arya (VIP Guest)
  6. VU3LV – Prachi
  7. VU2KEA – Kusum
  8. SWL Vijay – Host
  9. VU32OK – Omkar Kelkar
  10. VU2HUF – Arvind
  11. VU2DVW – Deepak

OM Indrajeet (VU32GO) was the Team Leader for HF Operations. Most of the participating hams were new and enjoyed their very first contest experience.

Technical Activities Conducted

HF Dipole Antenna Demonstration OM VK Arya (VU2VAB), VIP Guest from DIHR New Delhi, demonstrated the design, measurement, and performance of an HF dipole antenna.

  • A dipole antenna consists of two conductive elements, each about a quarter-wavelength long, fed at the center via a coaxial cable and balun.
  • It is widely used in ham radio for long-distance HF communication due to its balanced nature, flexible installation, and reliable performance.
  • The wire length is typically calculated using the formula: 468 ÷ Frequency (MHz) for total length in feet.
  • Key components include the wire, center insulator/balun, and end insulators, with trimming for optimal performance on specific frequencies.

HamClock Demonstration OM Arvind Krishnan (VU2HUF) demonstrated HamClock running on Linux. HamClock is an open-source, kiosk-style application for amateur radio operators, displaying:

  • Real-time space weather and solar data
  • Radio propagation predictions
  • DX cluster spots
  • Satellite tracking
  • World map with “gray line” (day/night) visuals

It typically runs on a Raspberry Pi or similar Linux-based systems. More details: HamClock – Clear Sky Institute

Astrophotography & Star Gazing OM Omkar Kelkar (VU32OK) had planned astrophotography and star gazing, but cloudy skies prevented observation.

Special Notes

  • We were honored to have OM VK Arya (VU2VAB) as a VIP Guest.
  • Student ham Parth (VU3ZNE) also participated actively.
  • Due to frequent power failures, operations were switched to solar power and conducted from a tent setup.

73’s,

Vilas Rabde (VU2VPR) Pune Hams VU2RCP