Vytautas Magnus Contest: Lithuania’s New Year 80 m and 2 m Contest

Most contests ask you to give up a weekend. The Vytautas Magnus Contest, usually shortened to VMC, asks for one hour. It is held every year on the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, it takes place on the 80 meter and 2 meter bands, and it is organized by the Lithuanian Amateur Radio Society, LRMD. It is therefore one of the easiest ways to take part in a real contest: a short, friendly event that fits in a winter morning, with a simple exchange and a scoring system that rewards activity on two different bands and three modes. This guide summarizes the rules published in English on the LRMD website on 27 October 2026, explains how the event works, and shows how a station in Lithuania or abroad can prepare for the next one.

Who Organizes It and Why It Has This Name

The organizer is the Lithuanian Amateur Radio Society, LRMD, and the rules are published on the contest page of the society in Lithuanian and English. The name comes from the preamble: Vytautas the Great, who lived from 1350 to 1430, was the Grand Duke of Lithuania and one of the most prominent rulers in the country’s history. The purpose of the contest is to honor his name, to promote activity among Lithuanian and international amateur radio operators, and to encourage operation on both HF and VHF. You can read about the historical figure in the Wikipedia article on Vytautas the Great.

The rules name a referee, who is responsible for the results, and a contest e-mail address for logs and questions. The results of previous years are linked from the same page, together with configuration files for contest logging programs. That last point is important for anyone who wants to log the event in a contest logging program, because the file saves you from creating the exchange fields by hand.

Date, Time and Duration

According to the rules, the contest takes place every year on the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, from 0700 to 0759 UTC. That is 0900 to 0959 local Lithuanian standard time in the winter. The page lists the date of the 2026 contest as 4 January, and by the same rule the next edition falls on Sunday 3 January 2027, because 1 January 2027 is a Friday. Check the contest page before the date in case the organizers change it. The one-hour format means that you must be ready before the start: the antenna, the logger and the band plan should all be working the evening before.

Bands, Modes and Calling Frequencies

Three modes are used, CW, SSB and FM, on two bands. On 80 meters the rules specify 3510 to 3600 kHz for CW and 3600 to 3700 kHz for SSB. On 2 meters the central calling frequencies are 144.050 MHz for CW, 144.300 MHz for SSB and 145.500 MHz for FM. The different frequencies on 2 meters show how the contest is meant to work: a local FM operator, a weak-signal SSB station and a CW enthusiast can all take part from the same band, and a station with a three-element Yagi will probably find more contacts on SSB than a handheld on FM.

The 80 meter band in January is a good choice for regional contacts. At 0700 UTC it is shortly after local sunrise in midwinter, when the band is changing from its night conditions to its daytime ones, and stations from neighboring countries are normally strong. Our guide to the 80 meter band describes the propagation and noise that you can expect, and our article on the 2 meter band explains the calling frequencies and the weak-signal segments.

Who Can Take Part

All licensed amateur radio operators from Lithuania and from abroad may participate, with the exception of Russia and Belarus, and shortwave listeners may also enter. The maximum transmitter output is 100 watts. There are four entry classes: A for a single operator, B for multi-operator and team entries, C for SWLs and D for clubs. The class and the callsign must be shown in the log. Since the power limit is 100 watts, no one has to invest in a linear amplifier, and the main differences between stations will come from antennas, operating skill and band choice.

The Exchange

Each station sends a signal report, a serial number starting from 001, and a six-character Maidenhead locator. For example, a station in the center of Vilnius could send 59 001 KO24, followed by two more characters for the subsquare. The numbering is continuous and does not restart when you change band or mode. A contact is counted only if the callsign of the other station appears in at least three other submitted logs, which discourages guessing, and contacts made through active repeaters are not counted.

The six-character locator is the key to the scoring. It lets the contest count squares at a much finer level than four-character grids. If you have not used locators before, our article on grid squares and the Maidenhead system shows how to find yours, and the Wikipedia page on the Maidenhead Locator System explains how the subsquares are defined.

Scoring

Each contact is worth one point. You may work the same station once per band and once per mode, so in the best case the same correspondent can give you up to five contacts: CW, SSB and FM on 2 meters, and CW and SSB on 80 meters. The multiplier is the number of different locators worked on each band. The final result is the total points multiplied by the total multipliers.

If two entries have the same final score, the ranking is decided first by the percentage of verified contacts, where the higher value wins, and then by the time of log submission, where earlier is better. This rewards clean logs and prompt entries, which is something that you can control completely. A short event also means that every error counts: one wrong digit in a locator can cost you a multiplier, and several errors can drop you several places.

SWL Rules

Listeners follow a similar system. A listener must log both callsigns and one complete exchange for each observation, and the same correspondent may be logged again only after at least three other logged observations. The scoring is identical to that of transmitting stations. This is a good way for a new ham, or for someone who is still studying for the exam, to join in the event with a receiver, a computer and a notebook, and learn how contests work before taking the microphone.

Logs, Format and Deadlines

Logs must be submitted within 24 hours after the end of the contest, by e-mail to the contest address. Paper logs are not accepted. The file name should be the callsign followed by the extension cbr, log or txt, which means a Cabrillo file or a plain text file will do. The log must contain the callsign, the name of the operator, the entry class, the club if points are given to a club, the locator, the number of contacts, the claimed score and a declaration that the license and the contest rules were followed. Operators who want to compete for the awards for the youngest or the newest radio amateur should give their age or the date of their first license in the soapbox field, for example 23 yrs, 2018-11.

The example in the rules shows what a QSO line looks like: the frequency, the mode, the date, the time in UTC, your callsign, report, serial and locator, and the same for the other station. For more on how the logs are checked and how errors are classified, read our article on Cabrillo logs and the UBN process.

After the preliminary results are published, you have 48 hours to send comments, corrections or UBN requests. A contact that was rejected can be restored only if the station can provide a clear and complete audio recording of the QSO, with both callsigns audible and both the sent and the received exchanges clearly heard. Each case is judged on its own, and recordings with missing data or an unclear contact are not accepted as a basis for changing the results. A participant can be disqualified for violating the license conditions or the contest rules.

Awards

Diplomas go to the first three places in the overall ranking, the winning team, the winning club and the winner of the SWL class. There are also categories that are unusual and welcoming to newcomers: the youngest participant, the newest radio amateur, the best youth result for participants under 21, and the best result from a foreign station. Others recognize the best result on 2 meters only, on 80 meters only, on 80 meter SSB and on 80 meter CW, and the participant with the highest percentage of verified contacts. Donors may also create special prizes. The newest radio amateur is defined as the participant who most recently passed the exam and received a first license, based on the official issue date.

Why It Suits Beginners

A newcomer to contesting usually faces three obstacles: the length of the event, the speed of the other operators and the fear of making mistakes. The VMC removes most of them. At one hour long it cannot exhaust anyone, the power limit of 100 watts keeps everybody on a similar level, and the number of stations is small enough that you can hear each exchange twice before you reply. The scoring does not punish a modest result in any special way, and the awards for the youngest participant and the newest radio amateur are open to people who might never win a place in the overall ranking. For an operator who intends to enter bigger contests later, the hour is an ideal rehearsal: you can test your headphones, your keyer or your voice keyer, your serial number logic and your Cabrillo export under real conditions. See also our guide to contest log analysis and rate sheets, which shows how to read the results of a short event and improve the next one.

Preparing a Station for One Hour

A short contest rewards preparation. Test the antenna on both bands, because a poor SWR on 80 meters will cost you contacts in the first minutes. Set up your logger with the correct exchange: a serial number that begins at 001 and a six-character locator. Store your own locator in the program, and have a map or a list of nearby locators nearby, because you will hear many stations send theirs. Write down the plan for the hour in advance: for example, start on 80 meter SSB for the first 20 minutes, move to 80 meter CW, then finish on 2 meters with the stations in your region. Test everything during the week before, not on the morning of the contest. After the contest, a quick look at your log will show you which hour of operation was best and which band gave you the most multipliers.

The Bottom Line

The Vytautas Magnus Contest is a compact Lithuanian event that combines HF and VHF in a single hour. Its rules are short, the exchange is a report, a serial number and a six-character locator, and the scoring depends on the number of contacts and the variety of locators. It welcomes listeners, teams, clubs and operators from abroad, and it has awards that suit beginners as well as experts. If you want a first contest on the air in the new year, mark the first Sunday after New Year’s Day in your calendar, check the rules page, and prepare your station and your log.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Vytautas Magnus Contest?

Every year on the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, from 0700 to 0759 UTC. By that rule the next edition falls on 3 January 2027.

Which bands and modes are used?

80 meters with CW and SSB, and 2 meters with CW, SSB and FM. The 2 meter calling frequencies are 144.050, 144.300 and 145.500 MHz.

What is the exchange?

An RS(T) report, a serial number starting from 001 and your six-character locator. The numbering continues across bands and modes.

How many points can I score?

One point per contact, with the same station allowed once per band and once per mode. The total is multiplied by the number of different locators worked on each band.

Can foreign stations take part?

Yes. All licensed amateurs from Lithuania and abroad may take part, except stations from Russia and Belarus, and listeners may also submit logs. The maximum power is 100 watts.

How soon do I have to send my log?

Within 24 hours after the end of the contest, by e-mail, in a Cabrillo, log or text file. Paper logs are not accepted.