VHF Grids
Bob Witte KØNR
Amateur radio operators on the VHF bands often use the Maidenhead Grid system
for indicating their location. A grid is defined by 1° latitude by 2°
longitude, measuring approximately 70 × 100 miles in the continental US. A grid
is indicated by two letters (the field) and two numbers (the square). For
example, the home location of KØNR is located in grid DM79, which
includes greater Denver. Greater Colorado Springs is to the south in grid DM78.
Finding Your Grid
If you know your latitude and longitude, you can use AMSAT's
conversion page to find your grid square more accurately. The ARRL has more
detailed information on the Maidenhead
Grid system and has an excellent grid
locator web page that can determine grid square (and other information) by
entering the name of a city.
Map of US VHF Grids
The ICOM web site has a great
map of
the grids in the US in pdf format.
Map of VHF Grid Squares in Colorado
For locations in Colorado, the map shown below can be used to determine the grid.
Note: The map shown below is a rough approximation of where the grid
lines are located. If you are near a grid boundary, you need to determine your
grid via more accurate methods. In particular, note that the eastern boundary of
grids DN80, DM89, DM88 and DM87 is 2 to 3 miles east of the Colorado state line.
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