Field Day
Amateur radio in the news: Field Day in Hingham, longtime ham recognized
Hingham holds ARRL Field Day. The Boston Amateur Radio Club and the Harvard Wireless Club participated in the annual Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day on Saturday, June 24th, and Sunday, June 25th, at the Bare Cove Fire Museum off 19 Fort Hill St. On that Saturday, after 3 p.m., the general public was welcomed to view the process at the Fire Museum as licensed operators using their personal and club radios to make contacts.
Amateur radio club makes contacts from across the globe. MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — When Daniel Simpson and Father David Probst turn on a special device in each of their houses, they can converse with people across the world at the touch of a button. The communications aren’t sent through Facebook or email; in fact they’re not sent via computers at all. The messages are sent by amateur radio, and connect Simpson and Probst to a network of users all across the globe.
Longtime ham radio operator gets lifetime recognition. Any licensed ham radio operator in the Carolinas, and across the country for that matter, likely knows the name of 99-year-old Oscar Norris. Norris, who lives in Gastonia, first became a ham radio operator in 1949, transmitting through his unique call sign W40XH on an old military radio. His interest in the subject piqued when a friend shared with him a magazine article in which a blind man received his amateur radio license. Norris, who is also blind, received his license and began a passion that he has practiced for almost seven decades.
Operating Notes: the sound of static, Field Day
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Rotary International convention in Atlanta. I was off the air for a whole week. I considered taking my KX3 with me, but it seemed like too much trouble, and I didn’t know how much time I would have to operate.
What I found was that I really missed the sound of static in my ears. There’s something about that sound that holds the promise of something interesting, whether that be some DX or a ragchew with an interesting person. I was really happy to get home and get back on the air.
Solo Field Day
Before Field Day, I ask those that I work if they have any plans for Field Day, and after Field Day, I ask them what they did for Field Day. A couple of days ago, I asked a fellow what he did, and he said that he operated 1D from his home on Sunday morning. While I didn’t work him during Field Day, I thanked him for getting on. By Sunday morning, we’ve normally contacted all the big club stations that we’re going to contact, so we need the 1D and 1B stations to pad our contact totals.
The flip side of that, of course, is that the guys that operate solo miss out on a lot of the fun of Field Day. A big part of what makes Field Day fun is just hanging out with other hams.
This face-to-face contact is valuable on a lot of levels:
- You get to see and use the rigs they’re operating. The star at this year’s Field Day was the IC-7300 that we used at the GOTA station.
- You learn how to improve your operating technique by watching those who are better than you. I forget how many years ago it was that Dennis, KT8X, showed me how to run with N1MM software. That really raised my game.
- Socializing is good for the soul. Even if you don’t operate or pay any attention to the rigs or antennas, the social aspect of Field Day can be a lot of fun, if you let it be.
Even if there isn’t a club in your area, you could invite some friends over to your place, or maybe a nearby park, and operate together. That way, you get to enjoy some of the camaraderie of amateur radio on what’s arguably our most important special event.
ARROW 2017 Field Day a great success, part II
continued from part I…
I went home, which is only 15 minutes away from the Field Day site, and got about four hours of sleep. I got back to the site about 3:45 am. Arun, W8ARU was turning and burning on the CW station, so I caught a few more ZZZZs while waiting for him to turn the station over to me. I got on about 5 am (see below).
I was surprised that the band was still so active, and even though Arun complained about not being able to find stations that we hadn’t worked already, I was able to find some. And, when I set up on a frequency and started calling CQ, I found plenty of activity. At one point, I got the rate up to over 90 Qs per hour—for a short time anyway.
I don’t know how many contacts that I made, but I think that I acquitted myself pretty well before handing the controls over to Tim, KT8K sometime between 6:30 am and 7:00 am. I got back on a little later, relieving Tim for a while, and even then was able to find stations to work. I think that because the band conditions were so good, that there were more stations on and we could hear more of them, so that we just continued to find stations that weren’t dupes.
After breakfast, we set up the GOTA station again. The first operator of the morning was Aaron, KD8QQA. Aaron turned into the GOTA star for 2017. Over the course of the next hour or so, he made 20 contacts, qualifying for the GOTA bonus points! Aaron would make a few more contacts for us later in the day, when I twisted his arm a little to help us get over 2,000 contacts.
The rest of the day was devoted to racking up points. Sometime around 10:00 am, we surpassed our 2016 QSO total of 1,650. About 1:30 pm, only a half hour before the end of the event, we’d made it to about 1,950. At that point, I went around to all of the stations to urge them on. We hit 2,000 right about 1:50 pm, and our final total was 2,024! What a great effort.
The last two GOTA contacts were made by Ruth Tabeling, W8AWT’s mother. We got her into the operator’s chair about 1:50 pm, and we managed to make two Qs before shutting down. She was operator #11.
Teardown went pretty fast as usual, and by 3:30 pm, I was all packed up and ready to go. Another Field Day was in the books.
Even before I left the site, I was thinking about next year. For example, even though my 20m/40m fan dipole has worked so well over the years, we might want to try non-resonant doublet with an antenna tuner to allow us to work more bands.
I also think that we want to try to have two CW stations, as we have in the past. The club wants me to teach a CW class, and I think that I’ll make it a goal that all of the students will be able to operate a CW station at next year’s Field Day.
ARROW 2017 Field Day a great success, part I
This weekend, was without a doubt one of the best Field Days I’ve had the pleasure of particpating in. Except for the loss of a flashlight, everything went off without a hitch.
My Field Day got started at 8am Saturday morning at Mark’s Midtown Coney Island. (I feel a little bad about not getting out to the Field Day site on Friday evening to put up the antenna masts, but only a little.) A bunch of us gather there to fuel up for the event. This year, ten of us ate at Mark’s.
Soon after I got there, Garry, W8GMD, approached me and handed me the laser-engraved nametag shown at right. How cool is that?
The antenna masts for the CW station and the two SSB stations were already up, so about the only thing that we needed to do was to set up the GOTA station. As we have for probably at least the last five years, we used my 20m/40m fan dipole, mounted in an inverted vee configuration, using my set of surplus fiberglass masts. This setup has worked very well over the past five years, in many different locations, and this year was no exception.
The antenna went up quickly, and this year, once it was up, we didn’t have to lower it for any reason. I guess that we’re finally getting the hang of it. I had purchased a new folding table and brought along some folding chairs, and that was all set up in no time as well. That left us some time to help set up the food tent and do some other miscellaneous chores. This was all aided by the simply perfect weather that we had that morning (and throughout the rest of Field Day).
About 10:30 am, I retrieved the radio that we were going to use in the GOTA tent—an IC-7300!—and got that set up. As soon as the generators were fired up, shortly before 11:00am, we were ready to get on the air.
As I did last year, I had a blast making pre-Field Day contacts with other stations who were also testing their rigs. This little activity is actually an important one. It helped me learn how to operate the IC-7300—an important thing for the GOTA coach to know—and it gave me an idea of the propagation conditions. I was happy to note that propagation seemed really good, at least on 40m.
Speaking about the GOTA station, we ended up with 72 contacts made by 11 different operators. Our start operator this year was Aaron, who tallied about 25 contacts. The rest were all stars in my book, though, including my wife, Silvia; her sister, Lucy; Michelle, KE8GZF; Garry, W8GMD; and Ian, age 12, who made four or five contacts before he had to leave (see below).
At 1800Z, all of our stations were up and running. We ran 3A again this year, including one CW station and two SSB stations.
The “hyoooj” improvement that we made in our operation this year was the food. I don’t know how they did it, but our club officers convinced Tom, W8TAM, and Julie, K8VOX (of MSPOTA fame) to turn and burn on dinner rather than 20m phone.
We had a real feast. On the menu was pulled pork, jerk chicken, baked beans, potato salad, and other assorted delicacies. Someone baked some cookies, and someone else bought a cheesecake. Everything was incredibly good.
After dinner, I convinced Michelle, KE8GZF, to take another turn at the GOTA station, but after making a couple more contacts, both she and I had had enough. We called it quits, and I went home before returning very early on Sunday morning.
How to make Field Day (or any remote operation) a success
Today’s guest post was written by Scott Westerman, W9WSW, the ARRL Public Relations Committee Chair. Thanks, Scott!
In my days as a radio broadcaster, one of the most exciting things we did was a “remote”, where we took our gear and our talent out into the community to broadcast live. My good friend and legendary programming consultant, Gary Berkowitz, recently wrote a column about how to accomplish an effective remote. Realizing that Field Day, a Special Event Station, or any activity that takes ham radio into our community is an opportunity to promote our essential avocation, here’s my recipe for excellent execution, borrowing heavily on his advice.
- Have a plan – Weeks prior to this year’s Field Day, I had the honor of attending the South Lyon Area Amateur Radio Club‘s monthly meeting. A good portion was dedicated to Field Day. They had a strong committee, headed by a strong and respected leader. They recruited a number of volunteers and had detailed plans for everything from set-up to food preparation. Sweat the details beforehand and the execution is more than half done.
- Assign a welcome ambassador – Many years ago, in my role as ARRL Technical Coordinator for New Mexico, I visited a number of Field Day sites. I happened upon one at the same time as another ham. I naturally sought out who was in charge, but this other guy was more of an introvert. He wandered around the site for about 10 minutes, spoke to nobody and got in his truck. As he was about to pull away, he rolled down his window and sarcastically said, “thanks for making me feel so welcome.” Part of your plan should include a trained welcome committee who welcome each attendee, with a special eye for newcomers. Recruit some younger members of your club to fill this role, too. A key to the sustainability of our hobby is our ability to entice the next generation to get involved. This is our chance to show off the most important aspect of what we do, friendly fellowship. People may come to check out the technology, but they stay because of the friendships.
- Do a practice run before the real thing – This fall, we are launching the Great Lakes Ham Radio Convention at the Michigan International Speedway. The event naturally includes a Special Events Station – K8MIS. Members of our committee are using Field Day as an opportunity to test out gear we’ll be using in October and to review operational ideas that we’re considering. Before you get to the site, make sure your gear is in working order, including antennae, radios, computers, software, grilles, iceboxes, etc. Attention to detail here will minimize the chance of failure on the big day.
- Promote, promote, promote – Do a creative email blast to, club members, friends and your local media, customizing the copy for each audience. Make use of your social media channels and do a count-down to Field Day to keep things front-of-mind. If your group has a Public Information Officer (PIO), make the rounds to local news organizations and service clubs. Have Powerpoints and videos prepared to make it easy for your partners to amplify your message. On Field Day, be well stocked with collateral describing your club, the ARRL and how to become a ham. Make sure your guests leave with their hands full of swag.
- Serve good food – Nothing telegraphs summertime like the smell of hot dogs and burgers cooking on the grille. Create a sustenance committee that is responsible for feeding your volunteers and guests. Be creative, perhaps sharing the recipes you cook on fliers with information about the club. Bring lots of liquid. Especially if it’s hot outside, hydration is crucial to comfort and safety.
- Get guests involved – Every Field Day site should have a Get On The Air (GOTA) station, where visitors can try their hand at making contacts. The MSU Amateur Radio Club holds open shack nights throughout the year and the first thing we do after showing off the blinking lights is put a microphone in the visitor’s hands. Nothing creates excitement like involvement.
- Operate – Get your best operators on the rigs and hit it hard. Have a plan to maximize band conditions throughout the event. Set up times where newer participants can watch, earn and practice. Once you’ve decided which class of operation you’ll be using, keep the rigs on fire all the time. This is practice for the real thing and in the event of a true emergency, the muscle memory will kick in and your club will add true value.
- Enjoy! – The most important thing about any club activity is to create an environment where your participants can have fun. We promote ourselves as, and in fact we are, crucial partners in times of community need. To make this happen, we need a cadre of engaged, dedicated and excited volunteers who not only know what they are doing, but love what they are doing. Field Day done right can be an annual celebration that everyone in your area, licensed or not, will want to be aware of and involved with.
It’s impossible to cover every base in an essay of less than 1000 words. I welcome additional ideas, thoughts and feedback.
Get some press for your club and earn Field Day points, too!
Amateur radio has been in the news a lot lately, mainly because as we approach Field Day (which is this weekend!), clubs are encouraged to send press releases to local media. In fact, you get bonus points for sending out a press release.
Below, are a few of these stories. If your club hasn’t done this yet, there’s still time. Get them to come out to Field Day and publish a story afterwards. Be sure to tell reporters how readers and viewers can get in touch with your club.
- Fallbrook ‘hams’ get ready for Field DayHam
- Radio Capabilities on Display Next Weekend in Brewster
- Kingwood Field Day to showcase function of amateur radio
- Amateur Radio Club to present communications demonstration
- 24-hour Amateur Radio Field Day
- Amateur radio operators to participate innational Field Day
And, here are a few more amateur radio stories in the news that aren’t specifically about Field Day:
Amateur radio in the news: hams are your friend, hams still have role to play, Field Day preparations
How ham radio operators are your friends. A recent radio conversation between two HAMs raised a disturbing issue that surprised both of them. The conversation involved the NTS (National Traffic Service) that uses amateur radio operators throughout the United States to relay information during large-scale emergencies, such as earthquakes…One of the HAMs in the above conversation stated that sometimes in calling people with such information, he is met with suspicion and even hostility. Is he a telemarketer? Is he a drug dealer? Or worse yet, is he a terrorist?
Ham radio operators still have role to play. The people who keep communication lines open when disaster strikes are looking for new talent. That’s amateur radio clubs, and they’re increasingly filled by people above the age of 50, who would like to prepare the following generation to help in a crisis, says Mike Johnson, emergency management co-ordinator for Cumberland County. “We have so much technology that we rely on, and when it’s taken away, it creates a problem,” Johnson said Thursday. “There’s no question we need new blood.”
Radio Relay Field Day in Whippany hopes to tap into thousands of sources. HANOVER TWP. – For the 13th consecutive year the Morris Radio Club and the Hanover Township Office of Emergency Management will team up and participate in a joint American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day exercise on Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25 at Brickyard Field in Bee Meadow Park in Whippany…Last year the group made contact with 637 similar groups and individuals worldwide.
2017 Field Day public service announcements available
This arrived via the ARRL PR mailing list this morning:
2017 ARRL Field Day PSAs (public service announcements) are now live at www.arrl.org/field-day.
There are two audio and two video PSAs. All are 29 seconds long. There is a “generic” version, which points listeners/viewers to the ARRL Field Day web site, to use the Field Day Locator. There is also a version which allows local contact info. For the audio PSA, there’s 11 seconds at the end for you to promote your club’s effort. The video PSA features a text box at the bottom of the screen to type in your club contact info.
Best of luck with your Field Day outreach efforts this year!
Sean Kutzko, KX9X, Media and Public Relations Manager
Here’s one of the PSAs. It’s the version that allows you to add local information at the end of the spot.
We’ve never tried to get a PSA aired here, but I might give it a go this year. AM and FM stations all run PSAs when they run out of paid ads to run. I’m not sure exactly how you’d go about placing them in your town, but I don’t think it should be all that difficult, and who knows, It might just increase the turnout at your Field Day.
Please comment if you’ve placed a PSA with your local radio stations and tell us how it worked out for you.
Amateur radio in the news: Field Day 2016
Here are some links to Field Day stories that have passed through my inbox in the last couple of days:
- Wexaukee radio Field Day 2016
- Club competes in radio Field Day
- Radio operators put skills to the test
- Sonoma County ham radio hobbyists coming in loud and clear
- Ham radio operators participate in annual communications test
- Culpeper amateur radio operators take part in disaster drill
- Loud and clear: Ham radio hobbyists have a field day
- Radio enthusiasts ham it up at local event<
- Field Day is a chance to check HAM radio communications while the weather is good (photo gallery)
- Amateur radio enthusiasts gather for an annual field day
- Amateur radio field day contest involves more than 35,000 across the US and Canada (video)