Four Weeks Until Field Day

[KC0KM]

It is almost here -- the "Contest" of all contests (which in it's self is a non contest contest). Who all will be operating at a Field Day site, and what is your exchange going to be. This year, the Raytown Amateur Radio Club -- K0GQ, a top rated operation (with the exception on last year), has the privilege and honor of operating a special event station at the National World War One Museum , located at Liberty Memorial, in Kansas City, Missouri under the special event call of WW1USA. We will be operating at 2A, MO. While we are excited about this, we do have some "reservations" because the museum see's it only as a "special event station", while we see it as being more of a field day operation. Please pass the word to everyone, and everyone try and get us. Our GOTA station (which I will be a coach for a few hours) will be the Club Call K0GQ. The Special Event Station WW1USA will also operate before and after field day hours, so we will continue to be on the air after field day ends. All stations who contact the event will receive a QSO card if one is sent to them.

So who is "excited" about Field Day 2014? And who all is going to operate? I might try a few at home if I get a chance, but I will not submit a log.

 

[k9rzz]

No replies yet? Oh man. What fun times! I won't be on either, but will try to listen a bit.

Surely SOMEONE must have grand plans!

 

[n9mxq]

N9MXQ 1D IL. From my backyard.


No bits were harmed in the posting of this message.

 

[AK9R]

I plan to visit two or three FD sites in my area to drop in and say "hello". After that, I'll head over to a friend's house for the evening and into the night. Look for KO9F 1A (maybe 2A) IN on both SSB and CW.

 

[KC0KM]

As said above, I am somewhat excited, but have some reservations about out FD this year. In years past we have held it our city hall, but this year we are doing a special event station at a different location. It is further away, and in a somewhat rougher part of town. While we will not be having to provide most of the stuff, we will be outdoors instead of being in trailers with A/C. In previous years I have been able to stay up there a lot (18-20 hours), past two years I have been only able to do a few hours, and last year not at all, as I got sick right at the last minute. I will be there -- as I feel obligated to the club -- and I will help coach on GOTA, and may do a little HF, but I will not stay all day, and not be there at night. I used to enjoy operating late at night, but my health does not allow it any more. I did operate a little last year, even getting my club, told them good luck, and sorry I could not be there.

Being a special event station, we have been told (by one in our group who is a contester) to find a frequency and stay on it. Even though we are 2A, we will be on all bands with both Phone & CW. Hope to hear all of you. We will be WW1USA and the GOTA will be K0GQ.

 

[Thunderknight]

I operate 1E from home on batteries. It's a good exercise of my DC capabilities.

 

[VA3QRM]

grand plans

The usual here. Border City and Sun Parlour Retirees clubs running 5 aplha, using VE3OW. At Tecumseh Fire Hall #2. Will try to get through the contest without any WX problems like 2013. Sunny, cool, dry and calm winds for the entire weekend.....likely not. And heres to the propagation Gods sending a few Es our way. Look for Oscar Whiskey on 6 meters...10, 15, 20, 40 and 80. Also satellites.

 

[VA3QRM]

Sorry Chris and Dave....forgot digital modes as well.

 

[AC2OY]

Field Day 2014

Good luck everybody tomorrow! My club W2GLQ WILL be operating five stations in Nutley Nj so we hope to make some QSO's with some of you wonderful operators! If anybody is local and want to say hi and visit we will be in DaMuro Park in Nutley NJ so stop on by!!

Michael
KD2CUD

 

[jdobbs2001]

Bands are packed. wow 20m is insane, 75m is packed also.

 

[VA3QRM]

6 and 10 meters...not so good. There's always 2015.

 

[jdobbs2001]

6 and 10 meters...not so good. There's always 2015.

10 meters is pretty dead. I can only imagine how dead 6 meters is.

 

[VA3QRM]

always next year

10 meters is pretty dead. I can only imagine how dead 6 meters is.

.....and as usual some e-skip after 14:00 local.

 

[wbswetnam]

10 meters is pretty dead. I can only imagine how dead 6 meters is.

10 meters was dead? I worked several (7 to be precise) stations on 10m:

W4IY
WA7NB
WK5T
W0NT
K0VK
W1EE
W2MMD

I almost got W1AW/3 but that's when the QRN demons went on the offensive.

 

[k9rzz]

Stories! More stories!

From my distant past:

We had a center fed 500 ft wire and the operating tent was up on a gravel hill (read: no ground). Saturday night, a line of thunderstorms came through and with any lightning strike within 5 miles gave us a jolt via mic or key that sent any op reeling. YOW! (It sure kicked *** afterwards though).

Another time, we were using car batteries for power and charging them with a car and jumper cables. When the voltage got low, boy were WE the chirpiest signal on the band! :^)

Not too long ago, I helped out with a club that was again using open wire feeders to a dipole, just an 80 meter job, but the feedline was too long, so what did they do? Wrap it around the aluminum tent poles, coil it up and lay it on the ground. Etc. When I showed up to operate some CW they said: "Go ahead, but the bands are REALLY dead." First thing I did was lop off the extra feed line, route it properly, and proceeded to tear it up on 40 meters! Hi hi.

Lastly, and this is the best one. I very good friend of mine and I were operating the CW tent during the wee hours one year. This was WAY back before computers and all the logging was done on paper. He actually was my very first contact on ham radio and with us living close to each other, we became very close. He was laying on a sleeping bag on the floor while I was ripping them off at 30wpm on 40m. I got 4 quick contacts and looking down, Steve was supposed to put them on the 'dupe sheet' (Google that one). Sound asleep, I kicked his feet: "STEVE! Get those?" "Unhhh, huh? Yeah, I got 'em." NO WAY, you were SLEEPING! "No, I got 'em" and sure enough, he showed me the sheet and he DID get 'em. By 'getting them', I mean he copied the CW in his head, the whole contact, and wrote down the info. I hadn't told him anything, and he WAS sleeping. YEARS later, he passed on way too young (40ish) and at his funeral, some other hams were telling me that this was one of HIS favorite stories to tell as well. We had never discussed that moment between each other, yet it was still a highlight of each of our own ham radio lives.

RIP Steve. That was the best Field Day ever.

 

[wbswetnam]

This past Field Day was my first... I just got licensed 9 months ago. I had asked my club at their last meeting what time they would need operators the most, and they said between 1:00AM and 5:00AM Sunday morning. So I went to bed very early Saturday night and set the alarm for 12:30AM. I went out to the site and helped do 40m SSB logging for our event station (K5UZ). About 3:30 - 4:00AM the thunderstorms rolled in. The radio was crackling away with static build up so we shut it down. The storm kept getting worse, so at 4:30AM I went home. Good thing, too... we got 5" of rain in three hours and the road I drove home on was closed later for several hours due to flash floods.

Later on Sunday, in the last two hours, I logged some from my own home station as a 1D on 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m. Such was my first Field Day... can't wait until next year!