Field Day Weekend, 2021 ...
Hello all,
Excellent meeting with some very exciting topics again tonight. The presentations shared tonight, as well as the zoom recording of the meeting have been uploaded to the shared folder of the club google drive.
I am personally very excited by the prospect of the IPRC getting back out into the field and doing some in person radio exercises and making some contacts for summer field day weekend on 26 and 27 June this year. I have never been able to participate in a field day with this club, and I have the COVID induced cabin fever something fierce, so I am all in. I have a small pop up camper trailer, a generator, deep cycle batteries, a solar charging array, and a plethora of radios and antennae. I will definitely be participating in some capacity at one location or another, and I would very much like to camp out for the weekend in my trailer on site.
Let's use this blog entry to have an interactive discussion about field day weekend. We would like to know who is interested, what you would like the event to look like, and if you have any good ideas with regard to stations to set up, people and groups to invite, possible locations, etc.
I would like to see the club set up some EZ ups and tables, and some signage advertising who we are and what we are doing. I would like us to set up a grill and serve some burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, ships, sodas, etc., and make a real event out of it. I would like to hear what your ideas are to make it a fun and productive event for the club.
Thank you, and I look forward to the discussion about this very exciting club event.
73,
Charley
K4NYN
A couple more thoughts on the field day weekend event ... I thought it might be a good idea to put together a list of items and other needs we would have for the event. One of the intangible things we need is expertise. As discussed last night, we are considering doing field day from two separate locations - one being away from the club room, in a location where camping is possible, and the other being two daytime events at the club room and community center parking lot. This raises some questions about how to best use the club callsign and from which location for contesting, while staying within the field day rules. If you are experienced with such field day contesting rules and conduct, please speak up so we can tap that knowledge and experience. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSome other items that we could use for the event(s) are:
Folding tables (I have 2 plastic 6-footers)
EZ-up type portable sun shades / canopies
Portable power packs / inverters
Small, quiet generators
Portable field antennae (hamsticks, Yagis or LPs on masts, portable wire dipoles, etc.)
Lengthy pieces of low-loss feed line (I have some older LMR-400 and some SO-239 ends)
Some of the resources that I personally have, which may or may not be useful:
40-foot Rohn tower with Hy-Gain log periodic (tri-band) HF antenna and rotor
2 6-foot plastic folding tables
Tarps
(somewhat) portable Weber propane grill and tanks
About 75 feet (in 3 sections) of LMR-400 coax and SO-239 ends
Tool kit for stripping and putting ends on coax
Soldering irons / kit
Yaesu FT-8900 radio for 6 meters
Arrow VHF / UHF 3 / 5 element Yagi-Uda antenna
40-foot portable SOTA mast with guy wires and stake kit
Extension cords
Too many portable, dual band and DMR radios to list
There are probably a lot more items, but that's all I can think of right now. Please chime in and let us know what you have, what else you think we might need, and what you would like to see for the event. Food and drinks, guest speakers, government officials visiting, youth and STEM groups visiting, specific stations set up or specific geographic areas targeted for contact? All input and feedback is welcome. Also, please spread the word to family and friends, as field day is also about reaching out to non hams to generate interest in our hobby. Thanks and 73! ~ Charley
Charlie-
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list and I have a few suggestions for stations, depending on how many participants we have:
-20 meter station SSB is always very active and fun. If propagation holds, 20 meters closes down at night and this can switch to a 40 meter station.
-20 meter CW station with the same approach as the SSB station. I can do CW, but I'm sure there are club members much more proficient.
-Digital station (PSK31 or the like). Band TBD.
-6 meter station. This is spotty, but worth having a dedicated station monitoring in case of openings.
-VHF and/or satellite station.
-10 meters station, but with the sunspot cycle this might not be worth it.
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteSo my boys and I ventured up to the Bar K Ranch area yesterday to have a look at the Rock Lake area Scott (WØSJE) proposed in his presentation at the last club meeting. We met up with Scott and Debbie, who graciously gave us the nickel tour of the recreation area at Rock Lake, as well as a tour of Scott's ham shack, and some delicious homemade cookies too! Thank you both again for the hospitality, Scott!
Wow! What a beautiful area. Even covered with two to three feet of snow it was still very nice to look at. The area is nearly ideal for our club field day event. There is electrical power, a gas BBQ grill, good parking, space for a few small to medium sized RVs or tents, and a small, three sided shelter which is one folding table away from being perfect for a temporary ham shack.
Best of all, the location is only a very pleasant 30 minute drive from Nederland.
If you plan to attend the field day event on 26-27 June, please share your thoughts on using this location. 73!