Field Day 2011

[N0NB]

The bottom line should have been the people getting married should have checked to see who was going to be in the next pavillion and should have considered getting married somewhere else - like in a church.

It's a public park and we had made sure our pavilion was available, not the whole park. If nothing else, we demonstrated to a few folks that hams aren't so self absorbed as to not accommodate others.

Where people get married is not my concern.

Reguardless of the outcome - the show must go on.

And our show went on with a lot of enjoyment.

I don't know why so many people call themselves hams and go out and buy the best radios and then when field days - brings their worst radio to the outing.

Ehh? You write this, obviously referring to my decision to leave my K3 at home and use my other rigs for a change, and proceed to tell about your lousy experience depending on others to provide you with the radio for your Field Day operation. Sorry, bub, my money, my choice.

Perhaps you should have had a rig along 'just in case'.

I'm glad to see that you had fun, but 350 contacts in 24 hours tells me that no one in your club was dedicated to Field Days.

You're quite the judge of character and effort, huh?

Did I miss that page in the ARRL FD pack that specifies what number of QSOs demonstrates dedication to Field Day?

350? I could do that by myself!

I did almost two hundred and a fourth of them were on the 10 meters.

You sure seem to have a burr under your saddle about my post. Perhaps next year you just come on over and show us how it's done.

And, no, you're not getting your hands on my K3!

I'll leave you with this after completing my 25th Field Day--there is always something to learn whether it's your first or your 25th.

 

[BJ radionut]

N0NB/Mole and All other Field Day participants:
I commend all who worked even one contact. Field Day is the most important and wildly fun day on the ARRL/Amateur Radio calender.
This year FD was different for me.
I did not volunteer my time to any club or group. The group who's FD I have been invited to for last few years did not set-up due to a family death a month or so before....understandable!
I did not let that stop me from being involved.
I did set-up on my own. Through up a new antenna, hooked up the good rig (my FT-950) to a non-resonate antenna with 450 line and a simple rotating dipole for 6m.

Though I missed the community of the usual group and the simple enjoyment of watching and listening the less experienced operators plugging away making contacts.

Plus what I enjoyed most the last couple years logging and listening to the really good older CW op's make contact after contact. Then during their down time listening to their stories of days gone by...
WOW you want to learn about Amateur Radio and what it is really all about...Listen! Ask!

I made some nice contacts on 6m with just the dipole. I picked and choose those op's who I could tell were less experienced and were begging to get another station in the log.
I listened for well over an hour to this 13 year old young lady...work the world! I could here her Coach/Father?/Mentor?/Elmer? help her through the first 15 or so Q's when the Mic was keyed....
Then WHAM like a seasoned Pro she was ON-IT!
I worked op's early Sunday morning with the crackle in their voice, barely able to contain their Mic fright (I remember!) and the excitement in the voice and tones thanking every op that answered for the contact...Cool Hey!
I worked a few op's on CW whose hands were shaking so badly they could barely send the call they were using but I stuck it out so they could put another station in the log...
That my friends is what FD is all about!!!
Because one day one of those op's will be the one to grab a net or get thrust into a situation where that experience will save a life or put a families mind at rest when that op says "They are OK"

FD is not about points, not who is a good op or a better op...it's not about Look What I Did!
It's about experience, learning, listening and understanding the "Principle" of FD that's what is important!

Oh by the way for those ney-sayers...try this one!...

Double Zepp antenna/ Kit built 20m CW XCVR/ home brew antenna tuner and battery power/5 WATTS....325 Q's (that's 650 points)...kinda slow really I was only a new Tech some years back...my personal best was over 1100 Q's one year...

But you know what the 50 or so Q's (mostly on 6m) was just as much fun!
More importantly is was great for all on both sides of my log!
Enough Said
All the Best
BJ ..

HAMER: Nice Station Accessory!

 

[Moleculo]

Due to an important family event, I wasn't able to participate full bore in Field Day like I wanted to. So, I operated my home station as 1E...under emergency power for a few hours and gave out a bunch of contacts on as many bands as I could. I fired up the generator and switched my entire shack power over to it, which worked pretty well. I missed the 10 meter opening, so I didn't get that band. It was nice to work 2 meter SSB for a while as that doesn't seem to get much activity around here. I had couple of 100+ mile contacts on that one.

Personally, I prefer doing my own thing for field day rather than hang out at a big event. I have a standing invite to join the Santa Ana emergency Response Team at their big field day weekend, which I might do next year if schedule allows. This year they had 12 transmitters with lots of antennas covering 160m - 1.2 Ghz. This is also the location where Gordon West participates. They do a big production starting several days before with training for new and old hams on topics like safety, operating procedures, testing, etc. It's a cool event, but sometimes setting up your own in the sticks is more peaceful

I don't realistically look at field day as a good emergency communications training situation. Between the contesters and the novices, the ECOM situation is unrealistic. I like working the stations that are just trying to have fun. They may not be the "best" operators, but they understand how to have fun. I like that. I gave out contacts and said "hello" to kids just starting out and old-timers who could barely remember their call or location, and everyone in between.

In all, field day can be whatever you want it to be and it's a neat tradition.

 

[N0NB]

CJ, you certainly are expressing your displeasure over the way several of us have chosen to participate in Field Day. That's your right, I suppose, just as it is our right to participate in Field Day as we see fit, within the framework of the rules.

Perhaps a bit of a history lesson is in order. Amateur radio in the USA has been a solitary activity since its beginning a bit over a century ago. Radio amateurs in the USA have had their own home stations as a rule. Clubs with well apportioned stations where its members do not have their own home stations are the rare exception, not the rule in the USA. Contrast this to the eastern bloc countries during the cold war where home stations were all but prohibited. Operations were conducted almost exclusively from "club" stations under the watchful eye of party apparatchiks.

Where would you rather live and operate?

Enjoy the freedom you have been blessed with to operate your amateur radio station wherever and whenever you see fit. Trying to make everyone else conform to your ideal of the amateur radio service will prove to be a frustrating and fruitless enterprise.


Lighten up!

:bdh:

 

[Hutch]

Channel Jumper there's a good way to solve your problem. Go out and buy your own radio, and bring it. I brought a brand new Icom 7000 made 238 contacts on 80m with basically just myself and a new ham from our club. The club operated 3 stations 20 m (350+contacts), 40 m (268 contacts), and 80 m (238 contacts). I let the new ham use my radio too. That's with about 6-8 guys (2 on 80, 2 on 20 and 4 on 40)

It sounds like your club might not be a match for you, I wouldn't be surprised if they had similar comments about you.

Next year either find another club or do your own thing.