From
the Editor's Desk
For more news and
articles, between newsletters, click here to visit our blog.
|
Field Day Reverie
Field
Day has taken place annually on the fourth full weekend in June since
1933, and it has grown to become the largest single emergency
preparedness exercise in the country. It's part competition and part
test of the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment,
operating skill, and endurance, as it takes place over 24 hours.
Thinking back to our early Field Days, which have taken place at Wassamki Springs Campground since 2011, we've
experienced a little of everything, from lightning storms to heavy
rain, equipment malfunctions, and just about anything in between. We
come together for the comraderie, the competition, the problem solving,
and the good eats. Its exhausting, fulfilling, and fun.
Most
of all, its about making memories. I remember our first year, when Tony
(then N1AJB), stopped by during the overnight, and we operated PSK31
until the early morning hours. That was the year it was so cold, it
almost snowed. A
couple years later a severe thunderstorm shut us down for over two
hours, and we all gathered under a tarp eating hamburgers and hot dogs
and telling stories. One
year, Ryan KB1YTR and Sean W1MSA (then W1GFD) operated 40m SSB almost
around the clock, amassing over 600 QSOs. The date also aligned with
the running of the 24 Hours of LeMans, and Ryan was keeping us up to
date with the race throughout the night. In
2013 Rick K1OT and Dana K1RQ showed off their CW skills, making several
hunderd contacts between the two of them, in just a few hours. That
same year, Frank KR1ZAN, setup his Kenwood TS2000 and 2m/440 yagi, and
several of us were able to contact the International Space Station. In
2014 Rick K1OT showed up with a fully customized communications
trailer, and in 90 degree temps, assembled a 40' tower, 40m yagi, and
climbed up the tower to install it. It was extremely hard work, in the
heat, for everyone who helped out! Since then, he's engineered it so
the setup takes a lot less time. Another time, Sean W1MSA, brought along his drone and was flying it around the Field Day site, taking some aerial video. Last
year, despite suffering from interference from somewhere in the
neighborhood that effected reception, we broke all our previous records
for QSOs and equalled on bonus points. 2018
Field Day is just around the corner, and I'm looking forward to the
challenge, fun and memories that it will produce. Hopefully the weather
won't be the main story! In other news, Informal meetings will be moving to Wassamki Springs Campground for the summer, beginning June 21st. See you there!
73'
Tim Watson
KB1HNZ
|