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View Full Version : A Classic Field Day... ??


W3WN
03-08-2012, 10:09 PM
Two club members, whom on second thought I won't identify publicly at this time, bought a set of Drake Twins (R4 & T4X) at WASHFest and are currently in the process of bringing them back to life.

One of them has now come up with a wonderful idea... well, I don't want to sound critical, but I'm not so sure. To wit:

Why not run a "classic rig" Field Day operation? No pure solid-state rigs, tube rigs and hybrids only.

I have sudden memories of W2MO Field Day 1972 -- army surplus canvas tents (hot hot hot!!!), big heavy tube rigs with lots of knobs (modern rigs at the time, today's boat anchors), and a generator that was loud, noisy, smelly, and ran out of gas every two hours. Sure, it was fun... but lugging around all that iron today?

At tonight's meeting, the consensus appears to be to run a "classic" station or two at N3SH, but not the whole operation. (For one thing, we have a good many ops who have no idea how to tune a tube final. I'll be more than happy to teach them, but you know how FD can be in the wee hours with minimal operators...)

What do you think?
NQ6U
03-08-2012, 10:51 PM
Let me know if your friends need any pointers on the restoration. I've learned a lot about the R4/T4X over the last few months.
N8YX
03-09-2012, 09:56 AM
We did a TR7/R7 Field Day in 2010. Got many unsolicited comments about the audio. Likewise when I used to operate a TS-820S for the event.

Gonna put all of my hybrids and most of the "classic" stuff up for sale this summer; time to fund another venue - and I need the space.
w2amr
03-10-2012, 04:03 AM
We did a TR7/R7 Field Day in 2010. Got many unsolicited comments about the audio. Likewise when I used to operate a TS-820S for the event.

Gonna put all of my hybrids and most of the "classic" stuff up for sale this summer; time to fund another venue - and I need the space.
I'm planning on thinning out the herd this summer too.
KA9MOT
03-10-2012, 10:28 AM
Tell them they have to use a TRS-80 Model 1 for logging duties. A FD log shouldn't be too difficult to write in Level 1 Basic. :rofl:

I think a single boat anchor station among more modern rigs would probably be a popular attraction. I'd probably knock somebody over trying to get to it so I could caress it's knobs......
W1GUH
03-10-2012, 09:07 PM
One anecdote from '81 about "classic" vs. "modern" at Field Day. One of the members had a 2 meter station set up with a Drake 4-Line, with the transverter. I had an Icom 260A. There was a lot of 2m SSB in those days in E. Massachusetts, and after I pulled out the '260 and set it up I immediately and casually made 2 contacts with a 5/8 lambda Larson mag-mount stuck on a convenient piece of steel. That was the "norm" for me on 2M SSB then and I didn't think much of it except to know the radio was working. The guy with the 4-Line hadn't made any yet, and he commented about how easy the '260 made things.
KC9ECI
03-10-2012, 09:34 PM
Tell them they have to use a TRS-80 Model 1 for logging duties.

Slackers! Back in my day we had to carve the logged contacts on to a stone tablet, carry them off a mountain that was uphill in all directions, while being chased by wolves...
kf0rt
03-10-2012, 09:57 PM
Tell them they have to use a TRS-80 Model 1 for logging duties. A FD log shouldn't be too difficult to write in Level 1 Basic. :rofl:

....

Remind me to dig up a picture or two. ;)
NQ6U
03-10-2012, 10:21 PM
Slackers! Back in my day we had to carve the logged contacts on to a stone tablet, carry them off a mountain that was uphill in all directions, while being chased by wolves...

You forgot to mention the snow and your lack of shoes.
KC9ECI
03-11-2012, 12:04 AM
You forgot to mention the snow and your lack of shoes. If by snow you mean the flakes of frozen water the size of softballs that were pelting down....