View Full Version : Field Day 2013
KG4NEL
06-19-2013, 08:55 AM
Who's heading out there this weekend? Any Islanders I can expect to hear? :)
I'll probably be splitting my time between 75 phone Saturday night and 40/15 phone otherwise. W4EZ, 9A battery again. 5 watts of futility fun...
Kind of wanted to take a spin at one of the CW stations this year, but I took a few months off from practicing and I'm nowhere near ready :quiet:
Who's heading out there this weekend? Any Islanders I can expect to hear? :)
I'll probably be splitting my time between 75 phone Saturday night and 40/15 phone otherwise. W4EZ, 9A battery again. 5 watts of futility fun...
Kind of wanted to take a spin at one of the CW stations this year, but I took a few months off from practicing and I'm nowhere near ready :quiet:
What's the club call you'll be using?
I should be able to hear you in the Corn Desert
KG4NEL
06-19-2013, 09:45 AM
W4EZ - Whiskey Four Echo Zannnnnnnnnnnnnnzibarrrrrrr
Yeah, in the past IL's been an easy shot. Only state I haven't consistently heard is Alaska - Hawaii's been fairly easy unless the solar cycle is completely bottomed out.
wa6mhz
06-19-2013, 09:51 AM
Listen for WA6BGS BIG GREEN SPIDER for a loud sig on 20M. That will be my 1965 Hallicrafters SR-400 and a 3 element tribander at 100Ft!
I'll be working PSK-31 on 15m as K6SEE during the day and probably on 20 and 40 late at night after the other old farts go to bed.
ki4itv
06-19-2013, 10:13 AM
Damn....already?
No plans here...and this area will be heavily represented anyway.
Well, unless Luke wants to party and play radio ;)
KG4NEL
06-19-2013, 10:59 AM
Damn....already?
No plans here...and this area will be heavily represented anyway.
Well, unless Luke wants to party and play radio ;)
One of those years when the 4th full weekend isn't the last weekend - I know, that week makes it feel early for me too.
WØTKX
06-19-2013, 11:20 AM
Going to a family reunion in IA, in the little roadster. I've thought about it, and might throw something together. But if it's an extra pair of shoes vs the radio? Well... :irked:
ki4itv
06-19-2013, 11:29 AM
Going to a family reunion in IA, in the little roadster. I've thought about it, and might throw something together. But if it's an extra pair of shoes vs the radio? Well... :irked:
I take it you'll be running barefoot then...right? :lol:
One of those years when the 4th full weekend isn't the last weekend - I know, that week makes it feel early for me too.
Caused a screw-up with my club's reservation at our normal FD operating site, too, so we were forced to wing it at the last minute this year and set up at the Lakeside (CA) FD HQ. From a PR and emergency readiness standpoint, this actually makes more sense than the usual place way up in the woods (and allows us to operate as a Class F) but it's a really crappy location for radio—no clear shot to the northeast due to an adjacent hillside.
KG4NEL
06-19-2013, 12:22 PM
Being in rolling hills, we've never had much luck on VHF/UHF beyond the normal hit-or-miss of 6m this time of year.
I think one year I heard another local club on 2 meters, I think they were as surprised as I was that someone bothered to bring out equipment for the band :D
KB3LIX
06-19-2013, 02:56 PM
I'll be on this year from home. 1-D
Skipped last year, just didn't feel like fooling around.
We're going to be 1D (or 2D) on all HF bands 80-10M until about 4:30 PM. Then, we'll be 1C (or 2C) on 6/2/222/440 FM simplex as we ride south to meet a coworker and his wife for dinner. Afterwards we'll continue to operate those bands on the return trip home then back into 1D/2D HF mode. If we get up early enough on Sunday to squeak out another 25 or so miles we'll reprise our VHF operating stint and probably head north into Akron handing out contacts.
That's via bicycle - not motorcycle - mobile.
ki4itv
06-19-2013, 05:29 PM
We're going to be 1D (or 2D) on all HF bands 80-10M until about 4:30 PM. Then, we'll be 1C (or 2C) on 6/2/222/440 FM simplex as we ride south to meet a coworker and his wife for dinner. Afterwards we'll continue to operate those bands on the return trip home then back into 1D/2D HF mode. If we get up early enough on Sunday to squeak out another 25 or so miles we'll reprise our VHF operating stint and probably head north into Akron handing out contacts.
That's via bicycle - not motorcycle - mobile.
OCD much?
W2NAP
06-19-2013, 05:58 PM
doubt ill do anything.
wa6mhz
06-19-2013, 06:51 PM
The Rat Bastards are trying to make me WORK all day Saturday and Sunday, which would Pre-empt Field Day Hope I can get out of this work (due to their poor planning, I HAVE TO SUFFER!) I STILL might be able to make it, depending on how much I protest, or dare them to fire me. I can ALWAYS work next week, but FD only comes ONCE a year!
ki4itv
06-20-2013, 12:57 AM
The Rat Bastards are trying to make me WORK all day Saturday and Sunday, which would Pre-empt Field Day Hope I can get out of this work (due to their poor planning, I HAVE TO SUFFER!) I STILL might be able to make it, depending on how much I protest, or dare them to fire me. I can ALWAYS work next week, but FD only comes ONCE a year!
You could always run that Crown Vic into the building, open the doors, unleash the widows, and pull the fire alarm.
That'll keep 'em busy. :yes:
But, don't listen to me...I have a history of getting people into trouble.
That's why I'm here.
You're welcome.
OCD much?
Not at all. VHF mobiling is fun and we get lots of exercise on the bikes - so why not combine both?
Thanks to the amount of time I have spent on the Towpath Trail I now know the bailiwick of every whitetail buck and his harem of does from Akron to Massillon...who's going to have the best (or biggest) rack come rut...and on the bicycle I can get to within handshaking distance with almost every one of these herds, even during the "skitterish" summer season. This behavior may be leveraged come bow hunting season, should I be able to acquire the correct permits from landowners whose farms adjoin the trail - and whose crops are being destroyed by a burgeoning deer population.
We also mix public service in with the /BM aspect: There is a lot of assorted flora and fauna which simply doesn't belong on the trail doing what it's doing, and a ham rig is a good communications tool for inviting The Man into the lives of the criminally insane and/or stupid.
Look for me from N3SH 3A WPA.
I'll be down in the morning to help setup... and we're going to "demo" my flag pole vertical, before it gets permanently installed at home... but I'll most likely be working the overnight shift.
LMFD has her dance recital tomorrow evening. so there goes prime time. So it goes.
The Rat Bastards are trying to make me WORK all day Saturday and Sunday, which would Pre-empt Field Day Hope I can get out of this work (due to their poor planning, I HAVE TO SUFFER!) I STILL might be able to make it, depending on how much I protest, or dare them to fire me. I can ALWAYS work next week, but FD only comes ONCE a year!
With all that equipment you have stashed at work, surely you can fashion a 20 meter dipole out of some zip line and operate on the sly.
KG4CGC
06-21-2013, 08:12 AM
I'm on location at OBX ... not Field Daying.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/photobucket-59161-1371820266284_zpsa71d8937.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/bebop5/media/photobucket-59161-1371820266284_zpsa71d8937.jpg.html)
I'm on location at OBX ... not Field Daying.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/photobucket-59161-1371820266284_zpsa71d8937.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/bebop5/media/photobucket-59161-1371820266284_zpsa71d8937.jpg.html)
I guess red is big for vehicles in SC.
I'm on location at OBX ... not Field Daying.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/photobucket-59161-1371820266284_zpsa71d8937.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/bebop5/media/photobucket-59161-1371820266284_zpsa71d8937.jpg.html)What? No 20 meter hamstick?
KE4JGX
06-21-2013, 10:13 PM
High five to W4GPL ... 19 years ago we did our first Field Day,de Ke4JGX ;)
wa6mhz
06-22-2013, 08:17 AM
FB! I got out of having to WORK today, and am all set to head over to the FD Site! Of course, I hafta work TOMMORROW (Sunday) instead, but Sat is the main FD DAY!
I am bringing:
Hallicrafters SR-400, PS for 20M
Kenwood TS-930S as a backup
Icom IC-575H for 10 & 6M
I will be on 20M SSB most of the afternoon, until I get petered out. With my 3 element tribander at 100ft and the SR-400, I should be able to hold a frequency and run a good pileup. The 930S probably has a better RX on it. I will miss the IF Shift and filtering, but the SR-400 is a Classic VINTAGE radio from 1965! Will also do all PAPER logging and then let the folks transcribe it to computer after the fact. I dupe in my head. Takes too long to see that the call gets logged into the computer along with the correct report, etc. Paper logging always works better, just as it did in 1965!
We will have nice WX here in SoCal. Maybe mid 80s. Warm in the afternoon.
OK, time to go load up the Town Car for Field Day!
Listen for WA6BGS Big Green Spider! Loudest signal outta the West Coast!
Bubba
06-22-2013, 11:26 PM
Does anyone know if I can participate on Guam. I think I’m region 3, but why would the ARRL exclude a region that they supposedly represent. I keep reading the info pages and can’t quite get a solid conclusion.
So, last night (after visiting 2 FD sites here in north DE), I decided to try running the IC-703 on battery. The goal is to see how many sections I could work. Put 22 sections in the log last night.
I'm back at it this morning and what they say about the early bird and the worm is true. Just worked KH6EL on 20m with 10 watts. Took a while to break the small pile-up, but it put a smile on my face this morning.
33 sections out of 76 so far...
Good job Jim!
If 10 is anything like 11 this morning it should be wide open to the western half of the U.S., courtesy of the Es event that's ongoing due to the line of thunderstorms from WI south.
I haven't done anything thus far with this year's event. Didn't take a radio for yesterday's bike trip and when we got back home both of us were too pooped to contest. May give 10 a brief spin once 'DSG heads to work.
If 10 is anything like 11 this morning it should be wide open to the western half of the U.S., courtesy of the Es event that's ongoing due to the line of thunderstorms from WI south.
Well, if you consider working down the East Coast (from here) as "open", then you'd be happy. Doesn't qualify as open in my mind.
wa6mhz
06-23-2013, 12:05 PM
Last year, we got 49 states and only DELAWARE Eluded us for a WAS.
This year, our very FIRST contact was Delaware!
When I left last night, we were short AK,HI,CT, AL and WV.
KG4NEL
06-24-2013, 08:46 AM
Having a 3-element quad kicked ass with 5 watts on 15. Actually was able to run on a frequency for a little on Sunday morning after breakfast. The bamboo-rotatable-contraption for 40 didn't work out - the bamboo sections were nowhere near dry enough - but the 3-el wire Yagi built last year did great.
75m was a little disappointing...sort of confirms why I don't want to go with a doublet at home. Need more wire in the air to pop pileups beyond NVIS range...
I didn't take any photos, but I'll post some when some of our fancy-SLR wielding members do.
wa6mhz
06-24-2013, 09:01 AM
I have an extensive summary with pix of the FD goings on over on the Zed. But, think I made about 75% of the contacts for the club on 20 Sideband. They were having trouble on the other bands for some reason, but did get a few contacts. I know I found a defective 6 meter antenna, but then, the band was dead here the whole contest anyway. Then our rotator froze up on the 100ft tower. Not sure what happened on that, still needs troubleshooting. But for the time my SR-400 worked, it just KICKED ASS! We were the only signal many East coasters heard from the West. Some of the stations were WAY down in the noise, but on the Hallicrafters I could pull them out. NOT SO on the Kenwood TS-930S, which was the backup rig. 20 meters was just a MESS on it. Only the strongest sigs could be harvested from the debris on it. So we went back to the SR-400 until it finally bit the dust and that was that for 20 meters!
After I left, they moved the coax over to a Icom IC-7600, but still couldn't do any good. Nothing beats Hallicrafters for Field Day! Think I would take it over my Yaesu FTdx5K on FD! So I gotta get it fixed for next year. Think the TR relay is oxidized or burnt up. Should be fixable, but is very intermittent now.
I need to conduct a FD operating class for the members to show them HOW to run pileups and hold a frequency. Hunting and pecking gives a very low QSO rate. Especially if U have to stay on one station and call and call and call. Might take many minutes to get through. The trick is to hold a frequency and have them CALL YOU! I ran up about 200 contacts in a couple of pileups while the radio worked.
Otherwise, it was great fun and wonderful comradery. We had delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. And we EASILY Had the most SPectacular antenna on the West Coast!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7398/9114554513_b019194194_c.jpg
Quite a load on the top of that 100ft tower!
KG4CGC
06-24-2013, 09:04 AM
I guess red is big for vehicles in SC.
OBX is in NC.
https://maps.google.com/maps?safe=off&q=obx&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48293060,d.eWU&biw=1280&bih=633&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl
Bubba
06-24-2013, 03:03 PM
Did anyone get a contact with Bubba ?
Did anyone get a contact with Bubba ?
Hawaii was as close as I got to Bubba.
HI... with 10 watts..... on a wire antenna. :whistle:
Hey, Pat...... IN YO' FACE!!!! :rofl: :rofl:
wa6mhz
06-24-2013, 06:01 PM
We coulda worked it, but we woulda had to turn the beam around. The rotator froze headed northeast. Didn't hear any HI stations, but I am sure they were there. Our beam was too directional
We worked HI and Guam on PSK-31 as K6SEE. What is Bubba's call sign?
And Pat, while your tower is spectacular, we had a better antenna: a full-sized Cushcraft 4 element tri-bander brand new out of the same still-sealed box it had been in since it left the factory—in 1979. No chit.
wa6mhz
06-24-2013, 09:28 PM
we had a very beat up UNKNOWN tribander that someone long in the past had donated. As they were putting it together, I told them to let me TEST it while it was on the ground. Sure enough, it worked GREAT at 13MHZ! So we moved the driven element length in until it was resonant at 14.2. Several of the traps had the wrapping coming off of them, so it was really ratty. I told them I had a A3S at the house, but they figured this one would work fine. Indeed it did, but it was very heavy and I worried considerably about the tower blowing over with it at 100ft. But it held up fine. Good thing we only had light breezes!
FB on your 4 element. I had one of those, an A4, that worked great until it blew over and smashed into the roof. I did what all hams should do. Put up a BIGGER one! Next time it was a Wilson System 36 6 element!!! Our tower trailer SURELY wouldn't hold one of THOSE up!
Bubba
06-25-2013, 03:38 AM
We worked HI and Guam on PSK-31 as K6SEE. What is Bubba's call sign?
And Pat, while your tower is spectacular, we had a better antenna: a full-sized Cushcraft 4 element tri-bander brand new out of the same still-sealed box it had been in since it left the factory—in 1979. No chit.
Bubba’s call sign is WH2HAO.
Had a good time at W9EX outside of Bloomington.
They had an A-3 on a scissor lift up about 60' feet complete with rotator and decent wires for 40/80.
Our digital guys worked the Pope on PSK 31! They thought that was cool that I probably knew who the operator of K6SEE was.
They were sure nice people. All more into either technology or vhf/uhf rather than contesting, so my appearance there wasn't kicking anyone off a radio. I did have to go home and get my 746 Pro and footswitch because the radio they had hooked up to the beam was a Yaesu 847 with only a hand mic. The 847 is a good satellite radio but it sucks on HF. Can't run a contest without a footswitch!
I'm actually going to join their club. I haven't been in a formal ham club since NCCC (Northern California Contest Club) way back in 1993.
kk4fpx
07-15-2013, 05:07 PM
Well I missed it all including my clubs hamfest.I was in the process of getting a quadruple bypass.Not much fun,but I did get to take a helicopter ride. Hope you all had a good time.
Helicopter rides are fun, too bad you weren't in better condition to appreciate it. Glad you've recovered enough to be back here.
K7SGJ
07-15-2013, 09:00 PM
Well I missed it all including my clubs hamfest.I was in the process of getting a quadruple bypass.Not much fun,but I did get to take a helicopter ride. Hope you all had a good time.
Man, that sucks. Hope you get to feeling back to 100% quickly.
Yeah, I did one of those helo ride things a few years back. $13,000 to go 5 air miles. You'd think the entire staff of the Mayo Clinic would have been on board, but noooooooooooooo. More like a Girl Scout with a first aid kit, but she did show me her cookies.....................
kk4fpx
07-22-2013, 07:36 PM
Thanks, but I wish you haden't mentioned the cost lol.I haven't got my bill yet.
Here's what my club's Field Day site looks like now:
http://media.utsandiego.com/img/photos/2013/07/09/UTI1723169_t940.jpg?13521e6083d8523caab49d2c279efb d88a38372c
Needless to say, things got just a bit out of hand...
K7SGJ
07-22-2013, 08:28 PM
Man, that is sad, very sad.
Man, that is sad, very sad.
Seriously, yeah, it is. That lodge had been there for 100 years—about as long as amateur radio has existed. I looked forward to going up there every June as much for spending three days in the mountains as I did for the Field Day activities.
Here's what my club's Field Day site looks like now:
http://media.utsandiego.com/img/photos/2013/07/09/UTI1723169_t940.jpg?13521e6083d8523caab49d2c279efb d88a38372c
Needless to say, things got just a bit out of hand...
WTF?
Where's that? Was that this year?
I know William Heise burned a while ago.
That sucks!
It was the Al Bahr Shrine Camp on Sunrise Highway about ten miles north of Mount Laguna and, yeah, it burned in the Chariot Fire just a couple of weeks ago.
If you stand where the photographer stood when he took the shot and turn 90° to your right, you'd have a view straight down into the Anza-Borrego Desert state park. It's only a few miles east, but several thousand feet lower in altitude, so an antenna twenty feet up in one of those pines acted like it was on a tower hundreds of feet high.
Here's a video taken Field Day 2012 along the front porch of the lodge. Just a few seconds in you can see the stone steps that are right behind the guy wiping his eyes in the still photo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndQjh96gmxw
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