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As Spring turns to Summer, a young ham’s fancy turns towards…Field Day! The annual ARRL Field Day emergency preparedness exercise/contest/social event is Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th. As usual, SPARC is participating in this event but this year, we are building upon the success of the Winter Field Day event with a joint Field Day operation with the Clearwater Amateur Radio Society and Upper Pinellas Amateur Radio Club. The event will be held at the Clearwater Fire Training Center on Belcher Road in Clearwater.
For those that may not be familiar with Field Day, Field Day is an annual operating event sponsored by the ARRL. From the ARRL website,
“Field Day is ham radio’s open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.
What you can do right now is to sign-up. We need people to setup, operate, tear-down and ready to have fun. We will be running three simultaneous stations with one station dedicated to CW and the others as SSB and PSK-31. We will have a satellite station and a vast array of different antenna types. Taking advantage of the training facilities, we are setting up temporary antennas but operating from inside in the classrooms. This makes the FLorida heat a bit more comfortable. The clubs are providing meals and drinks throughout the weekend but all are asked to bring a dish to share for Saturday evening. We start setup at 8:00 AM on Saturday June 23 and start operating at 2:00 PM. We will then operate throughout the night straight through to 2:00 PM Sunday.
Field Day is always a great event to come out and make new friends and share a weekend hamming with old ones. No experience is necessary and we welcome new people and anyone interested in ham radio to enjoy a weekend of radio fun, good food and great camaraderie. Please go to this link to sign up.
We will discuss this more at our club meeting as we also need more volunteers to help with the planning stage. Field Day is a team effort and the more people that participate, the more fun it is!
One of the first Field Days I ever attended (back in 1982) was at the Fairgrounds in Largo (home of the Renaissance festivals). At that event, the Clearwater Amateur Radio Society (CARS), the Metro Repeater Association (Metro) and the St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club (SPARC) came together in the spirit of inter-club cooperation to put on a huge ARRL Field Day effort. This was complete with a great location, good equipment, operators to man the stations, great food and loads of fun.
View of site from fire tower (dipole support) [Photo by Josh KN4GFP]Folks gathering ready to setup [Photo by Josh KN4GFP]In that spirit, last week in Clearwater at the Clearwater Fire Training Center located off of Belcher Road, members of CARS and SPARC joined the members of the Upper Pinellas Amateur Radio Club (UPARC) to put an effort in for Winter Field Day. Yes, I said Winter Field Day. Winter Field Day was started several years ago to practice the same emergency communications abilities at Summer Field Day but with the understanding that not all emergency deployments occur in the late days of June. While WFD is not an ARRL event, it follows the same general idea. Go to a remote location away from existing radio infrastructure, use generators and see how many other hams you can contact in a 24 hour period. Our joint Winter Field Day was a huge, resounding success!
Three HF stations setup outside [Photo by Bob N2ESP]With three separate stations, we made 430 QSOs for a point total of over 13,000 (including 6000 bonus points). More importantly, we aptly demonstrated what can happen when three of the larger clubs in the area work together to conduct an event to support each of their members and the hams in Pinellas County in general. Of course, an event like this does not “just happen”.
Elmering on how to operate the stations…[Photo by Jeff NE4C]Representatives of the three clubs met for weeks before the event planning all the little details. We staged a “dry-run” where all the radio and computer equipment was setup and made operational. We call this thing we hams do wireless, but being short a few key cables can mean the difference between talking or not.
Roger KL7HOT and Alan N4AYE enjoying the Breakfast of Champions [Photo by Josh KN4GFP]Setup for the event started at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning, January 27. Approximately 20 people were present at the start to setup two wire antennas including stringing them from the fire training center towers used to train firefighters on high rise building fires.
Dipole support from fire tower [Photo by Jeff NE4C]
An additional vertical was setup as were three separate HF station locations and supporting computers.
Tom NY4I working PSK31 [Photo by Bob N2ESP]Generators for emergency power were setup as was a VHF talk-in station and a satellite antenna and tripod. Everything was set up by Noon and ready to go just in time for the first of four meals our wonderful cooking team provided. Lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs was served.
Glenn N4ESU and Steve N4FOY work 40m SSB [Photo by Bob N2ESP]
At 2:00 PM, the HF stations leap into gear making contacts with stations all around the country. Very poor HF propagation made it slow going limiting most contacts to 20m and 40m with mostly East coast and Mid-west stations responding.
Working the East Coast on Saturday [Photo by Tom NY4I]
Around 6:00 PM, it was time for dinner of pulled pork, side dishes brought for the potluck and desserts.
Good food, good fun [Photo by Tom NY4I]Hams eating ham [Photo by Jeff NE4C]Meal time [Photo by Tom NY4I]The contacts continued throughout the evening.
Several times during the day, a satellite contact was attempted using an Arrow antenna, a Yaesu FT-817 radio and a satellite tracking program on an iPhone.
Arrow Satellite Antenna [Photo by Bob N2ESP]After 5 unsuccessful passes (including a try at 2:00 AM Sunday morning), Tom NY4I made a mad dash after getting a few hours of sleep at home to pull into the site while an FO-29 pass was just starting. Everyone came together to bring the antenna to an open spot in the parking lot while Tom gathered up the FT-817. Then, when the satellite was at its highest point of that pass, NK1N from Hillsborough, NJ responded to our call for a successful contact at 8:20 AM.
Having our 1500 satellite bonus points in the bag, we settled into finish up making more contacts followed by a lunch of leftovers (pulled pork gets better with time). It looked like a storm was moving in around Noon so the decision was made to start taking down some antennas that were not used. The final station stopped at 12:30 PM and the antennas high on the fire towers were removed. The team proceeded to start dismantling the equipment, antennas, computers and other items. As usual, the site came down much faster than it went up. At the end, while waiting to help load some items, a bunch of us hung around just chatting and enjoying the camaraderie of the day. It was an incredibly fun time all weekend and if you missed it, I do hope you plan on attending next year.
Equipment waiting to be loaded into a vehicle. Looks like a DXPedition, doesn’t it? [Photo by Tom NY4I]As we pulled out of the site right at 2:00 PM, the aforementioned rain started to fall proving the decision to tear down early ever more prescience.
Below is an image browser of all the pictures I have been sent. Please feel free to browse. If you have any pictures I am missing, please send them to webmaster@sparc-club.org.
Click on the map at the top of the menu on the left to see a real-time summary of the SPARC Field Day effort. This information comes directly from the logging computers via a Raspberry Pi. We hope you make it down to the club station today but if not, you can watch our progress.
Join us June 23rd, 24th and 25th at the SPARC club house for this year’s ARRL FD activities.
2016 SPARC Field Day
Our goal is not a big score, but for everyone to take part and experience station setup and getting on the air.
Field Day setup begins on Friday at 2:00PM. We will begin station configuration. This includes tables, antennas, radios, computers, and power.
Saturday morning, beginning at 10:00AM, we will finish station setup and verify all systems are go. We will form Ad Hoc committees to take care of the operating schedule, food and any other necessities.
The event starts Saturday afternoon at 2:00PM. Let the fun begin. Operators of all experience levels are welcome to operate. CW/Digital/SSB operating positions will be available at various times of the day. If enough operators are available, we can keep the station open a full 24 hours. Remember to bring your own headphones.
Sunday at 2:00PM the operating event ends and station take-down begins. Many hands make light work, so chip in and don’t miss the fun.
The new SPARC FD format should be more fun and less hassle for all members. Look forward to seeing everyone there.
First, these are my own opinions, but I thought the club might enjoy some things I have picked up over the years. I have seen all of these things actually happen.
Going to Field Day is the best ham radio best decision you will ever make!
This one is only half-joking…The most dangerous place to be is between the Field Day site and the parking lot at 1759z on Sunday afternoon. Teardown starts at 1800z so it is the really committed (and tired) that hang around to help teardown.
You should rarely get to operate your own station. This is about elmering. The best Field Days are when you have new people that you help operate your radio or an adjacent station.
FD is a collective event. It is not 3 station members that bring their radios, man them around the clock and don’t let anyone else operate.
If you are afraid someone might break your radio, leave it at home. Field Day is a place the new people that may not be experienced on HF get to press the buttons and twiddle the dials on different radios. Your Icom 7851 does not belong at Field Day. Your radio will get dusty, there will be BBQ sauce on the display and it may need some cleaning when you are done. This is Field Day after all and things happen. Leave your prized possessions at home and bring your backup rig—but at least the one with good filters.
“Take my ball and go home” has no place at Field Day. If you lend your radio, antenna, generator, etc, it’s in it for the duration. If you get mad, go home and come back at 1830z on Sunday to get your stuff.
Someone will transmit on the same band on which another radio is receiving. It will happen. There are ways to prevent this (such as assigning radios to bands) but refer back to the item that all radios are shared resources used by whomever happens to be operating 20m at the time. Your job is to train them to operate and hand them the mic. Hang around to help answer questions but let them drive.
If you don’t plan out your antenna layout, the 20m CW station antenna will be too close to the 20m SSB station antenna. Interference is no fun but solving it is part of Field Day.
Mosquitoes suck!
Cigar smoke chases away mosquitoes. Find someone in the club that likes a good Fuente and sit by them. Just no Swisher Sweets—they stink.
It will rain. Plan accordingly.
If you do not reserve a year in advance, one of your kids will have the nerve to pick the fourth Saturday in June for a wedding.
You will learn things about what you can do under less than ideal circumstances. FD brings out the MacGyver in every ham. Solve some issue with the coax. Make a new coax choke when the balun fails. Twist wires together when the connectors come off the power supply wire.
Field Day is not a clean room. Perfect is the enemy of Field Day. Perfectionism has no place at FD. Save perfect for your shack at home. Yes, 100 feet of LMR400 technically has less loss than 100 feet of RG-8X, but at Field Day, we just don’t care. 89 watts out of 100 is better than having to drive home for the roll of LMR400 to put 93 watts to the antenna.
If you have booze, someone will get drunk. You have to deal with all its requisite issues.
Sitting on a run frequency calling CQ and working stations for an hour straight is just magic. You will never have an operating experience like running from a well-equipped FD station (meaning a good antenna).
The newspaper or TV station reporter you invited will arrive at Sunday morning right in the middle of your aforementioned 180 QSOs/hour run.
Everyone at the site should know to whom to refer the reporters when they arrive. Coherence and CW signals make good B-roll.
The bonus points will only materialize if you designate someone as the Bonus Point captain. Their job is to make sure someone gets all the bonus points.
Did the satellite station make a contact AND give you the log?
Did someone copy the W1AW bulletin? Exactly who is doing it and do they know to bring you the text?
Does a specific person have the solar charged battery to make the alternate power contacts?
Is there a sign-up book?
Does everyone know they should direct new people to the check-in table?
FM Transponders for the satellite contact are useless. You will not get into the repeater. Use FO29 or another linear satellite with SSB or CW.
The more complicated the satellite antenna system, the less likely you will make a contact. The Az/El rotator with the dual beams on an H-Frame is cool, but an Arrow antenna or eggbeaters will do just fine.
In Florida–and the rest of the South–it will be unbearably warm and muggy. At 8000 feet in the mountains of Utah, you will need a coat and gloves as it will be freezing at night—yes, after attending Florida Field Days for years, I laughed when they told me to bring a coat at my first Utah ARC Field Day in in the mountains above Payson, Utah.
You are going to have to talk to strangers. Field Day is about emergency preparedness (and contesting) but it is mostly a very public display of amateur radio. If you see someone new, get up and talk to them. Invite them to the check-in table; ask if they are a ham; do they want to operate? If they are new, give them a brochure for the club. If you are not all that outgoing, make sure there is always someone that can answer questions. Be inviting and open to new people. Field Day is not the time for cliques.
The generator will run out of gas at the worst possible time.
The camaraderie you will experience is unique to Field Day. Field Day is a way for us to work together for a common goal. We all share a love of radio. Field Day allows us to hone our own skills, help others better their skills and test our endurance under less than ideal conditions. We all love to talk about the emergency aspects of ham radio when we need it for things like the Amateur Radio Parity Act, but you cannot say you are an emergency communicator if you cannot pull off Field Day. Field Day will test you, it will make you sweat but it will give you much in return.
Going to Field Day is the best ham radio best decision you will ever make!
