GOTA Training

As you will soon tell, we are now officially in "Field Day" season. That usually starts after the last club meeting before the event (June meeting) through to the fourth full weekend. One of my duties that I took on was to give a briefing to the new hams who will be operating the GOTA station this year.

It will take place at my house at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday June 14. I have already posted this on the reflector. We will have three or four who I think will be attending. The agenda is:

• Using Writelog. I will have my laptop loaded up with the FD contest. I will go over data entry, and some of the basic functionality. It really is pretty easy.
• Listening and tuning. I'm going to go over the search and pounce protocol, and how to tune a SSB signal. Most of us take that for granted, but it does take a somewhat learned ear to do it.
• The IC-746. Since I own a '746 and that will be the GOTA rig this year (not mine) I will go over how to operate it. Mostly which knob is the volume control! HI!
• The QSO and FD exchange. What to listen for, when to transmit, what to say, and how to be flexible. Along with this will be a discussion of etiquette and manners.... uh, there are none, that was easy!
• I will put the 746 on the dummy load on 10 meters and I will go out to my mobile and call CQ and "run". I will get each of the students to work me to get as much of a real feel as possible.
• Hopefully, Chris will make some snacks and they will all be interested in my Field day "war stories" including my FD in 1976! [note to self: good subject for a blog post]

Anyway, that's what is happening here right now. Gota go. 73