Preparing for Field Day

Lots of little things are coming together. I got the Red Cross generators today from Fred Winner. Fred will not be at field day this year as he has a prior obligation.

Ray, WA4WGA, is off in Ohio making preparations for his move in late summer up there. He has already gotten hooked up with a group up there running 4A and is already invited to operate.

Been keeping an eye on the "Kaz" group over in Franklin party as to their preparations. Wish them well in their effort, I know they will rack up a good score. I guess we can kiss NC Section first place in 2A good-bye! No worries, we are all in it for the fun anyway, right? Right!

In the house keeping department, there will be no blog entry from June 22-25. It will either be preparing for Field Day, Field Day, or recovering from Field Day.

See ya 73 Marty

DP in the Morning

Local FM commercial radio station WZAX (Zax '99.3) morning drive guy is "DP in the Morning" Dave Perkins. One of his features just after the morning prime time drive is "RBC Centura Spotlight on the Community" Each weekday at 8 a.m. he brings in a guest until about 9 a.m. All kinds of subjects are discussed of local interest in between the news, contests, commercials, music, etc. I'd say there probably is about 20 minutes of actual conversation that takes place during that hour.

Dave has invited the Tar River Amateur Radio Club to come and discuss Field Day on his show this coming Friday morning, June 22. What a treat! I was selected to represent our group and will have Daniel Joyner, KI4QXS, join me. Need to figure a way to "roll tape" and get a recording of this. Ray, WA4WGA, usually does this but he is away in Ohio right now on family business. I'll ask Dave about that.

Here are some things I'm going to suggest to Dave (DP) to ask us:

• What and where is Field Day and its purpose?






• How many hams participate in Field Day and why?






• Why is ham radio "needed" when there are far more modern ways to communicate?






• What is the origin of the term "Ham"? Who are some famous hams?






• Can just anyone get a ham radio license? How do you get one?






• How far can one ham talk to another via amateur radio?






• Isn't ham radio out dated? What are the modern aspects of ham radio?

Field Day 1977

It was Summer 1977. I had my Novice ticket since May of 1976. This was my first Field Day.

It was on McMillian Island on Lake Osborne, just south of West Palm Beach, Florida. the call was W4HAW. "CQ Field Day from Double-you Four Hams Are Wonderful" was our mantra!

To get on the island, you had to take a boat. Lake Osborne was really just a body of water that was part of the inter coastal waterway in between the mainland and outer barrier islands to the Atlantic Ocean. Talk about fertile RF grounding!

Take a look at that picture on the right, that's me sitting down! I went into the Navy three months later.

Take a look at the number of hams participating, 50! What a group. If I remember, we were 5A, I think. I had a pup tent and camp stove, it was at least 100 degrees, mosquitoes that would carry you away. Back then, there was no GOTA, but a novice station that used the same call as the host group. Only Novice class operators could setup and run it, and of course, it was CW only.

What great memories. It was the same today as you could operate in the phone band as a novice with a control operator. What a thrill. If I remember correctly, the rig in front of me in the picture was a Kenwood TS-520, and I was being shown how to tune it up before transmitting! Tune up, what is that!?! Back then Kenwood was the top rig among the common ham population. There was Collins and Drake, of course, but that was the equivalent of having a IC-7800 or Yaesu FT-9000 today. The Kenwood TS520 was a workhorse. Much like the IC-746, FT-990, or TS-570 is today.

My most memorable Field Day was in 1980 the summer before I was to get out of the Navy. It was in the Santa Rosa Amateur Radio club in Milton, FL. I was FD chairman (at 22 years old) in charge of all these old timers! It was held at Blackwater State Park in Santa Rosa county, FL. I remember it because I designed and built a mono band 10 meter 3 element yagi that we put up for FD that year. I wasn't knowledgeable about sunspots back then, but it must have been the peak, because 10 meters opened up for Field Day and remained open THE ENTIRE TIME, including in the wee hours of the night and morning. The run never stopped, not even at 2 o'clock in the morning. What a rush!

Gosh, that was 30 years ago this year! boy has allot changed. By the way, I got that newspaper article from my mother. Who else but your mother would save something like this. I have another picture from that 1977 FD of a picture of me putting up an antenna in another newspaper. Funny thing in 2006, the local newspaper here published a picture of me doing THE SAME THING at age 48.

The more things change, the more they stay the same!

Till later W4MY

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

TRARC June 2007 Meeting

As promised, here is my report from the Tar River Amateur Radio Club meeting on June 4, 2007. The primary subject was Field Day.

There were about ten members present with a new prospective ham, Mike, visiting for the first time. Welcome aboard Mike! (My apologies for not mentioning Mike's last name, it was one of those long names with lots of consonants)

It seems things are pretty much set. There wasn't much comment from the group, even when asked for contribution on things less settled, such as the Saturday afternoon meal. The consensus, from the leadership core (again), was to just make a run to Bojangles for a tailgate special. That's OK with me.

Fred Winner. KE4LXW, said he has prior obligations and will be unable to attend. This puts a wrinkle in getting the Red Cross ERV (That's stands for Emergency Response Vehicle) to house station #2. This will have to be Worked out off line.

I have to co ordinate with Fred on getting the generators, that seems a little dicey. We are rolling on. I was disappointed not to see Daniel, KI4QXS, at the meeting. Wanted to talk about his recent experience with HF. Hopefully he will be able to make FD.

That's it for this report. Its my story and I'm sticking to it! 73

Fireman Training Grounds

Today I participated in a recognisance mission to review our field day site at the Rocky Mount Fireman's Training Grounds. I met with John Faulkner, KR4SV, who has our connection with the fire department. Robin, WA4WPD, was supposed to also be there but was unable due to an emergency.

Evaluation List:

1. Fire Tower - this is a 68 foot structure that can be easily ascended via a steep staircase and is relatively safe to operate on the top. It has plenty of room to work at the top to place the StepIR and D40 Dipole.

2. Low Band Antennas - one end can be tied to the fire tower at 68 feet and the antenna extend outward over an open field. The Superloop 80 can get tied to a non working light pole at about 30 feet. The Carolina Windom 80 will go out over the middle of the open field and we will have to construct a counterpoise with an extension ladder.

3. Shelter - The gazebo attached to an activity building is about all that is usable, as the inside of the building is being used for storage. It is adequate for adverse weather and will be OK.

4. Stations - Stations will be located in the ERV, Camping trailer, and under the gazebo (GOTA). The gazebo is about 150 feet from the tower and is located in the shade, so it is quite pleasant despite the mid day sun.

5. Necessary Facilities. The plumbing in the bathroom is not functioning, so there will have to be a portable toilet rented for the weekend.

6. Enjoy the pictures, see everyone at the June TRARC meeting.

Working on Field Day

Put together to test out the StepIR and D40 today. Here are some pics. Everything checks out and is good to go. Both of these antennas will be atop a 68' firefighting training tower sitting on the top platform just as you see them set up here.

Out club call sign is W4DCG with GOTA call sign TBD. We've invited the Rocky Mount Amateur Radio Club (our sister club here) to join us in a joint effort, and if that pans out, the GOTA call will be WR4MT.

The one pic of the StepIR is a bit over exposed, but shows the antenna nicely against an otherwise dark background. This antenna is difficult to see which, in some cases, might be a benefit.

Not shown are the low band antennas which will be a Radio Works Superloop80 and Carolina Windom 80.

Had great weather today. A good day to get outside and play Ham Radio.

Field Day 2007

Field Day is on my mind today.

There is no more engaging activity for the ham. If you are really into radio, and like the athletic aspects of the hobby, Field Day is for you.

Now how does "athletic" fit into ham radio? Sitting in front of a radio late at night intently listening to small signals coming from the ether is more accurately described as sedentary, not athletic. Field Day is different.

Try going 30 hours without significant sleep, climbing- pulling- pushing- trodding involved in erecting temporary antennas, surviving the elements, slapping bugs, troubleshooting, and 24 hours of operating. Then tearing it all down in a whirlwind leaving the area just as you found it, only your footprints as evidence you were ever there.

Everyone has a different perspective on what FD (Field Day) is, for me its the shared experience with like minded hams. Fellowship, shared adversity, teamwork, and most of all intense radio activity is what gives me the biggest charge. Some people say I try too hard and need to throttle back. Maybe so, maybe not. Hopefully there will be a place for me this year!

See you in the pile ups!