Field Day

Field Day 2008 Summary

Field Day 2008 Stats & Graphs

Original Field Day Notices

SUMMARY

We made a total of 148 contacts, 126 phone and 22 CW.
9 on 80 meters (6%)
41 on 40 meters (27%)
57 on 20 meters (38%)
41 on 10 meters (27%)

There were a total of 12 participants and 8 different operators:

KB4VNF
KF4SQ OPERATOR
N4TIP OPERATOR
KI4VTL OPERATOR
WD4GEO OPERATOR
KD4WOV OPERATOR
W5IHN OPERATOR
N4TZN OPERATOR
AF4QT OPERATOR
KK3Q
N3DCJ
WB4GHU

SOAPBOX

Setup was done Friday afternoon and evening by Harry KB4VNF, Bob KF4SQ, and Mike N4TIP, who took Harry’s RV to the FD site and spent Friday night there.

Harry graciously provided the hospitality of his 32 foot RV. He cooked and served breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings (scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, complete with blackberry jam).

Cypress Chapter history was made when JC KI4VTL made our very first FD contact at 1852Z on June 28, 2008. (Read on to see why it took 52 minutes into the contest to make our first contact). He worked KY4KY on 40 meter phone. It was hoped we could appropriately make our first contact on 10 meters, but the band didn’t seem to cooperate with us at that time.

Equipment used was an Icom 718, which was backed up by, and traded out with on occasion, a Yaseu 757. Talk in was on a Yaseu 2800. The antennas were a G5RV, Antron 99 for ten meters, and the WD4GEO “big stick”.

Operations were interrupted by a sudden powerful storm that brought plenty of rain and lightning Saturday afternoon. It was after that when operations were moved from the pavilion to the RV.

Saturday afternoon, Debbie N3DCJ grilled burgers and hot dogs for all who were there at the time. The camaraderie and food were superb. Entertainment was provided by the boating community, especially the air boats. The boat ramp stayed busy all day and well into the night. Some of those rigs are really powerful and extremely noisy. It was reported that Friday night Harry, Bob, and Mike were startled awake by some air boaters who “drove” their rigs across the parking lot.

All things considered, our first Field Day effort was decent. Our eight operators valiantly kept our station on the air for the full allotted 24 hours. Those who participated enjoyed a weekend of fellowship and all the typical FD activities. Those of you who didn’t make it out there will want to mark your calendars for next year. The more the merrier!

The FD site turned out to be very functional. There was an excellent spot for the RV right next to the pavilion. The restrooms weren’t far, and there were plenty of trees for antenna supports. I think all who participated liked the location.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Bring plenty of insect repellent.
• Check the antenna coax after a storm passes through. It was discovered during tear down that the coax we used for the G5RV had been struck by lightning. Basically, the antenna we used for most of the event was a piece of coax lying on the ground! So to all the ops who were frustrated by our apparent inability to work stations who should have heard us, that’s the reason. NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT!
• Change the orientation of the antenna to get more signal to the northwest. We didn’t have much success in that direction, and that’s where the bulk of our contacts should be.
  

IN CONCLUSION

I want to offer special thanks to Harry KB4VNF who spent a lot of time and effort preparing his RV and gathering all the needed items to put our station on the air. Bob KF4SQ was also instrumental in that effort. Harry was a gracious host during the event, and I’m sure all of us appreciated the insect-free operating environment.

Further, I appreciate all who had any part in making this first Field Day effort a qualified success. It made me feel great to see the turn out. I know there are others who would like to have come out but couldn’t due to schedule conflicts or some other reason. I know you wanted to be there, and you were missed. Maybe next year?

OPERATING STATS & GRAPHS

Here is a map of the ARRL sections we were able to work during Field Day:

This chart shows the station operator stats:

This chart shows the activity per band and the time worked:

Field Day

June 28-29, 2008

Always The Fourth Full Weekend In June

Field Day Operating Time Slots - Download Here

Ron, WB4GHU is the Cypress Chapter Field Day Coordinator and is looking for help in this first Cypress Chapter Field Day event.

Contact Ron via email you can use this email address: wb4ghu at aol.com (remember to reformat Ron's email address before sending emails).

For those of you who have never operated during Field Day you are encouraged to give Ron and his crew a helping hand. You needn't work the entire weekend, just the hours you have available and all help is welcome.

June 10, 2008

Well we have a site selected, finally and it is at Mullet Lake Park.

Harry, Daniel and I checked out the site this morning. We have the perfect location there, right by the pavilion, and the rest rooms are about 35 yards away. The park has 24 hour access. There are two trees that will be perfect for hanging our G5RV.

The turn off from SR 46 is 2.6 miles from the traffic light at SR 415. Then go to Mullet Lake Park Road (first flashing light) and turn left. Stay on that road 1.9 miles to the park.


73, Ron

PS There is provision there for folks to put in boats if they want to (free ramp), and a pier for fishing for those interested.



Downloadable map:
http://www.cypresschapter.org/downloads/FD-2008.pdf

Find our site on the ARRL Field Day Station Locator:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php
Once you get to the page, enter KI4ZCB in the box and then click on the little red balloon that pops up.

Talk-in freqs: 146.805 & 146.550

Here is a brief run-down of the needs:

• Location
• Rig
• Antenna(s)
• Generator (and fuel)
• Laptop (for logging)
• Food & refreshments
• Helpers:
  • Set-up
  • Operating
  • Loggers
  • Go-fers (go fer this, go fer that)
  • Tear-down & clean-up

This page will be updated regularly so check back often.

We all have had some experience with severe weather conditions living here in Florida and Field Day is designed to teach emergency preparedness. To some Field Day is a "contest" but quite the opposite is true. While their is a spirit of competition among various groups and clubs the main objective of Field Day is to take Amateur Radio where it is need with both equipment and trained operators.

Page updated: July 4, 2008