Field Day 2012

It's that time of year again!  Time for the amateur radio bands to heat up and QRM the airwaves.  Time to bust pileups and major blood vessels in the brain.  Time to down coffee and soda and relieve oneself in the empty two liter bottles.  Time to pitch the tents and fire up the old Honda generators.  Time to use the potato guns to launch wires into trees and laugh at what terrible aims we all have.  It's time for mosquito repellant and sunscreen.

Yes, Field Day 2012 is here at last and, much to the chagrin of ragchewers everywhere, the loud and boisterous calls of "CQ Field Day!" will just about ruin normal skeds.  But never fear!  After 2100 UTC on the 24th, the bands will be "returned to normal amateur use"!

My station is quite simple by comparison to some of the "big gun" contest stations that are out there.  I briefly touched on that in an earlier blog post.  I didn't run a marathon session.  I think I might have clocked a total of five hours in the whole 27 hour event.  I was able to contact the following stations during my brief and sporadic time on-air:

1. K1T - 5A NH - 7.178
2. W1NY - 8A WMA - 7.188
3. K1RK - 2A EMA - 7.227
4. N0W - 7A KS - 14.268
5. K0KKV - 5A NE - 14.234
6. W0PIR - 3A SD - 14.264
7. K5K - 2A NTX - 14.271
8. KC0ZNI - 1E KS - 14.286
9. K5EOK - 3A OK - 14.284
10. K1BKE - 4A NH - 14.259
11. N1FD - 12A NH - 14.337
12. W1SMH - 3A EMA - 7.259 
13. K9BAR - 6A IL - 14.315
14. K2VN - 4A NLI - 7.241

Honorable mention to NX9L 2A MO.  Lots of QRM on the band and he couldn't pull me out of the mud.  He was able to copy me as KF4PTH 1D but he was unable to read my VA!  :-)  Indeed, on my side he went from a 59 to a 22 and everything in between.  We were on 14.250 and the chatter on the edges was enormous.

Thank you to each of you!  Nearly every station was a 57 to 59 for the RS report.  I shudder to know how I was, but for the most part the Field Day information transfer was (it seems) easily copied.  Only a couple of stations asked for a "say again".

So many stations were booming into northern Virginia, but I couldn't work them.  I must admit that the issue is certainly on my end.  To do contesting reliably I'll need to get out and away from the subdivision.  It just isn't the best location to try and put up antennas.  My BB7V is, quite literally, tossed up in the air so I can put it up and down quickly.  I used a paper logsheet and the list of stations I heard but never got a response from is a lot longer than the list of those I did manage to capture.

On 14.245Mhz at 1400UTC I could clearly hear stations speaking (what I think was) Spanish and someone was sending out music.  I don't speak the language so I have no idea what they were chatting about.  An audio clip is below.

This was my first real Field Day effort from home and using my own station.  The other Field Day events I've attended were at the contest stations of local clubs.  I really enjoyed this experience.  Next year I will have to try out some home brew dipoles or other antennas.  I've got the G5RV here but I cannot put it up in the subdivision.  But as I said, no trees and not enough back yard!  Despite my concerns about the BB7V's performance, it put in an okay effort and overall I'm satisfied with the results.

Opinions vary on the importance (or lack thereof) of the Field Day event.  For me it isn't so much a preparation for the eventual emergency crisis which  so many radio commandos hope to occur.  It's a chance to get on the air, work some stations (since there are so bloody many of them keying up), and tinker with antennas.  I'll be here next year, same time.  I think a VHF contest is coming up.  I guess I'll try that out too.

73 de KF4PTH