Things No One Else Will Tell You About Field Day

I'm nostalgic. I like traditions. I like to camp. I like to stay up all night from time to time. I like to play on the radio--but you knew that already. So, it makes sense that I would like the ARRL's Annual Field Day. In fact, since becoming a ham I haven't missed one yet. Okay, that's not really a major feat, as I've only been licensed during the past four Field Days, but I am on a roll that I hope to keep going. So like many other amateur radio operators, I've marked June 28-29 on the calendar and informed the XYL of my intentions to operate the, "entire weekend this year. " 

In case you're wondering: she rolled her eyes and gave me her best "whatever" look before informing me that I would have three children as company and that she would be happy to be left alone in the house for, "the entire weekend." She said it very menacingly.

If you've never partaken of the Field Day festivities, there is plenty of literature available online and in print. The books and website will give you the basics: what the point is, who might be on the air, what you'll be hearing, where to go, what t-shirt to buy, how many commemorative mugs you should consider parting with your dollars for...but there are a few things they don't tell you. For instance:

Field Day IS a contest

They will say it isn't. They will assure you that it's a test. They will tell you there is no winner. They are all liars! Of course it's a contest, but the points are a little tricky to calculate, so here is a handy guide to calculate your score.

Field Day 2014 Ham-N-Roll Point System
Visible Insect Bites	1 Pt./Ea
Antenna Rope Burns	1Pt./Inch
Hair Physically Torn Out During FD	10Pts./Square Inch
Caffinated Beverages Consumed	1 Pt./8 oz.
Pens/Pencils Rendered Useless	2 Pt./Ea.
Sleep	-25 Pts./Hour
Speaking to Non-Hams about Event	10 Pts./Minute
New Friends Made	Priceless
Multipliers:
Sunburn	Percentage of body covered expressed as a whole number i.e. 50% of body Sunburned=50 x total points
Lost Voice	Multiply points by db SPL lost from June 28 at 1800 UTC to June 29 at 2059 UTC

Field Day is a GREAT Weekend for DX

Sure the bands will be crowded, sure people will be piled up like I-5 during rush hour moments after an armored truck rolled over spilling it's contents across 8 lanes of asphalt. It also means that just about everyone in the world with na HF rig will be pointing their antenna stateside to witness the madness. If you're anything like me, you'll find those little RF holes in the spectrum and call CQDX a few times, you might be surprised at who answers. Last year, I added 7 new countries. 

You Don't Need an HF Rig to Enjoy Field Day

There are a few ways around the lack of a HF rig in your shack. You can join a club or group who is participating and use their gear at a GOTA (get on the air) station--find a group here. You can find a friend who has an HF rig and beg, borrow, or steal it for the weekend (I do not advise the latter, the fines and jail time will really hamper your chances at DXCC). Or you can take you FM mobile or hand-held out to the highest geographic location within a reasonable distance and score some major fun working simplex. If you decide to go that route, take a few minutes and a few dollars (<$20) to build a tape measure yagi and double your distance. Here is a link to some great plans for one.

Even if You Are Set Up on the Moon Bring Bug Spray

Field Day's one draw back is that it is always concurrently scheduled with the annual AMFGNEAH festival. The AMFGNEAH (Annual Mosquito Fly Gnat and Noseeum Eat A Ham) Festival is notorious. Google it. Never mind the robots must be sleeping, there are no results. Seriously though, you would be amazed at how many Field Day points (see the chart above) you'll acquire if you ignore this little tidbit: Bug Spray=Good, Mosquito Coils=Good, Sugar water=No Bueno. 

37% of Field Day Happens at Night

Field Day is twenty seven hours long, ten of those hours are in darkness, unless you live in Alaska or you are operating inside a building (which, for the record, is not a Field and therefore cheating...regardless of what the rules say). No one remembered to tell me this the first year, so imagine my surprise when I was trying to test my battery voltage at three in the morning without a flashlight. Luckily the arch of electricity alerted a fellow ham that I needed some light...and an icepack. Make sure you have some means of seeing after dark, I prefer an LED headlamp. It leaves my hands open and reduces shadows where I need to see. Also, it's easier to find after thirty cups of coffee and eight hours of breathing bug spray fumes.

In Conclusion

Field Day is a blast and the stories I have from my first four are some of my favorite Ham moments. If I could only impart one thing, it would be this: enjoy your time. No matter how many or how few contacts you make Field Day is always interesting, challenging, and usually a lot of fun. Take time to work stations having trouble, go out of your way to chat up younger hams. Be ready with a smile and plenty of charm when someone stops by to see what all the racket is about. Field Day is a blast, but only if you make it one.

4 Ways to Maximize Your Next Hamfest

The dust has settled and the car has been emptied of coffee cups and ham gear. I've unpacked my bags and begun to organize all the little bits and pieces that followed me home from Dayton. This was a great Hamvention weekend. It was my third year in four and by far the best time yet. On the long drive back to New Jersey, I had some time to ruminate on what made this trip so much better than the last. I've come up with several ideas, but four stick out most. Best of all, they aren't specific to Dayton. So, no matter what Hamfest you might be heading to, here are four way to get more out of the experience:

1.) Go with someone fun

People in our lives generally fall into three categories: people we enjoy, people we don't, and people we have to be be around whether we enjoy them or not. When going to the Hamfest, only take the first kind of people. This might sound simple, but don't pass over it too quickly. Consider that Ham radio--and by extension a Ham Fest--is not for everyone, whether you enjoy them or not. So take someone you enjoy, who also enjoys Ham radio and you'll have a great time. Drag along a friend, spouse, or mother-in-law that cannot understand why you, "waste all that time in the garage fiddling with your radio," and you're both in for some serious spurious emissions that may make RF burns the least of your worries.

2.) Make a Point of Learning Something New

The draw of Amateur Radio is complex. There are the Emcomm types, the CW purists, the PSK314787096505 digital modes types, the "Good Buddy this here ham radio sure beats CB" types, and there are people that want to bounce signals off satellites or the Moon or Mars (at least that's what there antennas suggest). The point is, no matter what you've tried in Ham Radio, there is at least one more things you haven't tried. If you're at a Hamfest, chances are someone there knows about it. Go ask questions, sit through a forum,or  grab some literature. You never know what you'll discover. For instance, I learned that my Raspberry Pi, is a really good platform for building a repeater controller at the Embedded Linux Forum this year at Dayton. Why did I go to that forum? It was the only one where I could find a seat. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Now I have another avenue to explore in Ham radio.

3.) Go With a Purpose and Maybe a List

It is SO easy to come home from a Hamfest with a trunk full of junk. There is a lot of STUFF at any Hamfest, but chances are, you don't need that much stuff. In fact, you might not need any stuff at all and that's perfectly acceptable. The best way to avoid all the Junk in the Trunk is to avoid carbohydrates (sorry I was trying to hold back, but I couldn't resist). The best way to avoid buying a bunch of stuff you don't need is to go with a plan and maybe a list. You might not find what you're looking for, but that gives you an excuse to go to the next Hamfest (win-win). With a solid plan you will be focused on finding something useful. 

Another thing: don't give up. I went to Dayton with a few small bits and pieces on my list: toroids, connectors, a few semiconductors, but at the very top of the list was an Elecraft K1. I've wanted one for a while, but shelling out the money for a new one has been impossible. For months I've been convincing myself I'd find a used one at a Hamfest. When none showed up, I doubled down on Dayton. Like they say, "If you can't find it at the Dayton flea market..." Well, I couldn't and it bummed me out. I was just about to blow some money of something else to satiate my QRP thirst when I spotted a K1 sitting on a table where it didn't belong. Ten minutes later, I was walking off with it after striking a deal that even my XYL thought was reasonable. The point is, know what you're looking for, don't give up, and keep you eyes open.

4.) Talk to People, Meet On-Air Contacts, Join a Club or Group

Ham Radio is social. So be social. It's one thing to know people's on-air voice, but when you can meet them face-to-face, it makes the on-air meetings more interesting and meaningful. Talking to and meeting new Hams is also a great way to initiate more on-air contacts and it's also a great way to find new friends. If you're shy, join a group or a club and slowly wade in to the social interaction. Before you know it, you 'll have more people to go to Ham Fests with and more people who sympathize and offer alternatives next time your XYL puts her foot down on your plan to run a radial field through her rose garden.

Hamfests are a blast. So find one nearby or even one not so nearby and make a day of it. With some forethought, a few friends, a willingness to learn, and a purpose for going, you'll be sure to have an amazing time. Just remember, it's easy to spend money at a Hamfest, but it's how you spend your time there that counts.

73

Field Day Approaches

Field Day is NEXT WEEKEND! Wow, that came fast. It feels like yesterday that I was bemoaning the fact that I had to work the entire weekend of FD2012. This year, I don't and I've been preparing my family for my absence long enough now that they roll their eyes when I continue to remind them. So I'm in full planning mode.

I was hoping to run QRP CW as a 1B station this year, but I've been slacking a little in the learning department and my CW is still way too shaky to commit to an entire weekend of CW only. I will still try to gather a few CW contacts with patient ops, probably in the wee hours of the morning when the pile-ups are few and far between and less people will be listening to my shaky fist. For the most part, I'll be operating SSB. 

I've thought long and hard about where to celebrate this year's festivities, but my equipment is weighing down (literally) my options. Because I will be working SSB, I only have a full size 100W rig available. While I have no problem losing the computer and paper logging (see THIS post), my transceiver alone will draw more power than I can easily carry. Since my house is 100% solar powered during the day, I may operate from the QTH and utilize a bank of AGM batteries I have stashed for just such an occasion. That feels a little boring though. Maybe I'll set up a tent and "camp out" for the weekend. I have 9 acres to spread out in and plenty of trees to test out some quick and dirty antenna deployment options. Who knows?

It's times like this where I really miss being a part of a club. I still have had zero luck getting in touch with anyone listed on the ARRL club list for Northern NJ. I'm hoping to wrap up my mobile install tonight, so I can start monitoring the local repeaters and maybe find a few other like-minded hams to steer me in the right direction, or to start a new club with. Until then, I need to get ready for next weekend. 

What are your plans for Field Day?

Hoping to Get Clubbed

I recently re-joined the ARRL. I let my membership lapse two years ago during a time of financial trouble and a waining interest in anything and everything beyond surviving. Now that I'm on a more even keel financially and emotionally, it felt like it was time to get involved again.

I was perusing the site last night, looking for a radio club near my home in Western NJ. I was surprised at how many clubs were listed within 25 miles or so of home. I was also surprised by the numbers listed in the membership fields; especially since I cannot seem to find anyone anywhere on any repeater in the area. So I decided to check out a few of the club websites and plan to attend a meeting in the near future. That is when things really got weird.

I visited seven club websites. Not one…not a single one, had anything remotely recent posted. Some of the sites had not been updated since 2008. So, back to the ARRL list I went. Only one of these clubs seemed defunct. All the others had submitted annual reports in late 2012 or early What is going on?

I searched around a little more and jumped on QRZ.com to check out the listed officers of the clubs. Most appear to be active. Seriously? Why is there no club love? That got me thinking back to my first/last/only club experience. I joined the EDCARC (El Dorado Amateur Radio Club) shortly after I received my Tech ticket. I found them on the ARRL list, emailed then President Don Brooks, KJ6YST and received a warm and timely reply. I showed up at the next meeting, was met by Don, introduced to several club members and brought into the fold. At the next meeting I was asked to, "bring some new blood," to the Board. I accepted gladly.

For the next two years, I was very active with the club. There were weekly nets, monthly board meetings, monthly club meetings, and eventually ARES meetings, trainings, and nets. We had regular outings, field days, and public service events. There were people my age, much younger and much older. We all got along, learned from each other, and had a ton of fun. Then I got a new job and I was able to attend less and less. I missed it…a lot. In fact, I still do. Which is why I wanted to get into a new club ASAP, but apparently things are different here.

That got me thinking. Maybe I should start my own club. Then I considered how little time I have now and that idea went away. So then I thought about what I WANT in a club. I always find that defining what I want or what I believe should be, is a good way to frame the idea. Here's what I came up with so far:

• Meetings should be social events, not a second job. They should be fun to attend
• The bulk of the time spent should be on furthering the hobby, not servicing the club
• Atmosphere should be fun and inviting
• The club should attract people I would want to hang out with otherwise
• Information should be redly available and regularly updated
• Dues should only offset costs that are REQUIRED: e.g. renting meeting space, upkeep of a repeater system, printing or web-site costs, beer (just seeing if you're paying attention)

I'm not sure there is a club that meets these criteria, but I'm hoping there is. If not, I'm hoping that there are some other hams locally that are looking for similar things in a radio club, because I'm getting pretty bored playing radio all by myself.

What are you experiences in radio clubs? Have they all been stuffy haunts of rules and regulations? Have they been fun and informative? Do you belong to a club? Why or why not? Am I off the mark in what I hope to get out of a radio club? Am I missing something? Seriously, I'd like to know.