W4FT on Amateur Radio

Okay, it’s that time again! We’re ramping up the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society’s W4DW Field Day effort. Once again, I will be serving as the 80/15 meter phone band captain. That means getting the station together and, more importantly, getting the people lined up! So, with that in mind, I’m putting this page up as a central point of information for everyone that would like to help set up, operate and/or take down this station!

There are really four phases to this.

• Phase 1:      all the advanced planning and preparation.
• Phase 2:      setup and deployment of the station on Friday afternoon.
• Phase 3:      Operations!  24 hours long
• Phase 4:      Teardown and evacuation

Phase 1: Planning

This is the planning that goes on all month long before the fourth weekend in July.  I will be planning what equipment to have on hand, checking generators, repairing radios, and generally taking care of all the logistics.  This also includes recruiting people to help with all of the other phases of this operation.  Not much to tell you right now, but I will be adding more to this page as it comes to mind.

Phase 2: Deployment

On Friday afternoon June 25 at 2:00 pm, setup will commence.  This means hanging antennas, setting up radios and generators, and generally getting the station on the air.  Hopefully, it will also include some on-air station testing, and maybe some practice with some operators.  But the big thing is to get all the antennas in the air and all the cables and feed lines in place.  If you would like to help out, please let me know!  We will need about 4 people to help with these tasks, but the more the merrier!  

The current plan is to hang at least two, maybe 4 wire antennas this year.  In past years, we had a 15 meter beam on top of a ladder, but that’s a lot of work to put up and take down.  This year, we hope to do it all by hanging ropes from the trees.  And once again, we will be roughing it in my air-conditioned utility trailer.  It’s a lot better than dealing with the heat of summer.

Phase 3: Operations!

Time to get on the air.  Beginning Saturday at 2:00 pm, look for 15 meters to come online.  As conditions change, we will be operating either 15 meters during daylight or 80 meter phone when the sun is down.  During the hours around sunset and sunrise, we may be switching between bands or operating both at once, depending on the last minute decision whether to have one or two seperate stations here.  We WILL be looking for operators and loggers to work the station at all hours!  If you’re interested, let me know. (more to follow)  We especially look for ops during the wee hours of the evening and the early morning hours.  This is usually one of the more productive stations, so we’re looking for people to help us beat our over 660 contacts from last year.

Phase 4: Teardown

This is fairly easy, but by Sunday, we are all exhausted.  We will need a couple people to help take down antennas and pack everything up on Sunday afternoon at 2:00.  If you’re available, please let me know and plan on being there to help fold up the tents.

Want to Work the Station?

So here it is.  We need people to help!  Not just at this station, but at all the different stations at the Field Day Site.  Come out and help set up.  Spend some time logging and operating.  Enjoy socializing with other ops or just watching them operate.  Help with the teardown.  If any of this interests you, then you need to sign up to help out.   Look for signup instructions on the main W4DW site, on this page and wherever the other band captains may look for volunteers.  Email band captains and ask what you can do!  Just don’t sit there till the last minute!

For my station, I will be setting something up soon, I just haven’t figured out what.  In the meantime, if you want to sign up, leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll start collecting all the information to share.

But what is it like to operate these stations?  It depends on which one you visit.  If you’re new and have no idea what to expect, go to the GOTA station first.  It is designed to show you how it’s done, to get you on the air and to answer your questions.  Gary KN4AQ and Dick KD4ISC are very patient coaches that will get you up to speed.  They’ll take you through logging, making contacts, answering contacts, and all the fun of working Field Day.   Be sure to work at least 20 contacts at the GOTA station and make sure they log you as the operator so we get the bonus points (awarded for each block of 20 contacts by a GOTA operator.)

So now you have some experience from the GOTA station or you’ve done this before.  There are several stations to operate, all with their own flavor.  We have CW stations, phone stations and even digital stations.  Get your feet wet at any or all of them!  Sign up to work a couple hours at each.  Try logging and then operating.  It’s all fun!

As for the 80/15 phone station, the mood varies between casual operatiions and full contest mode.  When conditions are less than ideal, it’s a casual atmosphere.  We’ll use the hunt and pounce technique of making contacts.  But at certain times, it’s full steam ahead!  We will start running and making contacts as fast as we can.  When this happens, it’s a real rush! We’ve hit contact rates as high as 240 per hour for brief periods.  That’s when it’s really Field Day for me!  Whatever the conditions, please feel free to come out, visit, and perhaps operate with us!

What can you do before Field Day?

There are some things you can do to get ready for Field Day.  You may have specific assignments to do, but for most operators, the best things include getting familiar with the logging software and getting familiar with how to make contacts.  Any of the band captains would probably guide you through the techniques of making contacts, maybe with a demonstration or a discussion.  There are probably YouTube videos about field day that you can watch.  Just search around on the web and see what videos and recordings you can find.     With logging software, the preparation is a little more concrete.   Find out which logging software package is being used at the station you want to operate.  I’ll try to post more info here on that topic later.  BEFORE FIELD DAY, download the logging software to your computer and play with it.  Get used to it.  Learn how to add contacts.  Learn how to CORRECT contacts and how to remove them.   Very important – what is the WIPE command to erase the current, in-progress contact and start over.  Next, download the sections list and the state appreviations list from the ARRL and learn them.  You don’t have to completely memorize them, but it really helps to vamiliarize yourself with them.   Do you know the different section appreviations for all the “A” states?  Alaska vs. Arizona vs. Arkansas?  These mess me up every year.  In short, get used to the logging software.  Try simulating contacts by monitoring HF some night and logging all of the contacts someone makes.  This will go a very long way.

OK, I’ve added a lot of info, and it’s starting to all melt together.  I’ll add to this info later, possibly even a signup list.   In the meantime, if you have any questions, post them or send me an email.

73,
W4FT