Category — Stations

Field Day always has the opportunity to have bonus points — points that you can achieve that count above and beyond the actual contacts made during the Field Day hours of operation.

The ARRL does bonus points for three specific reasons (in my humble opinion…):

1. Encourage little used modes for points
2. Publicize the Field Day event
3. Introduce new hams to the contesting environment

Let’s look at some of the bonus point categories:

• Get On The Air (GOTA) Station. This is the classic station that is used to introduce new hams to the contesting environment. This is also a great place to show the public how new hams can learn about operating new modes.
• “Free” VHF Station. When your club has two or more transmitters, you may also operate an additional VHF transmitter without it counting against your entry qualification. This is the “little used” modes to create additional activity on the bands.
• 100% emergency power. DOH! This is an event to test portable capabilities in an emergency.
• Media publicity. 100 bonus points for attempting to have media at your event. I suggest three ways to get media to attend.
• Pubic location. 100 bonus points for operating in a public place — such as a public park.
• Public Information Table. 100 Points for having handouts available for people who come visit your site.
• Message Origination to Section Manager. 100 points for origination of a NTS style formal message to the ARRL Section Manager for your group. Hey, it’s a message.
• Message Handling. This is up to 10 messages at 10 points each for messages relayed, not including your Section Manager message.
• Satellite QSO. This is 100 bonus points for completing at least one satellite QSO during the Field Day event. A little used mode and a great method of getting the media to your event.
• Alternate power for 100 points from a minimum of five QSO’s without power from commercial mains or petroleum driven generator. Like solar — or peddling a bicycle. A great media draw.
• W1AW Bulletin. 100 points for copying the bulletin. Who do you have copying this?
• Educational Activity Bonus. Another way of exposing ham radio to others.
• Site Visitation by an elected governmental official. Not a candidate, but already elected. We need government on our side!
• Site Visitation by a representative of an Agency. Served via ARES. We provide help in communications and Field Day is representative of our capabilities.
• Web submission. 50-points for no human interface with your submission.
• Field Day Youth Participation. Points for QSO’s by people 18 or younger. We want youngsters participating in ham radio.

What a list!

From the club perspective, one needs to have a plan to earn each of these bonus points that are available to the club. This means a plan, a defined person or station captain responsible for getting the bonus points, and a validation that the  bonus points were earned by the Field Day Chairman or designate.

One can argue that the bonus points are nuts, crazy, too hard or whatever. But each of the categories make a point about extending the range of operation or including others in our hobby.  The bonus points, while worth going after, tell us where we need to be taking the hobby as a club.

Who will earn the bonus points for your club this year?

Scot, K9JY

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One of the several categories of bonus points for Field Day is Media Publicity. You get the points by showing the attempt of local media to cover Field Day.

Wouldn’t it be better if the local media actually covered your Field Day?

Here’s a good suggestion for getting the media to come and cover your Field Day:

Give them three stories they could tell about your event.

Here are three suggested stories you could provide:

1. Field Day is used to test emergency communications under less than ideal conditions. Talk about emergency power, building portable antennas, and working through the night.
2. Field Day is a contest with portable equipment. Talk about number one, but also how Field Day builds skills to quickly communicate with others under harsh conditions.
3. Field Day is a public view into ham radio — and lots of fun. Talk about the ability of the public to come and watch, ask questions and learn about the hobby. And don’t forget to mention all of the social aspects of the hobby.

Simply sending the date, time and place of your Field Day event doesn’t help an editor with precious resources how to cover your event — and you’ll get bumped for virtually anything else on the calendar.

Instead, give the reporters something to sink their teeth into by giving them a head start on the story.

And, with television, give them some suggestions they can shoot for visual appeal — the solar powered station, the satellite station, the Get On The Air station where new hams are learning. Show computers and radios, not just radios. Telling television stations what to shoot with their cameras is a killer way to have that television crew show up to cover your Field Day event.

Critically important: give your press release a person to contact AT THE FIELD DAY SITE for all hours. You want your contact person to be able to show the story to the reporting crew and guide them through the various sections. Don’t be camera shy!

What other storylines have worked for your club? Leave them in the comments so all can see.

Scot, K9JY

Field Day is coming up sooner than we think. So I thought I’d spend some time on Field Day and start working through some of the tasks associated with the event.

Most Field Day operations have more than one station. A conventional way of working each station is to have a “Station Captain” responsible for the setup, tear down and allocation of responsibilities for the station and operators.

What follows is a beginning attempt to establish a “checklist” for station captains.

Station Captain Checklist:

Equipment:

Radio

Antenna Tuner

Morse Key

Microphone

Computer

Field Day software

Computer – Radio Interface

Sound Card Check

Coax

Antenna 1

Antenna 2 (if needed or wanted)

Antenna Supports

Network Router or Hub

Network Cable

Wireless Adapter

Plans:

Setup

Take down

Operator Schedule

Bonus Point attainment plan for station

Food

Cooking

Shelter:

Shelter – tent, RV…??

Sleeping bag or equivalent

Clothes

For cooking

For refrigeration

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What else should be added to this list? What other lists should be here?

Scot, K9JY

From AB7E off of a link from the TowerTalk reflector, a great look at how the HD-70 tower goes together and gets put in the air.

And six feet deep of cement is impressive!

Pictures on AB7E’s web site.

Scot, K9JY

On Tuesday (not today…) I intended on posting about my latest project: the zero-five vertical. In the “What’s This?” post, I showed a few unopened boxes that I had delivered, but haven’t said anything about it since then.

That’s because…the boxes are still unopened! With life and work and hobby, other priorities override the hobby.

However, I intend to get this vertical up and working over the course of the next week.

The Plan

The parts are all here from the various manufacturers. This includes the antenna, the radial plate, the balun, and the coax.

The hole is dug. Not to 36” deep, but close. I have a yard that made of rocks with some dirt around them. Makes for a difficult symmetrical hole to place in antennas.

The pipe to go into the hole is purchased, cut, and ready to be partially pounded in. Need to get it right, level and plumb.

The cement is purchased and waiting to be placed in the hole after the pipe is positioned.

Once the cement is in and the pipe is plumb, we wait for the cement to cure and then worry about the rest of the stuff.

So, we are beginning this project. More to come.

Scot, K9JY

Sooner than you think, Field Day will be here in the United States. That great weekend filled with signals on the air, setting up the stations, having the barbeques and breakfast — all shared with mosquitoes.

If you’re going to be working Field Day as a club, a lot of the planning should already be done and much already executed. Location determined, permits acquired, stations planned, station captains chosen, and an equipment list all drawn up.

But, is Field Day a contest? Or a social event? A public service demonstration? Or none of the above?

When I was back in Wisconsin, the Four Lakes Amateur Radio Club went big-time on Field Day putting ourselves in the category of 9A. Yup, nine stations on the air, fully manned, generators humming, and grills cooking. Assignments to maximize extra credit Field Day points from satellite, publicity, and old-time Novice tents assigned. It was a lot of work.

But a lot of people and clubs don’t do something that big (it really is a tremendous number of stations…). Instead, they focus on 1A or 2A where the number of stations is more manageable, but the competition more fierce.

What are you and/or your club going to be doing this year for Field Day? Let us know in the comments and see if we can finally resolve if Field Day is a contest or a social gathering…!

Scot, K9JY