Author: David Cockrum

Don’t miss the June 14 meeting for all the plans and details of Field Day 2016…

Field Day 2016 will be held again at the Double Diamond Pavilion about 5 miles south of Alpine on State Highway 118. This year Field Day operations will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 25 and end at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 26. See the location here in the calendar…

We begin setting up the station before the start of the operating period. The ARRL announced a new rule last year which we have taken advantage of:

No class A or B station may begin its set-up earlier than 0000 UTC on the Friday (Thursday afternoon or evening local time) preceding the Field Day period. Cumulative set-up time shall not exceed a total of 24 hours.

So we can start with the antenna work on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. – a much cooler time of day. And we could work on Friday morning, Friday evening, and Saturday morning, all during cooler times, as long as the total amount of time erecting antennas and setting up stations does not total more than 24 hours. So plan on showing up Thursday evening, June 26, at 7 p.m. to start the process!

Chief cook Bob Ward, WA5ROE, will serve hot dogs for everyone who is there Thursday evening to help us get started. Meals are always a high point of Field Day. We will have the same meal charges as last year (and for the past eight years): $30, plus one twelve pack of soft drinks or water, per person for the weekend. Any 807s are your own responsibility. The $30 will pay for 6 meals: Friday evening, Saturday breakfast, lunch, and supper, and Sunday breakfast and lunch. There is a special rate for families: $45 for a family.

For individuals who would like to eat a meal with us but not spend the entire weekend, there is a special rate of $10. The Friday evening meal will be steaks, baked potatoes, salads, and other assorted goodies. The meal Saturday evening will be brisket, cabrito, and chicken along with beans, salad, and additional delicacies.

For newcomers, Field Day is the perfect way to get your feet wet by immersing yourself into ham radio. We will have four stations operating: an SSB station, a CW station, a VHF (6 meter) station, and a GOTA station. The GOTA station (Get On The Air) is designed for newly licensed hams, unlicensed individuals, and old-timers who have not been on the air for some time.

The GOTA station will be operating on the hf bands, using mostly SSB. A GOTA mentor will be present to assist you in using the radio, making contacts, and logging contacts. We will have at least two CW operators present: Dave, N5DO and Mike,WA5POK (from Tennessee, by way of Texas). We are always looking for additional CW operators – we hope to help Allen, N5NYM, make the plunge into the CW melee during FD.