Summer field day is neigh!

(Note: The image for this post is what AI thinks of radio field day)

ARRL Field Day is when amateur radio clubs come out to play and I have a great club.  As I’ve stated before, I’m not a dependable meeting-goer so I miss out on all of the planning and much of the coordination leading up to events.  I just show up and pitch in.

This year, like last, we’re holding Summer Field Day at the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site in Denison.  While I certainly prefer a more remote location, part of field day is show and tell with the community – to promote awareness.  I can’t really argue with that. 

Folks DO drop by when we’re set up in town.  Last year, I met an unlicensed guy who’d bought an HT and needed some help programming.  He carried his cell phone in an EMP bag so he couldn’t be tracked. Fascinating conversations.

Operating:  My understanding is that this year, AB5MC Michael Coffman has arranged the signup sheet by time and band.  Previous events have been arranged by time and rig.  And we’ve experienced significant interference between the operating stations.  In attempt to mitigate QRM, Mike is evolving a band-based approach where it doesn’t matter what rig or mode we operate as long as we control the bands in play.

All we can do is try.  From the testing emergency communications element of field day, this RFI is at the very root of our capabilities.  Hopefully a band plan approach will prove effective with bandpass filters but, I’m not convinced.  I can always slip off to the side and activate the park on a non-harmonic band like 30 or 17.  That won’t count for field day, but it does count for DitWit being happy.

One of my favorite things about field day is seeing what gear others bring and how they set it up.  I mean, I’m a portable operator, it’s all I do.  I’ve spent allot of time and effort “earning” ways to deploy my station.  By “earning”, I mean learning through trial and error.  We can watch all the YouTube videos we want about getting a wire up in a tree or guying a portable mast but none of that survives the actual deployment.  Nothing works like on YouTube so we have to constantly experiment and adjust.

I tend to pack for every possibility.   Overpack.  And this year, I’m trying to tone that down a little.  My tiny ADD brain will entertain itself for hours zooming in on every possible need-scenario and detail.

Here’s my working loadout, so far:

Rigs:

• Yaesu FT-891 w/ Tuner
• Yaesu FT-991A (for Winlink/digital if necessary)
• Laptop (for digital and for logging)
• KX2
• FT-60 dual Band HT
• FT-65 Dual Band HT
• Bandpass filter kit for Field Day (40, 20, 15, 10)

Power:

• Expert Power 20Ah
• Bioenno 20Ah
• Bioenno 6 Ah
• 2 x 100w Rich solar panels
• 160w foldup solar panel
• Solar power controllers
• Power cables
• Renogy 72000mAh power bank
• Jackery power bank

Antenna:

• Packtenna 9:1 EFRW
• Packtenna 49:1 EFHW
• Assorted UnUns
• Spiderbeam 10m mast
• 2m/70CM roll up J Pole
• MFJ 1917 Mast
• Throw lines

Comfort:

• Chair
• Stool
• Portable table
• Tarp, poles, and stakes
• Ice chest
• Skeeter spray
• Sunscreen
• Field coffee kit
• Water bottle

Tools & Supplies

• Solder iron
• Solder
• Wire
• Wire stripper
• Every adapter I own
• Field tool bag

Looking over my list shows I’ve planned for a small squad.  I can’t help it. 

What have I missed?

As always,
TNX ES 73
KA5TXN
DitWit