This Is How Field Day Should Be Done

[kg4kww]

Take Note fellow overweight beer gut OF's.

It was a typical June morning in Pacifica, California for our first Field Day event — cool with a light breeze under a brilliant, cloudless sky. The marine layer was still far off in the ocean and the hills to our east beckoned with golden-brown grass swaying gently. My partner Traci and I would set up our Field Day camp on the local 1200 foot peak atop Sweeny Ridge just a few minutes from our apartment on the coast. Imagine a middle-aged city woman, who’d been licensed just over a year, getting excited about camping out overnight. A woman whose previous vision of roughing it was a hotel without a Sleep Number bed.

Full Story (http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/12/05/1/?nc=1)

http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/12/05/1/f_sm.jpg

[n8yx]

Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Dec. 06 2007,12:49)]Take Note fellow overweight beer gut OF's.
You shouldn't rag on yerself like that...

[KI4PEQ]

Field Day gear for me includes in addition to the radios:

29 foot travel trailer with air conditioning, full kitchen, satellite radio and television. It runs off a generator and a battery bank.

Nice comfy bed instead of a sleeping bag.

Gas grill for the evening steak meal.

Chilled beverages, both adult and otherwise.

Just because you operate under emergency conditions doesn't mean you can't be comfortable doing it. I'm too old and bent up to sleep on the ground, fight mosquitos, and generally be miserable all for the sake of authenticity.

The travel trailer is the family escape pod when a hurricane threatens as well. And we stay just as comfortable.

[ai4ep]

...every one s version of " roughing it " is different, and that is good.

we should be WILLING to accept others as they are, and not try to fight with them.

peace on earth, good will to men ( and women ) .

[KC7YPJ]

my favorite part of the whole thing was " a chill in the air" at 1200', most years you can't ride a dirtbike through a large chunk of the local back country in june due to snowdrifts (some might call them glaciers as bad years they don't entirely dissappear before the snow flies again) covering all the access points, 15min dirtbike ride (2hr in a 4x4) from victor id nets you a nice spot at the edge of the jedediah smith wilderness area, at roughly 9,300', I've been caught in a july blizzard up there on a bike where you couldn't see the front fender,
I guess to each there own on "roughing it", I've run the gambit from a sleeping bag thrown on the ground to sharing a park bench with the squirels to my current philosophy of air matresses and propane everything (including a drip coffeemaker), my next evolution will be to a 24' enclosed car hauler trailer with a bed, propane fridge and heater built in with plenty of space to haul my toys

[AG3Y]

I'm all for getting a few thousand feet of elevation for next field day. Around here, it's typically near 100 degrees by the time FD rolls around !

[ne3r]

Quote[/b] (AG3Y @ Dec. 06 2007,19:28)]I'm all for getting a few thousand feet of elevation for next field day. #Around here, it's typically near 100 degrees by the time FD rolls around !
A couple of years ago my club had a great field day up high on South Mountain, but there were a lot of restrictions on what we could and couldn't do, like, no tents, ugg. It rained on us a lot! So we found another site that isn't up so high, but we can pretty much do what we want, tents, RVs, and so on.

73 de Joe NE3R

[KB0LPI]

SPAR Winter Field Day is less than 2 months away....

[kq9j]

Winter field day would be fun to operate. Gotta see about getting a license in Aruba. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KB0LPI]

I figure Winter Field Day I'll be stabbing the Buddipole mast 5ft into the nearest snowdrift sans tripod and hoping for the best. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[AG3Y]

Quote[/b] (ne3r @ Dec. 06 2007,23:47)]Quote[/b] (AG3Y @ Dec. 06 2007,19:28)]I'm all for getting a few thousand feet of elevation for next field day. #Around here, it's typically near 100 degrees by the time FD rolls around !
A couple of years ago my club had a great field day up high on South Mountain, but there were a lot of restrictions on what we could and couldn't do, like, no tents, ugg. #It rained on us a lot! #So we found another site that isn't up so high, but we can pretty much do what we want, tents, RVs, and so on. #

73 de Joe NE3R
Our local club goes to the Leitersburg, MD grounds behind the fire hall and has a blast every June. It is relativly high so it does provide some air circulation, but lets face it, Maryland summers are just plain HOT, and June about the time FD rolls around, is just about Summer !

[kg4kww]

I think what this ladys group did for fieldday was diff and made the event that much more exiciting. To bad more clubs don't do this type of thing. This is operating in unusal conditions.

[N2RJ]

Quote[/b] (kq9j @ Dec. 06 2007,22:34)]Winter field day would be fun to operate. Gotta see about getting a license in Aruba. # #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
I should go to Trinidad to operate. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[kg4kww]

Winter Field Day should be done from the North or South Poles

[N2RJ]

Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Dec. 06 2007,23:40)]Winter Field Day should be done from the North or South Poles
So are you volunteering to go?

[kj3n]

Quote[/b] (N2RJ @ Dec. 06 2007,23:47)]Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Dec. 06 2007,23:40)]Winter Field Day should be done from the North or South Poles
So are you volunteering to go?
Only if we let him dig his way there. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[n8yx]

Quote[/b] (kq9j @ Dec. 06 2007,20:34)]Winter field day would be fun to operate. Gotta see about getting a license in Aruba. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Don't be doing that if you're an 18-year-old blonde female...

[N3JI]

Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Dec. 06 2007,22:40)]Winter Field Day should be done from the North or South Poles
I suggest the South Pole. It's kind of dark up north...

[WA6MHZ]

Winter Field Day in San Diego? About the same as Summer Field Day other than maybe temp in the 60s instead of the 70s.

[N8CPA]

I suggest WFD on Mauna Kea. Ski before it starts. Go surfing when it's over.

[ky5u]

Quote[/b] (kj3n @ Dec. 06 2007,21:57)]Quote[/b] (N2RJ @ Dec. 06 2007,23:47)]Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Dec. 06 2007,23:40)]Winter Field Day should be done from the North or South Poles
So are you volunteering to go?
Only if we let him dig his way there. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
Don't worry, he told me he's going in summer when it is warm up there.

[kg4kww]

And Charlie is going with me http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[n8yx]

Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Dec. 07 2007,11:19)]And Charlie is going with me http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Now that I would pay to see...

[kn4ds]

Quote[/b] (n8yx @ Dec. 07 2007,14:17)]Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Dec. 07 2007,11:19)]And Charlie is going with me http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Now that I would pay to see...
Well, boys, looks like your trip will be financed.

[n6vmo]

This is how the ARRL Field day should be done:

The ARRL alerts all stations on Jan. 1 that FD will occur one weekend during the year. An advance notice of no more that two weeks will be given for participation.

Now thats a realistic FD.

[AB1FV]

No Field Day is complete without a hot steamy bowl of chili from a slow cooker, even in the wee hours of the morning!
An FT-897D, and a hot bowl of chili with a sprinkle of cheese by my side... now THAT'S my version of Field Day! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Oh yeah, and a "few" contacts help out too! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

73
AB1FV

[AG3Y]

TWO WEEKS ? ! ? ! That's still waaay too much time ! Now let's see how all those guys with their "go bags" react!

[kc4ylv]

48 hours notice would be awesome, give two dates (one summer, one winter/bad weather) so people can plan to catch the other if they miss the first. Much higher multipliers for portable and emergency power, and all AC power stations would be restricted to QRP.

[W4HAY]

Our club's most important piece of equipment right under rigs & generators: the turkey deep-fryer!

[kg4kww]

Quote[/b] ]AB1FV--No Field Day is complete without a hot steamy bowl of chili from a slow cooker, even in the wee hours of the morning!


I think I would tay up wind of you dude http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif