What FD Rule(s) would You Change?

[K0RGR]

Subject line says it all. Yes, the FD rules are many and complex, but that's so there's a wide variety of things to do. They have evolved over 79 years to what we have today.

But I think the rules can be made even better.

Here's what I'd change:

Allow multi-transmitter entries to earn power multipliers by band/mode.

The way the rules are now, the highest-powered rig sets the multiplier for the whole operation. This discourages both high power and QRP operation in multi setups.

Why not allow each band/mode to have its own power multiplier? 40 CW might run QRP while 75 'phone runs the legal limit, etc. Back in the 1970s the rules allowed this, and IMHO it was a good idea.

Any others?

73 de jim, N@EY

I agree with this idea. Otherwise, allow a QRP station as a 'bonus' like GOTA or VHF. We run a separate QRP station under a different call to satisfy the QRPers in the club.

[WB2WIK]

3) Most of the groups I know have learned the hard way that it makes sense to get to the FD site early Saturday morning and set up before the heat of the day. In well-run groups, setup can be done by noon, leaving time for lunch, a few checkout QSOs and even a siesta while still being ready to go at exactly 2 PM. Much better experience than trying to set up in the heat of the day with the clock ticking.

FD starts at 11 AM Saturday here on the west coast. Starts earlier in Hawaii. Remember these activities start and end based on UTC.

[K0RGR]

Here are my thoughts.....

The GOTA station should be for the newly licensed hams as stated. Good for the unlicensed op under the direction of the control op. Do away with the "generally inactive" qualifier due to being too vague and unnecessary.

73!

I disagree. We have several people who only get on HF once a year - at the GOTA station - even though they are General Class. I don't see a problem with that. We're not talking about polished contesters as 'ringers' here.

What I would do away with is the bonus for GOTA operators making 20 contacts or more. While it did encourage some to stick with it through awful conditions, it also made it harder for everyone who wanted to operate to do so. If we're going to have awful conditions like we did this weekend, we need to find a way to deal with this. We had over 20 operators for GOTA this year, but could have had about 30 if they didn't have to wait so long due to rancid HF bands. We had a bunch of scouts skip HF in favor of IRLP - at least it was doing something.

[K0RGR]

As the VHF contest station, I would eliminate the bonus points for NTS message handling. Perhaps retain the bonus points for the section manager message, but at least get rid of the others. Here in Dallas at least, the usual way -- or the only way everyone here knows -- to get messages into the system is through a local net on a 2m repeater. Every year I gripe about having to come up with, fix, and transmit 11 messages, and every year the local NTS people gripe about all these club stations on FD who have 11 messages to put in and it takes forever and ties up whichever club's repeater they're using for a good couple of hours.

I'm not an NTS ham, though I'm familiar enough with it to not make a complete fool of myself; I'm the 6/2 contest station and, last year but not this year, I had to give up an hour or two of good contest conditions to do NTS. Maybe what I need to do is find somebody local who can take them from me on PSK or CW and get them in the system.

I completely agree. One message to SM or SEC is sufficient. The rules are much, much too vague anyway, as to what counts and what doesn't.

[WA6MHZ]

Back in the days of PACKET RADIO, we could upload SM and NTS messages to the local BBS and off they would go. Nowadays, I haven't a CLUE how to send them a message, other than by EMAIL, which certainly wouldn't qualify!

[KB3PXR]

Subject line says it all. Yes, the FD rules are many and complex, but that's so there's a wide variety of things to do. They have evolved over 79 years to what we have today.

But I think the rules can be made even better.

Here's what I'd change:

Allow multi-transmitter entries to earn power multipliers by band/mode.

The way the rules are now, the highest-powered rig sets the multiplier for the whole operation. This discourages both high power and QRP operation in multi setups.

Why not allow each band/mode to have its own power multiplier? 40 CW might run QRP while 75 'phone runs the legal limit, etc. Back in the 1970s the rules allowed this, and IMHO it was a good idea.

Any others?

73 de jim, N@EY

I'd like to see the multiplier go to the average of the transmitters on the site (only the ones that count, your free GOTA station doesn't count in your exchange, it should not count in your power multiplier for example). Prime example here at my club's site we had:

1 100 Watt 40/15 meter CW station
1 100 Watt 75 meter phone station
1 100 watt 40 meter phone station
1 100 watt all band spare station
1 200 watt 20 meter phone / all band digital station
1 75 watt (if that) satellite ground station.

The average of these would be less than the 150 watt class and would still be fair. Obviously there would need to be a stipulation that the high power stations cannot exceed the class amount by a certian percentage that way you can't run 100A and have 99 QRP stations and a legal limit station and get a decent power multiplier.

[KF5FEI]

The HF bands were rancid? Could have fooled me -- the 20m PSK watering hole was more crowded than a $5 buffet on Sunday after church. We had a ball and at one point had a really good run going.

[K6JJR]

I would limit FD stations to 100 watts. This is also an emergency excercise, no need to have 1KW amps running!

[KB3PXR]

I would limit FD stations to 100 watts. This is also an emergency excercise, no need to have 1KW amps running!

It's just me, but I'd give them 200 watts. Some people do have 200 watt rigs, I have also known rigs that advertise 100 watts but run a stock 150 at the 100 watt setting. When it comes to the emergency excersise side, I'm more interested in the source of power (Generator, solar panel, wind turbine, car altenator, etc) than the amount.

I don't care about the big RVs with the air conditioners or the air conditioned tents, but for the love of the emergency prep angle, use the emergency power source to provide power to all of it.

[AE1P]

What FD Rule(s) would You Change?

That's easy, get rid of all the 1D and 1E's.
I know its far-fetched,and will be scoffed at...
But, "Field" day..should be just that...
If you can't operate at a FD site, or setup /P
somewhere...or even as a 1C for that matter...
Then just wait until Sunday evening to get on the air.
There, said my peace, enjoy.