Field Day 2014

[electricflyer]

Field Day tomorrow. How many of you will be in action? Our club will probably by 3A, Call Sign - W4TIY - GA. Check the ARRL field day locator. I'll be working it as long as the band will cooperate. It doesn't look too good right now.
Marv
KT4W

[wa8yxm]

May or may not do a few contacts... Promises to be busy day anyway. Other activities and too hot/humid to be outdoors. (I am in Townsend, GA this month)

[W7JZE]

Hi Marv,

I did a backyard FD event on battery power with solar trickle charging. I've got to run to work now. I'll post some pix later tonight.

PS: I had a great time :D.

ON EDIT: Here are a few pix of my backyard 1E-SJV FD station (1 transmitter emergency power San Joaquin Valley, CA). I had two 35 AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries. Use one. Trickle charge the other with a small solar panel. Swap as needed.

First picture is actually the most important picture. Turn OFF the sprinklers before erecting station :jitter:!
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=85


Next picture shows the backyard before stating to assemble the station. I mounted an old digital camera on a tripod and kept it in the same spot for all of the pix:
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=91


Next the 12 foot canopy goes up:
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=92


Then Sandra (My wife's caregiver) as well as Sparkle (Darling Darlene's little Bichon Frise) and the GARDEN ZOMBIE (Back in the corner of the yard :jitter:) all help with the getting the "victual essentials" ready for chill-down:
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=93


Then we put up a little station "advertising" in the form of a vinyl banner I had made at eSigns. Surprisingly inexpensive:
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=94


Then a little ice for the beer and other items
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=95


Then Sandra helped me put the small solar trickle charger on the roof. I trickle charged one of the SLA batteries while using the other. Swapped as needed:
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=96


Then brother Danny shows up to help with the last of the Power Pole connections and splices before moving the Icom7000 and other station components outside. We also then raised the 40M and 20M backyard dipoles. Most importantly, he also needed to insure that the beer was cold enough to continue :-)
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=97


Finally we are on the air making FD Qs as I explain UTC to brother Danny (Notice the UTC clock :bounce:)
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=98


As evening approached I get the battery powered night lights out and ready. I didn't want to stumble around in the dark setting them up so I thought it better to stumble around in the late afternoon sun :D to get the night lights ready.
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=99


After some quality inside dinner time and TV time with XYL "Darling Darlene", I head back out into the wilds of the backyard to enjoy some late night OPs.
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=100


As the night progressed I continued FD operations listening to the distant stations drift in over the ether. Night Ops was the most fun for me. If I do this again next year, some bug spray or mosquito netting will be on the checklist!
http://openroadsradio.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=101
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Adding more later... need to get ready for work now:)
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[Radio]

Hi Marv,

I did a backyard FD event on battery power with solar trickle charging. I've got to run to work now. I'll post some pix later tonight.

PS: I had a great time :D.


Hmmm, maybe next year... The 5th wheel is parked right next to the tower. I could be a battery powered portable with a quad at 70 feet.

Hmmm, indeed.

:radio:

[W7JZE]

Hmmm, maybe next year... The 5th wheel is parked right next to the tower. I could be a battery powered portable with a quad at 70 feet.

Hmmm, indeed.

:radio:

That is a great idea, Radio. Much, much better than moving the tower to be with the 5th wheel :bounce:.

Man, I lern thangs ever day on the Intertoobz :jitter:!

[N3LYT]

Our club (W1MWV ARC) was active however I was at Mt. Washington for the Climb To The Clouds event by the way I don't know if any one has been up the Mt. but the fastest car up this year did it in 6 min. 9.09 sec. There were several ham at the event we are the ones that provide communications for the race and a few did field day after the morning practice runs at the base of the mountain. http://climbtotheclouds.com/

[wa8yxm]

I took the weekend off radio wise.. Too many other things, a Thunderstorm, and so on....

No trees near the motor home (Battery power reqires only that I trip a single circuit breaker,, I do that and I haver over 550 amp hours of battery power for the house, The house needs very little battery power (Control for 2 Air conditioners, water heater and fridge a few lights, some LED) but the TS-2000.. IS powered by the house power supply, about 3-4 days normal time to "Oh, I pulled the stupid plug again" summertimes. Bit faster in the coldest winter days when I kick in the furnace, it is a major 12 volt power sucker.

[KF5BET]

Coming late here....Our club W5DDL operated a 2a station.

We had a week of solid rain, so could not get the mobile operations vehicle or the antenna trailer out of storage (field behind members house) because of the rain.

We set up at a remote location (members family house in the country) which had a large covered porch on the very large metal shop building, pool, stocked pond, no electrical overhead and a lot of trees. Absolutely perfect location. Threw a couple of wire antennas up into trees and were ready for action about an hour before kick off.

Operated radios from generator and operated all radios for the entire 24 hour period (minus 2 hours around 4am...). We had 12 operators and logged 945 contacts. The girls made 160 of those contacts on 20m (needless to say they had a blast). We were in it for fun, not points. Worked 40m, 20m and 15m. Had no CW or digital....maybe next year.

We had a lot of fellowship, food and fun. Was worried about the weather, but it cleared up Saturday afternoon and was nice all through the weekend even if it was hot. Thank goodness for those large shop fans!