Bellevue Amateur Radio Club

Field Day 2011

June 25th and 26th

Field Day 2011 Pictures

ARRL Field Day : 2011 Field Day Packets Now Available

It's that time of year again -- time to start gearing up for ARRL Field Day, June 25-26, 2011! ARRL's flagship operating event -- always held the fourth full weekend in June -- brings together new and experienced hams for 24 hours of operating fun. Field Day packets are now available for download and include the complete rules (including changes for 2011), as well as other reference items such as forms, ARRL Section abbreviation list, entry submission instructions, a Frequently Asked Questions section, guidelines for getting bonus points, instructions for GOTA stations, a kit to publicize your event with the local press and more.  ARRL Link

Chairman:

Rick Wilson WØKT is the Field Day Chairman for 2011.  You can reach him at fd2011@bellevuearc.org.

When and Where

FD 2011 takes place in Halleck Park, Papillion, NE.  This location is just off NE Highway 85/84th Street (confusingly called Washington Street by the locals).  At Lincoln Street (one block north of the Dairy Queen) in the downtown area, head east past the Papio Funplex and into the park.  Look for vandals who have strung up a rat's nest of wires in the trees.  In case you have a good GPS, the coordinates are 41.15308 degrees north by 96.03403 west.  If you want to arrive green, bike along the Papillion spur of the bike path.

Get the BARC flyer.

Our Philosophy

Above all, we believe that Field Day should be fun!  It's a great opportunity to come out and operate with "all the usual suspects," and to hone your operating skills under crowded net conditions.  It also tends to provide improvisational opportunities, because nothing ever goes quite the way you planned it.  And you're doing it all amongst friends. There's a lot of work and planning that goes into Field Day before the first radio contact ever occurs, and that's part of the overall experience as well.  That includes things like site selection and prep, planning and cooking meals, arranging for generators, and figuring out who's operating on what bands and modes. While we like collecting FD points under the club's call, we are not hardcore about contesting.  Really, it should be fun.  Station operators are encouraged to snag anyone passing within spitting distance and get them on the air.

Stations to be operated for Field Day

Personally, I don’t understand all the interest in phone and the paucity of CW ops.
CW is more fun and way more effective in a contest. -- WØKT

Station Assignments:

• Bruce, KY0Z, 15 m and 40 m phone
• Theresa, AC0UO, 20 m phone
• N0POM, 10 m phone
• Rick, W0KT, VHF SSB and CW club station, 80 (75) m, CW all HF bands

Note that these operators have volunteered their stations. They will need other operators and people to help set up and take down. 

Field Day Chores

Volunteers Needed!

Check out the list of things that can be done for extra FD credit. Let the FD chairman know which items you would like to help with. Note that you don't have to be totally responsible for an activity. You can be part of a group.

Most importantly volunteer your help. Setup starts Friday afternoon and continues on Saturday morning. If you see someone moving items or trying to set up a tent or string an antenna, volunteer your help. Tear down begins about noon on Sunday and requires help. Don't be like Henry. Please help. We old geezers appreciate any help, especially after operating well past our nap time.

And during the contest make a few contacts at one of the stations. Each operator should ask visitors if they want to try for a few contacts.

"I like hard work. I could watch it all day."
--Henry

The paragraph numbers refer to the ARRL field rules in the Field Day package. When you choose an item, read the package carefully to make sure that you follow the requirements.

• 7.3.2. Media Publicity: [available]
  100 bonus points may be earned for attempting to obtain publicity from the local media. A copy of the press release, or a copy of the actual media publicity received (newspaper article, etc) must be submitted to claim the points.
• 7.3.3. Public Location: [Halleck Park already selected]
  100 bonus points for physically locating the Field Day operation in a public place (i.e. shopping center, park, school campus, etc). The intent is for amateur radio to be on display to the public.
• 7.3.4. Public Information Table: [available]
  100 bonus points for a Public Information Table at the Field Day site. The purpose is to make appropriate handouts and information available to the visiting public at the site. 
• 7.3.5. Message Origination to Section Manager: [available]
  100 bonus points for origination of a National Traffic System (NTS) style formal message to the ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator by your group from its site. All you have to do is send a formal message, using the correct format, similar to an ARRL radiogram.
• 7.3.6. Message Handling: [available]
  10 points for each formal NTS style originated, relayed or received and delivered during the Field Day period, up to a maximum of 100 points (ten messages).
• 7.3.7. Satellite QSO: [available]
  100 bonus points for successfully completing at least one QSO via an amateur radio satellite during the Field Day period. 
• 7.3.8. Alternate Power: [available]
  100 bonus points for Field Day groups making a minimum of five QSOs without using power from commercial mains or petroleum driven generator. This means an "alternate" energy source of power, such as solar, wind, methane or water.
• 7.3.9. W1AW Bulletin: [available]
  100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day bulletin transmitted by W1AW (or K6KPH) during its operating schedule during the Field Day weekend. There is no published requirement that this must be done on site. You can do this at home and e-mail it to the FD committee.
• 7.3.10. Educational activity bonus: [available]
  One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day operation includes a specific educational-related activity. The activity can be diverse and must be related to amateur radio. It must be some type of formal activity.
• 7.3.11. Site Visitation by an elected governmental official: [ WØCHF]
  One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day site is visited by an elected government official as the result of an invitation issued by your group.
• 7.3.12. Site Visitation by a representative of an agency: [ WØCHF]
  One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day site is visited by a representative of an agency served by ARES in your local community (American Red Cross, Salvation Army, local Emergency Management, law enforcement, etc) as the result of an invitation issued by your group.
• 7.3.13. GOTA Bonus. [available]
  You need to establish a station and staff it with newcomers and ops who have been inactive.
• 7.3.15. Field Day Youth Participation: [available]
  A 20-point bonus (maximum of 100) may be earned for each participant age 18 or younger at your Field Day operation that completes at least one QSO. You can bring your children, grandchildren, or neighborhood children to FD and earn points for BARC.

Getting the Skills

FD is a chaotic contest because it involves both activities to get the stations ready as well as the bedlam that one finds when getting on the air during a major contest.  In order to get accustomed to on-the-air contests, get your feet wet with a few before the event.  Get on the air and get used to the rhythm and pacing.  Get experienced with the fast-paced exchange of the minimal information required for a contact.  You'll also want to get comfortable with working in the midst of a pile-up.  There are a lot of opportunities to amass that sort of experience before FD.

Help Files

Check these PDF files if you want to volunteer an FD station:

• fd_station_min_reqs.pdf -- a file that discusses what you need to consider in order to be effective on Field Day.
  
• n3fjp_software.pdf -- a file that discusses the FD software.  This is the software all stations will be using to log their contacts.  It allows us to quickly consolidate the results for the club at the end of the event.

If you want to volunteer your help (at least as important as volunteering a station) or essential items, such as shelters, antennas, furniture, and generators, please e-mail the Field Day coordinator at fd2011@bellevuearc.org.  A list is below for the cook shack, but there are other items as well.

Supplies Needed

I need to know who can provide some needed equipment for Field Day for the Cook Shack.  Please e-mail Ladonna KBØOUO if you can provide any of the equipment listed below and what you can provide.  Thanks!

• Large coolers for storing food, beverages, soda, etc.
• Large freezer packs (already frozen).  Helps keep salads cold with out the risk of getting water in them!
• Camp stove for cooking Sunday breakfast (preferably a two burner as that is what the griddles fit best)!
• Griddles for camp stoves.
• Large dispenser type coolers for drinking water (5-gallon or larger, ones with spigots).
• Portable gas grills, for Sunday breakfast and possibly for use on Saturday Night!
• Extra first aid kits (club has two)
• Fire extinguishers to be posted by Cook Shack, and all generators.  We should have at least one per generator.
• Extra folding tables for setting up information booths.  All club tables are usually used in Ham Shacks and Cook Shack along with my folding tables being used in the Cook Shack.  So we could use a spare card table or two!