More about UARC's Field Day preparations!
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| The A-3 Yagi goes up. (UARC Field Day 2011) |
Every year, ARRL Field Day is the biggest operating event in all of
amateur radio. Amateurs from across the U.S. and Canada try to work as
many stations as possible from portable and mobile stations operating away
from normal fixed station sites. The point of such an event is to test our
capabilities to operate in an emergency when normal stations and
utilities may not be available.
UARC’s entry in Field Day has become one of the most popular events of the
year. It provides a chance to combine a family campout, an escape from the
heat of the valley, and an opportunity to operate from a wonderful radio
location.
When:
Field Day takes place on the fourth (not necessarily the last) full
weekend in June every year. That puts the 2013 event on June 22 and 23.
Actual operation runs from noon on Saturday through noon on Sunday.
However, setup begins sooner. UARC members will be on site as early as
Wednesday the 19th. The rules allow for no more than 24 hours of setup
activity, but a rule change for this year allows the 24 hours to be spread
out over a longer period. This will allow us to use the full setup period
without needing to be checking the tower alignment at 3 A.M. We may begin
setting up as early as 6 P.M. on Thursday evening.
The bottom line is this: come when you can and leave when you must.
What Happens?
We will set up two or three SSB and CW stations on the HF
bands and operate them in shifts for the full 24-hour period. We will be
anxious to find operators and loggers to keep the contacts coming in as
fast as possible. If you like late-night and early-morning operating, your
skills will be in particular demand. Depending on equipment and conditions
we may also have a VHF station and/or a satellite station.
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| Google Earth view of the UARC field day site with respect to the Payson Lakes campground |
Where:
We will be setting up stations in our traditional location, an open
field near Payson Lakes on the Nebo Scenic Loop.
Here’s how to get there:
- Assuming you are starting from the Salt Lake Valley, go south on
I-15 to the first Payson exit, exit 250. Take the exit.
- Go left at the end of the exit ramp which should put you on Main
Street (aka SR-115). (You are really going south at this point although it
may seem like east.)
- Turn left on 100 North, aka SR-198.
- Turn right on 600 East, also called “Peteetneet Boulevard.” This
turn is at the top of a hill at a picturesque old school.
- Follow 600 East until it takes you to the mouth of Payson Canyon.
At this point note your odometer reading or reset your trip odometer.
- Watch for landmarks at these approximate mileages from the canyon
mouth:
- 11.1: Payson Lakes Day-use area on the right.
- 11.7: Payson Lakes Campground.turnoff on the right.
- 12.3 Guard station turnoff on the right.
At the guard station turnoff on the right, don't take the right turn, but
instead turn left onto a dirt road. Within a few hundred yards you will
see the camp area.
According to Google Earth, the coordinates are 39° 55' 31.11" N., 111° 37'
53.06" W.
How can I participate:
You can help with the planning, setup, operating,
logging, or all of the above! For details, get in touch with this year’s
Field Day Chairman: Brett Sutherland, N7KG,
n7kg@arrl.net.
You can also join the UARC Field Day reflector. Just send e-mail to:
uarcfd-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
If you have a Yahoo ID,
another way to join is to go to
groups.yahoo.com/group/uarcfd/.
Maybe you would like to take over administration of a particular portion
of the effort. Brett lists the following focus areas:
- Antennas — Beams
- Antennas — Wire
- Rigs
- Tents
- Towers
- Power generation
- Alternative power
- VHF
- Satellite
- Education sessions
- Hauling trailers — especially the tower, and we pay fuel cost
- Food prep for the pot luck
- Operators
- Scheduling operators
- Kids events
- Network setup
- Camp communications — including announcements about scheduling, help needed wherever, who has xyz etc.
- Talk-in control
Other Details to consider before arriving:
The area where we will be camping is just an open field
with no improvements. There are no water sources, tables, or fire pits.
Fires may be prohibited depending on the danger at the time of Field Day.
Bring all the food, water, and shelter that you will need for the period
you will be present. Don’t forget coats. It may be summer, but it gets
cold at night at that elevation.
There is an improved Forest Service campground within a half-mile of the
site, so it is quite practical to camp there (for a fee) and commute over
to the Field Day site.
On Saturday night there will be a group pot-luck dinner. The club will
supply a main dish (Doug, WE7BBQ, is in charge). Bring whatever else you
would like and a dish to share pot luck style.
Other useful things to remember are sunscreen, tools, a chair, and spare
fuses.
What does all this accomplish?
There are a lot of characteristics of Field
Day that are common with those of emergency operation. They include:
- The need to copy a lot of information quickly and accurately.
- The need to establish a station away from normal station locations
- The need to improvise quickly when something doesn’t work
- The need to put in a lot of operating hours while keeping accuracy
high
If you’ve never operated HF before, Field Day is a great opportunity to
see what it’s like. There will likely be enough operators with
higher-class licenses that you can make contacts while someone else serves
as the licensed control operator. There will also be a chance to see HF
stations set up from scratch.
So come out! Most people say they have had a great time. And come to the
June meeting for more information and a chance to ask questions.
