[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] REMINDER: Winter Field Day 2023: January 22, Today is the Last Day for Sign-up

[don.ki4d at gmail.com]

This note is a reminder that today is the last day for club volunteers to
sign up for the upcoming Winter Field Day (WFD) training exercise. Please
remember that you will NOT be able to just show up to this event as during
ARRL Field Day events.  The ARRL Field Day is a public event NOT operated
under special permission of the city EOC for emergency training at a city
facility.   This WFD exercise will NOT be open to the public.  Operating
from a designated City emergency facility, this is an event is to
demonstrate Alexandria Radio Club emergency response capabilities to the
City of Alexandria. In as much as Alexandria Radio Club is listed as a Tier
1 emergency responder for the city, the city must understand our
capabilities for us to remain a solid part of their planning.  Therefore,
the EOC and the City will receive a full report on this WFD training
exercise, including participation.   

 

So far, sign-up has been light.  If you plan to attend, you must first
sign-up to be included in the operational planning and report for this
exercise.  It is important to remember that self-deployed hams are not
welcome during emergencies by most governmental jurisdictions; and they have
been sent home upon arrival in the past.  This is because without
organizational sponsorship individual hams lack the bona fides necessary
during emergencies.  In short, they are unknowns that cannot be relied upon.

 

The final WFD planning package will be completed and sent to the EOC at the
conclusion of the final preparation Zoom meeting on January. 25th.

 

Thanks for your cooperation.

 

73

Don, KI4D

President, Alexandria Radio Club

 

 

 

.  don't have the bonafides       

 

   

From: don.ki4d at gmail.com <don.ki4d at gmail.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 11:35 PM
To: 'W4HFH' <alexandriaradioclub at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Winter Field Day 2023 Next Steps: January 25th Final Preparation
Zoom Meeting

 

Winter Field Day (WFD) is less than two weeks away.  The final WFD
preparation meeting will be held on January 25th via Zoom.  If you have
plans to attend WFD as a Go-box owner or as a participant to operate or
train, please send me a note or sign-up below by January 22nd so that we can
brief final plans on January 25th at the final WFD preparation meeting.  We
need this information for operating slots as well as for parking and
accommodations at Station 210. 

 

This is a great opportunity for Go-box owners to test their own ability to
effectively deploy in case of emergencies, if needed.  It is also a great
opportunity for those who are new to HF radios to train and to learn about
Go-boxes and portable operations.  Anyone who wants to operate on HF will
have the opportunity.  

 

100-watt TX Go-box stations are preferred, but QRP Go-boxes also welcome.
The 100-watts TX operating power levels provide greater chances of effective
message thru-puts in cases of emergencies.  However, this is less of a
contest than it is a deployment training opportunity.

 

Club members may sign-up for Winter Field Day at:
https://forms.gle/syGrV9jJQfben9DJA.

 

Attached is a copy of the WFD briefing presented at the Club meeting last
Friday.

 

73

Don, KI4D

 

 

 

From: don.ki4d at gmail.com <mailto:don.ki4d at gmail.com>  <don.ki4d at gmail.com
<mailto:don.ki4d at gmail.com> > 
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2023 8:01 PM
To: 'W4HFH' <alexandriaradioclub at mailman.qth.net
<mailto:alexandriaradioclub at mailman.qth.net> >
Subject: Winter Field Day 2023 Invitation

 

Alexandria Radio Club will be hosting Winter Field Day 2023 operations at
Alexandria Fire Station 210 starting at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 28th.
This note is to invite and encourage Club members to volunteer for this
important event designed to test the Club's ability to deploy with HF
go-boxes in case of emergencies.  Participation is open to those with
go-boxes and those without go-boxes. This deployment exercise is more about
training and the logistics of doing portable operating rather than logging
maximum QSOs.

       

Winter Field Day is a communications exercise held in the middle of winter
environments during the last weekend in January. Ham radio operators
worldwide participate in Winter Field Day. Winter Field Day (WFD) can be
worked from the comfort of home; however, WFD was created with the idea that
ham radio operators should practice portable emergency communications in
winter environments because the potential for freezing temperatures, snow,
ice, and other hazards present unique operational concerns.  It is formatted
to help increase levels of preparedness for disasters and to improve
operational skills in subpar conditions.  Amateur radio operators may use
frequencies on the HF, VHF, or UHF bands and are free to use any mode that
can faithfully transmit the required exchange. Similar to the ARRL's Field
Day, bonus points are earned in several ways, including using non-commercial
power sources, operating from remote locations, satellite contacts, and
more.  WFD is sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association and is
recognized by the American Radio Relay League.  See WFD rules, attached. 

 

Details about ARC WFD are provided in the attached WFD Plan of Action and
flyer; and, more complete details will be provided in a briefing at the
January Club meeting this coming Friday. 

 

Club members are encouraged to sign-up for this exercise by this Thursday,
January 12th so that individual participants for the available time slots
can be briefed to the Club at the meeting on Friday.  

 

Available time slots are:

.              2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 28th. 

.              5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 28th.

.              8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 29th

.              1100 a.m. to 1:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 29th

 

[p-]'\

73\

 

Don, KI4D    

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