[ARC5] Field Day musings...

[millerke6f at aol.com]

My most memorable FD was back in the early 60s up in Humboldt Co.  Had a converted Command Set transmitter on  the bottom of 80 meters and a  DAQ navy receiver (nearly a cubic yard of aluminum) and with a dipole hanging from a couple of redwood trees on Kneeland Mountain I worked all states and all of Canada with that set up.  The Command set had been reduced to one 1625 in the PA and ran full Break In with a decoupled VFO cathode and ran the final with a 200 Ohm resistor in the cathode for a kinda pseudo AB1 scheme.  Got about 10 watts or so out, but with a great antenna I could work anything that I could hear on the band.  Ah those were the days indeed.  


Bob. KE6F



-----Original Message-----
From: Todd, KA1KAQ <ka1kaq at gmail.com>
To: Robert Nickels <W9RAN at oneradio.net>
Cc: ARC-5 Mail List <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tue, Jun 25, 2013 5:18 pm
Subject: Re: [ARC5] Field Day musings...


On Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 11:14 AM, Robert Nickels <ranickel at comcast.net>wrote:

>
> Too bad everyone didn't have audio/video recorders in their shirtpockets
> back then,  but maybe the memories are better.
>

Sorta like the days of radio before TV, when you had to use your
imagination to visualize the stories being told. :D

My first FD was in 1979 and consisted of a lot of the newer green Heathkit
gear along with a Yaesu FT-101E. I recall logging for a fellow in the
evening who decided he was sick of doing all the calling and it was time I
let him log. When I panicked and reminded him I had no license he simply
said 'I do, and as control op, it's legal, so get over here and operate'.
Scary-nervous but fun once I settled down. The club VHF guy showed up the
next day with his Drake TR-6 and a yagi but had little luck. Many years
later I ended up with his well-traveled TR-6, still have it.

After I got licensed it was a big deal to make every field day. In the mid
80s I would haul my KWM-2A along and get all sorts of snide remarks about
my antique and the load it put on the generator (it did cause it to grunt a
bit). But when they tallied the contacts, I was the op with the most - even
though I didn't care for the contest approach.

I was fun when we went there and set up like it was an actual emergency,
then operated. In later years when they made all the exceptions for setting
up early, then exceptions to the exceptions, and the corntest mentality
with its accompanying rudeness really set it I called it quits, haven't
operated at one since. Do miss the initial fun and excitement of it though,
when it was more of a drill and less of a contest.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4
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