[BARC-List] Field Day 2003 ideas

[Michael L. Ardai]

N1IST's Field Day ideas:

Some of these are a result of a morning QSO last week, some have been 
brewing for a while...

- The club will own 2 HF stations by FD time - the FT-900 and the FT-897.
  Both will have autotuners.  The 897 will have a CW filter.

- It seems that interest is down, especially interest in planning and 
  doing the work of FD. I (N1IST) will not be heavily involved in FD this 
  year and will probably work 1E from home.  It's time for someone else
  to step in and run FD,

- This year's goal should be simple, easy to set up stations.  In heart,
  FD is an emergency drill and we should be using typical emergency stations.

- 6A is ridiculous.  We should operate 2A or 3A.  We don't have the 
  manpower for the higher station count.

- VHF and above is a waste of time (unfortunately).  Too much gear and time
  to set it up, and only 5 or so contacts. I'm not sure why, but that's
  how it is.  Maybe it will be better if the ARRL and MA ARES *finally* 
  decides to recommend a 2M simplex freq, but I'm not holding my breath.
  We used to get lots of contacts on 146.52 before we were kicked off from
  home stations and people driving around,  I recommend a 2M mobile rig 
  into a groundplane or magmount.  No beams, nothing above 2M.  6M?  Maybe
  a vertical or a beam sitting on top of the pergola (no tower) and 
  armstronging it, but it may not be worth it.

- HF digital (both PSK31 and RTTY) was a real hit last year.  We should
  try to do it again.  So it looks like 3 HF stations (Phone, CW, Digital).

- For HF, we should put up the R7 (correctly this time) and 2 dipoles, or 
  perhaps 2 verts and a dipole.

- Camping out on a station is fine if nobody else wants to work it, but
  we keep getting complaints from people who either can't get a chance
  to operate or don't want to bounce the veteran operator.  We aren't 
  in it for the points; BARC's goal is to give everyone who wants a chance
  to try out something new.

- Try to limit what we haul out to the site.  Last year I dragged a few
  hundred pounds of stuff, some of which never left its crate.

- As soon as we have set up, we MUST clean up.  Just because it is FD 
  and a temporary setup doesn't mean it has to look like a disaster area.
  Think about how it looks to a visitor.  Think about how unsafe it is
  to have boxes and other crap lying everywhere.  Think about how much
  stuff will either get wet or have to be moved when it rains.

- It will rain on FD.  We MUST make sure whatever shelter we are using 
  can be made rainproof.  Preferably without that very ugly mishmash of
  tarps I put up last year.

- Computer logs or *legible, complete* paper logs.  Otherwise it is a 
  nightmare for the person submitting the score.  Networked computers 
  don't seem to work, either due to the network or the logging software.
  With only 1 of each type of station, there is no reason to even try.
  Set all computer clocks accurately at the start of the event and check 
  them once or twice throught the event.

- When we shut down to refuel (yes, every time) check each antenna with
  an analyzer.  That will catch problems before they totally screw us,
  even if the autotuner has hidden them for us.  With a long enough
  coax, the autotuner will match a short.  Nobody else will hear us, 
  however...  Doing it during shutdown will keep the other transmitters
  from confusing the situation.

- If you bring a station, bring a complete station or make arrangements
  with someone else.  Assume you will be given a place to plug in and
  nothing else.  That will ensure that you aren't scrambling for a
  jumper or trying to borrow someone's batteries at the last minute.
  Test your station a week before.  Find and fix problems at home, 
  rather than at FD.  Too many times I hear "but it worked last year 
  at FD"

- It is not too early to start planning Field Day.