[Elecraft] Field Day tips

[David Gilbert]

I agree with all of that, Jim.

In 2000 Bob, K7ZB, and I set what was then the all time Field Day record 
for the 1B-2OP Battery category by following those exact same tips.  
Getting 10 points per QSO for QRP CW is an insurmountable advantage 
compared with SSB and higher power levels, and antennas make all the 
difference in the world.  In our case, we had the luxury of being able 
to camp among the tall Ponderosa Pine trees on the Mogollon Rim of 
Arizona, using a sling shot to hoist support lines as much as 90 feet 
up.  We used nine different antennas that year (built ahead of time and 
neatly coiled in boxes) ... all of them simply various wire 
configurations hung in the trees.  They ranged from simple dipoles on 
the low bands to a stacked (phased) pair of 2-element wire yagis on 20m 
(wooden dowel spacers).

We mostly ran RG-8 coax along the ground from the operating tent to a 
point near each antenna, and then RG-8X up to the feed points to 
minimize the weight.

Antennas rule.  Having antennas oriented in multiple directions was a 
huge plus ... we could work California off the back of our predominantly 
midwest/east coast oriented antennas, but being able to put a decent 
signal into Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia with the extra 
antennas was key for us.  We made 970 QSOs that year (9,700 points) plus 
another 300 bonus points (solar power, etc) for an even 10,000 points.   
All QRP and all CW.

We alternated roughly four hour shifts to cover the entire operating 
period, but the rig was only a TS-130V cranked back to 5 watts ... we 
would have dearly loved to have been able to use an Elecraft with better 
adjacent rejection.

The only additional bit of advice I would offer is the same one that 
holds true for most contests.  If you really want to make a lot of QSOs 
you need to be able to call CQ and run stations efficiently. Not 
exclusively, but mostly.

Best of luck to all,
Dave   AB7E

p.s.    A Pennsylvania team beat our record two years later

p.p.s.    We had so much visible wire up in the air that we got a lot of 
gawkers stopping by on their way to their own camp site to ask us what 
we were doing.  One lady asked us in all seriousness if we were setting 
snares for bears.



On 6/16/2014 11:30 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>
> I'll add some more tips about QRP on Field Day. I've done three QRP 
> Field Days, and one of them our group won for 1A battery. The same 
> group came in second when we tried 2A with a second station on SSB 
> part time.
>
> 1) Use the most efficient antennas that you can. A wire thrown over a 
> tree and a radial laying on the ground will get you on the air, but a 
> resonant dipole high in those trees can easily be 3-6 dB better. And 
> even more radials with that wire in the tree, and picking them up off 
> the ground, will add a few dB to your signal.
>
> 2) Use the most efficient feedline that you can. If you're only 
> putting out 5W, don't burn 2W in RG58. Use RG8, RG11, RG213.
>
> 3) Get your antennas as high as you can. On 80M, 10 ft more height for 
> a dipole is worth about 1 dB, 5 ft for a 40M dipole.
>
> 4) Don't waste your time with SSB on FD. CW can be reasonably 
> competitive QRP, and a lot of fun. SSB only be described as a 
> struggle, and is definitely not fun. Been there, done that, burned the 
> Tee shirt. :)
>
> The combination of #1, #2, and #3 can easily make a 10-15 dB 
> difference in your signal. 13 dB is the difference between 5W and 100W.
>
> And here are some tips to help you avoid RF noise problems on Field 
> Day. If you can't hear 'em, you can't work 'em.
>
> http://nccc.cc/pdf/CQP-RFI2013-2.pdf
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>