[Elecraft] OT: Field Day anecdotes

[Fred Jensen]

A "One ham" QRP FD on a picnic bench at Washoe Lake State Park between 
Reno and Carson City NV.  K2 + Alexloop antenna, 25W solar panel, couple 
of LiFePO4 batteries.  All going well, about 0.5 Q's/min on CW.  I had 
taken my license in its frame thinking it might impress someone.

Two guys in cowboy ["CB"] hats with one guy -- CB1 -- packing a stubby 
revolver on his belt approached: <see below>

CB1: "What's going on here?"

ME: "Amateur Radio Field Day. Take your radio to an outdoor location and 
contact as many stations as you can"

CB1: "The radio sounds like a secret code"

ME: "It's Morse code but it's not secret."

CB2: "Is this safe?"

ME: "Yes, but" [with feeble attempt at humor] "move away from the loop 
to be sure"

CB1: Starts to remove gun from holster. "What?"

ME: "Just kidding!"

CB2: "This is weird.  You look like a foreign agent"

ME: "No, I'm not ... but if I was you must know I couldn't tell you."

CB2: "So you are CIA?" <see below>

CB1: "You need a permit to be here."

ME: [showing him my license] "This is my permit"

CB1 to CB2: "Call 911."  To ME: You just sit still and don't touch 
anything."

~5 mins of silence followed by arrival of two state park rangers who 
suggested CB1 reholster his gun, looked at my ID and license, wished me 
good luck, and escorted the CB's away.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
CWops #142
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

<below> I don't know why, but Nevade is an "open carry state."

Both CB's seemed to be a couple of French fries short of a Happy Meal.  
They didn't come back.


------ Original Message ------
>From "Wayne Burdick via Elecraft" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
To "jimk8mr at aol.com" <jimk8mr at aol.com>
Cc "elecraft at mailman.qth.net" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Date 5/21/2026 8:08:30 AM
Subject Re: [Elecraft] OT: Field Day anecdotes

>Thanks for all the stories, everyone. Keep the faith (despite the odds),
>and we'll see you at FD.
>
>Wayne
>N6KR
>
>
>On Thu, May 21, 2026 at 7:53 AM jimk8mr--- via Elecraft <
>elecraft at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
>>   Many years ago I was operating after dark, from a table under a picnic
>>  fly. When suddenly my pretty new IC-746 jumped off the operating table,
>>  onto the ground!
>>  A departing operator had caught the feedline on his car's rear bumper.
>>  Fortunately I had an SWR bridge in line, the coax to it acting as a
>>  mechanical fuse to keep the radio from going any further.  The op did
>>  realize what had happened and stopped to check things out, so my radio
>>  would not have accumulated may miles. But it still worked!
>>
>>  73  -  Jim   K8MR
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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