[GCARC] field day update, 6/16

[Jim Wright]

Field Day is Saturday June 25 into Sunday June 26  (not June 4?? (typo)) -
and it may be a circus tent in the field next to ours.  We'll just have to
see! - thanks for the catch Tony!

On Thu, Jun 16, 2016 at 9:27 PM, Jim Wright <jim.n2gxj at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello GCARC!
> there's some big news about our field day of 2016 I wanted to get out and
> share with you. This one is shaping up to be a public relations bonanza,
> and we could use everyone from the club's support.  Have you heard the
> rumors?  Read on!
> *****
> You, your friends, and everyone is invited to come out to the fields in
> front of our clubhouse during the afternoon and evening of Saturday June 4
> to socialize and represent your club as we participate with stations all
> over North America this year in Field Day 2016.  We'll send out a more
> complete schedule as we get closer to the event.  For now, here's a few
> tid-bits..
> The Boy Scouts from Troop 9 from West Deptford are planning to camp out
> with us all night and operate a Get On The Air station. What is a GOTA
> station?  It is a chance for non-hams, and recently licensed hams, to learn
> how to make on-air contacts and experience some of the fun of field day
> under the guidance of a coach.  Everyone should sign the guest book - there
> are bonus points for us for persons who are under 18 years old making at
> least one contact, but persons of any age are welcome to participate!
> Also visiting us around 3pm on Saturday afternoon will be scouts and their
> parents from recently recolonized troop 289 from Glassboro NJ.  They are
> particularly interested in learning more about emergency communications -
> could they have picked any better a day that field day to see what the
> possibilities are?  I'll be having a briefing with them in our clubhouse
> before they get a chance to head over to the GOTA station and try some
> operating too.
> *****
> Just a heads up to everyone who does plan to stop by, and I hope everyone
> does, we are reserving parking in the back field behind our clubhouse for
> your visit.  So please don't drive in the main entrance to the clubhouse,
> but instead continue on to the dirt road that turns onto our property that
> goes behind the clubhouse.
> Why are we doing this?
> One is to offer sufficient parking for all our visitors.
> But two is because we are not going to be the only people at the 4H
> fairgrounds during this field day weekend.  I'd like the spaces directly in
> front of our clubhouse to be available to escort in our VIP visitors,
> including the Harrison's mayor, rather than the general public that are
> being asked to park in the football field across the street from us. What
> are all these people going to be doing here?
> This is a small price to pay, with real benefits.
> As mentioned at the June 1 club meeting, Harrison Twp has contracted a
> Carnival to set up at the fairgrounds for the same weekend. Yes, I have
> been on the phone with the 4H president, and we will have complete access
> to our property - they will not be setting up or parking on our property.
> They will be setting up in the field between the highway (77) and our
> property, with their parking in the football field across the road.
> Is this great for them? no.  It just shows how they are willing to work
> with us.
> In the big picture, this is a great PR opportunity for GCARC, and for Ham
> Radio in general.
> Think about it.
> Could you imagine a better public relations opportunity than field day to
> show off what ham radio is all about?
> There will be lots on visitors at the 4H ground, and they will be curious
> about what it is we are doing.  So let me put out the request to you, our
> members now - if you can offer extra help to our Bart who will be manning
> our information table on Saturday and Sunday, to greet visitors and the
> curious passer-bys, to help answer questions, and perhaps encourage some to
> walk over and give the Scout's GOTA station a try, that would be fantastic,
> and great for ham radio!
> Jay 4H president called me today concerning Carnival and our field day.
> At present, we look to be having at least a half dozen radios on the air
> at the same time, operating on emergency power with operators in tents and
> under canopies with wire antennas and other innovations of their own
> construction set up in the fields around our clubhouse. The main source of
> off-the-grid power we plan to use is a 'surprise' (though some of you
> already know), with our main generator powered in parallel as a backup to
> the backup.  We will be trying for a large group photo of everyone on site
> around 5pm, as part of an article we are planning to submit to QST magazine
> highlighting our field day of 2016.  We'll get the scouts to join in too.
> Everyone who is on site jump on in!
> If you have questions, don't bother replying to all - please email me
> direct, and our field day chairman and I will work to answer whatever
> questions you have. I'll send another update as we get closer to the date.
> Also, look for updated postings on our web page w2mmd.org with more
> details and any last minute updates as we get closer.
> Field Day 2016.  Fire Up!  It's almost here!
>
> Jim Wright, n2gxj
> President, GCARC
>
>
>