[HCRA] Field Day Myth vs Reality

[Rick Lindquist, WW3DE]

>From the current issue of ZB: Is Field Day a contest? Purists would tell you
that Field Day is not supposed to be a contest, but a demonstration of ham
radio to the public. Indeed, in the beginning, Field Day was an opportunity
for hams to setup in a park, school, or other public location with the prime
effort on showing off what amateurs can do "on the air."

 

Not quite. In 1933, then-ARRL Communications Manager F.E. Handy, W1BDI (SK),
envisioned Field Day as an emergency preparedness exercise (as opposed to a
routine contest). As he put it, Field Day would be "a test of the emergency
availability of portable stations and equipment." In Handy's view, Field Day
would focus attention "on the subject of 'preparedness' for communications
emergencies." There's not a word in there about demonstrating ham radio to
the public. That came later.

 

I find it fascinating to see the early Field Day lash-ups in the old issues
of QST, imagining what it must have been like to lug all that bulky, heavy
gear and wire (no tribanders back then) into the field, set it up and
actually make contacts! We're much more fortunate these days.

 

Yes, Field Day does incorporate many aspects of the typical contest, but no
rigor applies to recording or compiling the "results." Field Day stations
need only submit a summary sheet plus a list of call signs worked. In other
words, the FD op doesn't even need to copy the other station's ARRL Section
or operating class (at all, much less correctly), and Field Day logs do not
get the sort of scrutiny typical for contest entries these days.
Unfortunately, ARRL lists Field Day among its sponsored contests, and over
the decades a plethora of various rules and operating classes has developed
that tend to obscure the original intent of this operating event. 

 

A lot of clubs consider it fun to "beat" their competition across town or
whatever, but as a contester I cringe when I hear folks describe Field Day
as a "contest." That said, Field Day can be a great entry point for getting
into real Amateur Radio competition, but it's not a contest in the real
sense of "radiosport."

 

I enjoyed the piece about the 6L6, which was the final (and only) tube in my
first transmitter - a homebrew contraption I put together with parts
scavenged from old radios (some of the very old). Just curious if the
station mentioned was really N4QR, as printed, or N4QA, who does run a
single 6L6 transmitter on occasion.

 

Rick, WW3DE (ex-N1RL)