CARA 2026 ARRL Field Day
Everyone is welcome! Grab your family, friends, or neighbours — even grab the neighbours' friends — and join the fun at CARA for the 2026 ARRL Field Day. Stay all day or just for a bit. Stop by, leave, and come back. Stay all night, or show up Saturday, or Sunday, or both. Help set up, help clean up, get on the air, or just hang out. Do whatever works for you — so long as you stop by.
Check out all the details below. Hope to see you there!
(Brian, KB3WFV, wrote such a great opening for last year's FD that I'm shamelessly recycling it — full credit to him for the original spirit.)
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CARA FIELD DAY 2026
LOCATION
Broomes Island Community Center
4080 School Rd, Broomes Island, MD 20615
TALK-IN — K3CAL REPEATERS
146.985 / 444.950 (PL 156.7)
K3CAL-L on EchoLink
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SATURDAY, 27 JUNE 2026
SET-UP: 8:00 – 8:30 AM
Help needed with: antenna mast, antennas, guy lines, feed lines, radios, computers, power cables, tables, food — pretty much everything.
ON THE AIR BY 2:00 PM
Operators welcome for five band-specific filtered stations: 10m, 15m, 20m, 40m and 80m.
Any mode — SSB, CW or DIGITAL
Bring your own headphones, plus 1/8" and 1/4" adapters
You can bring your own radio and power supply if you'd like to use it with CARA's antenna system
ALL contacts will be logged by CARA's networked computers running N3FJP Field Day software
Please be considerate of those operating — move eyeball QSOs to the room across the hall.
3:00 PM — BOY SCOUTS EXPECTED
Volunteer needed to prepare hot dogs for the Scouts.
5:00 PM-ISH — CLUB DINNER (POT LUCK)
Bring something to share — see the food list below.
We'll operate as late as operators want to stay. We have permission to stay overnight, but no one has yet committed to doing so. If you're planning to arrive late (after 9–10 pm), please check the K3CAL repeater first to see if anyone is still there.
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SUNDAY, 28 JUNE 2026
CLUB BREAKFAST — ?? AM
Operations continue as long as we have interested operators, until no later than 2 pm.
2:00 PM (POSSIBLY EARLIER) — ALL HANDS ON DECK
Tear-down, pack-up, clean-up, take out the trash, mop the floors. We can't leave until this is done — please don't leave it to the same handful of club members. Show up and pitch in.
SUNDAY EVENING
Recover from too much food, too little sleep, lots of contacts, and lots of fun with lots of good friends. Fall asleep dreaming about next year's Field Day.
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SIGN-UP — WHO'S DOING WHAT
Let's build the list below as people commit, so we can spot gaps early. Reply-all so everyone sees the running total.
I thoroughly enjoyed last year and will aim to be there for the full 24 hours. Anyone else up for the full stretch? Please shout.
OPERATORS
Nigel, G0JKN — aiming for the full 24 hours
(reply-all to add yourself — band/mode preference welcome but not required)
RADIO ROOM — COMPUTERS AND RADIO SET-UP
ANTENNA FARM AND FEED LINES
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EQUIPMENT
What's committed so far. Please reply-all to add yours, or to flag anything you can lend.
RADIOS
2 x Kenwood TS-450SAT
1 x Yaesu FT-847
Club HF rig
2 x Diplexers
5 x Band-pass filters
COMPUTERS
SUPPORT EQUIPMENT
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FOOD — POT LUCK
If you're attending and participating, please bring something. It doesn't have to be cooked at home — grab something at the store on the way. Reply-all to add yourself to this list so we can see what's already covered and avoid duplicates.
COMMITTED SO FAR:
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73 and see you on the bands,
Nigel
G0JKN
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