[OFARC] Field Day 2016 notes

Tue Jun 28 11:15:14 EDT 2016

My comments:

* Keep it simple
* 3 radios was good
* Keep the number of antennas down unless they are easy to set up.
* A simple checklist is good for planning but I'm not sure it requires 6 months except if we are doing something new or we are testing new layouts (like 2 radios same band)
* For public outreach, we have not had many walkins even with public notice.  We do that mainly for points.  We have done post cards mail outs to local hams which produces only 1 percent return but it gets the word out.  We don't have a big email list but it is worth it to contact public or elected officials which we do occasionally get some response.  This would include the precinct commissioners, mayor, state reps, etc. 
* For food, we should go to Gatlins and get a plate of BBQ or something else pre-prepared that can be eaten for the whole weekend. 
* The setup crew did fine. The new guys helped a lot.  The lesson learned is that stringing antennas is harder than it looks. 
*  The radios were good and I agree radios with better filters would be better.  Headphones and Y connectors are a must have since operating the radios without them is very distracting and causes operator fatigue and lots of mistakes. 
*  The decision to run 24 hrs is obviously one that depends on peoples availability and energy level.   If this I the issue, we should make the decision if we are doing field day as a contender in the contest or not.  If we are operating efficiently, with all stations running, we can get a lot of points and be able to dial it back at night. 
* Since we really are not a contender for high point scores, any extra points should be targeted.  This is just a matter of pulling the templates I created for previous years and sending things out the prior month.  Post cards to all hams within the 3 surrounding zip codes is about $80.  I would recommend a mail out every couple of years in any case to garner some interest.  A feature article in the Leader paper is also good but they have not been very responsive in recent years.
* FD is a good time to play with antennas and radios to see what works.   I'm not sure its worth the trouble to deal with various modes on the same band unless we test this in advance.   We can go with solar, battery, gen, etc. all good for points however we want to run.  

-----Original Message-----
From: Ralph <ke5hdf at sbcglobal.net>
To: ofarc <ofarc at mailman.qth.net>; rusty-wilson <rusty-wilson at comcast.net>; WB5ANN <WB5ANN at ARRL.NET>
Sent: Mon, Jun 27, 2016 7:39 pm
Subject: Field Day 2016 notes

    Overall, I thought FD went very well this year

    My personal thoughts ...

    I like the casual format of OFARC FD.
    It has a good balance of contest, mentoring, and social.

    I have captured below my comments and suggestions plus those I heard    from several other people
    (Several have been discussed with other members before I included    here)
    Please provide feedback on these notes plus anything else you would    like to add/delete/correct
    Disagreement is very much welcome to start a dialogue ...  please no    "flaming"

    Ralph
    KE5HDF

    Organization

Having two people help organize provides coverage of items if        one person gets tied up with other obligations

FD 2016 went well

We should start planning earlier ... like in January

There should probably be a written list of equipment needs and        operating plans

have the planners report the club alternate months between        January and June

an alternate comment was that leaving it a bit unplanned          better mimics what may happen during an emergency where we          need to figure out how to use what we have

comments?????

Give more thought to snacks & meals.  

Ordering pizza worked great for supper

had a good selection of donuts and cookies in the early          hours

having everyone bring their own beverages seemed to work ok          ....any other comments?????

how about lunch?  It would be ok to just tell everyone to          bring their own, but address it.

any other comments?????

    Publicity

we were on the ARRL FD locater page which brought us 4 or 5        new ham visitors plus an ARRL representative

many e-mail invitations were sent to scouts and news        organizations, plus the city of Houston  ... to which we got        only 1 reply and no visitors

is this a missed bonus???   Do e-mails count or does it have        to be something formal. MARK ?????

    Set up

a good number of people helped with set up

a few sat back and advised ... (personally, I like them        offering suggestions from a vantage point "outside the fray")

each radio station had enough room for notes, a person to help        log, and for the operator to fidget and stretch

    Antennas

fewer antennas to raise than last year

more people helping with antennas

Mike's air powered antenna launcher was 'AWESOME"

good selection of bands available with antennas raised

Radios

only 3 radios - we were able to keep them manned 80%+ of the        time

good radios - I replaced my old Kenwood TS140 with an IC706 -        better filters for better results breaking pileups

Alex's "go box" was very nice and seemed to inspire several        people

we could have used an extra power supply and tuner as spares        in case of problems

Operators

Plenty of operators available until well into the late night        kept radios on the air

Visitors were given a chance to get on the air

New or uncomfortable hams helped log and learned how to work        contest

maybe not work around the clock.   We lost too many operators        after 10pm and had none from midnight to 0300

if you want to work around the clock, set up shifts ... do not        come early if you want to work overnight

Likely Bonus Points

All radios under 150 watts (gives power bonus factor of x2)

Dick ran QRP for several hours (... I am not sure how this        works for bonus points when other radios were at 100W)  MARK ?????

Digital - several digital contacts were made.  (These are        worth more points than voice)

Information table was set up and shown to visitors

Education program - we did a hands on practice for 3 kids and        their mom )hands on work is required to get this bonus)

visited by an ARRL representative

    Generator

Ralph's generator worked well and used less than 7 gallons of        gasoline

Apparently there were 2 generators at the lodge that do not        work.  One looks repairable ... a visiting lodge member has        taken charge of getting it repaired very soon

(Personally, I suggest the 2nd generator get repaired soon          also.  If a hurricane comes in it may be needed.)

      Thoughts for next year

3 radios is about right.  Only 3 bands are likely to be open        at any one time .... 20M & 40M plus 10, 15, or 80.  

During the sunspot minimum, count on 10 being dead, so use 15        during day and 80 over night

set up 4 antennas to cover 15, 20, 40, & 80  ... one or 2        could be a multi band antenna just in case bands are different        than expected.  that will give good flexibility

add 2M just in case, but never have more than 3 radios plus        GOTA on the air at any time

build a local network and have all stations log on a computer        tied to a master file.  this will simplify scoring and avoid        duplicate contacts

work some digital.  each digital contact is worth double        points.  

start advertising early

create a club letter head????

send out 90, 60, and 30 days in advance

make it a "formal" press release???????

Have someone commit in no later than February to develop &        demonstrate the local network & logging software 

demonstrate by late April??

this could be a club meeting demonstration????

      ???? Maybe???? items

Consider setting up a solar powered station for a while.         There is a 100 point bonus for using solar power to make a        minimum of 50(?) contacts

?????Would it be possible to work digital and voice on the        same band using different radios and not have too much        interference????

any other comments?????

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