[SixClub] Re: SixClub Digest, Vol 2, Issue 36

[W7RLL at wmconnect.com]

Greetings all,
I have been licensed for a little more than 4 years as a technician class 
ham. 2004 is my first year as a participant at Field Day. I had never operated HF 
and have only made a few casual 6 mtr contacts. 
Due to a previous commitment, I did not arrive at the FD site until 2300 z. I 
logged in at the info area and wandered around for a short time talking to 
some of my ham buddies and getting acquainted with the station setups. I 
observed an operator working the 40 mtr ssb for a while until he said that he needed 
a break. I was surprised when he suggested that I take his place!!! " I can't 
do that !" said I.
"Sure you can" he said. The ham doing the logging slid off the bench and 
gently pushed in behind the mic. I turned the dial ever so slowly and heard a cq 
call. I did not catch the callsign so I waited until they called again, pressed 
the button and shakily called "november tango 7 hotel". We exchanged info and 
I had my first contact! It was in Wisconsin!!! An hour later I needed a 
break. I had made  8 contacts!!!
All together I put in over 10 hours at that station working 40 and 80 mtrs. I 
completed  approx 50 contacts. Not much production but it was a great 
experience and I am hooked!!! Some of the states my contacts came from are: Wi, Mi, 
In, SD, Mt, Id, Az, Nv, Ca, Wa, Al, and Hi. I think that we only made 2 
contacts total to Al and Hi.
NT7H is the Olympia Amateur Radio Society in Olympia ,Wa. We were 3A WWA. The 
total for the club was just over 500 contacts. We will be a long ways from 
the top of the 3A category but that is not the important thing. The fun, 
camaraderie, and experience are the most important parts of FD, IMHO.
Thanks for letting me ramble a little.

73 de Lee Lininger
W7RLL
Yelm, Wa