[SMCARA] Field Day Aftermath

[Clarke, Tom AIR4.0P NATOPS]

SSDD.

These comments are heard every year and realistically not everyone will be happy.  Some clubs go for blood, SMCARA, not so much!  We have always treated it as a quasi-social event, with the added advantage of practicing setting up comms under field conditions.  While it is cool to see our name in  lights (i.e., the QST FD Results list), the main result is a lot of fun, some contacts, and a chance to get a lot of the club members together that we don't see very often.  It helps involve folks, gets you to think of things (who has the lights, where are the antennas, who is bringing the genny?) and do a little planning.  All good stuff.

I know it can be frustrating to the yahoos that babble endlessly on 75 meters every night, but I don't think FD should go away.  I was working 75 Phone Saturday night and there were a couple of ragchews going on.  Just spin the dial and let them carry on.  It is a hobby, after all.

I am not sure what kind of format it could be changed into in order to "improve" the event.  My vote would be to keep it, or perhaps little tweaks, and keep having fun/frustration in appropriate proportions!

73 Tom OKW

P.S. Did anyone end up with a guy wire peg?  It is about an 18 inches long, 1/2 inch diameter aluminum rod that is part of the surplus green antenna mast.  Someone borrowed it for one of the other antenna installs and it didn't make it back into the antenna box.  If it is still in the field, the mower will probably snag it and fling it a 1/4 mile back into the woods!

-----Original Message-----
From: SMCARA [mailto:smcara-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Chris Ordiway
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2015 1:23 PM
To: smcara at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [SMCARA] Field Day Aftermath

All,

With Field Day fresh in our minds I'm wondering about something... Ham radio Facebook pages are abuzz with complaints about FD being nothing more than an annoying contest clogging up the airwaves. I've seen several comments that it is supposed to be a way to practice emergency communications (etc., etc.) and that the ARRL has ruined it by making it contest-like. Soooo.... If I'm not telling the other guy "3A MDC" what am I supposed to say on FD? The points system is clearly just a way to encourage participation. If the argument is that we shouldn't have the points system then how is it any different than any other day of playing radio? And why would I set up in the pouring rain, blistering heat or nearby tornado when I can be safe and dry at home to test my gear? The points and awards don't actually mean anything in the grand scheme but they are motivation to give it a go. Do these guys actually work FD style at other times, with all of the effort it takes, because they
*really* think emcomm is important? I know what I think about that...

So what do you think? Is FD too contest-y? How would you do it different so we can collectively practice emcomm? I'm curious to hear other points of view because so far those comments I'm seeing just don't make much sense to me.

Chris Ordiway - KC3DIG

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