[SMCARA] Field Day 2018

Thu Jun 28 11:39:28 EDT 2018

Hi All,

As I was reading Tony's excellent email, I realized that I too have a story
regarding field day 2018 ... and because SMCARA played a big part of it, I
thought I'd send it along.

My first field day occurred in June 1957 ... I was an eager young short
wave listener; I arrived at the site on my bicycle.  The operation was
conducted by a couple WWII vets from my home town. They were set up in a
hill top apple orchard. That was a long time ago and the only thing I
remember anyone saying, other than "CQ field day",  was a comment that Bob,
W3ZRB (SK) made, as a DC-3 lumbered overhead at, maybe, fifteen hundred
feet ...  Bob looked at the other vet and said, "that's just what the
Japanese sounded like when they came over our positions in Burma".  In that
instant, he provided  small connection to something that none of us can
really conceive of.

By the time I was twenty, I had enlisted in the Navy and was operating from
the US Naval Station at Argentia Newfoundland.  Those were most formative
years and my adventures as K3KLC/VO1 are burned deeply into memory.

During the past year I have worked to establish a remote station back in
Newfoundland.  Part of that effort involved getting a Canadian Advanced
ticket, so I could legally remote control a station in Canada.  The
resulting set-up has allowed me to re-live some of the ham radio adventures
that I experienced over 50 years ago. I often call the Newfoundland station
a "time machine".

Back to field day 2018.  On "field day Saturday evening", Susan and I
visited the SMCARA site and, I too had a long talk with Jason (N3YUG), who
I'd worked just two evenings earlier from Newfoundland ... and Tom Clarke
... who I'd worked on FT-8 from both his home station and K3NAL.  Boz was
there too ... Yup, we'd had a QSO or two on FT8 from "the rock".  So, there
was plenty of satisfaction in that visit for me, chatting with guy's I'd
recently worked from afar.

After my visit, I went home and fired up as VO1CBL.  I got on the air about
9 PM, operating 1 Delta on both 20 and 40 meter SSB.  My section was
Newfoundland and Labrador.  The station is 1,000 miles east of Washington
DC, then 600 miles to the north.  I was competing with low sling, high
angle radiating dipoles that were making huge signals between stations
along the east coast ... to be heard, I often had to "get lucky" and call
someone after a CQ or QRZ that resulted in no further callers.  And, I
worked the local Newfoundland field day group (VD1A) in Pippy Park, about
12 miles from my location ... then I worked them again, from K3KLC,
operating 1 Delta in Maryland.  I surprised some weary field day operators,
who responded with an enthusiastic "Thanks for Newfoundland and Labrador"!
The bottom line is ... I had a ball!

In fifty eight years of hamming, I can remember about four stand-out field
days.  The three hours that I operated this year ranks as one of the very
best.  And the folks of SMCARA played a large ... but largely undetected
part in that.  By visiting the Hollywood site ... I got thoroughly  "in the
mood" ... then, thanks to the internet, I was able to teleport 1,355 miles
north east ... and jump right in.

When I went QRT, at midnight, I texted my Newfoundland host, VO1IDX, that I
couldn't say awake another minute ... then I went to bed and couldn't sleep
because I was so excited*.  *While I apologize for not providing more
support to SMCARA, I am deeply appreciative for the excitement that you all
injected into my field day!

I returned to Hollywood after church on Sunday, hoping to help with the
tear down ... it felt like I should you ... somehow, we were a team.  But
at 12:47,  I found only and the empty tent and a similarly empty parking
lot.  Like Tony, I looked at it for a moment and appreciated what had been
done there.   And I will add ... there were no mosquitoes in my basement
...I bequeath those to you younger guys!

My sincere thanks to SMCARA being the unknown component in ... "VO1CBL 1
Delta, Newfoundland and Labrador"!

73

Sam

On Wed, Jun 27, 2018 at 2:41 PM, <barrettac at md.metrocast.net> wrote:

> SMCARA members,
>
> At the time of writing, Field Day 2018 is in our rear view window. Sunday
> mid-day the antennas were
> disassembled, station gear loaded into totes, chairs put away, and as the
> last vehicle, I looked into
> the vacant empty tent from my vehicles rear view mirror that bustled with
> activity just hours before.
>
> I recalled the qso’s were flowing in one-by-one, voices filled the air
> with reporting class to the other
> stations, The sun shone brightly and the damp heat was building. All the
> makings of a great field day exercise were present.
>
> I consider it a great honor that I was able to spend this Field Day
> exercise with my fellow members of SMCARA. While
> I may not have planned for all the failures which occurred, (or
> necessarily had a backup plan for either), we finished
> the exercise of proficiency with a greater scoring more than doubling the
> effort from 2017.
>
> I must say that all of you are a great group to be with, and I wouldn’t
> have wanted to spend it with
> anyone else. If I was able to enhance or influence just one of you with a
> “takeaway” from field day, then
> I achieved what I set out to do.
>
> Personally, I’d like to thank: Tom Clarke- W4OKW – You are a great
> planning and logistical coordinator, (lets do it
> again next year) Gene N3NO – A networking KING, (I now get it-and
> understand it), June- KC3GYL – the geedunk
>  coordinator ( I gained a couple pounds off this weekend), Jason- N3YUG-
> You spent a lot of time with that new
> young ham who stopped by . He will remember that for his lifetime (and it
> was noticed), and there are many others
> throughout the club which assisted with the setup and teardown of our FD
> site. Thank you to everyone for a
> successful event. I had a blast, enjoyed it and am looking forward to the
> next one already.
>
> I’ve begun deconstructing the log and package for submission to the ARRL.
> When I get it complete, I will have my partner, Tom, check over it before
> we submit it to the ARRL for our entry. I think we did great and achieved
> what we set out to do as a club.
>
> I’ve also started a “lessons learned” document. While items are fresh in
> my mind, I am making notes of things
>  that failed, backups needed, fixes or even just better suggestions of
> what we can improve on as a club
> overall. If there is anything you would like to add to this list, as a
> suggestions, afterthought, or
> replacement thereof, please email it to me at barrettac at md.metrocast.net
> and I will add it in.
>
> I hope to have an overview presentation available at the next club meeting
> on how we broke out.
>
> My last thought in closing is: Sunday afternoons cold shower had never
> felt so good!
>
> 73’s,
> Tony, N5TB
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> SMCARA mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/smcara
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:SMCARA at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to ltwn.klc at gmail.com