[TCARC-NTX] Field Day, 2003

[Mark Clark]

Hi Folks:

At the club meeting last night, it was decided that we should try to be a 
little more systematic in our approach to the manning of stations for field 
day.  As you know, along with the fun and camaraderie that natural flows 
from this activity, there is an underlying serious purpose.  We are 
supposed to be testing our ability to set up in a remote location and 
operate effectively without the advantages of commercial power, air 
conditioning and indoor plumbing. Now, in a real emergency situation, the 
first prerequisite of operating an emergency station would be that the 
station was manned for the entire period, with no embarrassing lapses in 
the wee hours of the morning.  To this end, we are going to try something 
new.  This year we will be taking volunteers to be assigned as radio 
operators for a 4 hour shift throughout the 24 hour period.  I think it 
would be best to have 2 people assigned for each shift.  At least one of 
the 2 operators for each shift should be qualified to be a control 
operator, meaning an operator who has HF privileges and who can, hopefully, 
be depended upon to not blow up radios.  The 2 people can then take turns 
operating and logging.

We will be operating either 2 or 3 transmitters this year, depending on how 
many volunteers we get.  We will have more stations set up than this, but 
only the specified number can be operating at any one time.  We will also 
need a "Get on the Air" (GOTA) Station, possibly in the trailer.  A 
volunteer to coordinate the GOTA station is needed.

Fred Muehlen, N5WLA, and Chris Brewer, N5GMJ, will act as station captains 
for the HF Stations.  This means they will be responsible for setting up 
stations and assigning shifts of operators to work them.  If we have enough 
participation, I will act as station captain for the third station.

If you wish, you can set up your own station to operate during your 
shift(s).  It's good experience and one of the fun things about FD, but 
please remember that, once we decide on the number of transmitters, we 
cannot transmit with more than that number at one time.  You can choose to 
work phone, CW or digital (or some combination thereof) during your 
shift.  All 3 modes will be available.  Band plans will be worked out once 
we have a clearer idea how many transmitters we will have.  Obviously, we 
cannot have 2 transmitters operating the same band and mode at the same 
time, but the laws of physics pretty much enforce that one for us.  :)

For logging, we will again have the venerable (not to say, moldy) WR9R 
software which will run under MS-DOS available.  Also, I have found a 
Windoze logger from N3FJP which I like a lot that I will be using.  I have 
paid a small registration fee for this software that I will be donating to 
the club and anyone is welcome to use it.  Station captains are responsible 
for choosing software and so forth, the only caveat being that the log 
files produced must be in "Cabrillo" format to meet the ARRL rules.  This 
is not something you generally should need to worry about, since anyone 
writing a field day logging program would be insane to not use this format 
for the files.

For anyone with 802.11 capabilities, (which, if I understand it correctly, 
just means a wireless LAN interface in your computer) David Johnson, 
KB5YLG, has offered to set up a wireless LAN in the area for shared log 
file storage.

VHF, Satellite and other "special" stations are welcome, and do not count 
against our number of transmitters, but if you are going to do something 
like that, please do volunteer to work at least one shift at the HF stations.

Odds and Ends:  We will have some sort of dinner on Saturday night provided 
by the club and prepared by (in the somewhat chauvinistic term employed by 
KZ5RR) the "womenfolk." Fred has volunteered to produce a breakfast of 
reputed edibility to anyone who survives until Sunday morning.

Needless to say, everything is open to discussion.  I don't pretend to be 
the expert, just the shmoe with the job.  Suggestions are very welcome.

Let's don't clutter up the reflector with volunteers, just send your offers 
of assistance and your preferred operating times 
to  k5psb@sbcglobal.net.  I will be pestering you some more as I think of 
things to pester you about.  :)

mark-
k5psb


---

Trouble rather the tiger in his lair
than the sage amongst his books.
For to you, kingdoms and their armies
are mighty and enduring,
But to him, they are but toys of the moment
To be overturned by the flicking of a finger.

                                     --- Lessons: Anonymous