[TCARC-NTX] Field Day Rules

[David Johnson]

Field Day 2003 Rules
Field Day Forms 

1. Eligibility: Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered
by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within IARU Region 2.
DX stations residing in other regions may be contacted for credit, but
are not eligible to submit entries. 


2. Object: To work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur
bands (excluding the 30, 17, and 12-meter bands) and in doing so to
learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions.
A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of
emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with
the capabilities of Amateur Radio. 


3. Date and Time Period: Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of
June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and ending at 2100 UTC Sunday.
Field Day 2003 will be held June 28-29, 2003. 

3.1. Class A and B (see below) stations that do not begin setting up
until 1800 UTC on Saturday may operate the entire Field Day period. 

3.2. Stations who begin setting up before 1800 UTC Saturday may work
only 24 consecutive hours, commencing when on-the-air operations begin. 

3.3. No Class A or B station may begin their set-up earlier than 1800
UTC on the Friday preceding the contest period. 


4. Entry Categories: Field Day entries are classified according to the
maximum number of simultaneously transmitted signals, followed by a
designator of the nature of their individual or group participation.
Below 30 MHz, once a transmitter is used for a contact on a band, it
must remain on that band for at least 15 minutes. During the period, the
transmitter is considered to be transmitting, whether it is or not, for
the purpose of determining transmitter classification. Switching devices
are prohibited. 

4.1. (Class A) Club / non-club portable: Club group or a non-club group
with three or more licensed amateurs set up specifically for Field Day.
Such stations must be located in places that are not regular station
locations and must not use facilities installed for permanent station
use, or use any structure installed permanently for Field Day use.
Stations must operate under one callsign (except if a dedicated GOTA
station is allowed which must be operated under a callsign as provided
later in these rules), and under the control of a single licensee or
trustee for the entry. All equipment (including antennas) must lie
within a circle whose diameter does not exceed 300 meters (1000 feet).
All contacts must be made with transmitter(s) and receiver(s) operating
independent of commercial power mains. Entrants whom for any reason
operate a transmitter or receiver from a commercial main for one or more
contacts will be listed separately. 

4.1.1. Any Class A group whose entry classification is two or more
transmitters may also operate one additional HF station without changing
its base entry category, known as the GET ON THE AIR (GOTA) station. 

4.1.1.1. This station must operate using a different callsign from the
primary Field Day station. 

4.1.1.2. The GOTA station may be operated by Novice, Technicians or
generally inactive hams under their existing operating privileges, or
under the direction of a Control Operator with appropriate privileges,
as necessary. Non-licensed persons may participate under the direct
supervision of an appropriate control operator. A list of operators and
participants must be included on the required summary sheet to ARRL HQ. 

4.1.1.3. This station may operate on any valid Field Day band and mode.
As per FCC rules, this station must have a valid control operator
present if operating beyond the license privileges of the participant
using the station. 

4.1.1.4. The maximum transmitter output power for the GOTA station shall
be 150 watts. If the primary Field Day group is claiming the QRP
multiplier level of 5, the maximum transmitter output power of the GOTA
station may not exceed 5 watts. 

4.1.1.5. A maximum of 400 QSOs made by this station may be claimed for
credit by its primary Field Day operation. A 100-point bonus may be
claimed by the primary Field Day operation if the GOTA station reaches
the 100 QSO level. 

4.1.1.6. The GOTA station may only operate on the Field Day HF Bands.
Only one transmitted signal is allowed from the GOTA station at any time
(see Field Day rule 4). 

4.1.1.7. The GOTA station does not affect the additional VHF/UHF station
provided for under Field Day rule 

4.1.1.8. Participants are reminded that non-licensed participants
working under the direction of a valid control operator may only
communicate with other W/VE stations or with stations in countries with
which the US has entered a third-party agreement. 

4.1.1.9. The GOTA stations does not qualify as an additional transmitter
when determining the number of transmitters eligible for the 100-point
emergency power bonus under rule 7.3.1. 

4.1.2. Any Class A group whose entry category is two or more
transmitters may also operate one additional transmitter if it operates
exclusively on any bands or combination of bands above 50 MHz (VHF/UHF)
without changing its basic entry classification. This station does not
qualify for a 100-point bonus as an additional transmitter. This station
may be operated for the entire Field Day period for the club and all
contacts count for QSO credit. It is operated using the primary callsign
of the Field Day group. 

4.2. (Class A - Battery) Club / non-club portable: Club groups or
non-club groups with three or more licensed amateurs set up specifically
for Field Day. All contacts must be made using an output power of 5
Watts or less and the power source must be something other than
commercial power mains or motor-driven generator (e.g.: batteries, solar
cells, water-driven generator). Other provisions are the same for
regular Class A. 

4.3. (Class B) One or two person portable: Club or non-club stations set
up and operated for Field Day purposes by no more than two licensed
amateurs. Other provisions are the same for Class A. One and two person
Class B entries will be listed separately. 

4.4. (Class B - Battery) One or two person portable: Club or non-club
stations set up and operated by no more than two licensed amateurs. All
contacts must be made using an output power of 5 Watts or less and the
power source must be something other than commercial mains or
motor-driven generator. Other provisions are the same as Class A. One
and two person Class B - Battery entries will be listed separately. 

4.5. (Class C) Mobile: Stations in vehicles capable of operating while
in motion and normally operated in this manner. This includes maritime
and aeronautical mobile. 

4.6. (Class D) Home stations: Stations operating from permanent or
licensed station locations using commercial power. Class D stations may
only count contacts made with Class A, B, C, E and F Field Day stations.


4.7. (Class E) Home stations - Emergency power: Same as Class D, but
using emergency power for transmitters and receivers. May work stations
in Class A, B, C, D, E and F. 

4.8. (Class F) Emergency Operations Centers (EOC): An amateur radio
station at an established EOC activated by a club or non-club group.
Class F operation must take place at an established EOC site. Stations
may utilize equipment and antennas temporarily or permanently installed
at the EOC for the event. Entries will be reported according to number
of transmitters in simultaneous operation. 

4.8.1. For Field Day purposes, an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is
defined as a facility established by: 

a) a Federal, State, County, City or other Civil Government, agency or
administrative entity; or 

b) a Chapter of a national or international served agency (such as Red
Cross or Salvation Army) with which your local group has an established
operating arrangement. 

4.8.2. Planning of a Class F operation must take place in cooperation
with the staff of the EOC being activated. 

4.8.3. Class F stations are eligible for all bonus points under Field
Day rule 7.3. 

4.8.4. Other provisions not covered are the same as Class A. 


5. Exchange: Stations in ARRL / RAC sections will exchange their Field
Day operating Class and ARRL / RAC section. Example: a three transmitter
class A station in Connecticut which also has a GOTA station and one VHF
station would send "3A CT" on CW or "3 Alpha Connecticut" on phone. DX
stations send operating class and the term DX (i.e. 2A DX). 


6. Miscellaneous Rules 

6.1. A person who participates by making a QSO from one Field Day
operation may not subsequently work that same operation from which he
participated to provide them point credit. 

6.2. A station used to contact one or more Field Day stations may not
subsequently be used under any other callsign to participate in Field
Day. Family stations are exempt provided the subsequent callsign used is
issued to and used by a different family member. 

6.3. Each Phone, CW and Digital (non-CW) segment is considered a
separate band. A station may only be worked once per band. 

6.4 All voice contacts are equivalent. 

6.5. All non-CW digital contacts are equivalent. 

6.6. Cross-band contacts are not permitted. 

6.7. The use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single
band-mode is prohibited. Exception: a dedicated GOTA station may operate
as prescribed in rule 4.1. 

6.8. No repeater contacts are allowed. 

6.9. Batteries may be charged while in use. Except for class D stations,
the batteries must be charged from a power source other than commercial
power mains. To claim the power multiplier of five, the batteries must
be charged from something other than a motor driven generator or
commercial mains. 


7. Scoring: Scores are based on the total number of QSO points times the
power multiplier corresponding to the highest power level under which
any contact was made during the Field Day period plus the bonus points. 

7.1. QSO Points 

7.1.1. Phone contacts count one point each. 

7.1.2. CW contacts count two points each. 

7.1.3. Digital contacts count two points each. 

7.2. Power multipliers: The power multiplier that applies is determined
by the highest power output of any of the transmitters used during the
Field Day operation. 

7.2.1. If all contacts are made using a power of 5 Watts or less and if
a power source other than commercial mains or motor-driven generator is
used (batteries, solar cells, water-driven generator), the power
multiplier is 5. 

7.2.2. If all contacts are made using a power of 5 Watts or less, but
the power source is from a commercial main or from a motor-driven
generator, the power multiplier is 2. 

7.2.3. If any or all contacts are made using an output power up to 150
Watts or less, the power multiplier is 2. 

7.2.4. If any or all contacts are made using an output power greater
than 150 Watts, the power multiplier is one. 

7.2.5. The power multiplier for an entry is determined by the maximum
output power used by any transmitter used to complete any contact during
the event. (Example: a group has one QRP station running 3 Watts and a
second station running 100 Watts, the power multiplier of 2 applies to
all contacts made by the entire operation). 

7.3. Bonus Points: The following bonus points will be added to the
score, after the multiplier is applied, to determine the final Field Day
score. Only Class A and B stations are eligible for bonus points. Bonus
points will only be applied if the claim is made on the summary sheet
and any proof required is enclosed with the entry. 

7.3.1. 100% Emergency Power: 100 points per transmitter classification
if all contacts are made only using an emergency power source. Free
transmitters that do not count towards the group's total (GOTA station
and free VHF Station for Class A entries) do not qualify for bonus point
credit. All transmitting equipment at the site must operate from a power
source completely independent of the commercial power mains to qualify.
(Example: a club operating 3 transmitters plus a GOTA station and using
100% emergency power receives 300 bonus points.) 

7.3.2. Media Publicity: 100 bonus points may be earned for attempting to
obtain publicity from the local media. A copy of the press release, or a
copy of the actual media publicity received (newspaper article, etc)
must be submitted to claim the points. 

7.3.3. Public Location: 100 bonus points for physically locating the
Field Day operation in a public place (shopping center, community park,
school campus, etc). The intent is for amateur radio to be on display to
the public. 

7.3.4. Public Information Table: 100 bonus points for a Public
Information Table at the Field Day site. The purpose is to make
appropriate handouts and information available to the visiting public at
the site. A copy of a visitor's log, copies of club handouts or photos
is sufficient evidence for claiming this bonus. 

7.3.5. Message Origination to Section Manager: 100 bonus points for
origination of a National Traffic System (NTS) style formal message to
the ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator by your group
from its site. You should include the club name, number of participants,
Field Day location, and number of ARES operators involved with your
station. The message must be transmitted during the Field Day period and
a fully serviced copy of it must be included in your submission, in
standard ARRL NTS format, or no credit will be given. The Section
Manager message is separate from the messages handled in section 7.3.6
and may not also be claimed for bonus points under that rule. 

7.3.6. Message Handling: 10 points for each formal NTS style originated,
relayed or received and delivered during the Field Day period, up to a
maximum of 100 points (ten messages). Properly serviced copies of each
message must be included with the Field Day report. 

7.3.7. Satellite QSO: 100 bonus points for successfully completing at
least one QSO via an amateur radio satellite during the Field Day
period. Under the "General Rules for All ARRL Contests" (rule 3.7.2.),
the no-repeater QSO stipulation is waived for satellite QSOs. Groups are
allowed one dedicated satellite transmitter station without increasing
their entry category. Satellite QSOs also count for regular QSO credit.
Show them listed separately on the summary sheet as a separate "band."
You do not receive an additional bonus for contacting different
satellites, though the additional QSOs may be counted for QSO credit. 

7.3.8. Alternate Power: 100 bonus points for Field Day groups making a
minimum of five QSOs without using power from commercial mains or a
petroleum driven generator. This means an "alternate" energy source of
power, such as solar, wind, methane or water. This includes batteries
charged by natural means (not dry cells). The natural power transmitter
counts as an additional transmitter. If you do not wish to it to
increase your operating category, you should take one of your other
transmitters off the air while the natural power transmitter is in
operation. A separate list of natural power QSOs should be submitted
with your entry. 

7.3.9. W1AW Bulletin: 100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day
bulletin transmitted by W1AW during its operating schedule during the
Field Day weekend (listed in this rules announcement). An accurate copy
of the message is required to be included in your Field Day submission.
(Note: The Field Day bulletin must be copied via amateur radio. It will
not be included in Internet bulletins sent out from Headquarters and
will not be posted to Internet BBS sites.) 

7.3.10. Non-Traditional Mode Demonstrations: A maximum of 300 bonus
points (100 points for each demonstration up to three) for setting up a
demonstration of a non-traditional mode of amateur radio communications.
This includes modes such as APRS, ATV, and SSTV. This bonus is not
available for demonstration of a mode for which regular QSO credit is
available, such as PSK31. 

7.3.10.1. A portable packet system may be included as one of the
demonstration modes. This system must include a temporary, portable node
and must be completely separate from the existing packet infrastructure
of your area. 

7.3.11. Site Visitation by an elected governmental official: A 100-point
bonus may be claimed if your Field Day site is visited by an elected
government official as the result of an invitation issued by your group.


7.3.12. Site Visitation by a representative of an agency: A 100-point
bonus may be claimed if your Field Day site is visited by a
representative of an agency served by ARES in your local community (Red
Cross, Salvation Army, local Emergency Management, law enforcement, etc)
as the result of an invitation issued by your group. 

7.3.13. GOTA maximum achieved. A 100-point bonus may be claimed by a
group whose GOTA station completes a minimum of 100 QSOs. 


8. Reporting: 

8.1. Entries must be postmarked or emailed by July 29, 2003. Late
entries can not be accepted. A complete entry consists of: 

8.1.1. An official ARRL summary sheet (or reasonable facsimile) which is
completely and accurately filled out; 

8.1.2. A list of stations worked by band/mode during the Field Day
period (dupe sheet or an alpha/numeric list sorted by band and mode); 

8.1.3. Proofs of bonus points claimed (copies of visitor logs, press
releases, NTS messages handled, photographs, etc) 

8.2. Complete station logs are not required for submission. The club
should maintain log files for one year in case they are requested by
ARRL HQ. 

8.2.1. Cabrillo format log files are not required for Field Day entries.


8.3. Electronic submissions should be emailed to: FieldDay@arrl.org and
should include, as attachments to the email, the required summary sheet
and dupe files as well as document files and/or jpg/gif files of any
bonus points claimed. 

8.4. Paper submissions should be mailed to: Field Day Entry, ARRL, 225
Main St., Newington, CT 06111 


9. Miscellaneous 

9.1. The list of bulletin times for W1AW is included in this
announcement. While W1AW does not have regular bulletins on weekends,
the Field Day message will be sent according to the schedule included
with this announcement. The W1AW bulletins will be transmitted on the
regular W1AW frequencies listed in QST. 

9.2. See "General Rules for All ARRL Contests," "General Rules for All
ARRL Contests on Bands Below 30 MHz," and "General Rules for All ARRL
Contests on Bands Above 50 MHz" (November 2001 issue of QST) for
additional rules. 

9.3. Remember that the national simplex FM calling frequency of 146.52
MHz should not be used for making Field Day contacts. 

9.4. The complete Field Day information package may be obtained by: 

9.4.1. Sending a SASE with 4 units of postage to: Field Day Information
Package, ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111; 

9.4.2. By downloading from the Contest Branch home page at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms 

9.5. For additional Field Day information or questions contact:
contests@arrl.org or phone (860) 594-0232. 

73 de KB5YLG

=[J u s t  C a l l  D a v i d]=========
Computer and Internet Services
David Johnson
(817)444-6163
(817)829-2564 ** note my new mobile number!

david@justcalldavid.com
www.justcalldavid.com