> we ran 3delta from our club station VE6hotel mike...I didn't look at the 
> designators, but we had 4 stations going simaltaniously...there are 5 
> availible radios, so that's probably why they went 3D.
> Some ops did paper logs, and some didn't log at all...we weren't in it for 
> the points, and we really weren't trying to get numbers, so no one took 
> logging too seriously.
> It was all a bit of a gong show, most people showing up for the barbecue 
> and then leaving with no one really in charge of anything.  There are 
> networked computers at each station, but no one new how to use or even if 
> there was loggign software availible to avoid dupes when operators 
> changed.
> Certainly nothing that I know is accessible.  The club station has never 
> really been seriously organized for contesting, though they have 3 icom 
> 756 pro's with lots of HF antennas availible.
> We had a hard enough time figuring out which antennas were connected to 
> which rigs...they've got patch coaxes coming from the back of each rig, 
> back to a separate room where all the repeater gear is...those coaxes go 
> to a home made bulk head plate with female to female so239 connecters 
> mounted in it, and then all the antenna coaxes come into the building 
> through a hole in the floor and connect up to which ever bulkhead 
> connecter and rig you want them to.  Problem is, nothing is properly 
> marked, and they have tape color codes on the radio coaxes supposedly to 
> determine which is which.
> Also, the nuckle heads that go out and mow the lawn and do the weed 
> wacking have absolutely no respect for coaxes, so we found out last night 
> that our 80 meter dipole's feedline was weed wacked to shreds.
> that is the third HF antenna feedline that has fallen pray to a careless 
> club members weed wacker.
> What I would like to see in there is a computer controled 20 or 25 
> position antenna switch where in you can choose your two antennas from the 
> computer terminal at your operating station, and the software determines 
> if those two are in use somewhere else, or weather you want to use them 
> from an unused station...something very easy to look at on the screen and 
> see exactly what antenna is connected to what radio and on which antenna 
> jack of that radio.
> It's all a total circus right now figuring that stuff out...10 different 
> people change stuff and mark things ten different ways and don't tell each 
> other.
> we literally had to manually trace patch cables to the repeater room, and 
> then hook up the antennas we wanted to use.
> So you can see why no one takes it too seriously.
> But we all had a blast.
> 20M was wide open all day...but mostly to the western half of north 
> america. 15M was wide open as well, but mostly to the eastern half of the 
> US...very interesting band conditions to say the least.
> We were active on 40, 20, 15 and 10M since those were the only really 
> functioning antennas that we could figure out.
> I'm a bit jealous of the clubs who can support the resources necesary for 
> a 25alpha set up with towers and beams and all the rest.
> Our club executive is more interested in working on their four by four 
> jeeps and going out on trail rides on the weekends rather than working on 
> the radio and antenna systems.
> If they put half the money and time into the club as they do into their 
> four wheel drive hobbies, we'd probably have a far better field day.
>
> All that said, like I mentioned, we had allot of fun and good company and 
> good times were had.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Lloyd Rasmussen" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 7:58 PM
> Subject: Re: Field Day
>
>
>> Last year K3RA produced a video about the joint PVRC/Howard County Field 
>> Day
>> operation.  They set up a whole line of temporary towers that is several
>> hundred feet long, oriented north and south.  Beams on these towers will 
>> all
>> be pointed west, and consequently be in each other's nulls, 
>> theoretically.
>> Same for dipoles strung between them.  They also use a lot of extra 
>> filters
>> on the transceivers, especially because many of the stations are running 
>> a
>> kilowatt.
>>
>> I didn't count all of the transmitter/frequency combinations.  I think 
>> that
>> they are required to have all of them running simultaneously during some
>> part of the contest, but they don't run 160 in the daytime, for instance.
>> But on 80 through 10 there were at times 3 stations per band: one CW, one
>> digital and one SSB.  They were also on 6, 2 and higher bands.  There was
>> also a Get On The Air station, although I didn't run across them.  In 
>> recent
>> years W3AO has made around 9,000 QSO's, but the Field Day QSO total 
>> record
>> was set by a New England club at one time in the past.
>> 73,
>> Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, Kensington, Maryland
>> Home:  http://lras.home.sprynet.com
>> Work:  http://www.loc.gov/nls
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: For blind ham radio operators 
>>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>>> On Behalf Of tom behler
>>> Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 7:29 PM
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Re: Field Day
>>>
>>>     Lloyd:
>>>
>>> I have a question which has interested me for years.
>>>
>>> How in the world can W3AO run 25 alpha?  We worked them a number of 
>>> times
>>> as
>>> usual this Field Day, and I am amazed at what they seem able to do.
>>>
>>> Regarding our club's Field Day operation, we made a total of 730 
>>> contacts.
>>> I made 323 CW contacts with my 20-meter set-up, and the rest were phone
>>> contacts spread throughout the bands.  We ran a 3A operation, and had an
>>> absolute blast.
>>>
>>> I am still in recovery mode this evening, but am already thinking about
>>> next
>>> year's Field Day, and what improvements we can make to have even better
>>> results.
>>>
>>> 73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Lloyd Rasmussen" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2011 11:14 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Field Day
>>>
>>>
>>> I won't be out at an FD station.  Potomac Valley Radio Club will be
>>> running
>>> W3AO with 26 transmitters from Howard County, Maryland.  I won't attempt
>>> to
>>> run a 40-meter roundtable today, but plan to be on 20 tomorrow on 14258 
>>> at
>>> 2000Z, if anyone cares to drop in.  I hope to work at least some of you 
>>> on
>>> Field Day with my 1D fixed station.
>>> 73,
>>> Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, Kensington, Maryland
>>> Home:  http://lras.home.sprynet.com
>>> Work:  http://www.loc.gov/nls
>>>
>>>
>>> > -----Original Message-----
>>> > From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:BLIND-
>>> [log in to unmask]]
>>> > On Behalf Of tom behler
>>> > Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2011 8:12 AM
>>> > To: [log in to unmask]
>>> > Subject: Field Day
>>> >
>>> > Hi, folks.
>>> >
>>> > In case anyone is interested, here's the info on the Field Day 
>>> > operation
>>> > in
>>> > which I will be participating this year.
>>> >
>>> > I will be part of the Big Rapids Area Amateur Radio Club field day
>>> effort.
>>> > We believe we will be operating 3A., and we will be using the call 
>>> > N8OE.
>>> > We
>>> > will be doing our Field Day in the parking lot of the local school
>>> > district
>>> > Superintendent's office.
>>> >
>>> > I will primarily be running 20 meter CW, but I may do some phone as
>>> well.
>>> > I
>>> > will be operating out of the RV, with my TS480 and screw-driver 
>>> > antenna
>>> on
>>> > the back of the RV.
>>> >
>>> > In addition to my 20 meter station, we will have a 40-meter station, 
>>> > and
>>> > another to work other bands as we can.
>>> >
>>> > Would love to work anyone who is willing to try!!!!!!
>>> > 73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ, Big Rapids, MI
>