The sPARC gap
Newsletter of the
Portland (Oregon)
Amateur Radio Club
(c) PARC, 2004
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| Volume 22 | June, 2004 | Number 6 |
| Past Issues Index |
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t's June, and club elections and Field Day are upon us, once more. For the 21st consecutive time, we're operating from the park adjacent to the old 911 call center at Kelly Butte, in Southeast Portland. Unfortunately, we can't use the 250-foot tower that adorns the site (rules proscribe our using existing antenna structures).
Putting the antennas up in the trees: KC7GFX launching the means to hang
Several events combine to fill the last full weekend in June. We start about 11:00 a.m. Friday with the erection of antennas in the trees per the William Tell approach (see picture, above). That evening is the club meeting and elections, held at the site. From 11:00 a.m. Saturday to 11:00 a.m. Sunday, we operate in the contest, working anyone, anywhere (but not more than once per band/mode). In the middle of that fray, there is a social gathering at the site for Saturday dinner. This has taken the form of a potluck on some occasions, at other times it's been everyone for him/herself, and some years, it's been primarily a catered affair. In any event, it's a way for our families to come join us at the site and enjoy some time together. Finally, after we end our operation at 11 Sunday morning, we take down everything we've put up at the site, and generally we leave it in better shape than we've found it.
AL7W awaits the starting gun, on 20
CW
Several operating activities combine in what is best described as half contest and half emergency preparedness drill. Of course, there is the competitive activity of contacting as many stations as possible on various bands and modes (CW, phone and digital are the mode choices that count separately). There are also bonus points provided for in the rules for things like publicity, satellite communications, 3rd-party messages handled to the SM or his designated representative, a Get-On-The-Air station, and the demonstration of a sparsely-used mode of communication (last year it was 70 cm. fast-scan TV). There's plenty to keep a large group of people busy, even with a limited number of transmitters running simultaneously. We have placed high in national rankings in the 4a Battery entry class, some years winning it overall. That's 4 transmitters running simultaneously, off of batteries, and with no more than 5 watts of CW power out or 10 watts PEP on SSB. When band conditions have allowed it, we've logged contacts from several far-flung points of the globe. They all count.
Dinner time Saturday evening. This picnic is our usual way of getting our members and their families to associate with each other at Field Day. It's taken several different forms over the years, from potlucks to bring your own, to mass purchases for everyone.
This year, we're observing a good deal of flux in the heavy hitters who've been our mainstays for the past few Field Days. We're going to need to find people who can take care of some critical details that we've not had to face any time recently. We're looking for 1 or 2 accurate archers who can help us get our antenna halyards over the trees, since KC7GFX's work schedule has bogged him down and he won't be able to make it. We're working on getting the equipment available, if there's someone out there who knows how to use it. Essentially, there has to be a way to pay out long strings of fishing line, which is then used to bring the halyards up from the other side. Whoever gets to go back into the trees needs to be aware of the usual woods-borne issues and to plan accordingly. We also need shelters at the site, since there will be at least one less trailer this year. We're all getting older, so sitting out all night under a dining fly is not the wonderful thing it has been in years past. And of course, we need operators with a predatory instinct for snagging contacts under much less than optimal conditions, especially CW operators (since 2 of our stations are dedicated to that mode).
In 2003, Mike
Schlabach, KB7YVM, provided us with a Fast-Scan TV display. His trailer is shown at the right of the screen. The camera was in his truck, looking back at the rest of the site.
A word about the Saturday evening feed: We need to work on who's bringing what, so as to avoid train wrecks. Sue Sargent (AL7W's other half) has volunteered to help coordinate that part of it. She can be reached at
chabadsue@yahoo.com to advise her of what you're bringing. AL7W's Black Death Chili will be there, but we realize that not everyone present is going to be able to eat something that starts fires inside.
We're still working out the format of the meal itself. Most likely, a main dish will be provided by the club, although people are invited to bring something from home as well. We will still need salads, breads, beverages and something for dessert. Because FD is a contest of sorts, we don't advise consumption of ethanol (besides, it may violate our working agreement with the Parks Bureau for using the site). Breakfast on Sunday will be created at the site.
As for the publicity aspect of this, Field Day weekend is typically a slow news period, and we've been shot by several TV news crews over the past 20+ years. One year, we even had a visit from one of the news reporters for OPB radio. We also get visited by local politicians, from time to time. Come on up! You won't be bored!
-W7LT