Field Day 2003

Contents

 Field day is an annual event sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in order to test the ability of amateur radio operators to use their skills and knowledge in a real-world environment. Emergency conditions are simulated by bringing this contest "to the field", with temporary antenna installations and portable power sources that must operate over a 24 hour period. The event is always held on the 4th full weekend in June, which makes it 28-29 June 2003. The contest starts at noon local (Mountain) time, and runs through the next 24 hours.

The HP Boise Amateur Radio Club (HPBARC) has been "competing" in this event for several years, setting up in the East Park pavillion of the main HP site in Boise, Idaho. This site provides quite a few creature comforts (restrooms, shade, drinking water, barbeque pits) and is very accessible to the club and members of the local community. We endeavor to attract new participants to the event every year, and are always trying to interest passers-by enough to explain what amateur radio is and where to go to find out more information.

This information is being presented to help in the preparations for Field Day 2003. For more information on the event, check out the contest rules or download the Field Day package [PDF document].

Check out some history of our event at the HP site.

Our Press Release to be sent to these news organizations.

Site map added!

Details

We have chosen to operate in the 100W class of operation. This is a change from the past 3 years, when we competed at the 5W level, and is in order to provide a more satisfying experience for our newer amateurs and other interested people. At the 5W level, visitors were often discouraged by the effort required to make a contact. This increase in power level will require either a larger supply of batteries or a switch to generator or commercial mains. Fortunately, we have a friend at Idaho Power. Once again we will be using the Idaho Power solar demonstration trailer for our power source. As with our 1999 event, we should have plenty of power for the entire contest.

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Location

The event will take place at HP's main Boise site, located at 11311 Chinden Blvd. in West Boise (1 mile East of the Chinden Rd. and Eagle Rd. intersection). To get into the site, you will have to use the main entrance which is at the traffic lights at Hewlett-Packard Drive and Chinden Blvd. Just stop at the kiosk and tell the security guard that you are looking for the HP Amateur Radio Club Field Day event, which is being held in the East Park. They should direct you around the site to the South East corner, where parking is available (park to the East of the portable buildings near the 5 Mile Rd. entrance), and you can walk to the pavillion across the bridge and follow the walking path. Our presence should be obvious, but watch out for geese.

Talk-in on the HPBARC repeater, 147.26+MHz

Here are links to some maps:

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Schedule

This schedule gives a rough idea of our activities. Most importantly, it lists feeding times. Note that all times (other than the start time) are subject to change. You are encouraged to use the talk-in frequency listed above to make sure you don't miss the food :-) 
	Sat 08:00 - Start tower setup
        Sat 09:00 - Phone field day bulletin
        Sat 10:00 - People arrive, setup continues
        Sat 12:00 - Contest starts, so does lunch
        Sat 18:00 - Dinner is prepared
	Sat 18:00 - CW field day bulletin
	Sat 19:00 - Teleprinter field day bulletin
	Sat 19:45 - Phone field day bulletin
        Sun 07:00 - Breakfast is served
        Sun 08:00 - CW field day bulletin
        Sun 09:00 - Phone field day bulletin
        Sun 10:00 - PSK31 field day bulletin
        Sun 12:00 - Contest ends, take-down begins
        Sun 15:00 - The place is clean, and people leave.
It has been suggested that we have some sort of operating schedule before the event. This would ensure that everyone who wants to operate will get a chance. I will post this schedule here so that people can make the decision of when to show up. Just let me know if you have a time you'd like to operate -- right now the event is wide open. I'd definitely like to give everyone a chance, and that may mean that we need to set up a GOTA station to handle some of the overflow.

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Personnel/Signup

It is critical that we have an HP employee in attendance at all times during the event, as this is one restriction on the use of the HP East Park. I am planning to be in attendance for the full contest period, but if there are any openings I'll be requesting another licensed HP person to sit in for "babysitting" duty :-)

Send e-mail to me, KB7YWE at kb7ywe@qsl.net.

I will maintain a mailing list of those interested in the planning and scheduling of the event. There will be no obligation to attend the event, but this will be the most up-to-date place to find out status and information. We will also use the forum to discuss what preparations we will be making, such as antennas and power sources. If you have any ideas and would like to contribute, please send me an e-mail. I will make every effort to keep this page up-to-date with discussion topics and checklists.

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Scorekeeping/Bonuses

This year I'll be keeping score for the contest. It will be my job to make sure that we are getting all the points that we can. We will be operating under the HPBARC club callsign, AB7HP, and should have Extra class privelleges at all times during the event. This means that everyone interested (even unlicensed people) will have a chance to use HF frequencies as if they were an Amateur Extra class ham. 
Callsign: AB7HP
Category: 2A (2 station club entry at 150W or less)
Exchange: This is AB7HP, 2A, two-alpha, in Idaho, ID

Notes:
Logging
 -- log clipboard per station, or one per band/mode?
 -- need some kind of token for allocation of band/mode -- one station at a time
 -- it would be nice to have a map of the US on a tackboard, along with pins
    to place on contacts made.  This will be a good visual aid for our visitors,
    and will also show us which states we have yet to work.
    A general map of the IARU region would be good also, to see where those
    exotic DX stations are.

Bonus points (100 points each, unless noted)
 -- 100% emergency power [Idaho Power solar demonstration trailer]
 -- Media publicity [Press release to be issued]
 -- Public location [HP park, with access granted by security]
 -- Public information table [received information packet from ARRL]
 -- Message origination to section manager [SM is K7BDS, John Cline]
 -- Message handling (10 points per message, 10 messages max)
 -- Satellite QSO [Kevin, KB7UKR? - anyone else?]
 -- Natural power [Solar]
 -- W1AW Bulletin
    (attempt to record on Friday, 7:45pm, or Saturday, 8:00am)
 -- Non-traditional mode demonstrations (3 maximum, 100 points each)
    APRS [Tony, N7MTZ?]
    ATV [Tony, N7MTZ?]
    SSTV [Tony, WV7I?]
    PACKET with temporary portable node [Riyadth, KB7YWE]
 -- Site visitation [Judge Richard Schmidt, John Cline?]
 -- GOTA maximum, 400 QSOs on GOTA station

GOTA station notes
 -- for those who have not been on the band for > 2yrs (or never on the band)
 -- must operate under a different callsign
 -- the QSO's all count to our score as well
 -- GOTA station must match our category, but it can operate
    on same band/mode simultaneously with main station.
 -- Control operator does not need to be an inactive ham, but cannot operate
    the station for credit if active.
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Equipment

I will provide a station based on my Ten-Tec Scout 555, a 50W transceiver. It will be teamed up to a Ten-Tec antenna tuner, and connected to the large dipole/doublet antenna that we always set up at the site. This will be powered by an 11A power supply fed by 110VAC. This radio may be replaced by others as it has only 50W of power output, and we are allowed up to 150W.

Brian (N6UGP) has pleged his Kenwood transceiver, and Judge Schmidt (K7NSW) has brought his Kenwood to previous events.

We will operate in the 2A class, which means that we can have 2 transmitters on the air at the same time (not counting a VHF/UHF station or a GOTA [Get On The Air] station). Last year we had 3 or 4 people show up with complete stations, in addition to what was already planned for. This seems like a good way to work the event, as it gives people the chance to bring out and set up their own equipment as a part of the emergency preparedness exercise.

If you would like to bring equipment to the site, please do. Our biggest issue in the past was connection to the batteries at the event. Since we will be operating from the solar trailer this year, please bring an AC power supply for your rig, or cables that can hopefully be connected to one of the power supplies that we hope to have on site. This would ideally be a cord terminated in a set of Anderson PowerPoles (wired in the "Red on the right" with the chin on the bottom "standard"). [Note that this is not the predominant US-wide standard, but has been used in this area for many years -- see photo.] PowerPoles can be found locally at The Current Source on Philipi South of Emerald, or by mail from Powerwerx.com. We will avoid loose connections (bare twisted wire) whenever possible, as it is just an invitation for Murphy to come in and blow something up.

Note that we need to do a better job of characterizing and documenting the radios and accessories that we use. This information will be very valuable in coming events, and also in understanding how our equipment performs in these emergency situations. Aside from written documentation and photographs, we should make the effort to measure current draw of the stations. 

What we have:
  Antennas:
    Beam antenna with rotator + G5RV on crank-up tower (Brian Davis, Tony Baca)
    Dipole antenna, fiberglass mast (Riyadth Al-Kazily, Dan Gregson)
    GAP vertical (Richard Schmidt)
  Transceivers:
    Kenwood ??? w/20A PS (Brian Mahaffy)
    Kenwood ??? w/20A PS (Richard Schmidt)
    Ten-Tec Argonaut 555 w/11A PS & microphone (Riyadth Al-Kazily) [50W] GOTA?
  Misc:
    Manual antenna tuner (Riyadth Al-Kazily)
    Feedline (everyone!)
    Extension cords (everyone!)
    Shade structure (Kevin Hess)
    Tarp(s) and poles for shade (Riyadth Al-Kazily)
  Demo modes:
    APRS - Tony, N7MTZ
    ATV - Tony, N7MTZ
    SSTV - Tony, WV7I
    Packet - Riyadth, KB7YWE and Dan, KC7NJB
  Logging materials:
    Clipboards
    Pads
    Printed log sheets
    Pens
  Documentation:
    Band plans (laminated)
    Field Day rules
    Antenna designs/wire lengths
    calculator
    handbooks (antenna, amateur, operationg manual)
    maps
    guest book
    camera
  Tools:
    Antenna analyzer
    SWR/Watt meters
    Soldering equipment
    general tool kit
  Parts:
    duct tape
    wire for antennas
    ropes & guys
    tent stakes, hammer
    ground rod, hammer
    feedlines
    power cables
    adapters (RF, 1/8" mini plug,  & power)
    clamps, hardware
    scrap lumber (to attach things to the gazebo structures)

What we need:
  Digital interface(s) (PSK31, RTTY, ???):
    - Cables for one of the rigs
    - Expert on these modes
  Laptop(s):
    - With power supply
    - With digital mode software
  Additional antennas?
    Moxon rectangle/beam
      - Need some sort of PVC frame and mast
      - Or maybe just build it on top of the BBQ pit
    Balloon lofted wire?  We always wanted to try this
      - see http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/balloon.html
  Some way to get antennas up in the air
  Keyers/keys/paddles for those who want to do CW (bring-your-own?)
    - Note that Scout has built in keyer (1/8" stereo plug) or will
      accept a normal key input (1/8" mono plug), don't know about Kenwoods
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Support

Dan, KC7NJB, has volunteered for food duty, and hopefully Kevin, KB7UKR, will be assisting. They have never let us down in the past, so I'm looking forward to being well fed. The next task is to create formal menus, so that we can be more specific about ingredients. 
Food (Dan & Kevin)
 -- meat (hot dogs, burgers, ?)
 -- buns
 -- side dishes (chili, salads, ?)
 -- snacks (chips)
    If we do not have a good estimate of how many attendees will show up,
    then it is my suggestion to only purchase enough food for a large
    lunch on Saturday, then decide what we need to get before dinner that
    evening.  Lunch could consist of hot dogs and burgers, and depending
    on the turnout, dinner may be steaks!  Backup/fillers would include
    green beans, a pot of chili, and maybe some dutch oven cooking as well.
    Dan, KC7NJB, wants to make sure that it will be easy to warm up food
    throughout the night (as needed), which was an issue with previous
    field days.
Soda (Riyadth)
Cookies (Binnur)
Drinking water
Condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, pickles, ?)

Cups, plates, utensils, napkins
Cooking stuff
 -- bbq grills (cleaning, charcoal, tools)
 -- propane stove, pots & kettles
 -- mixing/serving spoons
 -- matches!
 -- charcoal, lighter fluid, tools
 -- dutch ovens
Coolers/Ice(block)

Ligting
 -- lanterns
 -- flashlights
Tents
 -- camping stuff
Personal supplies
 -- bug spray
 -- sun block
 -- hat
 -- change of clothes
 -- toiletries
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Discussion

This section is for notes of interest from our e-mailings, including important questions, answers, and links to references. 
Thu Jun 26 23:16:29 MDT 2003

All,

  Sorry these updates have been rather irregular, but the time has now
come for the real thing.  I think this will be the last update from me
since most of you receive this message at work, and tomorrow is the last
work day before Field Day.

  I believe that the food and drinks are well under control.  Don't be
alarmed if you noticed that the barbecue pits are missing at the East
Park.  We have a backup plan.

  Tomorrow (Friday) morning, Scott Gates of Idaho Power will deliver the
solar trailer to the site.  I will meet him between 9am and 10am to set
the trailer up.  On Saturday we will need plenty of AC extension cords to
get power to the operating positions.  I have one to bring, and I suggest
anyone else who has a spare bring it along.  Those of you who are bringing
radios please remember your power supplies.

  On Saturday I will try to get to the site at 8am.  Not much later than
that, anyway.  I will bring tools to build the antenna tower base, and Dan
Gregson will bring the lumber (which we purchased today (Thursday)).  I
understand that Brian Davis will deliver the tower to the site on Friday,
and Travis Loyd will bring the remainting antenna pieces on Saturday
morning.  I hope to have at least 8-10 people there by the time we raise
the tower (hopefully by 11am).  If you were there last year then your
experience would be very welcome this time around.

  Official operating time starts at 12:00 noon, so we need at least one of
the two stations set up prior to that time.  I know Brian Mahaffy intends
to bring his Kenwood, and there was at least one or two others with
Kenwoods to bring (Richard?  I can't remember the other one).  Brian
Mahaffy will supply a G5RV antenna for the station without the beam, and
Dan Gregson has a mast we can use (unless Brian prefers his own mast).

  Tony Barrett, if you could bring your "demonstration modes" along for
our bonus points, that would be appreciated.  If we can show off APRS,
ATV, and packet through a digipeater (all nodes on site), we can get 300
extra points.  I will be bringing a packet node myself that we could use
for part of the demo.  Maybe I could encourage Lela to bring her Kenwood
along as part of the demo.  I'm sure people would like to see an HT with a
built in TNC.

  Those who wish to stay overnight are welcome.  We have an area free of
sprinklers (just in case) where we can set up tents.  Some prefer to sleep
in their vehicles, which can be parked right at the pavillion (parking
spaces go to those spending the night first).

  If any of you would like to contact me before (or during) the event, my
cellphone number is 867-7537.  I won't be available at work tomorrow,
since my cubicle is packed up for a move (no phone or computer).  Feel
free to e-mail me at home also (kb7ywe@hpbarc.boi.hp.com or
kb7ywe@qsl.net).  I hope to see you all out there on Saturday!

  -Riyadth
   http://www.qsl.net/kb7ywe/fd03.html


The news release has been sent out on 20 June to the following news
organizations:
      "Idaho Statesman <local@idahostatesman.com>
      "KBSU radio <newsroom@news91.state.id.us>
      "KAID TV <Anne_Peterson@IDPTV.pbs.org>
      "KTVB TV <ktvbnews@KTVB.com>
      "KBCI TV <idaho2news@KBCItv.com>
      "KIVI TV <vickers@JournalBroadcastGroup.com>
      "KTRV TV <kcross@KTRV.com>
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Files

Printable log pages and information sheets.
If this page is missing important information, or something is incorrect, please let me know immediately at kb7ywe@qsl.net.