ARRL Field Day 2003 - Saturday & Sunday, June 28-29
(Thanks to Doc KA3KZH for compiling the following information. Contact him if you're interested in working one of the Field Day stations: [email protected])
Directions: Take West Patrick St. which turns into Rt. 40 West, heading out of Frederick to the West. Turn right on Grambrill Park Road (the Dandee Restaurant is located on the left), take Gambrill Park Rd. to the top of the mountain where there is an intersection, to the left is a park, turn right and go past the ranger station, drive about 3 miles and you will see some towers, our site is the first one along the road. There will be a sign identifying the Field Day site.
Field Day 2003 Rules:
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 rules.
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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] or phone (860) 594-0232.