Its 7PM on Friday and a big crowd is arriving for the antenna rope hanging. Paul, K4PDF, is carrying a box of rope.
Standing around waiting for the fun to start are Jim, AF4MO;, Duane, K4UW; Kevin, W4KLS; and Ray, KD4RSL.
Paul, K4PDF, getting ready to take a shot with his slingshot.
Mike, WB8RDN, and Nick Carr, looking at the tool shed. The shed was under repair and there was plywood sheathing on the ground. "This would make a nice shelter for the radio operators."
Still standing around waiting for the fun to start. Jim, AF4MO; Kevin, W4KLS; Ray, KD4RSL; Blair, KC9BBW; and Duane, K4UW.
Earl, KB0NRK, straightening out a reel of cord.
Bill, K4UPE, looking for rope.
Dick, W2YE, taking a shot with his EZ-Hang.
Marty, NV3H, watching Dick miss again. Marty had created a twitter account for SPARC and periodically tweeted from Field Day (https://twitter.com/sparcradio).
Still standing around waiting for the fun to start. Kevin, W4KLS; Ray, KD4RSL; and Blair, KC9BBN.
Earl, KB0NRK, attaching the cord to the fishing line.
Chaz, KK4TNO, arrives.
Nick, no license yet, holds the cord while the rope is attached to the other end.
Big help - John, N2PBY, arrives with his air gun.
Eric, AJ4LN, takes a shot with his EZ-Hang.
Gordon, NQ4K, smiling at all the activity.
Blair, KC9BBW, in center, attaching cord to the fishing line from John's, N2PBY, air gun. You can see the yellow tennis ball. Earl, KB0NRK, on left and Bill, K4UPE, on right.
Rob, W4VRD, waiting for a successful EZ-hang shot.
Bill, K4UPE, and Nick, NLY, running out the fishline with cord attached.
Mike, WB8RDN, looking at the shed again.
Group watching John, N2PBY, get his air cannon ready for a shot.
John, N2PBY, taking a shot.
Waiting for the shot. It is starting to rain. Eric, AJ4LN, was the only one who brought along an umbrella.
Waiting for the next shot. Most times there are a lot of missed and a lot of waiting around.
Some success. A rope is being pulled up. Nick, NLY, on left, with Gordon, NQ4K, looking on, and Mike, WB8RDN, working the line.
Saturday arrived early. Mike, WB8RDN, is cleaning up the area.
Dick, W2YE, is waiting for people to arrive. A lot of the equipment has been unloaded and awaiting setup.
Looking for a piece of rope.
Starting to set up one of the club canopies. Paul, K4PDF, and Gordon, NQ4K (on right)
Dick, W2YE, and Rob, W4VRD, trying to unroll one of the legs from the Big-Vee antenna.
Blair, KC9BBW, and Mike, WB8RDN, in front of the tool shed. Mike had been looking at the shed as an operating position and took the initiative to clean it out. Notice there is no dirt piles on the floor and it is ready to use.
The site looking from the west. The near two canopies are the QRM tents.
Paul, K4PDF (mostly hidden); John, N2PBY; Gordon, NQ4K: Blair, KC9BBW; and Mike, WB8RDN; trying to figure out how the club canopy frame goes together.
Rob, W4VRD, and Dick W2YE, walk purposefully.
John, N2PBY; and Paul, K4PDF, set up the publicity table.
Mike, WB8RDN, pulls on an antenna rope.
Kevin, W4KLS, works in the club canopy.
The publicity table is set up at the entrance to the operating area.
Mike, WB8RDN, working on the Big-Vee antenna on the far side of the baseball field.
Dick, W2YE, and Mike, WB8RDN, set up the CW station in the baseball field dugout. Dick brought the ICOM-756 used at the CW station.
Rob, W4VRD, and Paul, K4PDF, straighten out some networking cable.
Rob, W4VRD, and Gordon, NQ4K hammer in a stake for one of the corners of the 80M loop.
Starting to lay out the 80M loop.
Duane, K4UW, on his way to the CW station in the baseball dugout.
Eric, AJ4LN, our computer and logging guru, set up an extra computer terminal so he could monitor the status of the computer network and QSO progress.
One SSB station in the tool shed. Notice the clean floor.
The GOTA station in the tool shed. The station was an IC-730 with a laptop for logging.
View toward the gate to the operating area. To the right of the gate is the tool shed with an SSB station and the GOTA station. Straight through the gate is a club canopy with a SSB station. On the immediate right in the picture is the blue porta-pottie, a most important structure.
Mike, WB8RDN, laying out networking cable from the CW station, in the blue dugout, to the club tent.
Ray, KD4RSL, and Blair, KC9BBW, at the fence beside the VHF/UHF station location.
Russ, W3RST, brought the club generator. Russ has maintained the generator for a long time and thanks to his diligence, the generator worked for another year. Russ talked to the manufacturer and based on the serial number believes the engine was made in 1959.
The generator. Red gas tank on left. This generator is a crank start. Notice the hold in screen on engine where crank goes.
The side view of the generator.
The generator nameplate.
Kevin, W4KLS, and Gordon, NQ4K in club canopy watching Eric, AJ4LN, work.
The CW station is almost set up. Russ, W3RST, on left, with Dick, W2YE, and Mike, WB8RDN, working the radio.
Russ, W3RST, in front of the SSB station in the club canopy.
Eric, AJ4LN, by the network monitoring station.
`Gary, K4SRX, our safety office.
Kevin, W4KLS.
Blair, KC9BBW.
The group photo after setup was completed and just before we began radio operations. From the left are Gary, K4SRX; Russ, W3RST; Eric, AJ4LN; Blair, KC9BBW; Mike WB8RDN; Duane, K4UW; Dick, W2YE; Kevin, W4KLS; and Gordon, NQ4K
Gary, K4SRX, standing by the publicity table. Gary volunteered to be our safety officer and was onsite for most of the event.
Eric, AJ4LN; Rob, W4VRD; and Kevin, W4KLS; in the tool shed looking at radios.
Marty, NV3H, and future ham, Evelyn.
Evelyn, future ham, and Gordon, NQ4K, at GOTA station. Evelyn did 20 QSOs. Gordon operated as the full-time GOTA coach.
Rob, W4VRD, took the initiative to bring a sign which we posted by the road. This attracted a couple of passers-by to our event.
Rob, W4VRD, getting ready to operate. Blair, KC9BBW, brought this ICOM-7000 used for SSB.
Russ, W3RST, operating the SSB station.
Eric, brought the TS-570D used here.
Eric, AJ4LN, watching the network as operations get started. Eric brought all the computers used at the SSB and CW stations.
Duane, K4UW, operating the CW stations with Mike, WB8RDN, providing advice.
Ray, KD4RSL at his VHF/UHF station.
The solar charged batteries to be used on the VHF/UHF station. Ray took the time to charge the batteries using solar power se we could claim extra points for using a renewable power source.
Ray, KD4RSL, shielded from the sun.
A visitor at the GOTA station.
Rob, W3VRD, sending the formal messages. Rob volunteered to send the format message traffic, although he had not done this before. After the Field Day I talked with the ham receiving the traffic and learned that Rob did very well.
Jay, KM4RSS, and Kathleen, KM4RSR, at the GOTA station. Kathleen did 20 QSOs.
Ray, KD4RSL, in the operating position.
Kevin, W4KLS, at the SST station in the tool shed. Kathleen, KM4RSR, at the GOTA station behind him.
Paul, K4PDF.
Gordon, NQ4K, with Delegate Jennifer Boysko, Virginia House of Delegates, at the GOTA station, making a contact.
Group photo. From left, Marty, NV3H, Evelyn, no license yet (seated), Delegate Jennifer Boysko, a visitor standing in back, Herndon Vice Mayor Jennifer Baker, and Gary, K4SRX, (on right). Marty coordinated for visits by both of these elected officials.
Marty, NV3H, on left, showing Delegate Jennifer Boysko, Jennifer's daughter, and Herndon Vice Mayor Jennifer Baker the CW station operated by Duane, K4UW.
Marty, NV3H, works at a SSB station.
Dick, W2YE, works a SSB station.
Eric, AJ4LN; Dick, W2YE; and Kevin, W4KLS; take a break for dinner in the QRM tent.
A big crowd at the CW station. Mike, WB8RDN; Duane, K4UW; Jay, KM4RSS, and Red, N3TG (at radio).
Red, N3TG, at radio with Jay, KM4RSS.
Paul, K4PDF.
Kevin, W4KLS, presents an educational activity, with Duane, K4UW, and Jay, KM4RSS, getting a closer look. The activity earns SPARC extra bonus points.
Rob, W4VRD, continuing to work on sending the formal message traffic. It took a long time.
Eric, KB0NRK, at the SSB station.
Mary, KK4HMX, at the GOTA station. She made 21 QSOs.
Chaz, KK4TNO.
Eric, AJ4LN, working the SSB station.
Rob,
W4VRD, moved to a different table to get away from the
fence which interfered with the signal propagation.
Continuing to send the formal message traffic.
Red, N3TG, at the CW station.
The sun is setting. The club canopy with SSB station is visible through the gate. The tool shed with another SSB station and the GOTA station is on the right.
Faintly visible is the BIG-VEE hanging from the light pole.
Wires hanging from a second light pole.
The 6M antenna.
It is getting dark and soon the publicity table will not be visible.
Chaz, KK4TNO, working the GOTA station at night. He made 20 QSOs.
Night has fully fallen and Jim, AF4MO, arrives to work SSB all night. In addition to working the night shift, Jim also coordinated with the Loudoun-Times mirror to get some publicity for our activities.
Gary, K4SRX, keeping watch over the field day site.
Gary, K4UW, at the CW station.
Morning does arrive.
Blair, KC9BBW, arrives early to take over one of the SSB radios.
Duane, K4UW, is still at the CW station.
No one is in the QRM tents. Still too early for most.
Ray, KD4RSL, takes a photo in the window of the tool shed.
Duane, K4UW, getting ready to go home for a little rest after being up all night.
The club generator is still working. The sheet of plywood from around the tool shed is to try to reduce the generator noise level.
Joe, WB2SAI, arrives to take over at the SSB station in the tool shed.
A visitor works the GOTA station for a few contacts.
Mike, WB8RDN, takes over from Duane at the CW station.
The QRM is building at the QRM tents. Paul, K4PDF; Red, N3TG, and Dick, W2YE. Dick also copies the W1AW bulletin from ARRL to ARRL members thus getting us extra bonus points.
We thought that the baseball field was going to be used so we moved the CW station from the dugout to one of the QRM tents. From left, Ray, KD4RSL; Blair, KC9BBW; Dick, W2YE (kneeling behind table).
Mike, WB8RDN, with Nick, No license yet, at GOTA station.
Dick, W2YE, at the QRM tent. Dick seems to be doing a lto of QRM'ing but in reality he is collecting information to enable him to compile and submit the SPARC Fidl Day report to ARRL. He will end up working on this for several days, if not weeks, after the event is over.
Duane, K4UW, back at the CW station after the move to the QRM tent.
Visiting Ray, KD4RSL at the VHF/UHF station. On left standing is Gary, K4SRX, and Kevin, W4KLS.
QRM'ing is going well with Dick, W2YE; Joe, WB2SAI; Kevin, W4KLS; and Russ, W3RST. Duane, K4UW, is in the background at the CW station.
Mike, WB8RDN, closely monitoring the operation of the CW station by Duane, K4UW.
Jim, AF4MO, came back and did another session at the SSB station during the day.
Blair, KC9BBW, at the SSB station.
QRM'ing is continuing as the end of the day approaches. From left, Kevin, W4KLS; Paul, K4PDF; Gary, K4SRX; Dick, W2YE; and Joe, WB2SAI. On the table are the remains of donuts (via Rob, W4VRD) from the previous day and in the brown bag are fresh bagels (via Marty, NV3H).
Gordon, NQ4K, takes a turn at the SSB station after spending most of his time at the GOTA station.
One last visitor at the GOTA station just a few minutes before the end. He made two contacts.
The club canopy is ready to come down.
Joe, WA2SAI, and Blair, KC9BBW, put one of the QRM canopies in it bag.
Duane, K4UW; Mike, WB8RDN, and Dick, W2YE, fold up the club canopy.
Duane, K4UW; Blair, KC9BBW, and Chaz, KK4TNO, pile equipment up at the gate.
More equipment and some of the equipment is being loaded onto a pickup truck belonging to Gary, K4SRX.
The pick up is almost loaded. Gary, K4SRX, is standing on the tailgate. Chaz, KK4TNO, on left and Duane, K4UW, on the right.
Its over. The gate is closed. The final photograph. The hams at the end are Chaz, KK4TNO; Mike, WB8RDN; Gary, K4SRX; Gordon, NQ4K; Eric, AJ4LN; Kevin, W4KLS; Blair, KC9BBW; and Joe, WB2SAI. A really excellent time.