Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club (SPARC)
2023 Field Day

Field Day at Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Sterling
We held Field Day at the Sheriff's Substation in Sterling, VA. We decided to try field day in a building with air conditioning and nearby facilities. Due to the proximity of houses, we were unable to run on emergency power, i.e, our club generator.	We had three radio stations. One was a CW/SSB station and two were SSB only. We had planned on a fourth station, a digital station, but COVID struck. When we lost the digital station, we converted the GOTA station to the third SSB station.	We also has three antennas. Two fan dipoles, one on each side of the front entrance to the building. And one vertical antenna. We counted 23 participants and 8 visitors. A good turnout.
Site Set-Up started at 1000 on Saturday, 22 June 2019.
The arrival sign posted by Even, KM4SK.	Larry, W8ANT, arriving and carrying his equipment.	Evan, KM4SK, arriving and carrying equipment.
Larry, W8ANT, carrying equipment and Paul, KK4AIA, arriving.	Conrad, N4ZQA, and Bud, W4KSN, erecting an antenna mast. The antennas are the first items to be installed.	The antenna mask holding up Conrad, N4ZQA.
A selfie, by Gordon, NQ4K	Steve, KN4BGW, arriving.	John, KK4AHY, arriving.
The antennas on the right of the building.	The Auxiliary Deputy Sheriff manning the station.	The antennas on the left of the building.
John, KK4AHY, watching Steve, KS1G, assemble the satellite communications station.	The publicity table with the entrance to the radio room on the left.	Bud, W4KSN, and Steve, KN4BGW, inside the radio room laying coax cable from an antenna to the radio operating position.
Bud, W4KSN, and Larry, W8ANT, opening up a balun to check the condition.	Larry, W8ANT, and Paul, KK4AIA, putting up an antenna mast.	Steve, KN4BGW, helping Bud, W4KSN. up an antenna mast.
Evan, KM4SK, Bud, W4KSN, and Larry W8ANT, assembling one of the fan dipoles. Larry's propane soldering torch is by his right hand.	Eric, AJ4LN, has arrived and starting to set up the logging computers.	Some of the computer equipment and accessories.
Steve, KS1G, is recording information on the satellite contact he just made.	Steve, KG1S, looking happy because all is working well.	Gordon, NQ4K, laying out coax cable.
Eric, AJ4LN, and Larry, W8ANT, testing the antenna and hooking up Larry's radio to the logging computer.	Larry, W8ANT, working on the second of the two fan dipoles.	The first radio being turned on. From the left, John, KK4AHY; Evan, KM4SK; Larry, W8ANT, and Eric, AJ4LN.
QRM in front of the Sheriff station. John, KK4AHY; an Auxiliary Deputy Sheriff; and Paul, KK4AIA.	Eric, AJ4LN, standing behind bucket loads of computer accessories.	Folks gathered around the second radio station on the right of the picture.
Eric, AJ4LN, on right, putting up his vertical antenna.	John, KK4AHY, getting ready to take a group photo at the end of the set up period and just before operations started.
the club members who set up the station. From the left: Evan, KM4SK; Larry, W8ANT; Gordon, NQ4K, Paul, KK4AIA (standing the back); Jim, N4FAF; Eric, AJ4LN; Conrad, N4ZQA; Steve, KS1G; and John, KK4AHY.		The same group happy that the photo was successfully taken.
Operations started at 1400 on Saturday.
The CW/SSB station.	The second station, SSB only.	The third station, SSB only.
The extra computer logging station.	Larry, W8ANT, starting to make contacts.	Eric, AJ4LN, starting to make contacts.
Conrad, N4ZQA, with Gordon, NQ4K, as logger, starting to make contacts.	Earl, KB0NRK, arriving to join us.	Jim, N4FAF, logging for Conrad, N4ZQA, working the radio.
Steve, KN4BGW, on the radio.	Mary, KK4HMX, arriving to join us.	Jeff, KB4IWD, arriving to joing us.
Barry, KD4BK, arriving to join us.	Steve, KS1G, moved the satellite station to a move suitabel location and is all set to make the first contact during the field day operations period.	Larry, W8ANT, on the radio.
Evan, KM4SK, at the radio.	John, N3QT, arriving to join us.	A visitor arriving to join us.
Eric, AJ4LN, and visitor.	Eric, AJ4LN, picking over the shoulder of Larry, W8ANT.	A visitor woring at the 3rd radio station.
Evan, KM4SK.	Several folks around the station 3. Paul, KK4AIA; Conrad, N4ZQA; Jim N4FAF, and Steve, KB4BGW.
Nighttime at the Station
It is night. The Sheriff station is well lite.	Inside the radio room, the CS station is in operation.	Scott, WB6EFW, is working at the station.
The third radio station is being manned.	Paul, KK4AIA, is making contacts.	Larry, W8ANT, and Earl, KB0NRK, at the CW station.
Morning does come. It is lonely at first, then people start showing up, and the activity increases.
The sun coming up in the east.	The vertical antenna is still up.	The antenna mask on the right is still up.
The antenna on the left is still up.	A battery is being charged by a solar panel.	The battery being charged.
Things are quiet in the radio room.	Steve, KQ4HDJ, a visitor joined us.	Bud, W4KSN.
Steve, KQ4HDJ, working the radio.	QRM'ing on the front portico.	Steve, KN4BGW
Jim, N4FAF.	Gordon, NQ4K.	Bud, W4KSN, and a visitor.
Bud, W4KSN.	Evan, KM4SK.	Jerry, K4INT.
	The club members and guests present at the end of operations, just before we started to take down the equipment.
We stopped at 1400 noon. Twenty four hours after starting. We were all tired. It was time to tear down and go home.
Eric, AJ4LN, dissambeling the computers.	Bud, W4KSN, hauling coax.	Evan, KM4SK, taking down coax.
Eric's, AJ4LN, miscellanous computer stuff.	Larry's, W8ANT, bucket filters.	larry, W8ANT, taking down an antenna mast.
Larry, W8ANT, filling up his car.	Bud, W4KSN, and visitor taking down an antenna mast.	Jim, N4FAF, collecting coax.
The empty radio room.	Final operators exiting the radio room. Evan, KM4SK; Larry, W8ANT; and Eric, AJ4LN.	Paul, KK4AIA, closing the door. All is done.
Field Day is Over and we leave.

Photos by Conrad, N4ZQA; John, KK4AHY; Evan, KM4AK; and Gordon, NQ4K.