QSY Society 2008 Field Day in Wappinger Falls, New York and My First Experience

What I love about Amateur Radio are the new experiences that come along with it. Since I was licensed in 1989 as a young teen I made my first Ham feast last year in 2007 and my first Field Day event this year 2008. Field Day has provided me the knowledge of what it would take to establish a successful dx-pedition, special event station, EMCOMM setup, or in this case a Field Day event. I wanted to share those experiences and pass on brief suggestions on how to prepare for it.

Surely you can go about accomplishing any of these events on your own, but it makes a tremendous difference when you have an accomplished group of Hams to assist you. I've met just a group that call themselves the QSY Society Club. Elmer slash friend by the name of Julian WA2WMJ introduced me to the club and invited me to FD which I don't regret attending.

He has much experience and willing to share that experience with others which exemplifies a true ham which is important to Ham radio. Enthusiasm and friendly is what makes or breaks events like these because it allows people to enjoy an atmosphere that everyone would like to be in. Next are ambitious accomplished operators. People who are willing to give their all besides contributing materials and equipment, but also not leaving tents empty through the night. One such operator by the name of Nick N2QZ impressed me. He's that guy you want for a contest. This guy worked through night and day as well as provided us with I.T. assistance. A coordinator is also extremely important in this group such as the one I had the pleasure of meeting this year by the name of Shirley N2SKP. Besides having great patience you want someone to represent this hobby in the best way possible. Shirley did just that with even contacting the local media and showing that in an article you can read at this link. It's a must read!

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806300312

Above picture me on the left operating 6 meter CW band opening!

Emails went back and forth for a couple of months about type of equipment to use for that weekend. While we all do what we can in providing necessary equipment it can be a burden on one individual to provide a tent with two operating stations, but at least you can reduce it for at least one,

As you can see I learned that you can pack quite a bit for just 24 hour period or more. So if work bothers you this is not for you, but the rewards you reap at the end are invaluable.

One product that I purchased prior to the event was a portable 3 el. Yagi capable of 6-20 meters made by Super Antennas model the YP-3 that worked surprisingly well compared to the full sized yagi I also worked out of my tent. In these photos you will see the portable crank up tower that WA2WMJ provided along with the Cushcraft A3S tri-band and the portable yagi.

At the end of the FD event I called CQ and did some tests comparing the two at their current heights shown and terrain locations running 100 watts. With not more than a second between switching between four stations we saw a 1-2 S-unit difference between two stations and the other two stations gave us reports that the signals were the same. The reports were between an S-7 - S-9. Not bad! Prior to the event I tuned and tested the yagi a week before with N2GLA Gerald which we operated a station out of the Caymans with one call getting 5/9 report. A station in Colorado returned our CQ from the back of the beam giving us a 5-6 report with it pointing East, but when N2GLA turned the yagi himself to the West we shot up to 5-9. Wow! I do have some issues with construction that can be easily be taken care of and the cheap, small carry bag it comes with but hey! The thing works great.

Picking a location for FD or any event is of course important. Above is a location in which the QSY Society Club as been using the last two years. Here is a antenna layout I constructed that changed very slightly, but as you can see it all depends on how big you want to go and the space you'll be needing. This location was taken place at 85 Sheafe Rd. in Wappinger Falls, New York.

A couple of things about generators before you even go out is make sure you have plenty of fuel and people with generous pockets. Make sure it has a clean fuel filter and never, ever let it run out of fuel. For one it kills your flow when working the pile up. When the generator starts to burp your equipment is getting the blunt of the power surge which can't be good. It's like starting up your car with the rig on. That's a No! No! My guess is when you let it run down to nothing air pockets build in the fuel lines leaving the generator gasping for fuel which will take some time before it gets back to normal.

KC2RVP operating FD for the first time in my tent on an Icom Pro III and an Icom 7000 to his right both equipped with yagis.

We can't leave out the cook Adam which did an unbelievable job this past weekend. He cooks mean buffalo wings, chicken Marcello, sausage w/peppers/onions, barbecue ribs and so much more. Starting to get hungry :P! Thanks Adam!

Well that concludes some of my experience with the QSY Society Club and Field Day, but I encourage everyone to visit an event and participate. Spread the word at how great our hobby is and the people we share it with. I really look forward to the next one and how much better it will be.

73!

N2RRA

Eric

www.n2rranyc.com