Field Day GOTA

[AD9DX]

Our club usually does really well on FD. It isn't exactly a contest per sé but we always try and beat our previous totals. We run as a 7 or 8 alpha designator. Our club does a lot of e-com and we put a huge emphasis on public awareness and on working the kinks out of our individual setups. There are a few guys who are really good contesters (CW). We usually don't bring the newbies around them unless they ask. The guys are all very nice but you are right it is an overwhelming tent to sit in. Our GOTA station is one of the most popular we had far more operators than points gave us credit for. We see this GOTA tent as one of the most important places for new prospective hams to go to. What I would love to see the league do is set up a portion of bands for the GOTA ops to hang out. Last year we had a few ops get turned off by nasty operators on the other end. It possed me off to no end. So much for it being a friendly hobby.

As far as qso rates I operated for 7 hours last year (phone) and made 653 contacts. It was a blast as usual but the rest of the time I drank a few beverages and enjoyed BBQ. I think we can have it both ways. It's all up to the group of guys and gals you surround your self with.

[KO7I]

I treat it as a contest. I hole up in the cw tent and do my best to go like hell.   

[N4NYY]

I treat it as a contest. I hole up in the cw tent and do my best to go like hell.   

We got 3 great CW contesting stations. They do the same thing. But I steal their ops at 9pm for a campfire chat.

[AD9DX]

We seem to learn something every year.  Something unexpected goes wrong and something unexpected goes as planned.  It is a great time. Hopefully this year our computer server doesn't take a crap in the middle of the night.

[K3AN]

Camaraderie, planning and executing, showcasing, and verifying that we can adapt, improvise and overcome when presented with unforseen obstacles is what Field Day is all about. Our efforts have also resulted in some long-dormant hams becoming active and excited about ham radio again. Yes, our group will strive for a bigger score than last year but we'll also have a VHF station for newbies and visitors. Thanks, ARRL, for extending that option to the 1A groups since GOTA is not an option for 1A.

Looking for potential ops in your area? This FCC database lookup site can search by city name or ZIP code and give you a list of nearby licensees.

http://callsign.ualr.edu/callsign.shtml

Scroll down to the "Name/Address Search" portion of the page.

[WB0CJB]

Here's a twist to the GOTA station. Say a FD site has 3 stations operating 3A. If one of them is treated as the GOTA for the new hams as well as unlicensed people (control op present), what if there isn't someone waiting to talk on the GOTA station. Can the station use the parent (club) callsign and continue making contacts as 3A? Then if a new ham comes up and wants to operate the GOTA station switch back to the GOTA callsign, all the time keeping the GOTA contacts separate. I would think that as long as the logs are kept separate then it would not make any difference. It would be a waste to let a station sit idle for most of FD if it was a GOTA station and nobody was there to keep it manned.

Paul WB0CJB

[W5ESE]

Here's a twist to the GOTA station. Say a FD site has 3 stations operating 3A. If one of them is treated as the GOTA for the new hams as well as unlicensed people (control op present), what if there isn't someone waiting to talk on the GOTA station. Can the station use the parent (club) callsign and continue making contacts as 3A? Then if a new ham comes up and wants to operate the GOTA station switch back to the GOTA callsign, all the time keeping the GOTA contacts separate. I would think that as long as the logs are kept separate then it would not make any difference. It would be a waste to let a station sit idle for most of FD if it was a GOTA station and nobody was there to keep it manned.

Paul WB0CJB

No; an operating position has to be used under a single callsign for the entire period (except for members of a family doing a family FD thing). The rule is 6.2

[AD7GU]

i see GOTA as a win win. you interest new hams (maybe kids or scouts) to become hams and maybe get licensed hams (VHF/UHF or "shack on a belt hams") to try out HF, test operate some new radios and become more active on HF