Field Day... - Contesting Forum at eHam.net

$\'\'$

$\'\'$

$\'\'$

eHam.net Forum : Contesting : Field Day...

Forum Help

1-9 of 9 messages

Page 1 of 1

Field Day...	Reply
by N5LRZ on July 1, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Field Day, I got this question off another Amateur Board and it got me thinking--poster and board not stated for privacy reasons. The question basicly said, why not move FD to another date, a date that did not fall in the Summer Season when the heat and bugs are bad? I restate this question purely in the line of discussion theory and not in actual suggestion in the real world. I will get it started off quickly, I would LOVE to see Field Day moved to the Spring of the year when the bugs are not in full force and the heat of Summer had not set in big time in South Louisiana---say the middle of April sometimes. BUT HOWEVER I realize that this would be not practical in a real world sense as the schools are wrapping up their year and family obligations would be more pressing. STILL the middle of April would be a great deal more comfortable then the end of June in South Louisiana. What say ye....

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by W5RB on July 2, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
After baking in 100-degree-plus heat , even under a picnic shelter with several industrial fans going , you could get a lot of support from the FD team here. In reality, there's so much tradition ( inertia ) behind the June date, I doubt it'll ever change. If it did , people in other parts of the country would have their own issues with it. ARRL , and others , do sponsor other operating events all during the year, which a local group could choose to do from the field. I think the QRP ARCI folks do one about every 3 months , though their particular limits might not suit everyone. The likeliest way to make a change would be to ADD an event , maybe a Spring or Fall Field Day , and see how the response goes. It could be a chance to experiment with some rules tweaks , too , like a class for 100-watt battery/solar stations , or whatever. In the meantime, we'll continue to adapt , which is a part of the purpose, after all , though I agree we'd much rather do it with a degree of comfort. I'm thinking next year, maybe I'll do it from the EOC.... Russ, W5RB

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by K5TR on July 2, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
The weather in northern parts of the US might not be so warm earlier in the spring. -- George

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by W7ETA on July 2, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Antenna season starts around October here. Any time after that, Jan or Feb would be perfect. No static crashes, no bugs, great time for low band. 73 Bob

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by KI9A on July 3, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Louisiana, April sure. Minnesota, Wisconsin, ect, might still snow. It was 98 here during FD, and we dealt with it.

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by KD8ERE on July 3, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I didn't get to go to FD, so I just sat at home scanning through 2M. It was chilly here that weekend thanks to some raid, and the fact that it's Cleveland! I agree with another poster, it may not be a comfortable temperature to operate in. But it is a good idea!

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by N0UY on July 4, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I sympathize with all of you in the South putting up with extreme heat. We see that too some years but usually it is in the upper 80s. This year we had to run the propane heater at night because it was about 52 degrees. There is a Winter Field Day event already of some sort. We have considered it but haven’t went out and tried it. It is in January some time and the normal temps here are well below zero. Often minus 20 or so which presents challenges supporting antennas when the ground is frozen under several feet of snow. I will participate in the Spring, Summer, or Fall Field Day no matter when it is. At least until my health or age prevent me from doing so. Ray

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by N2EY on July 4, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Couple of reasons FD is on the fourth weekend of June: 1) A lot of the other weekends have other contests or are national holidays 2) Don't want to have it later in the summer, when it's even hotter. 3) Earlier in June, or in May, results in possible conflicts with weddings, graduations, etc. 4) Having it close to Solstice means the most daylight 5) School is out, vacations have usually not begun --- When FD was first created in the 1930s, there were TWO of them per year - one in early June and the other in late August. The August one never caught on as much as the June one and was soon dropped. Sometime after WW2 the early-June FD was moved to its present date in order to avoid conflict with school (stories of young hams staying up all night at FD then taking final exams on Monday...) One way to avoid the heat is to set up on Friday evening rather than Saturday morning. Or get to the site REALLY early on Saturday... 51 weeks to the next one... 73 de Jim, N2EY

RE: Field Day...	Reply
by N8AUC on August 4, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
KD8ERE - We did Field Day in Cleveland, and other than the rain that hit around 11AM on Sunday, the weather was pretty nice. We were setup in the Cleveland Lake Front State Park (Upper Gordon). You should have come down to at least visit, if not have a bite to eat and perhaps play some radio. Around here, the 4th full weekend in June is a nice time to do Field Day. In April it's still pretty chilly, and usually rather wet. Snow is still quite possible here in April. The end of June is about 2-3 weeks before it gets hot. Hot in Cleveland is mid 80's. 73 de N8AUC Eric

Page 1 of 1

Next Topic: Ohio QSO Party
Previous Topic: Adding a mike to headsets

Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.

Check our help page for help using Forum, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the Forum Manager.

$\'\'$