Field Day

..The following is the second in a series of messages on Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend and providing information on the weather during this period. This is a tradition spanning over 20 years for Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day and the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Program..
..2023 Field Day weekend, unlike the past few years, will have the potential for showers, thunderstorms and isolated severe weather. Not every Field Day site will see a shower, thunderstorm or severe weather and a widespread washout is not expected. Some Field Day sites could be dry all weekend but other Field Day sites could be quite wet depending on where showers and thunderstorms develop..
..With the thunderstorms, a few of them could be strong to severe with strong to damaging winds, hail, and heavy downpours leading to urban and poor drainage flooding. The severe weather potential remains focused on Saturday and Sunday Afternoon and Evening though some showers and isolated thunderstorms may occur late Friday Night into Saturday Morning making any shower and thunderstorm redevelopment Saturday Afternoon and Evening more uncertain..

The Braintree Emergency Management Agency will conduct a Field Day event at the BEMA Sunset Lake Annex at 38 Safford Street in Braintree.  The group will use the call sign KC1KWC. They will operate a “GOTA” (Get On The Air) station. 

For more information, contact Robert Millette, KC1KWC, at 781-983-3233 or Rmillette@braintrema.gov.

The Waltham Amateur Radio Association is partnering with the Montachusett Amateur Radio Association  for Field Day, June24 – 25. We will operate on the summit of Mt. Wachusett in Princeton, MA. Setup will begin at 9 AM on Saturday, the 24th. We hope to have enough participation to support 3 HF stations and a VHF station, providing plenty of opportunity for phone, CW, and digital operation from 2 PM Saturday until 2 PM on Sunday. There will also be a  “Get on the Air” (GOTA) station for new hams, future hams, and any Technician class operator.

Field Day participation has numerous facets:

·        This is a wonderful opportunity to participate first-hand in an emergency communications preparedness event at a national level. 

·        Field Day provides a ready-made opportunity to introduce family and friends, to what we, as amateu rradio operators, find rewarding in these endeavors. 

·        It’s a perfect event to introduce young / new folks to the amateur service.

Come for an hour… or come for the whole event.  Combine it with a day out on the mountain.  Don’t worry about rain in the forecast… it’ll be warm, plus we all drip dry   

This is the first big chance, post-COVID, for a radio in-person social event!!

Looking forward to seeing you there.

73,
W1ENB

Open to all licensed amateur radio operators worldwide, ARRL Field Day is both a contest and a practice exercise of radio skills. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.

WHAT:
Family Friendly Event! Ham Radio Field Day has Educational Demonstrations, Maker Activities, Telescopes (weather permitting). Hosted by members of Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS), New England Amateur Radio (NEAR), and New England Sci-Tech (NEST).

WHEN:
2023, Sat June 24, 2pm to Sun, June 25, 2pm.
Public is welcome: Sat 2 pm – 5 pm and Sun 10 am to 2 pm for tours, soldering workshop, maker activities, hidden transmitter hunts, and license testing. (License exam is 7 pm Saturday)

WHERE:
New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick. (Field Day runs outside in vans and tents running off alternative power to simulate emergency conditions. However, the building is open for tours, restrooms, maker activities, etc.)

WHO MAY PARTICIPATE:
Members of the general public, radio amateurs, scouts, and their friends and families are welcome to participate. You don’t need a radio license to participate, as you can operate with one of the club’s General or Extra class licensees as the control operator. On-site training will be provided.

SMHARC Secretary/Treasurer Ray Cord, K2TGX, writes:

On Saturday, June 25th, we would like to see a better turnout for Field Day this year than last. We need setup people on Saturday morning, We need pack up people on Sunday afternoon. BUT MOST OF ALL, WE NEED OPERATORS FOR ALL HOURS OF THE 24 HOUR OPERATION!

We would love to see all those members that we haven’t seen at a meeting lately at the June meeting but at Field Day, also. You don’t have to be a “contester” to operate any of the stations, We are not super competitive, we just want to have a good time. We can have an experienced operator with you to log and guide you. Even if you don’t have your license yet, you can operate with one of our licensed members as control operator.

DON’T BE THE SILENT MAJORITY!! Come on out and renew old friendships, relearn some rusty skills and have a GOOD TIME!

Hope to see you there.

Tnx 73,

Ray, K2TGX
Secretary/Treasurer

Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

Once again, the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club will participate in this year’s ARRL Field Day, operating in Pepperell’s Heald Street Orchard. The event starts this coming Saturday, June 24th at 2 PM and finishes on Sunday, June 25th at 2 PM.

Setup begins on-site around 8:30 AM on Saturday, and some of us have breakfast at Charlotte’s Cozy Kitchen in Pepperell at 7:30 AM.

We will be using the club callsign, N1NC. Plans are to have two transmitters operating simultaneously on amateur bands between 80 and 10 meters (and a third station on 6 and 2 meters and satellite). There will be plenty of opportunity for anyone who “walks up” to operate the stations and meet other members of the club.

NVARC has a casual Field Day that members and friends use as a social gathering – not just operating. There is a covered gathering area with tables, chairs, lemonade, and snacks. Feel free to help us set up, operate, or just have a look and make some friends..

To get there, put “112 Heald Street, Pepperell, MA” into your GPS. You will find a sign at the entrance to the Heald Street Orchard. Head south through the open gates onto an unpaved road for about 0.1 mile to the mowed parking area in the meadow.

PLEASE NOTE: There is work being done to a bridge on Heald Street, and you may have a detour, depending on how you get there. The detour is well marked and you should have no problems finding the site.

Talk in wil be on the N1MNX repeater (the same repeater we use for our club nets). 147.345+, PL 100.0 Hz

I plan on being there most of the time, and I look forward to meeting YOU. Thanks and 73. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Bruce, K1BG

978-772-2773 or bruce.blain@charter.net

PS. Feel free to call me on this number during field day.

David Robertson, KD1NA,  writes on the Pentucket Radio Association mailing list:

Field Day is at the end of June. Mike Dwier is reserving the Mill Pond lodge for the event. I need a list of interested people who want to participate at Mill Pond with the club callsign of K1KKM.

73,

Dave, KD1NA
kd1na363@gmail.com

The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club will hold Field Day at the Brewster Sportsman’s and Civic Club in Brewster, MA. 

Talk-in will be provided on the W1MA repeater, 146.955,  minus shift, CTCSS 88.5

For additional information, contact Bruce Semple, WA3SWJ, at 301-351-5293 or email wa3swj@arrl.net.

CAARA President Brandon Hockle, NQ1W, writes in CAARA News, June 2023:

Field Day 2023 is happening on Saturday June 24th – mark your calendars! Our plan this year is to once again to take over Hospital Hill in Rockport, MA, operating Saturday afternoon together outside in the field. We will all meet up there late morning at 11:00 AM to setup and enjoy each other’s company before the official 2pm start time. I hope many of you members will join us.

We are still looking for Field Day volunteers to help setup and transport materials from the club house to the Hill. Helpers will meet at the clubhouse around 10:00AM that morning before we head up to the Hill.  Please consider helping if you can.

The topic of the June members meeting, June 10th at noon, will be Field Day, including final plans and operating stations. Anyone considering participating in Field Day is strongly encouraged to attended this informative meeting at the club house. Even if you are not able to do Field Day with us together at Hospital Hill, this meeting will go over the Field Day scoring and general procedures, relevant for those operating as individuals at home too.  

Apart from the exciting Field Day event, we also have food gatherings and public service events coming up in June. More information to come via members email and our nightly Nets on the repeater.

Whitman ARC ARRL Field Day 2023

Field Day 2023 will be held once again, Sat June 24th and Sunday, June 25th at the:

Old Colony YMCA
635 Plymouth Street Route 106
East Bridgewater MA 02333

VE Session will be held on Field Day also at the Y on Saturday, Time 1:00PM
Setup: Meet at 10 AM behind the Y to set up
Event starts at 2PM and runs 24 hours

Info on “What is Field Day”:  ARRL LINK

[The Boston Amateur Radio Club] will be holding Field Day in 2023 at the Andrew Cucchiara Learning Center at Hale Education (https://hale1918.org/) in Westwood, MA. Directions are here: https://www.barc.org/directions-to-hale-education-westwood/. Note that if you are coming to this event, you do not need to pay the normal entrance fee to enter the Hale Education site. Everyone, including guests and those who are not yet licensed, is welcome.

Operating times are from 2:00 pm Saturday, June, 24, until 2:00 pm Sunday, June 25. We will be in class 3A, operating 3 HF stations and a VHF/UHF station using SSB, CW, and digital modes. We are also planning to make a satellite contact. People who wish to participate are encouraged to help with setup on Saturday morning and/or teardown on Sunday afternoon.

We will have pizza on Saturday evening, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday will be provided. Spots for tent camping will be available, though facilities will be minimal (portable toilets and a small sink but no other running water).

Talk around will be on the BARC simplex frequency, 147.420 MHz.

If you are planning on coming, please let us know using the Google form at https://forms.gle/JFYhn53M8j8BkfZz5.

More information on Field Day can be found on the ARRL website at http://www.arrl.org/field-day and questions about BARC should be sent to w1bos@arrl.net.

73,

Joe Chapman NV1W / Secretary, Boston Amateur Radio Club.

MORSE POND SCHOOL JONES ROAD, FALMOUTH

JUNE 23 (setup), JUNE 24 and 25

Field Day 2023 will be dedicated to Geoff Allsup, W1OH (SK)

The planning for FARA Field Day 2023 is underway. As always, we cannot do Field Day without help from many club members.

This year, we would like to run a 2A station as we did pre-pandemic. This means erecting 2 of our military towers. Station power will be supplied by Jim, KC1KM, and his propane generator.

Setup will begin as usual by meeting at the club’s container off Currier Road in Falmouth, next to the cell tower. GPS coordinates are 41.615659, -70.538876.

We’ll meet there at 1 PM on Friday, June 23 and will need many hands to load the towers. We already have two trucks lined up but could use more, especially one with roof racks to load the beam antennas. We will then proceed to the Morse Pond School and begin setup. Setup will continue the next morning at 8:30 AM.

We will have the FARA comms trailer on site as an operating station and will also use the permanent on-site tents as a food shelter and rest area. A porta-john will be on site as usual.

We are planning for our usual Saturday evening cookout at 5 PM. Mike, KC1HKW, and Gene, KX1C, will plan and cook the food. We could use a few casserole, salad and dessert dishes. Please contact me at k1wcc@comcast.net and let me know if you can bring something. On Sunday morning, Jim, KC1KM, and Charlie, K1CB, will be cooking breakfast for members at 7 A.M.

Operating will be conducted from the trailer on-site. Greg, K1KM, will be operating CW this time along with a few other club members. If you would like to schedule some phone operating, please let me know. We operate a 24 hour schedule. If you are interested in organizing a GOTA station on-site, please let me know.

Takedown is at 2 PM Sunday, when we lower the towers, disassemble the antennas and return all items to our container. This is a labor intensive activity so we need as many hams on hand as possible. We will again require at least two trucks for the towers and a vehicle with racks for the antennas.

Let’s hope for good weather, good bands and especially a SAFE and FUN Field Day!

Henry, K1WCC

Contact:

phone 774-392-1158

k1wcc@comcast.net

#ARRLFD #FARA

George Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:

To All PART Members and Friends,

It’s only two weeks until Field Day, and this year should be a good one! Propagation conditions are improving, the weather shouldn’t be too hot, and best of all, we’re going to have a lot of food. 

To refresh you memory, here is the essential information: 

   Location: Concord Rod & Gun Club, 74 Strawberry Hill Road, Concord, MA
   Dates: Saturday, June 24, to Sunday, June 25. Antenna setup will be on Friday, June 23, starting at 11:00 AM (you can show up any time after 11).

   Operating Time: Field Day operating runs from 2:00 PM (Local) on Saturday until 2:00 PM on Sunday. We usually start setting up around 9:00 AM on Saturday. We start tear-down on Sunday at 2:00, and it usually takes about 2 hours to get everything packed up.

More info:

–  This is a public event, so family, friends, and neighbors are all invited. This is an opportunity for those with no knowledge of ham radio to find out what it is… invite everybody! People without licenses can make contacts at our Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) station.
–  You can operate from your home station and have your score added to the club score. If you intend doing this, be sure to read the Field Day rules here.
–  Antenna setup is on Friday and we need about 12 -16 participants. No experience necessary! Send me an email (k1ig@arrl.net) if you can help.
–  Meals: We’ll be providing four meals: Saturday lunch (cold cut sandwiches and drinks); Saturday dinner: Lasagna; Sunday breakfast (pancakes); Sunday lunch: Cold cuts. As usual, we’ll have lots of coffee.
–  This could be a bad year for ticks, so be sure to treat your clothing with Permethrin. This week is a good time to do it.
–  We can get bonus points for sending radiograms via ham radio. If there’s a friend or relative that you want to notify of your Field Day exploits, you’ll be able to fill out a radiogram form at the June 20 PART meeting.
–  We need some large coolers for sodas and water. If you can provide one, send me an email (k1ig@arrl.net).
–  On Friday night, June 24, the Rod & Gun club is having a Comfort Food Friday; featuring not-too-spicy Creole Jambalaya, starting at 6:00.

Cost is $15 per person. If you want to participate, notify Dale, KB1ZKD (dale@chayes.org).

Full Field Day details will be presented at the June 20 PART meeting. See you there and see you at Field Day 2023!

73,
George, K1IG
President, PART of Westford
wb1gof.org

Billerica Amateur Radio Society members will be turning out for the 2022 ARRL Field Day on Saturday June 25 through Sunday afternoon June 26. The club callsign W1HH will be used on the air during this event.  The location is the same as our last field day, namely the Billerica EMA Barracks-Garage located at 67 Alexander Rd, Billerica, MA.

Field Day Chair Mark Nelson, KA1INE, and his team are planning operations on the 80-40-20-15-10 meter HF Bands. At least two stations will be on the air and possibly a third will be put on-the-air, if needed.

On air operations will be from approximately 2 PM – 9 PM Saturday, and 9 AM – 2PM Sunday. Help on Saturday morning for Set Up and Sunday afternoon for take down will be much appreciated.

Visitors are welcome, especially new hams or anyone interested in learning about Ham Radio. Mark Nelson says our primary objective is to help the new members gain amateur radio experience.

Food will be plentiful, especially if you are there in the late afternoon Saturday for a traditional Field Day dinner gathering. Get there early enough in the afternoon on Saturday to put in your preferred food order.

You can get additional details at https://ema.arrl.org/field_day/ClubDetail.php?club=BARS

Tom K1TW