ARRL Field Day
Call: K4AQ
Operator(s): K4AQ
Station: K4AQ
Class: 1E QRP
QTH: Smyrna (Atlanta), GA
Operating Time (hrs): 5.1
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs
----------------------------
160:
80:
40: 41
20: 27
15:
10:
6:
2:
222:
432:
903:
1.2:
2.3:
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
----------------------------
Total: 68 0 0 Total Score = 680
Club: South East Contest Club
Comments:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2005/rules-fd-2005.html
My third ARRL Field Day:
2005 2004 2002*
QSO/Sec** QSO/Sec** QSO/Sec**
------------------------------------------
80CW ---/--- 17/ 1 ---/---
80SSB ---/--- ---/--- ---/---
40CW 41/ 25 40/ 10 32/ 8
40SSB ---/--- 4/ 1 5/ 1
20CW 27/ 5 124/ 39 13/ 3
20SSB ---/--- 4/--- 8/ 5
15CW ---/--- 32/ 16 28/ 12
15SSB ---/--- 10/--- 15/ 8
10CW ---/--- ---/--- 12/ 2
10SSB ---/--- ---/--- 19/ 9
Totals 68/ 30 276/ 67 132/ 48
QSO Pts 136 534 217
Op Time 5.1 15.0 12.5
Score*** 680 2,640 1,085
------------------------------------------
*WB6BWZ
**Sections & Provinces
***exclude bonus points
(Did not participate in 2003; had to work.)
Best DX:
1. 260637z, 40cw, KP2AA, VI
2. 260827z, 40cw, KP4ES, PR
Best Rate (S&P):
2005: 23/hr, 20CW, Day1-1700z
2004: 27/hr, 40CW, Day2-1200z
2002: 13/hr, 15&10CW, Day2-1500z
13/hr, 15CW, Day2-1600z
This year I took a different approach for Field Day. My objective was to
experiment with field-type antennas away from home.
I simulated being on the "B" Emergency Response Team. I did not begin
disassembling the home stn until Field Day started (1800z) on Saturday.
What is this "A" Team and "B" Team all about? Circa late 70's, I was the SEC in
the Santa Barbara Section. I segregated ARES teams into "A," "B," etc.
The A-Team was the First Responder Team, usually mobiles because their equipment
is in their vehicle.
Criteria: Be operational on-site within 30 minutes of their ETA; must be
capable of being dispatched within an hour of notification. (This means the
A-Team member may use their mobile/portable rig and operate away from their
vehicle *if* they had an alternate non-commercial pwr source.)
A more efficient portable antenna was highly recommended rather than using
the less-efficient mobile antenna but the "A-Team station" still had to be
on-the-air within 30 minutes upon arrival. Working from their mobile was
acceptable.
The A-Team stations were designated HF and/or VHF-capable.
The A-Team station had to be capable of operating on-site for up to 6
continuous hours.
The B-Team station had to be capable of operating as a portable or mobile using
emergency power (vehicle motor-power acceptable) within 4 hours of being
notified (plus travel time to their assigned QTH). Purpose is to relieve the
A-Team and have a more efficient stn. Must be able to operate self-sustained for
up to 72 hrs.
My chosen FD site was 7 miles from home.
I originally considered using a 20m half square antenna but it would favor NW-SE
if attached to a six-foot wood fence I planned to use with two 20-ft telescopic
crappie fishing poles. This antenna would also work on 40m and 80m end-fed with
appropriate radials/counterpoises.
I changed my field antenna plan when I arrived at my "FD site." I went with a
bottom-fed 28-ga insulated wire 66-ft Inverted-L (up 25 feet) with a 33-ft
elevated counterpoise and the SGC SG-211 MiniTuner. The antenna was measured
approximately and built "in the field."
I atchd a Black Widow SD-20 telescopic crappie pole to the six-foot wood
fence. I used two reuse-able ty-wraps at the base of the top section as wire
guide (where the "L" bends).
A half-ounce weight (fishing sinker) was atchd to one end of a 28-gauge
insulated wire and shot between the tree limbs about 23-ft AGL. The horizontal
wire sloped from 23 to 27 feet. The vertical wire sloped about 15 deg from
vertical; wire length about 25 feet.
The 33-ft counterpoise went from SG-211 to the top of a six-foot wood fence
opposite from the Inverted-L; delta height about 10 feet.
The rig worked fine with the SG-211 MiniTuner but RF (common-mode stuff) kept
killing my microHAM USB rig interface on 20m. A 16-ft counterpoise may have
cured the problem but I didn't want to mess with the antenna system because I
was able to operate on 40m udring the night hours.
My setup was interrupted earlier in the afternoon while I chatted about my
field antenna and FD with some unexpected friends for a couple hours, hi. My
first 25 Q's were made on this antenna.
I decided to install another field antenna for 20m, one that would work on 40m
too.
QSOs 26-68 were made on a sloping 5-sided 80-ft (wire length) horizontal loop
about five feet AGL made from 18-gauge insulated wire. The wire went from the
SG-211 to the top of the 6-ft wood fence, to shrubs and small trees before
looping back to the SG-211.
I installed this antenna after midnight during a drizzle during a 1.5 hr
break. This is similar to the antenna concept I used for my first NoGaQRP "Run
For The Kudzu (RFTK)." (I used the same antenna wire.)
<http://www.qsl.net/nogaqrp/activities/rftk2002/rftk2002.html>
<http://www.qsl.net/nogaqrp/activities/rftk2002/PA120023.jpg>
<http://www.qsl.net/nogaqrp/activities/rftk2002/PA120024.jpg>
How well did this very low horizontal loop work during FD? Virgin Islands and
Puerto Rico were my best DX on 40m. Several NH stns were worked on 20m. It
really amazes me how well a low horizontal loop works. Really great for a
simple, quick deployment field antenna.
I operated CW only because of poor band condx (QRN, QSB, propagation), 40 & 20
meters only. Nothing heard on the other bands, FD-wise.
Yaesu FT-897D transceiver operated at 5 watts; antennas described above. SGC
SG-211 MiniTuner. WriteLog 10.53e. AGM battery-powered; after 10 hrs use, the
battery had 80 pct capacity remaining.
--Matt, K4AQ
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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