Here is the way Field Day works around these parts, which is the Hilo
side of the Big Island of Hawaii.
1) At a club meeting a month or two before the event, the subject of
Field day is brought up. There is lots of enthusiasm, at least
vocalized. A small core group of hams, perhaps three to five, coalesces
and starts making plans. They figure out whose houses have the antennas
stored under them and when to go get them. They come to some consensus
about what category the club will enter the contest in. (Yes it IS a
CONTEST, it wouldn't have SCORING and POINTS if it were not.) The
conclusion is always that there must be at least two stations.
The reason there must always be at least two stations is that the fone
ops are always wanting one station in fone mode, If there is just one
station on CW the op is constantly being bothered to switch over to fone.
Decisions are made about antennas to be put up, locations, support
arrangements, filters and stubs. Decisions are made about logging
methods, computers or paper, networked or stand alone computers. Some of
the tasks are delegated to individuals who have skills, resources and
preferences in those directions.
There is/are another group or two of hams who are working on the lunch
that will be served at Field Day, and the public relations aspect
involving elected officials, local news, etcetera. I don't know much
about what this group does, since it is not the part I find interesting.
I am sure they put in a lot of effort. They usually do a real good job.
2) These groups make preparations and plans during their off work hours
in the few weeks before the contest.
3) The big day arrives. The core group collects all the pieces from the
various places they have been stored and brings it all to the FD site.
Antennas are erected, stations are set up and the core group gets on the
air. This group has been planing and preparing for days or weeks, and
have been driving around collecting gear, and have just finished setting
up antennas, so they tire of operating pretty soon. By this time some
other operators have shown up. The core group operators try to show the
new arrivals how the radios and the logging system works (whether it be
computer or paper with a dupe sheet), and explain what at Field Day QSO
is. Most likely both stations get switched to fone mode about now. The
newly arrived operators struggle to make a few QSOs, but mostly just
look at the radios and drink sodas. Some of the core group operators
have rested enough to get on the air again. Sometimes these operator
resist the urge to put both stations back on CW where QSOs can be made.
Fone is pretty hopeless 2500 miles or more from North America.
4) Several hours after the contest has started more hams show up with
antennas and radios and start setting up. The core group wonders where
these guys were when the plans and preparations were being made, and how
the unexpected stations are going prevent making duplicate QSOs, since
they have not prepared to coordinate with the logging system that has
been set up. There are also questions about interference with the
planned stations, since the new arrivals don't have filters and have not
considered antenna spacing and polarization to prevent interference. It
doesn't really matter though, since mostly these stations will just be
looked at, or used to listen around the bands, not necessarily the ham
bands.
5) By now the real operators have rested and are back at the keys. As
band conditions change and they start to make QSOs at a good rate, the
excitement is contagious and the onlookers want to change to fone. The
real operators let one station switch to fone and help get it going. A
few QSOs are made, and mostly because of the ineffectiveness of fone,
the new operator quickly gets discouraged and goes to get a soda. The
station sits idle.
6) Lunch time. A whole bunch of food and a whole bunch of people show
up. Clearly a lot of effort has gone into the planning and preparation
of this meal, and it is not going to go to waste. The operator at the CW
station is pestered to come and eat. The fone station is idle.
7) After lunch most of the people disappear, leaving the core group
operators and a few people who are really interested in operating fone.
The familiar cycle repeats. Even if the fone operators have learned how
to operate the radio, make a QSO and log it, the mode is just so
ineffective they become discouraged quickly. This is a 100 watt station
trying to be heard 2500 miles away in the most crowded band conditions
of the year.
8) Later in the evening several drunks show up. This is no surprise. We
see the same guys every year. These guys actually have Amateur Radio
licenses, but the real operators have to keep one eye on them to be sure
one of the uncoordinated stations in not operating on 11 meters.
9) Finally morning comes and the contest period is over. The core group
starts shutting down and packing up. Some of the people who were trying
to make fone QSOs and helped with food and PR show up again to help
dismantle the stations. They sometimes bring dough nuts and coffee with
them. The logs, or log files are collected. Maybe they will be submitted
to the ARRL before the deadline, maybe not.
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