[CQ-Contest] FD observations and suggestion

[Art Boyars]

As I suspect is true for many of us, Field Day was my first contest -- three 75W, xtal controlled, teen-aged Novices comprising the entire 15M CW crew for W3RCN in 1961; 13 QSOs in 24 hours.  ("FD is not a contest," you and the ARRL say?  So then why does the ARRL web site list the FD scores under the "Contests" link?)

With family and work commitments, I have not operated FD in many years; maybe since K1JX and I won the 1B-battery class around 1979 or '80 (N4BP shattered our QSO total the next year).  This year I decided to get on spare-time from home "Class 1D" just to have some fun and to give the "real" FD stations some contacts.  (And it was sort of a FD operation.  One of the antenna support ropes broke while I was out of town during the week, and I fixed it late Friday afternoon.)

Observation #1:  I was not alone.  There were many people in Class D, many of them calling CQ FD.  Even I called CQ for a few minutes until: a) I kept getting answered by zero-point Class D stations; b) I decided that it was "against the spirit of Field Day" for Class D to call CQ.  (Note also that if you are S&P in Class D, you do not know the CQer is Class D until you work him.)

Observation #2:  My signal is just as weak in FD as in SS.  (Does that mean I fixed the antenna properly?)

Observation #3.  Phone still stinks.  (That's not the word K3IU and I used at a PVRC meeting many years ago, but it will do for a family reflector.)

Observation #4:  FD is, indeed, a great opportunity to help operators increase their skills.  Especially the moderately loud one I worked on 40SSB:

"Roger and thank you and 73's ... uhhh ... QRZed Field Day from WnYZQ, Whiskey Number n Yellow Ziggurat Quoit... Field Day QRZed."

Me (in a little pile-up): "Kaay Thrreee Killooowwattt Uuuniitted"

Them: "Uhhh K 3 Kilowatt United??"

Me:  "Roger! K 3 Kilowatt United!"

Them:  "OK...  K 3 Kilowatt United."  [Then, ... silence.  What??  They want me to go first?!?!  OK.]

Me:  "Number Onnne Delllta in Maarryylaand"

Them:  "Roger the 1 Delta in Maryland.  We're number nA in xxxx.... nA in xxxx.  QSL??"

Me:  "QSL, thank you!"

Them:  "Roger and thank you and 73's ... uhhh ... QRZed Field Day ...."

And on and on.  They were running people, but for every QSO they had the answering station go first.  What a teaching opportunity!


And finally, my suggestion:  The Rules already say that Class D stations do not get credit for working each other.  I think the intent is to maintain the "emergency exercise" spirit of FD, and I agree.  From my Observation #1, I suggest that Class D stations should also not be allowed to solicit contacts ("call CQ", in the vernacular).  Even beyond maintaining the spirit of FD, I think that without this rule change, a few dozen big Class D operations could turn FD into their own NAQP, just without the multipliers.

What do you think?

73, Art K3KU