[SCCC] Field Day

[randy Johnson]

Call: W6SJ

Operator(s): W6SJ

Class: 1B QRP (1B battery 1-op)

Location: ORG Newport Beach

 

Summary:

 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Dig Qs

----------------------------

   20:   29     0      1   

 

Total:   29     0      1  Total Score = 300

 

Plus 650 bonus points = 950

 

 

I think that this makes me unique among Field Day participants in that I
achieved more than twice as many bonus points as QSO points.

 

Full story, it turned out that my location, only 3 miles from home, has
distinctly different weather characteristics than my warm back patio. On the
shore of the Back Bay with my vertical antenna next to the salt water, I had
not anticipated a unrelenting 10 to 15 knot breeze made it distinctly
uncomfortable.  

 

I didn't feel that 20 meters was all that good based upon the number of
stations that DIDN'T hear me.  I did make contacts in New England and other
East Coast locations. I anticipated that 40 meters was going to be the
"money band" at night and I had an inverted "L" for 80 that I thought would
get out OK for the 153 Field Day stations in California. 

 

Good news is that I learned a bit about solar power. I borrowed a panel from
Dino (Thanks!) and soldered together a charge controller and used it to
charge my batteries.  

 

But I finally determined that my exposed outdoor location was going to get
progressively worse as we stumbled into the evening hours. Bluntly, I just
didn't feel good about spending a frozen evening huddled over my rig and
then seeking solace in my tent and sleeping bag.  About 4 o'clock I
chickened out and went home. 

 

Thanks to Carl Gardenias who managed to find me.

 

73,

 

Randy W6SJ