[SCCC] N6MI's tardy Field Day report

[J. Scott Bovitz]

Before we forget Field Day 2020...
 
As a teenager, I was assigned to guard the Santa Barbara ARC Field Day camp
on Friday night (after the adults went home). I still remember working a
station in Africa on 20 meters, around midnight, long after the band closed.
Magic! Then, on Saturday, I was exposed to an active Field Day operation.
Organized chaos!
 
I was hooked.
 
50 years later, I am still on the air -- usually in a converted cellular on
wheels/news van (n6mi.com) or on a transmitter hunt (t-hunter.org).
 
In 2020, I camped and operated solo (1B SB) in my former television new van
from Frazier Peak (8,013 feet) in Ventura County. I posted a Field Day photo
at the top of n6mi.com.
 
For low bands and six meters, I used the Yaesu FTdx101D. This radio has a
fabulous receiver. On two meters, I used the ICOM 9700.
 
Antennas: inverted vee (80); dipole (40); tri band yagi at 60 feet (20, 15,
10); three element yagi at 20 feet (6); and a small log periodic at 10 feet
(2).
 
It seemed like there were more stations on the air in 2020 than during a
"normal" Field Day. 20 CW was packed with 1D and 1E stations.
 
I saw four deer, one fox, one low flying eagle (wow), and 22 motorcycle
riders. I was visited by K6GTA, K6RIN, W1BTW, and BTW's soon-to-be-a-ham
teenage son.
 
K6HTN (a solid competitor in dog scent work) passed my message to the
section manager. Thanks, Kate.
 
The final N6MI tally:
 
160m  0 (I can never get an antenna up on this band)
80m   51 CW   3 LSB
40m  96 CW  1 DIG   11 LSB
20m  482 CW  79 USB
15m  117 CW
10m  10 CW  3 USB
6m  2 CW  23 DIG  7 USB
2m  40 PH (mostly FM)
222  0
432  1 FM
 
Next year, I hope that my regular 2A group ("Tom's Garage ARC" -- K6VCR,
N7DA, NB6E, N6MI) should be back in action -- perhaps with AF6O on FT2 (the
mode that has not been invented yet).
 
It's K6VCR's birthday today (July 13), by the way.
 
Thank you all for making an effort to get on from home.
 
73,
 
N6MI