[UK-CONTEST] Objectives of NFD?

[Danny Higgins]

Our big technology breakthrough in those days was to have an
electro-mechanical counter which told us what the next serial number was.

Danny, G3XVR

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Clive Whelan
Sent: 03 June 2011 01:01
Cc: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Objectives of NFD?

I feel sure that there is no hard evidence, but I feel equally sure that 
the broad intention was to teat our capability under emergency conditions.


Let us not forget that for those of a certain age, NFD involved erecting 
one or more scout type tents and using equipment powered from 12v 
accumulators vibrators etc. Power allowed was just 10 ( ten) watts. 
Antennas were mostly good old doublets with open wire feeders, and 
changing bands often required changing plug in coils in a Z match type 
antenna tuner, or maybe even changing a coil in an HRO receiver. Logging 
was handraulic of course, and I well remember thinking what a stroke of 
genius it was to have a paper check sheet ordered by the last leter of 
the callsign, so that most columns had  about the same number of entries.

We knew with certainty that we would be inspected to ensure compliance 
with the draconian rules, and this could easily be in the small hours or 
more likely >22:30 after the puns had chucked out! In the late sixties 
the power rule was relaxed to take account of the increasing 
availability of commercial equipment such as the ubiquitous KW2000. 
However  it still did not reach the giddy heights of 100 watts, but was 
based on the dissipation of the PA valve ( 50 watts?). In practice this 
meant e.g. swapping the 6146 in the KW2000 for a 2E26.

In that era I well remember operating from near Porthcawl with the then 
GW3OAY, and G3POI, and erecting a 264 ft per leg rhombic  supported on 
four 40ft alloy scaffold poles; how on earth did we maage such a feat! 
We thought it would be a killer antenna, but it turned out to be a dog 
and there was to be no repeat of an earlier triumph ( '64?), and we had 
to wait until 1977 I think for the next win with the Swansea group 
signing GW5ZL/P. That of course was the Queen's silver jubilee year and 
most other groups were using the GE prefix that all were allowed for a 
period back then. Perhaps it would be nice to go back to basics and run 
a low carbon NFD requiring tents and proscribing generators. Yeah OK I 
know, nobody would turn up then; what a pity.

The bottom line is that NFD was where many of us learned our contest 
skills, not to mention how to put up big masts with gin poles etc, for 
which I for one am truly grateful. Back then, we thought we were the gen 
kiddies, and the two letter prewar calls were just a bunch of OFs, but 
now we are the OFs; toujours ca change!


73


Clive
GW3NJW


On 02/06/2011 15:48, GM3YEH wrote:
>>
>>      
>>>>    From the 2011 RSGB Yearbook - "Field days were
>>>> originally intended to test the ability of amateur
>>>> radio groups to operate under emergency conditions,
>>>> using temporary stations and portable power sources,
>>>> as might be necessary after a natural disaster."
>>>>
>>>> Has anything changed?  If so, what are the present
>>>> objectives of NFD?
>>>>          
>>      
> An old mentor of mine, Dave GM2BUD (SK), told me on a number
> of occasions that NFD being a test of the ability to operate under
emergency
> conditions was a myth imported from the USA.  He maintained that this was
> not an original aim of our RSGB NFD when it started.  I've never seen hard
> evidence to confirm or deny this - but I would be rather surprised if it
> turned out that Dave was mistaken on this point.  Anyone out there with a
> good NFD historical library to consult?
>
> 73 de Barry GM3YEH.
> _______________________________________________
> UK-Contest mailing list
> UK-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/uk-contest
>
>    

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