[WriteLog] RE: Field Day purpose ... was something else ...

[Gary McConville]

Jim,

The ARRL is real careful not to call FD a contest but we all know it's
the BIG ONE!  I've lost a few dinners over that bet.

My feelings are that only those who value ham radio participate.  The
others aren't really amateur operators.

Gary - WB4SQ


--- Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:
> >It is not a contest so why do you treat it like one?
> 
> Ah, but it IS a contest, and in the 49 years I've been a ham, has
> always been a 
> contest!  But it is a different sort of contest -- one that
> emphasizes group effort 
> among local clubs and ad hoc groups, emergency preparedness,
> temporary 
> setups, socializing, public relations, nurturing new hams, and most
> important, 
> LOW POWER AND SIMPLE ANTENNAS!  
> 
> Field Day is a contest that is won by a group effort by many people,
> not by big 
> money spent on elaborate antenna farms, complex antenna switching, 
> expensive radios, and big power amps. It is a contest where a good
> operator 
> with 100 watts and a dipole can be competitive. In short, it is a
> contest for folks 
> who either can't or don't care to BUY a big score. 
> 
> Our local ham club maintains two repeaters and holds monthly
> meetings, each 
> with a speaker who presents an interesting program. But Field Day is
> our 
> biggest club activity by far. We did quite well on Field Day this
> year, and may 
> place in the top 5 in our category. If we did, it will be because we
> planned for it 
> for half a year, because a team of six guys spent Friday afternoon
> putting up a 
> half dozen fine antennas, some more guys came in Saturday morning and
> set 
> up the rest of the gear, some more guys came in and spent time
> operating, 
> some more contributed the work to get us nearly all the possible
> bonus points, 
> some more guys showed up to to cook, several of our guys used the
> GOTA 
> station to recruit new/inactive hams and contributed 400 QSO's, and
> some 
> more guys showed up to tear down when it was over. Several of us
> built 
> antennas specifically for Field Day, and we learned stuff in the
> process. 
> 
> If I had my way, ALL contests would be limited to 100 watts, and
> there would be 
> separate classes for those who, either by choice or necessity, use
> only wire 
> antennas. An increasing number of hams live in cities, where big
> antenna farms 
> are difficult or impossible. In my 49 years as a ham, I've never run
> more than 
> 100 watts and I've never had an HF beam. It is a blot on our hobby
> that folks like 
> us can't be competitve in most contests. 
> 
> I think it's great that some of us are able to build nice antenna
> farms on remote 
> sites,and I'm becoming a partner in one myself.  But success (or even
> viability) 
> in contests should not be limited to those who can. And IMO, Field
> Day is the 
> single most important activity in ham radio, and by far the most
> important 
> contest. 
> 
> Jim Brown  K9YC
> 
> 
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