Field Day 2008

OUR ‘LOW KEY” FIELD DAY AT K1XV
 
In recent history, CVFMA has not been big on organized amateur radio operating events.  Early this year, I began talking about having a “low key” Field Day event here at the K1XV QTH on Terrible Mountain in Andover, Vermont.

As I originally contemplated this event, it was going to be nothing like the furious Field Day efforts of the mythical Podunk Hollow Amateur Radio Club, as shown in 1950s cartoons penned by prolific QST cartoonist of the past, Philip "Gil" Gildersleeve, W1CJD.  Rather, I thought that if we kept things totally low key, demanding nothing much of anyone, other than to bring some food for the grill, that some folks might show up. I figured we would use an IC-7000, a small Yamaha inverter generator, and an off center fed multi-band dipole. As the day approached, participant interest seemed near nil.  At last, in the week before the event, I got a few calls from people wondering if we were still going to do it.  Those who did call expressed concern about the expected poor weather for the weekend, and the prospect of operating outside in the rain and lightning. So, I made a strategic decision. Instead of a traditional outdoor operation with a tent, portable radio and generator (gas was over $4 a gallon!) I decided we would operate from the comfort of my indoor ham shack.  One lure was that the radio we would use would be my new HF pride and joy, the Icom IC-7700.Participants beside myself were Jeff, WB2NWR; Dave, K1ZS; Lynn Dee, KE1CT; and Laura AA1PK.  We operated for about 3 hours, and made about 75 contacts.  We only did enough logging to avoid dupes.  We did not submit a log.  After 3 hours, the rain, thunder and lightning came in.  We went QRT and shifted to grilling, eating, and having a brew or two!   I later learned that we were not alone in shutting down for heavy WX.   I understand the weather was so heavy that some other, more “traditional” Field Day operations in the area shut down, went dark, and everyone went home for the night.

 Everyone participating here at K1XV seemed to have a good time.  Nobody had to wake up extra early, nobody had to stay up all night, nobody was devoured by mosquitoes, and nobody had to help break down the station Sunday afternoon after becoming exhausted from an all-nighter.

Maybe the crusty traditionalists would turn up their nose at our modest efforts.  But they were better than no efforts at all, and a quantum level higher than I have seen from CVFMA in my tenure as a member.   Some might question why we operated from inside on commercial power.  Well, in our defense, we have a whole house generator here at K1XV.  If CVPS power really had been unavailable, as might occur in an emergency, the K1XV base station can continue to be operational as an emergency site station as long as the propane holds out.  And, if there were a real emergency, I am sure we would have remained operational as long as the emergency continued, and would not have stopped after 3 hours.

 And that's the way it was on Terrible Mountain.

Ray

K1XV