2008 Field Day

I felt like a starry eyed teenager walking on the dirt track toward W6R Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club's field day site. Memories of Field Day past flowed through the circuitry of KA3DRR's brain and the Force12 aluminum shone bright in the June sun. I did not short out from excitement but at least one capacitor bubbled.

Heat, on the other hand, is a matter of fact in Templeton, California and I welcomed the 90-degree temperature. What would Field Day be like without extreme weather conditions? Dull? Boring? I never forget weather conditions in association with Field Day.

I noted the chow hall to my left with grill, picnic tables, and lawn chairs. Given, my only contact with W6R was a phone call from a few nights ago and I did not know anyone except for Ron, W6FM. We met several years ago at W6AB Satellite Amateur Radio Club on Vandenberg Air Force Base during a VHF/UHF contest. I was thrilled when Larry, W7CB introduced himself and a friendship was kindled. And seeing Ron, W6FM brought a smile and a sense of small circles we do travel in ham radio.

Forty and 80-Meters have a place in my Field Day heart going back too W3LIF, the Mercer County Amateur Radio Club. As a young KA3DRR in the earlier 80s, I learned both bands generate lots of traffic, and unfold like a good story through the day. And this year, both bands remained true to form, and delivered a thrill a minute.

We had computer networking issues for an hour and at 1900UTC W6R opened up for traffic handling on 40-Meter CW. I operated with Larry, W7CB's Kenwood TS-930S into a dipole at 30-feet plus or minus a few. The first few hours on 40M CW pumped and I believe our N1MM 10-Minute rate meter pegged at seventy. Then I QSY'd to 40M LSB and heard the thunder of Field Day! Our rate meter hit 155 per hour and short skip into the west was absolutely wild. I was reminded of the pile-up days as KA3DRR/DV2 in the Philippines.

Later in the evening, I coached Robin as he worked 40-Meter LSB, and what a hoot. I made a script and facilitated each QSO until he operated solo with confidence on this band. He successfully executed the exchange and Robin was into high frequency (HF) big time. I stepped out of the trailer while he searched and pounced into the night. Right on.

I was reaching my threshold of wakefulness at 0700UTC when 80M fired up for the night. Again like 40M this band delivered blistering rates of traffic. I laughed because a signal occupied nearly every hertz in the CW portion of the band. I finally hit the rack around 1100UTC in the back of my Explorer. It wasn't a bed but I was too exhausted for comfort.

Between Larry, W7CB and myself over 300 CW/LSB traffic QSOs on 80M added to our overall low-band Field Day tally. For me, 40-Meters is the fast traffic lane during Field Day, and this band impressed me just like back in the day operating W3LIF in Mercer County.

For more Field Day reads check out Keith, W4KAZ's Field Day 2008 as N4PY - The Story.