CQ Field Day

[cletus]

Sid asked to see some of my Field Day (check out this thread (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=1760) for a explaination of what Field Day is) shots, so I thought I post a few.

I never get good pictures at Field Day. I'm usually so busy that the times I do pick up the camera I wind up rushing things and I get bad pictures. Hopefully one of these years our club will have enough manpower that I can just work on taking pictures!

So here are some of my least horrible FD pictures:

This is one of my favorite FD pictures. Setting up a tower for FD 2002.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/6390017-M.jpg

Setting up the same tower for FD 2003
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/6390053-L.jpg

Here's a pretty common site at FD... Catching some zzzz's during FD 2002.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/6390015-M.jpg

and .... Catching some zzzz's during FD 2004 (not the same person :D).
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/6389875-M.jpg

Another common site: Fueling up during FD 2003
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/6390054-M.jpg

And of course, there are Hams running radios: Working morse code real fast during FD 2003
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/6390745-M.jpg

I've posted this one before: The FD 2004 setup.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/5622133-L.jpg (http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/5622133-O.jpg)
There are a total of 8 masts/towers and at least 14 antennas in this shot. Some of them are almost impossible to see without looking at the full res original. I think we've started bringing too much stuff to Field Day! For anyone who is curious, from left to right:




mast for low gain VHF (2 antennas)
Tower for VHF/UHF (3 antennas)
Small tower for Satellite VHF/UHF (2 antennas)
Vertical antenna for Satellite HF / voice HF
Tower for HF voice (2 antennas)
Tower for HF CW (morse code) (1 antenna)
Vertical antenna for HF CW
Tower for G.O.T.A (Get On The Air) (2 antennas)

[wxwax]

I like the second one, and the guys sleeping. Is the young woman doing morse code using a keyboard?

[cletus]

Is the young woman doing morse code using a keyboard?
Yes and no.

In that picture she is listening to the morse code coming over the radio and logging the information for the station that she is contacting into the computer. To send information back she can either use a paddle (which is out of view in the picture) to send manually, or she can send pre-programmed messages via the function keys on the keyboard.

It's interesting that with all the computer power available today, a computer still can't come close to a good human operator when it comes to listening to morse code. The computer will do just fine when there is another computer sending the code, but as soon as a human starts sending code, the computer starts having a hard time dealing with all the little imperfections.

And another note: The operator in the picture, Rebecca, made national Ham radio news by getting her Extra Class license (highest Ham license) at age 8. She's now 15 and has really kept at it. She can smoke any of the folks in our club when it comes to running morse code.

[cletus]

I took a bit different approach Field Day pictures this year. Every couple hours or so I'd get the camera out and spend 15 minutes or so taking pictures. I still didn't shoot as many shots as I would like, but I did wind up with the best batch of Field Day pictures I've gotten so far. Here are some of the keepers from our Friday setup.
Putting an antenna together:
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/26304476-M.jpg


Mounting a wire antenna
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/26304473-M.jpg



Fisheyed Fill Flash
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/photos/26304467-M.jpg

[4labs]

For the mentally challenged like myself can you explain field day?

[4labs]

Forget that I just saw yoru other thread... Thnxs for sharing.

[cletus]

For the mentally challenged like myself can you explain field day? I do need a link to the other thread which describes Field Day (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=1760).

I'll also add a link to the same thread at the begining of this thread.

[lynnma]

Very interesting, nice series.. so...what's field day???






just kidding:giggle :lol4 :rofl

[USAIR]

I used to do that my call is KB4QZH
Had lots of fun and only worked CW..won a few contest too

Sold most of my gear for my other hobby photograghy
Still think the radio is very cool ...lots of radio history here in Northern Ky and Southern Oh. WLW,WKRC,Voice Of America and others.

Thanks good stuff good memories too :thumb

Fred

[cletus]

Placing an antenna on a tower, 2006.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/Amateur-Radio/Field-Day-2006/Beam/78342121_qHVDb-L.jpg

On the air, 2006.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/Amateur-Radio/Field-Day-2006/GOTACoach/78735217_3vNmy-L.jpg

Why do I love Field Day? Because the weather is always so pleasant! Heat index of 112F (44C), 2009.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/Amateur-Radio/Field-Day-2009/FD090906260090/577331600_wYduV-L.jpg

On the air through the night, 2009.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/Amateur-Radio/Field-Day-2009/FD090906270071/577331730_V7Qba-L.jpg

A little media coverage, 2009.
http://ab0wa.smugmug.com/Amateur-Radio/Field-Day-2009/FD090906280013/577331887_xVxn6-L.jpg

[Wil Davis]

Nice job!

I was pretty active in the 1990s and early 2000s, mostly HF mobile (CW); I must dig out some of my FD & contesting pics and put them in galleries!

Thanks for sharing!

:thumb

- Wil (K1WD)