Field Day Wrap Up from Fred K1DU

Field Day 2012
I just want to take a moment and thank every one for their efforts this field day. I could not believe the amount of people that took part in the event. As I had mentioned at the club meeting field day started as a way to bring out your radios and antennas and test them in the field in case of emergency, and as the ARRL says it is the biggest operating event of the year. Yes it is a contest, but a friendly one to test your skills in setting up your equipment and operating and the points they are a measurement of how well the club did in those category’s. I dare anyone to tell me when Dec. QST arrives with the field day results that you don’t go with club pride to see how well we did, nothing wrong with that, that’s part of field day. You know, its not the only part of field though, its getting together and learning new things,its teaching new hams the hobby, its having young hams make their first contact, its about testing new hams so they can join our ranks, its about learning new modes of operating, its about making new friends, its about getting reacquainted with older friends, its about letting other people and agency’s know who we are and what we are about, its about sitting down and having real fine meal together and last but not least its about getting to know each other a little better which makes our club a nice to be. YES YOU DID ALL OF THE ABOVE! And you should be real proud of it ! I know I am !

Good Job Everyone !!!

Contacts and Points:
Our best year was in 2010 with 649 contacts and 3,268 points and this year we just blew that away. With 1,137 contacts and 4,394 points and that was despite tropical storm Debbie ! Which shows we can function in adverse conditions.

Special Thanks:
Bill Busbin KF4Q for bringing out his trailer and beam and taking it down in the rain and for also helping Ansel make his first hf contact. that was amateur radio at its best!

Rip AA4HT for sending out all those messages on cw for extra points.

George Mann KJ4UW for doing all the public relations and invitations to officials and there were many.

Tom Evans KJ4WFS and Mike Oliver KT2T Tom for setting up a nice looking and running station and contest operating skills as well as Mike and his operating skills. For showing everyone how its done. 600 contacts! WOW! also for helping a lot of new hams make their first contact.

Gary Lee KS4JI for his fine demonstration of PSK-31 .I would like to run that station next year.

Robin Retzloff AF1RE for his fine demonstration of satellites and I hope he will try again next year.

George Gafford KI4NBE for the fine Job he did on the 40 meter phone station.

Rip AA4HT and Bob Foxworth K2EUH for putting in extra long hours on the cw station because we were short handed.

Patrick O Neil KI4CDY a special thanks for heading up the food this year the meals were real good and to Ren Monllor KG4BAS for helping him.

I wish to thank everyone that helped set up and tear down and brought batteries , coax or rope the outpouring of help was enormous, truly a fine club effort and it made my job easy. As I mentioned, you should all be real proud of yourselves!!!

73,
Fred K1DU