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Re: Field Day
I could care less about “contesting” such as in Field Day, but I and a couple of others in our club go as “GoFers”. We just hang around, do whatever chores need to be done, enjoy the fellowship, enjoy watching others communication styles, and enjoy the excellent food our club always provides. We just GoFer as requested and keep everything running. We also learn a lot and make new friends.
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Dave K8WPE David J. Wilcox K8WPE’s iPad
On Jun 24, 2019, at 6:13 PM, Dwayne R via Groups.Io <masterdr@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
wa4dou@juno.com
John,
It is believed that cw is 11-17 db more effective as a communications mode, than ssb, for a given power level. That's 17 db over unprocessed ssb audio and 11 db over processed audio with clipping and compression of 6db. This is one of the main attributes that cw has enjoyed over phone. 73 Roy WA4DOU
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Re: Field Day
Dave Belville <davebelville@...>
You are absolutely right John. We tried FT8 on Field Day. It's a good mode
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for filling your log or working on awards but, in my opinion it has very little value for anything else. We were running QRP and I think we had 18 FT8 contacts. It wasn't worth the trouble. 73 de Dave, NI9M
-----Original Message-----
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Re: Field Day
davemrtn
Late Saturday afternoon, I fired up my KX2 on 20 Meters and in a pretty short time I had made 5 contacts using SSB Phone. 2 to Florida, 2 to West Virginia and 1 to Ohio. All using the internal battery. It was fun, but I needed to
shutoff the radio and get back to what I was working on. David Martin - NA1MH - Mountain
Home, Ar.
----------------------------------------- Wherever I go, there He is. Recycle, Reuse, Re-purpose, Repair Neither Time nor Energy can be Recycled or Reused, don't waste either.
On 6/24/2019 20:32, Tom Sevart wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Tom Sevart
On Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 08:50 John Lonigro <jonigro@...> wrote:
It certainly was for me during field day. I had my BitX20a with me, and couldn't make one contact at 10w, but made several contacts using CW at 2W. However, during an actual emergency I'd rather use SSB than CW, but hopefully in an emergency I wouldn't have to try to break a pileup.
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Upcoming Event: Wednesday Evening 40 and 80 meter Nets - Wed, 06/26/2019 8:00pm-9:00pm
#cal-reminder
main@4SQRP.groups.io Calendar <main@...>
Reminder: Wednesday Evening 40 and 80 meter Nets When: Wednesday, 26 June 2019, 8:00pm to 9:00pm, (GMT-05:00) America/Chicago Where:40 and 80 Meters Organizer: jomatlock@... Description: The 40 Meter Net will be at 8:00 pm DST central time on 7.122 +-. QRM
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Re: Field Day
Dwayne R <masterdr@...>
Amen! It is all about food! Dwayne
On Jun 24, 2019 14:35, "Brian Crittendon via Groups.Io" <aaa5mi@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Lee Hiers
I operated 1B for about 2 hours - food was a bag of M&Ms and a pack of crackers and two bottles of water! ;-) 73 de Lee, AA4GA
On Mon, Jun 24, 2019 at 3:35 PM Brian Crittendon via Groups.Io <aaa5mi=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Refreshments and Fellowship too!! Johnny AC0BQ
On Mon, Jun 24, 2019 at 2:35 PM Brian Crittendon via Groups.Io <aaa5mi=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
--
Check out the 4SQRP website at 4sqrp.com
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Re: Field Day
Brian Crittendon
Wait, Wait, are you telling me that Field Day is just not about the food? Mark/WQ8S
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Re: Field Day
Lee
We ran FT-8 down here in Tampa (2A with GOTA and VHF), but I wish that we had run JS-8 instead. Digital makes sense if and only if real traffic can be carried. The Free Text line in FT-8 is really only useful if you have abbreviations that are well understood or you publish a specific set to use (to avoid being dinged for using ciphers). JS-8 allows for open-ended messaging. Maybe ARRL should consider promoting a mode that is technically advanced and is truly functional for communications during emergencies……………………………just as CW is………………………..
Lee KX4TT
From: main@4SQRP.groups.io [mailto:main@4SQRP.groups.io] On Behalf Of Don Pitchford
Chuck, I have long thought ARRL Field Day rules need a makeover. The last time I spoke with anyone at the League about it, they weren't interested in new ideas.
When digital was RTTY and PSK-31 it seemed reasonable to equate its value to CW. CW takes more operator skill, but Digital is more valuable to Emergency Management as it allows more possible routes for the message and less chance of spelling errors. So from an emergency perspective I can see parody in them. While the Free Text line in FT-8 can convey a real Field Day exchange, I think few operators would use it for such a purpose, and it would take awhile to do it. RTTY and PSK-31 may still be King for Field Day type exchanges.
Don, W9EBK
On Sun, Jun 23, 2019, 10:06 PM chuck adams <chuck.adams.k7qo@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Don, W9EBK
Chuck, I have long thought ARRL Field Day rules need a makeover. The last time I spoke with anyone at the League about it, they weren't interested in new ideas. When digital was RTTY and PSK-31 it seemed reasonable to equate its value to CW. CW takes more operator skill, but Digital is more valuable to Emergency Management as it allows more possible routes for the message and less chance of spelling errors. So from an emergency perspective I can see parody in them. While the Free Text line in FT-8 can convey a real Field Day exchange, I think few operators would use it for such a purpose, and it would take awhile to do it. RTTY and PSK-31 may still be King for Field Day type exchanges. The other thing I think is way overdue for updating is the Battery class. Apparently the ARRL thinks it's only possible to run 5 watts from a battery and solar panel. Our Club has been running 100 watt transmitters on battery power for the last 20 years, but can't claim it because the rules restrict Battery to 5 watts or less. This is not to be confused with the Power Multiplier for QRP, 150 watts, or 1.5 KW. Any thoughts about other things that should be suggested to the League. (Keep it nice ) Don, W9EBK
On Sun, Jun 23, 2019, 10:06 PM chuck adams <chuck.adams.k7qo@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Paul AI4EE
If you want to QSO on digital, try JS8Call. If you just want quick
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contacts and signal reports, stick with FT8.
On 6/24/2019 9:50 AM, John Lonigro wrote:
If Field Day really weren't a contest, there's no reason to exclude
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Re: Field Day
John Lonigro
If Field Day really weren't a contest, there's no reason to exclude the WARC bands. During a real emergency operation in the field, the WARC bands would certainly be allowed. The contest aspect of Field Day is what motivates a lot of clubs to participate, but the emergency preparedness aspect is the reason Field Day even exists. I wonder how many clubs would bother with Field Day if there were no scoring at all.
A person who knows CW might consider using SSB at 5 Watts a lot more difficult to make a contact than when using CW. It all depends on skill level and perspective. In that regard, I guess no contest is perfect, the only exception being the Second Sunday Sprint (hi). My only gripe with some digital modes is they seem to be almost useless as far as communicating critical information is concerned. During Field Day, call sign, class, and section name might be important, but during an emergency, more information than that is required to make the mode useful. If the purpose of Field Day is to practice skills required to set up an emergency station "in the field", then maybe digital modes that aren't practical during an emergency shouldn't be allowed during this particular contest. In the aftermath of a hurricane, no ham in the affected area is going to think this is a good time to try to work all states. 72, John, AA0VE 4SQRP Contest Coordinator
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Re: Field Day
J.K. Wright
My experience at many of our club field days is that good CW ops can carry the day. We run 4A with 2 ssb stations, 1 digital station and 1 CW station. We typically make more CW contacts than SSB. Competing stations and pileups make ssb and digi slower for us since we don't tend to be a "big gun" who can command a frequency. On CW, most anyone we can hear, we can work. Remember that digital assistance to cw ops has always been around in the form of programmable keyers. If you have played with code readers, you are aware that your ear is still the best copier. Even the data reader on my new TS590SG can't copy anything that is not computer sent. And qrm will mess even that up quickly. After 56 years of jamming, there is still a certain serenity to hearing my call come back in CW!! Our field days are FUN, but everyone still wants to know how we did on points! Jerry, NK2C
On Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 9:07 AM Dave Benson <davek1swl@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Dave Benson
John- I've been using FT8 recently, and I'll add a couple comments to the discussion. Once you're set up for that mode, it's quite possible to just plunge in and make contacts. With some experience, though, your success improves. Especially in my case- running 10 watts- it pays to watch what's going on fairly carefully. At that power level, I watch the signal-strength trends. It doesn't pay to call a weak station at that power level. Everything else aside, I'm ~ 10 dB weaker than other folks. QSB contributes to the challenge- fading runs 15-20 dB on 40M and even more on 20M. I've had several instances where our signal reports differ by as much as 31 dB. That's propagation- not relative power. There's also a common scenario where you call someone and they don't answer. You're probably competing with someone else on the same frequency- and don't know it. Good practice suggests that you quit transmitting until their contact is complete. I think there is more is more to it than just 'point and click'. For that matter, for some activities, I simply press buttons to send CW. In that case, the fun wears off pretty quickly. Just not my thing. What is?- CW, of course. I ran 1B over the Field Day event. 180 contacts at 5 watts, including 28 on 40M FT8, and the rest were all CW- no buttons. I agree wholeheartedly with Martin- it's all about having fun and doing whatever works for you. 73- Dave Benson, K1SWL
On Mon, Jun 24, 2019 at 7:27 AM Dave Belville <davebelville@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Lee Hiers
On Mon, Jun 24, 2019 at 8:11 AM Tim McDonough N9PUZ <tim.n9puz@...> wrote:
That would still give a metric to compare stations - and as long as that is published, Field Day is a de facto contest - whether the ARRL says it is or not. I mean, they publish scores by category - it definitely is a competition. Note: I don't think there's anything wrong with that. 73 de Lee, AA4GA
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Re: Field Day
Tim N9PUZ
I think the ARRL should do away with the points entirely. They claim it isn't a contest so points serve no purpose. Just count contacts and be done with it. Tim N9PUZ
On Sun, Jun 23, 2019 at 10:06 PM chuck adams <chuck.adams.k7qo@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Martin
I don't do FD for points. I do it primarily for fun with my radios with a couple friends. I seldom submit logs. But at the end of the day I enjoyed successfully having contacts using (in my case) minimal power, easily deployed homebrew antennas in the "wild" and completely "off the grid", except for the portapotty! I usually use CW not to prove my superior skill, which I don't have, but because I like it and it's simple and works at 5 watts. And it fits my goal of just 4 or 5 pounds of gear including my antenna If my friend next to me used some other mode and brought 39 pounds of stuff, I encourage him and sometimes even feel a bit of envy!🙂 In a real emergency I don't think we'd care what mode or gear someone used. We'd just be thankful that one of us got through! THAT is the important point about field day. So forget the scores and "just do it" the way that works for you. And bless the guy (or gal) who does it another way. Oh, and stay curious and open minded. YOU may be the guy who falls in love with the next new mode!😁 Thanks for answering my CQ! Martin K0BXB
On Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 6:27 AM Dave Belville <davebelville@...> wrote:
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Re: Field Day
Dave Belville <davebelville@...>
I agree completely. Maybe an email or letter writing campaign to the ARRL would get them thinking. 72 Dave, NI9M
On Sun, Jun 23, 2019 at 11:16 PM jleahy00 via Groups.Io <jleahy00=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
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