In just a few days, we’ll be setting up for our annual Field Day operation in School Street Park, Agawam. The HCRA station will be right behind the bandshell, north of the baseball diamond visible in the aerial image below.
Setup starts at 13:00 EDT on Friday, June 21st. Field Day operation officially commences at 14:00 EDT Saturday, and we’ll start taking everything down at 14:00 Sunday.
This year, we’re emphasizing three main themes: fun, emergency communication, and showcasing ham radio to the public.
Fun
Field Day means different things to different hams, and we’re embracing all of them.
- Come out and operate one of the stations we’re setting up. We plan to have at least a couple of HF operating positions active throughout the event.
- Bring your own! We’d love to see everyone’s go-boxes, SOTA/POTA bags, and other cool gear. If you bring a HF rig, you can hook it up to one of our antennas and work some FD contacts under the W1NY callsign.
- Try a new mode, band, or activity. In addition to the HF stations, we plan to have satellite and VHF/UHF setups, plus whatever else our diverse membership brings.
- Eat something. We’ll be grilling up dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday, and invite participants to bring side dishes or desserts if they like.
Emergency Communication
Emergencies don’t happen on a schedule, and seldom allow time for hauling in and setting up truckloads of gear.
- If you’re there for setup, see demonstrations of different ways to hoist effective HF antennas into trees. Pneumatic antenna launcher vs. arborist throw line: how do they compare?
- Improvisation galore! We’ve planned this, yes, but there will inevitably be some snags. Help us troubleshoot them and get the satisfaction of solving problems in the field.
- Endurance mode. Field Day is a 24-hour operating event, with setup and teardown before and after. Want to check your own readiness for an overnight operation? Join us for the whole thing if you like.
- Stress-test your setup. Bringing a go box? Find out how well it really works under actual field conditions.
Showcasing Ham Radio
Let’s show everyone what ham radio is about, and why they should join the fun too.
- Hang out at the display table. We’ll have some Morse keys and oscillators folks can try, and handouts they can take with them. People love hearing their names in Morse code!
- Show off your own interest, whether it’s HF contesting, homebrewing your own gear, talking through satellites, or one of the many other sub-hobbies within this amazing hobby.
- Help recruit the next generation of hams!
- Buy or sell something. We’ll have an area set aside as a mini-flea market for ham radio gear.
We hope to see you there!
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