27 June 11

Field Day

20 meter beam On the fourth weekend in June is Field Day, which is an annual exercise in amateur radio that stresses field deployment and operation of radio equipment often in remote sites and using backup power systems. It is also a chance for many radio clubs to have a bit of an overnight campout. This year our local club the Yolo Amateur Radio Society held its Field Day event on a ranch in the foothills of the eastern side of the Vaca Mountains, in a beautiful blue oak woodland landscape. Though in the past I’ve made a few contacts from home during previous Field Days, we’ve never participated in a club Field Day event, and didn’t know quite what to expect. It was surprisingly fun: we arrived early in the morning on Saturday to help set up, stayed through mid-afternoon, and returned on Sunday for the final couple hours of the 24-hour event and to take down the equipment. The exercise was oddly akin to being on a sailing ship: deploying three antennas with 30-foot tall masts involves plenty of rope work! At left is a picture of one of the antennas we set up and used, a three-element beam for 20 meters and above.

Posted by at 10:19 PM in Radio | Link |

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