The
MARC Field Day Page

A short review of Field
Day weekend by Terry Russ - N8ATZ
Thanks to lots of hard work by many club members Field
Day 2008 was another big success with everyone enjoying good
company, really nice weather, lots of contacts, some especially
great food and loads of FUN !.
From setup Saturday morning to teardown Sunday
afternoon, we enjoyed yet another great weekend communications
exercise.
As always lots of great memories are generated
with each Field Day and many of which are captured in "Kodiak
Moments". I hope you
enjoy this special Field Day Memories Page, I have also included a few pictures
from the archive from past Field Days !
(June 28, 2008) -- As in previous Field Day
events, setup on Saturday morning worked like clockwork thanks to
many years of experience and practice. The clubs EComm Trailer in
place, antennas and our multiple operating stations up and
operational well before the 2:00 PM start time. If this were an
actual emergency, we've already proven we can setup and establish
communications in short order. Special thanks to club members
Scott - KC8ZCT and Sarah - KC8ZCS for making a store run to make
lunch run for us after setup was completed.
Each year our primary goal is to out perform the
previous year and make sure everyone gets a chance to operate
regardless of skill level. This year we again had a great turnout
in both members and guests with many new people experiencing H.F.
operating for the first time.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature invaded our camp and
sent a thunderstorm to test us just after the start of the event.
Thanks to our core of dedicated Skywarn Spotters, we were advised
of severe weather heading our way. Always with operator safety in
mind, went radio silent when the severe weather hit. The weather
passed, we checked for damage, only the Ecomm Trailer door blown
off its hinges and it was back to business.
Our main CW station was operated by our two first
rate operators Perry - W8AU and our resident Secret Weapon Igor -
K8INN. These two Herculean operators combined to
keep the old Bencher paddles smoking throughout the event. But,
Field Day is also about learning and both encouraged many of our
younger members to gain some great contest experience and overcome
the fear of the key. I saw many smiles from folks who made their
first Morse code Field Day contacts. Yes, this really is what it's
all about.
The main phone station in the trailer is always a
flurry of activity. Along the main operations console is our HF
phone station with operator and logger. The secondary console
includes both 6 & 2 meter VHF stations. Thanks to good
antenna's and station setup we were usually able to work..em if we
heard..em, which makes for a fun time. Headphones for all
operators keep the noise level to a mild roar. Our 50 foot
pneumatic mast make raising the wire & VHF antenna's a snap. Our VHF stations were kept
pretty busy over the weekend as band conditions remained decent over the weekend. Even if you're not a die hard contester Field Day is an event for
all operators. There's a certain excitement about making a contact
with another FD station that is hard to describe. Just look at the
faces of some of our operators to get an idea.
Thanks to great effort by Dan - N8DZM our resident
Satellite operator we also snagged 2 satellite contacts, more than
enough to earn us extra bonus points as well as generating lots of
interest in this exciting mode.
The GOTA or Get On The Air station has also done
well over the past several years and has given newer club members
a chance to experience Field Day from a more relaxed perspective. I know for some of us "old
Timers", this is nothing new but for a newly licensed amateur
a Field Day contact is something you will remember and always
provides incentive to upgrade.
Community interest in our Field Day exercise is
always high and we thank the many visitors who stopped by to see
our station in action including Paul Manson, Massillon City
Councilman at Large. Public Safety also was in attendance with
club members Joe Herrick - WD8BGW, Captain of the Massillon Police
Department and Perry Police Officer Tim France - WB8HHP. Also
thanks to Melissa Seibert from the Stark County Red Cross Chaper
who also toured our various stations. As
always we thank our hosts for the weekend, Stark County Parks and
Recreation Department who stopped by to check up on us and who
always gives permission for us to operate from there the entire
weekend. We are one of very few groups who have been given this
consideration but they understand and support Amateur Radio and
are glad to assist us with this weekend exercise.
Field Day is also about demonstrating our hobby to
the public, that's one reason we setup at Petro's Park. Many
visitors dropped by after reading about our event in the local
newspapers. People are always fascinated by our hobby
and Field Day gives us the perfect opportunity to "show
off" our abilities and what we do best. Our information table
contained news about Field Day, our club activities within our
community, pictures of the club in action and Certificates of
Appreciation from several local civic organizations.
This year we were especially proud to display the
Appreciation Day letter from Ohio Governor Ted Strickland who
officially recognized the vital role Amateur Radio Operators play
in emergency communications preparedness plans for the nation,
state and local government agencies. We also demonstrated Winlink
2000 from our Field Day site. Messages were sent to our Section
Manager and several county agencies detailing our weekend event.
Again this year the Winlink community also exchanged Field Day greetings
to stations all over the United States and Mexico. Over 75
stations participated this year again showing the effectiveness of
this new emergency communications mode.
Field Day is also about learning. Could you setup
and begin operating on short notice ? Many of our younger members
learned first hand how to string wire antenna's, erect a tower,
proper grounding and operating skills, all great training for
emergency situations that really prove our net worth to the
community.
Unfortunately the inclement weather forced us to
cancel our now annual Field Day Fox Hunts as well as grounded our
famous W8NP Field Day Blimp. Next year for sure we'll make up for
it !
A highly active Field Day group like ours also
looks forward to yet another great Field Day tradition ... The
Great Field Day Feast !. New head chef Mike Palmer, KD8ENV with
assistance from Dan, N8DZM cooked up a fine batch of burgers,
chicken and
hot dogs. Club members supplied all the other great foods that go
with this type of event, baked beans, pasta salad, potato salad,
and plenty of munchies and some great desserts. Speaking of
great desserts, I hope you got a chance to have a look at our MARC
2008 Field Day Cake. Can a feast possibility get any better, I can't think
how. This is also our time of fellowship among our many friends
and family, and it all comes together for a perfect summer time
evening event.
After dinner we were treated to a fine technical
demonstration on Antenna design & theory thanks to club member
Mike Sciarini - WA8MKH. Mike's presentation was very informative
and allowed us to apply for another Field Day bonus.
As darkness falls on Saturday night the true
"Die-Hards" take over to keep the stations humming
throughout the night racking up contacts. Led by Scott, N3JJT and
Igor, K8INN plus a select few, we
had a great midnight operating crew.
Sunday, June 29, 2008 -- Let's not forget Sunday morning
breakfast either. Special thanks this year to President Scott -
N3JJT and First Lady Kathy for providing a fine breakfast for the
midnight crew. This extra effort sure
pays off and keeps us going until afternoon tear down.
Have I forgotten anything ? Probably. It's hard to
recapture the fun of a Field Day weekend in only a few paragraphs.
If you didn't make it over the weekend you missed a great club
event filled with lots of fun. We especially thank the many
members who came back at tear down to lend a hand. The sign in
sheet had about 50 members and guests attending this years Field
Day event, a great turnout !
I heard it said by a visitor that they thought we
had about the nicest bunch of Field Day folks that had ever
visited. I think that comment really says it all. Great weather,
great operating, great food, great friends. That sounds like the
makings of a great Field Day and a great club !.
Previous Field Day Memories !
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Mighty 2006 MARC Field Day Crew !

Perry - W8AU assists Sarah - KC8ZCS

Bob - N8DVS working on the GOTA Station

The Information Table Greeted Visitors

The Front Mast With our Phone Tri-Band Beam

Don - W8DEF (R) Logs While A New Operator Takes
a Turn

Dan - N8DZM Tries For a Satellite Contact

Sarah - KC8ZCS May Be Our Next CW Op !

Mike - WA8MKH (R) Discusses Field Day With Jason
- KC8LIN

The EComm Trailer Main Station Slowly Takes
Shape

Michelle - KC8ZEJ Learns The Proper Cranking
Technique From Jim - WA8GXM (R) and Wade - WD8MIU (C)

The CW Beam Is Up And Ready For Action !

Hey, Is Anybody Gonna Give Me A Hand !!

EComm Trailer Main HF Beam Is Ready To Send Up !

Jim - WA8GXM (L) and Steve - KD8ACF Prepare The
VHF Antennas

Brian Carbenia (L) From The Stark County EOC
Looks On As Jim Demonstrates our Computer Logging Program.

Sarah - KC8ZCS (L) and Michelle - KC8ZEJ on the
VHF Stations

OK, What Happened To The Blimp ? I Left It Right
Here !

Our Annual Field Day Feast is Legendary !

Perry - W8AU (L) Chats With Rev Les - K8CP (C)
and His Dad Les - K8LP
The Mighty W8NP Blimp !
-------------------------------------------------------------

The CW Station slowly take shape

Our one man CW powerhouse Igor - K8INN

Our Info Table Welcome Sign with a special Field
Day message from President Bush

The Winlink Communication Station

Brian Carbenia (L), Assistant Director of the
Stark Co EMA toured our Field Day event.
The new pneumatic mast with antenna's ready for
deployment

N8ATZ Explains our Field Day Setup to Stark Co
EOC Deputy Director Brian Carbenia and Stark Co Red Cross
Emergency Services Staff
Our GOTA Station staffed by Scott - KC8ZCT,
Sarah - KC8ZCS and Sarah's Dad Steve - KD8ACF

Visitors to the CW Station Scott - N3JJT (L),
Wade - WD8MIU and Steve - KD8ACF
-------------------------------------------------

Stark County Parks & Recreation Department
(our hosts for Field Day) Chief Dan George paused for a picture
while taking it all in !

WA8GXM & K8INN Setup the CW Station Mast

The CW Beam Antenna is ready to launch !

The CW Station is up and going !

Time to setup EComm 1 - Our Main Phone Station

Time to make some contacts !

The Main Station Antenna Assembly

The Phone Station Beam Antenna

Phone Station Beam Ready to Launch !

Old Glory Flies Proudly over our Field Day Site

Our Newest Club Flag Thanks to Don - W8DEF

Come On Gang, Is It Time For a Break Already ?

OK Already, Do We Have to Hold These Guy's All
Weekend ?

Next Comes the Information Table to Setup

Back to EComm 1 for the Main VHF Tower

Alright Everybody, One, Two, Three -
Heave !

Haven't I Seen This Image at our Nations Capital
?

The Information Table Ready for Visitors

Our CW Secret Weapon - The Mighty Igor, K8INN

Igor With Logger Charlie, KB8STV Racks Up
Contacts
The Phone Station With Scott, KC8ZCT Logging and
Gary, WC8W Op.
Sarah, KC8ZCS looks on

Gary Logs While Igor Racks Up More Contacts !

Dan, N8DZM Working Satellite During Field Day

The Satellite Antenna Array

The Tower Setup on EComm 1

The Business End of the VHF Station Setup with
Operators Gary, KC8IHR, Jim, WA8GXM and Aaron, K8ARN. Contacts
were made on 2 & 6 Meters

The Phone Station Operators Were Always Busy

The GOTA Station with Sandy, K8FUN & Byron,
KF8UN

Not The Biggest Antenna At Field Day But Close !

Time to Hoist The Blimp With an 80 Meter
Longwire and ATV Camera

W8NP Airship Lifts Off From Pad 9

Field Day Is Also About Antenna Projects. Here
Don Explains His New UHF Mini Beam Antenna
The Annual Field Day Feast Is Started By Head
Chef Dan, N8DZM

Club member Tim - WB8HHP of the Perry Police
Department, one of our Served Agencies, stopped by to survey the
station setup.

Don - W8DEF gets ready for the coved Field Day
dinner bell !

Nighttime Operation From W8NP

Hey Dale, Do You Need Any More Antennas ?

Aaron, K8ARN Logs Our VHF Contacts

Sarah & Scott Enjoyed The GOTA Station.
Sarah Snagged Our 100th Contact Sunday Morning
The MARC has been participating in Field Day almost as long as
we have been an organized club and probably even before that. Pictured below are
a few clips from Field Day past that I found in my archives. Some of you may
recognize some of the participants, it may even be you !
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A Field Pix from maybe
the 70's ? |
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Operating with an
audience back in the "old days" |
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Who was this mysterious
Big Bird ? |
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Going way back here
with Ralph - K8HSQ in the center and Skip - WB8OWM on the
right. |
THE END !
This page was
last updated on 12/31/09
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