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 Previous: West Virginia Amateurs Help State Deal with Flooding |  Next: ARRL Foundation 2002 Scholarship Winners Announced |
By Don Jackson, AE5K
May 9, 2002
Before you know it, it'll be ARRL Field Day. Make the most of it and tap the latent talent of prospective hams.
 Air view of a well laid out site. Note access to hardtop parking, play area for children, and separation of food and operating positions. [Photos by the author] |
Each year thousands of clubs, groups and individual hams go through the process of planning and organizing their ARRL Field Day participation. Some do extensive planning, down to the last little detail, while others just let it all fall together. This article is aimed at new groups, although many old-time and more experienced groups may find some ideas worthwhile. The focus will be on planning for the big event. Please take these ideas and suggestions as just that--suggestions.
Every Field Day group is different. It has different people, interests, needs, aims, locations, equipment and weather, to mention a few. What works with one club or group may not work with others.
My first Field Day experience was almost a half-century ago as an excited teen who had just graduated from Novice to General class. There was no local club, but a group of hams regularly got together to operate Field Day. A few other young hams and I volunteered to join with them in Field Day activities. We were tolerated but the senior members were not interested in sharing the operating duties (fun) with newcomers. The disappointment of that first Field Day led my young friends and me to form our own club the following year for the purpose of having fun at Field Day. Our youth club quickly grew to number more than 50 members.
Share the Work--Establish Committees
A well-planned Field Day is a lot of work. My first suggestion is to form several committees--or subcommittees--and charge each with a specific responsibility. A large club would do better with separate committees while a small club might just have a single committee and designate tasks to individual members. The committees that come to mind are site, equipment, operator, food and publicity.
The Site Committee is responsible for locating one or more suitable locations for the event. In most clubs this committee is the first to act since often a site must be reserved well in advance. The committee will probably find several, and leave it up to the membership to make the final selection. Important things to watch for are suitability of the site, ease of access, obtaining needed permissions or permits, learning what facilities--water and restroom--are available, antenna possibilities and above all--finding any restrictions that may be imposed on your group.
The Equipment Committee is responsible for lining up all material necessary for the event. This includes transceivers, antennas and power sources, but might also include lights, extension cords, tents, mikes, speakers, headphones, keyers, tables and an almost infinite list of small items. The club needs to decide on the number of operating stations to set up. This in turn depends upon the number of operators that will be available.
The Operator
Committee: The committee must be aware of members' operating
interests and preferences. Members may not at first all agree on who will
operate a station and when. The operating committee should create a schedule
that is acceptable to the interested parties. How many would like to operate
CW? Phone? Other modes? How long? When? The results of this survey can help the
club determine the number of stations required and assist in the preliminary
scheduling of operators. Allowances should be made for last minute changes.
This committee should also schedule any other special events that happen at
Field Day, including bonus-point options. Everyone on this committee should be
familiar with the Field
Day rules.
 The food team is a key element of Field Day. |
The Food Committee is responsible for meals, snacks, refreshments and beverages. Keep in mind that your group might wish to have refreshments available for visitors. Meals, if served, can be anything from the minimal hot dogs to professionally catered affairs. The food committee will have to come up with detailed plans and a budget for items to be purchased. It must determine in advance how many people to plan for at each meal. Good prospects for this committee would be members with group food-preparation experience--such as scouting. Hey, don't forget snacks for operators who are working the red-eye shift.
The Publicity Committee is responsible for the public relations aspects of the event. That includes news releases and getting the local TV station camera crew out to your site. It also includes making your own members aware of the event. Even though a Field Day can function without publicity, your club or group is really missing a platinum opportunity for the benefit of Amateur Radio if you do not publicize it. On the weekend of the event, signs and banners, where appropriate, are helpful to explain to the public what is going on. If the public is invited, a table with Amateur Radio literature and pamphlets would be a good idea.
One aspect of
planning spans several committees. It's the consideration of any special
stations, demos or modes that the club may wish to do for publicity, fun or
bonus points. Rather than form a separate committee for each of these items,
you might toss these ideas around at a club meeting and then assign them to
existing committees.
 A visitor-friendly operating position is a good place to troll for new members. |
Everyone Can Participate
Unlicensed members are prospective hams. They can certainly help by acting as loggers for phone and CW stations. In my early days, our youthful group had about as many would-be hams as those licensed, and being a logger was an exciting incentive to becoming licensed before the next year's event.
These same members and also the Novice/Technician members can operate the phone position as long as a properly licensed control operator is present. I've known more than one ham who upgraded to General class after experiencing HF-band operation.
Youngsters not yet bitten by the radio bug can help keep track by coloring in the states or sections on maps as the operators work stations. This not only gives them something to do but also helps teach a little geography. The map gives some public relations value to their artwork. It is also exciting to club members to see what is being accomplished.
Starting this year, the GOTA station (Get On The Air) is something every medium or larger size club should seriously consider. There may be club members who'd like to try their hand at operating phone or CW, but are afraid to put themselves up against the more proficient club members.
Club members whose main interest is working DX will be happy to know that Field Day 2002 rules have expanded the opportunity for DX stations to participate. All Region 2 stations--encompassing North and South America--are invited to participate and submit scores to the ARRL for inclusion in the results.
A sensitive club will make certain that every member has a chance to operate if desired, or at least participate in some meaningful way. Some hams would rather help cook a meal than to operate, just as some would rather be on call for technical problems. Make room for everyone.
 Night operations pose special problems such as mosquitoes, fatigue and finding snacks at odd hours. |
The Wrap Up
At the first club meeting following Field Day, devote time to a debriefing session. Don't let it degrade into a gripe session, but keep it on the positive side as to what the club needs to change for the next year. Have someone keep notes on what is decided and the suggestions made and haul them out again next year when planning begins once again.
In conclusion, planning can make or break a Field Day. It can mean the difference between satisfied club members and disgruntled ones. It can mean the difference between earning a good score and dropping a bunch of contacts and points due to the cracks. It can be an inspiration for unlicensed persons to tackle the exam, or for Novice/Technician hams to upgrade. It can be a showplace for ham radio and its emergency communications potential.
ARRL Life Member Don Jackson, AE5K, lives in Yellville, Arkansas--"12 miles from town on 40 acres in the middle of nowhere." His interests span almost every aspect of Amateur Radio. Active on 80 through 10 meters (CW, SSB and PSK 31) and 2 meters (FM, SSB and CW), he'll soon be operating 432 through 10 GHz as well. Cofounder of five radio clubs in Illinois, Iowa and Arkansas and a technical presenter at several local clubs, he nevertheless sets aside time to teach code and theory to youngsters. His professional engineering career has spanned AM broadcasting, the US Army Rocket & Guided Missile Agency, and engineering design for private companies. Other interests include scouting, German Shepherd dogs and gardening. His wife Carol is W5CSJ. Don can be reached at ae5k@arrl.net.
| Previous: West Virginia Amateurs Help State Deal with Flooding | Next: ARRL Foundation 2002 Scholarship Winners Announced |
