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ARRL Field Day Deemed a Hit; Entries Due by July 23!

06/26/2019

ARRL Field Day isn’t over until participants take that final step of submitting their logs. By Tuesday, June 25, more than 1,300 had done so. The preferred method of submitting a Field Day entry is via the 2019 Field Day Entry Form on the ARRL website. This app, developed and supplied by Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, will ask for the call sign used (as well as the GOTA station call sign, if applicable), entry class, number of participants, list of operators, power source and multiplier, claimed bonus points, contact totals by band and mode, and GOTA station operators and contact totals. It also allows the attachment of supporting information for bonuses. In addition, all entries require a list of stations contacted by band and mode (a dupe sheet). A Cabrillo file is also acceptable. Log files or summary sheets alone sent to ARRL do not constitute a valid Field Day entry.

To confirm that your web entry has been received, visit the Field Day logs received page. If the entry indicates “Pending documents,” upload the missing items for maximum scoring. Entries must be postmarked or submitted by Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Late entries cannot be accepted.

Field Day is typically a club activity, and by the time the fourth weekend in June had arrived, nearly 1,600 groups had registered their locations.

The South Jersey Radio Association’s K2AA operated in the 7A category. “This was a great effort by the SJRA members and guest operators, especially at the low point in the sunspot cycle and what seemed like not very good conditions,” Bob Beyer, KE2D, reported on 3830scores.com. “Our digital station was the new star this year contributing 232 QSOs — a considerable improvement over other years.”

W3AO, the well-known call sign of the National Press Radio Club in Maryland, had an unofficial contact count of 10,000 in 14 A category. “Propagation on 15 and especially 10 meters was somewhat subpar, same for 6 meters,” said Frank Donovan, W3LPL. “FT8 has fundamentally changed the digital landscape; there was very limited RTTY and PSK31 activity. There was also very limited CW and SSB activity on 6 meters.”

One operator who posted to the ARRL Field Day 2019 Facebook page was among those pointing out that propagation was difficult; while he was able to hear stations on the other side of the country and in the Caribbean, they could not hear him. He also reported high atmospheric noise. Nonetheless, others reported openings on 6, 10, and 15 meters, where propagation has been lacking in recent months for the most part.

Wade Harris, KF5IF, was part of the crew at the USS Batfish WW2SUB Field Day in Oklahoma. “Everyone seemed to have a good time, but it was a less-than-wonderful Field Day event, mainly due to storms that caused noisy band conditions and severe lighting and high winds, that caused everyone to disconnect and drop the antennas to stay safe,” he said on the ARRL Field Day 2019 Facebook page. Less than a month ago, extreme flooding at the museum floated the World War II submarine downriver, after mooring lines broke free.

Donald Purnhagen, K4ILG, in Florida said his 10-year-old daughter, Donalyn, caught the bug operating the GOTA station at the Platinum Coast Amateur Radio Society FD site (W4MLB). “After some quick instructions, she was answering CQs, exchanging information, and logging contacts,” he reported on the ARRL Field Day soapbox page.” She was eager to return the next day and logged a total of some 40 contacts. “I am pretty sure that she will be ready to take her Technician exam by the time our hamfest rolls around in October,” he added.

Michelle Gangi, AC2SQ, who was among the Community Amateur Radio Club (K2SRV) operators in New York, asked if bonus points were available for having a wedding take place in the midst of a Field Day setup. “Apparently, the lighthouse we’re set up at double booked,” she posted on the ARRL Field Day 2019 Facebook page. “We respectfully shut down our stations for the ceremony.”

Brenda Plummer, KD9GDX, narrated a video tour of the Fort Wayne Radio Club’s Field Day operation in Indiana.    



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