06/30/2007 | W3D Field Day - 2007 turned out better than we could have expected for the Sussex Amateur Radio Association (SARA) and the Nanticoke Amateur Radio Club(NARC) joint operation! There were 100+ folks (Hams and non-Hams) who showed up to kick off our Field Day exercise. Delaware's highest elected official, Governor Ruth Ann Minner, who proclaimed June as Amateur Radio Awareness Month in Delaware, was on hand along with our Secretary of Homeland Security, Dave Mitchell; Sussex County Administrator, Dave Baker and Georgetown Mayor, Mike Wyatt. Similar proclamations were made by each along with thanks to, and promises of support for, Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications in Delaware! Our General Assembly also passed a resolution officially making June Amateur Radio Awareness month in Delaware. IT WAS GREAT!!!

W3D turned out to be an excellent Special Event callsign. The Whiskey Three Delta, Whiskey Three DELAWARE - QRZ phrase, must really have caught the attention of other stations, since between around 1700Z to 1800Z on Sunday, there were about 70 phone contacts made on 20 meters by one operator. However, 4A was probably not the class we should have been using. 3A would have worked, since there was never a time when more than three stations were on simultaneously.

The Delaware National Guard brought a 20' X 50' tent and erected it. The JROTC from Sussex Technical HS was on hand to present our National and State Colors. The Delaware State Police brought their Mobile Command Center to demonstrate their interoperability with Amateur Radio. Press coverage was great, but the television stations that were invited and expressed an interest in covering our event, never showed up. We'll have to make some better contacts within that media for next year.

For those interested, http://youtube.com has video up. Just "Search" for KB3MJ or W3D. Take a look at our Field Day site and "listen" to the comments from each of the officials who helped make our Field Day - 2007 such a tremendous success. -- KB3MJ