Operators Ben(N6SL), Larry(K4OZS), and myself decided early on that we wanted to operate the 2010 Field Day as a 1A station, focusing solely on CW. We wanted the station to be practical for use in a bona fide emergency. Our site selection was an electrically quiet 4 acre field approx. half way between two major cities, making it a perfect relay site for emergency communications.

      As our location is Florida, the logical emergency scenario is a hurricane. This defined our antenna selection, as it would not seem to make good sense to utilize trees as antenna supports in a hurricane. Based on this criteria, we chose to use a ground mounted Tarheel 200HP mounted to a DX Engineering radial plate and a radial system comprised of 32 radials.
    The station was powered by a combination of two generators and a backup battery that was charged by a solar panel array. By incorporating a West Mountain Radio Powergate, We were able to shut down one generator and switch over to the second generator while using the backup battery to maintain power during the switchover process. This allowed for us to safetly refuel our generators after letting them cool down.

    The station itself was an Elecraft K3 and interfaced laptop computer running N1MM.

We had a very sucessfull and enjoyable event that allowed us 407 contacts spanning 70 ARRL sections and 171 band/sections.

Time to plan on Field Day 2011...