What a weekend!  The Potomac Valley Radio Club and Columbia Amateur Radio Association operating 25A as W3AO finally broke the the 30 year-old Field Day QSO record of 11,201 set by the Yankee Clipper Contest Club. We managed 12,158 contacts for 38,764 points--also a new point record for FD, breaking our own record set in 2008 by more than 5K points.    This accomplishment is thanks to great conditions, excellent weather, great planning by the team, a superb turnout, great operators, and hard work to capture all the bonus points.  

We erected 15 towers with yagi antennas, and strung 9 dipoles between those towers.  It is very difficult to capture the antennas in a photo, as they cover a 1,000 foot line acorss our site at the Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School.  The sporadic E was "in" for sure, as we garnered 547 contacts on 6 meter SSB, 853 contacts on 10 SSB,  and 462 contacts on 10 CW.   Our Satellite team grabbed 31 contacts, a great total considering the reduced number of satellites available this year.  Our power source was flawless this year, thanks to 3 completely diassebmled and rebuilt RV generators provided by KA3EJJ.  Maurice also provided UPS protection and a new power distribution system. 

Our GOTA team was also very sucessful.  Led by coach KE3Q,the 23 operators  garnered all the bonus points along with more than 800 contacts. (Of course only 500 count toward our score.) Rich was up nearly the entire 24 hours period working with the GOTA ops.

And what would FD be without good food--provided by Audrey (XYL of K3RA) and Diane (XYL of W3XZ) along with dessert  "goodies" provided by many of the club members and their spouses.

This marks the team's 14th year together as W3AO, the last 12 of which have yielded overall number 1 finishes.  We have our fingers crossed that our 13th attempt at number 1 will prove equally lucky!

More pictures (and two videos) are on line at available at http://www.n3aln.com/W3AOFD2011.htm and the Amateur Radio Video News folks have a DVD of our 2004 effort entitled "The Last Big Field Day".  It is a full length professional video detailiing all aspects of a typical W3AO Field Day.   For a priview see showing the tower set up in 2004 see  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dmMItbiZvY Plus there is a video available at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aACC5vyfNI0 .  You can also catch an interview of W3LPL and K3RA on Hamnation Episode 7--see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtSniglNzNM