2012 ARRL Field Day
The power of ham radio is clearly not in our amplifiers: It is in our people.
The energy required to put together a public demonstration that lasts 24 hours in 100 degree heat in the middle of a tech festival called Maker Faire must be in the range of GIGAWATTS.
KØC (our special event call for field day) only made 593 contacts. But for each contact on the radio we made, we made actual physical contact with 20 people (Maker Faire attendance: 10,000, and they all saw ham radio at its finest)
>From the spark of an idea from KD0NRC, Noah Dunker, that was "Hey... lets combine these two great pools of tech people together"
To the sheer networking genius of W0BBQ, John Hochscheid, whose energy for the hobby is contagious to even those who have no idea what it is about. John is, in my opinion, the most connected man in Kansas city. He knows EVERYONE, and it seems like they all owe him a favor. If John can't get it done, it can't be done....
To the amazing store of ham radio knowledge that is W0AO, Bob Kimbrell, a pillar in the Kansas City ham radio community, and known throughout the world as an avid dx'er and promoter of the next generation's entry in the hobby. A ham for nearly 50 years, Bob is an amazing resource for all the cool gadgets that drew in the crowds and made them ask questions. Also a pro at the tricks of getting through a pile up, Bob was helping hams less than week old make their very first contacts.
A Powerful legacy to KC4WCG, Matt May and N0CJ, Carolyn Wells, my <http://HamClass.org> partners, who helped to demonstrate what ham radio can mean to people from all walks of life, and got a 5 year old his first Field Day contact... >Congratulations Will--looking forward to see you at HAMCLASS.ORG soon! <
To the firecracker that is W0DEE, Dee Smith, Emergency Disaster Services Director for the Salvation Army. Dee has been a FIERCE advocate for ham radio in the Salvation Army Disaster services for YEARS, and has amassed a team of the most dedicated hams you will find anywhere. Her team has such energy and recruiting skill, they even managed to convince Dee to get her own license, just for the fun of it! (In any disaster, Dee will be the one at the top making sure everyone is getting what they need when they need it, and won't have time to pick up a radio.... that's why she has a team of more than 150 hams to assist)
To the energy of youth, KD0EWB, Ryan O'Neil, the ARRL Youth Liaison for Kansas. Ryan got the ham bug at field day in 2008, and hasn't taken a breath since... he is constantly recruiting every young person he meets, and for field day is onsite the WHOLE time, loving to help setup, operate and tear down. He is a great example of the commitment that a young person can have to the hobby. (He's 14!) (we had more than 20 young hams visit our site, all under age 16) to the youth mouthpiece for ARRL, Sterling Coffey, N0SSC. Sterling is the Youth Editor for ARRL, and when he agreed to join us at our field day, I knew he would be a great asset. Sterling saw the opportunity, as did the ARRL, to reach out to the DIY crowd, and find out what they love to do... then show them how ham radio does that. He spent the weekend interviewing, photographing, explaining, demonstrating and of course operating. Sterling will be the way the energy of this single 24 hour period is captured. As he edits all the media he gathered this weekend, he will be putting the lightning into the bottle, to be dispensed in individual sized amounts throughout the year, until FD 2013 comes around.
And the help of AA0MM, AB0HI, AC0C, AC0CO, AC0SX, AD0D, KA2FNK, K0CAM, K0DEZ, K0LOL, K0NK, K0TCB, K2SRB, KB0RZD, KB0RZE, KB0SAU, KB0WEQ, KC0FEZ, KC0FVM, KC0NYS, KC0QLU, KC0YDZ, KC0KTP, KC0YSU, KC0ZVT, KC6SSS, KD0BNO, KD0EFU, KD0FNP, KD0HKD, KD0HKI, KD0LOS, KD0NLO, KD0NRC, KD0OYU, KD0QB, KD0QXO KD0RZE, KD0SHI, KD0SHO, KD0SHS, KD0SHT, KD0QWH, KD7BJG, N0PLU, N0ENO, N0RC, N0SSC, N0SWX, N0TO, N0YSN, NX0V, WA0CBW, W0AIB, W0DEW, W0NQX, W0PWJ, WV0S, W5TMC (and a dozen others I failed to mention.. sorry) YOU were a CRITICAL PART of the success!
And all for what.... to pass that QRO energy on to others.
I aspire to the greatness of Marshall Ensor, W9BSP, who brought tens of thousands of people into the hobby...a man who's shoes are impossible to fill, but I will always be trying.... becasue its FUN today, just like it was in 1912.... and will be in 2112.
Ham radio is GREAT when all else fails... but its even BETTER when everything works. And everything worked this weekend.
THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH!
Final thought: If Maker Faire is on Field Day weekend next year, I want to personally invite W0ERH, K0GQ, K0ANT, W0RR, KB0NHW, KS0KS, N0TES, WA0RC, W0MRM, K0KEX, and any other field day operation to come and work as a SUPER FD team. It would be the only thing that could top this years event!
Wrap up video: <http://youtu.be/ncDWhrfI-oo>
A few pics:
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/n0ssc>, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/kc-bike/>
<All the tech craziness that is Maker Faire on flickr:
<http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=maker+faire+kansas+city+2012&m=text>
(more pics every day)
And my poem from the night before .... (with apologies to Clement C Moore)
'twas the night before field day,
and at Union Station
The hams were set to talk
to the entire nation
The Salvation Army
had provided the vans,
and John was still busy
working his plans.
The wind and the heat,
were forecast to stay
for the entire weekend,
and none kept at bay.
The radios plugged
into wires on the lawn,
all thanks to the generosity
of Mr. Bruce Frahm
A legion of geeks,
makers having their Faire,
would be witness to radio waves
flying through the air.
The youth twiddled their thumbs
and fidgeted about,
waiting for their turn
to run this pile out.
When what to my tingling ears should I hear,
but a 6 meter opening,
so rare and so dear.
In came and Utah and Maine and Havannah,
and the best one of all
"I just worked Montana!"
But wait, just a daydream,
we're hoping for magic,
no longer should sunpots
make us feel tragic.
So here's to you hams,
stringing antennas in trees,
Wishing you Contacts a' million
and seventy threes.
KC0BS June 22, 2012
(6 meters never showed up for us…btw)
KCØBS Short, KC0BS
<kcshorty@gmail.com>
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