This year we broke from tradition and instead of operating from our club's Field Day site a few of us set up our own operation about 26 miles north of the club's. Our goal was to contact the club's station (WA7LAW) on as many bands and modes as possible. The club also broke from tradition this year, operating from Willis Tucker Community Park, southeast of Everett, rather than their usual FD location of Harborview Park in Everett. This, combined with a severe weather front that moved through the area beginning about an hour or two into operations made for a very interesting and unusual (for us anyway) Field Day 2012.

Between bad weather and poor conditions on most of the bands, we spent more time trying to secure equipment against the ravages of the WX, keep the shelter from blowing away, drying off soaked gear, etc. than we did actually making contacts. It seems the poor weather also discouraged some of our operators from showing up to operate. In spite of all this, contacts were made and fun was had.

Our fellow club members down at the WA7LAW operation also had their hands full with the weather and, as luck would have it, a generator failure.

We did manage to contact WA7LAW on 2m and 6m but were not able to find them on any other band. 20m and 40m were more crowded and QSB was deeper than I have ever experienced during any past Field Day.

We were very pleased to make contact with our friends at the Mike & Key ARC, the Stanwood-Camano ARC, and the Island County ARC - all on VHF SSB.

Participants at the AD7BF Field Day 2012 operation included Melisa KE7KRS, Bob K7IQ, Bryan W0MCD, and Eric AD7BF, with Melisa making the majority of the contacts. Special thanks to Bob and his brother Robin for letting us set up in the parking lot of their business (Midnite Solar) in Arlington, WA and for supplying us a DC feed from a couple of PV panels on the roof of their building to keep our batteries charged for the duration of our operation. Also big thanks to Bryan for helping us set up and to his boys Conner and Declan for coming along to assist. And a huge thanks to Bob for running coffee out to us from a pot inside the building which he kept fresh for the duration!

I hope everyone had at least as much fun as we did.

73,

AD7BF