2007 ARRL Field Day
06/25/2007 |
WX5ARK
--- { A ROOKIE'S PERSPECTIVE } ---
Having only been licensed since July 2005 and obtaining my Extra ticket in November 2006, I had thus far had ZERO experience with HF. After months of patience, I finally scraped enough money together in early June to purchase a Yaesu 857 and install it in the car. With a week to go until Field Day, I installed a ball mount on the back quarter and borrowed four HamSticks from my elmer.
With the hardware finally procured, the countdown had begun, and the pressure was on! Since I don't have an antenna tuner yet, I spent a few extra minutes every day during my commute times stopping in open lots, tuning one HamStick after another, and figuring out where my band limitations were.
When the big day arrived, I was itching (literally) to get outside and crank 'er up! I tuned around 40m for about 10 minutes, then made my first successful HF contact - K3QBD out of Delaware. What a rush! I never thought just a simple 10-20 second exchange across hundreds of miles could be such a thrill.
Later, I finally got my wife (W8LAB) out in the car with me for a few minutes to make her first HF contact, and she walked away saying,"Wow, that was actually kinda fun." High praise coming from her!
I only managed to operate for about 5 hours during the contest and make a grand total of 24 contacts (and walk away with about as many mosquito bites), but it will be remembered as one of the great moments in my life. I'll probably be hearing "CQ Field Day, CQ Field Day..." in my head for a week, but it was all worth it.
I have most definitely been bitten by the bug, in more ways than one. I'll be itching both inside and out for a while to get back on HF and talk it up. My overflowing thanks go out to my elmer (Randy, WF5X) for guiding me into one of the greatest learning experiences I'll ever have.
Next item on my ham to-do list - getting my CW speed up! The learning never stops... -- WX5ARK
Having only been licensed since July 2005 and obtaining my Extra ticket in November 2006, I had thus far had ZERO experience with HF. After months of patience, I finally scraped enough money together in early June to purchase a Yaesu 857 and install it in the car. With a week to go until Field Day, I installed a ball mount on the back quarter and borrowed four HamSticks from my elmer.
With the hardware finally procured, the countdown had begun, and the pressure was on! Since I don't have an antenna tuner yet, I spent a few extra minutes every day during my commute times stopping in open lots, tuning one HamStick after another, and figuring out where my band limitations were.
When the big day arrived, I was itching (literally) to get outside and crank 'er up! I tuned around 40m for about 10 minutes, then made my first successful HF contact - K3QBD out of Delaware. What a rush! I never thought just a simple 10-20 second exchange across hundreds of miles could be such a thrill.
Later, I finally got my wife (W8LAB) out in the car with me for a few minutes to make her first HF contact, and she walked away saying,"Wow, that was actually kinda fun." High praise coming from her!
I only managed to operate for about 5 hours during the contest and make a grand total of 24 contacts (and walk away with about as many mosquito bites), but it will be remembered as one of the great moments in my life. I'll probably be hearing "CQ Field Day, CQ Field Day..." in my head for a week, but it was all worth it.
I have most definitely been bitten by the bug, in more ways than one. I'll be itching both inside and out for a while to get back on HF and talk it up. My overflowing thanks go out to my elmer (Randy, WF5X) for guiding me into one of the greatest learning experiences I'll ever have.
Next item on my ham to-do list - getting my CW speed up! The learning never stops... -- WX5ARK
Back
