07/18/2008 | AA1PL Field Day is a weekend I look forward to all year long. This year I operated as a single operator class 1-Bravo station. I set up camp at a remote site in Exeter, Rhode Island. This year I had my new Icom IC-7000 to use which was just awesome. I had a bank of large UPS and marine batteries for a power source which sustained 100 watt operation all weekend with no problem. My primary HF antenna was a homebrew 135 foot doublet which I was able to get up almost 100 feet in the air. I also had a full size 1/4 wave aluminum vertical on 40 meters which had problems and was not used as it was resonant on 7.7 MHz. I should have tested it out at home first but didn't have the time. I planned on having a 20M dipole but simply ran out of time to put it up. The doublet performed so well it was all I really needed for HF. I ran a newly built Moxon design antenna for 6 meters which worked wonderfully and I worked many stations. I have never worked that band before I got my new Icom 7000 radio.

I intially had some problems getting the antennas set up and tested properly so I missed operating the the first four hours of field day. But in spite of this I made 411 QSO's. My goal was to be the top scoring station in New England for the Bravo category. Hopefully this was accomplished but regardless I had a great time. Thanks to the several friends who came by to visit. -- AA1PL