Field Day 2012 was an exciting and enjoyable event for the Beaver Valley ARA despite the poor band conditions on 10 meters and above. The 80, 40, and 20 meter bands this year became the workhorses for us.  We took pride in our 763 contacts from our 5A operation in WPA as we surpassed last year’s results.

Each year we like to push the technology and try new antennas and equipment.  Last year, for example, we used our first transportable tri-band yagi and tower.  Our wireless network and logging software also helped to move our operating conditions into the 21st Century.  This year, we built the HF Triplexer that was described in the June 2010 QST article to provide better utilization of our yagi.  In addition, our 180-foot vertical antenna that was suspended from an eight-foot balloon gave us a commanding signal on the lower bands.

Hams from other clubs, curious visitors, elected officials, K-9 dogs, very pleasant weather, great food, many bonus points, and people helping each other and having fun made this Field Day one of the most memorable for the Beaver Valley ARA in many years.  Please take a minute and check out our web site at www.W3SGJ.org for more information and additional pictures.

We’re already talking about Field Day 2013!