07/26/2002 | W7DX The theme for the W7DX Field Day this year was to maximize the QSOs-to-Hassle ratio and I believe we succeeded. We simplified the antenna complement and relied on the salt-water ground plane to do its work. Our chosen configuration is 2A - with GOTA and VHF stations. The location is one that has been used successfully by Seattle area groups for more than a quarter-century. Today its official moniker is the "Maury Island Regional Marine Park", but it affectionally known to all as "The Gravel Pit". It sounds grim, but what it boils down to is a mile of beach on Puget Sound looking straight across the water to Mt. Rainier and the rest of the US. There's a lovely dock to put antennas on and you can even come to the site by boat!

This year, we used just one short tower - a 20-footer on the dock with a TA-33 for the phone station, which was our only HF yagi. The low-band antennas for both phone and CW were verticals at the tide line; a Hustler 6BTV on phone and a Butternut HF2V on CW. Both worked quite well. The antenna innovation this year was a 130'-per-leg Vee beam on CW. Despite a high SWR, which was not a real problem with the short feedline length, the beam played very well and both went up and came down safely and quickly. The GOTA station used a 6BTV, as well.

The "Ham Can-Do" award this year went to our VHF station captain, Johnny Kiesel KE7V for his magnificent rotator system. A single loop of rope that was coiled around the antenna mast and a couple of the Scotch Broom bushes allowed the operator to change antenna azimuth from the comfort of the lawn chair at the radio. An arrow taped to the mast served as the bearing indicator. All agreed it was a true Field Day triumph. Second best feature was the excellent food served up by the food czars, led by Czarina Marina, N7LSL. It's definitely one of the draws for Field Day with W7DX.

Field Day always seems to be a great picnic and campout, with a contest combined in there somewhere. We exercise our emergency capabilities without making a chore out of it and enjoy each other's company. The new hams that visited this year had a great time and all of us OT's seemed to be sporting an extra set of smile wrinkles, too. That's the way it should be!

73, Ward N0AX
W7DX Field Day Co-Chairman (with Adam, K7ST) -- N0AX