Once again, the members of FARA packed up their gear for the annual ARRL Field Day event which takes place the last weekend of June. Though a little hot the weather was fine, and we had no rain or storms. This year we had a couple of wonderful additions.
First was instead of creating a GOTA trailer, Member Nic, KY4OP, who formed the Fauquier County 4-H Amateur Radio club, N4HKZ, brought their new fully decked out club trailer to act as our GOTA station. The 4-H received a grant from the Amateur Radio Digital Communications Foundation (ARDC) for the funds to build the trailer. Not only was it a place for visitors to give amateur radio a try, but it provided an influx of youth to our Field Day, which was really fun. Their next event is going to be the Fauquier County fair.
The second new addition, from the mind of John, KX4O, was a demonstration tent to show some of the other aspects of the hobby and a little bit of ham radio history. He had a presentation, APRS/communication Go-Kit, connectors, small antennas, and test equipment. This worked because it was a more formal presentation, which offered visitors a more intimate setting in which they could ask questions along with the presentation.
Again, this year Steve, NL7VX and his ham family ran a 100% solar station which attracted a lot of visitors. They camped the night and made lots of contacts with their setup.
Members started showing up early Saturday morning to begin setup. Field Day wouldn’t be Field Day if we didn’t have some minor problems. Examples being a bad extension cord, some bad coax, and some network logging problems. One of the purposes for the Field Day exercise is to practice troubleshooting on the fly under the gun and what you need to be prepared for.
As alluded to above, Field Day is to show the hobby off to the community and how we benefit the community. This year, thanks to John, KX4O, we had our event included in local publications to advertise and spread the word in the local community that we serve. We even had the honor of a visit from Fauquier County’s Sheriff Jeremy A. Falls. We appreciate him stopping by and touring our site.
Field Day also gives the club an opportunity to work and socialize with each other outside of club meetings and breakfasts. Of course, the centerpiece of the socializing occurred at dinner. Thanks to our resident BBQ master Alan, KO4NMC, who this year cooked brisket, which was incredible, while the rest of the attending members brought sides and snacks.
Sunday rolled around and operations continued until about the official end time of 2 PM, by which time the club was breaking down and packing up their gear.
Special thanks go out to our Field Day Co-Chairs Justin, NB3A and Anna, KN4DWZ, and our station captains, members who provided their trailers, vehicles, tents, and other gear required to pull off another very successful Field Day.
Enjoy the slide show and the videos below (click on any image to enlarge).
Brad N7IVV Makes a Satellite Contact
A Visitor to the GOTA Trailer Makes A Contact
