The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sponsors an Annual Field Day competition, and SCARS participates in these activities by operating radios for 24 hours. The goal is for the thousands of radio stations to make as many contacts during that time frame. Each year this takes place on the fourth full weekend in June. This year that will be June 24 and 25, 2023.
We will operate out of Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, 73069. This year we will plan a complete field day operation from the firehouse.
What Is Field Day?
ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June of each year, thousands of radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups, or friends to operate remotely.
Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest, and, most of all, FUN!
It is a time when many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles. While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.
The contest is to contact as many other stations as possible and learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less-than-optimal conditions.
We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fund-raisers such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls, and museums are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.
But despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems — or maybe because they ARE so complex — ham radio has been called into action, again and again, to provide communications in crises when it matters. Amateur Radio people (also called “hams”) are well known for their communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations.
Schedule
- 9:00 am Saturday – Equipment and people will arrive at 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK.
- 9:15 am Saturday – (or so) Safety meeting to discuss the following few days’ risks and efforts.
- Noon Saturday – Our food logistics team will provide a sub sandwich and chips lunch at noon.
- 1:00 pm Saturday – Transmitter operations begin. Three stations, CW, voice, and data stations, will be on the air.
- 2:00 pm Saturday – Amateur Radio licensing exam. Sign up at https://w5nor.org/license/
- 6:00 pm Saturday – The club will provide hamburgers, chips, and drinks during this meal. Don’t forget your yard chairs so we can sit outside and enjoy the meal. While water and juice drinks will be provided, please feel free to bring your beverages.
- 8:30 am Sunday – Our chef, David Grizzle, will prepare a Sunday morning brunch. “Ham,” eggs, omelets, biscuits, gravy, pancakes, and more will be available.
- 1:00 pm Sunday – Transmitter operations end. Station logs will be turned into Mark Kleine N5HZR.
- 1:00 pm Sunday – Tear-down activities begin. Make sure to come back and help the team disassemble the gear.
Operating from Firehouse #7
We’ll be operating in class 3F again this year. The number 3 signifies the number of simultaneous transmitters, and the F means that we work from an Emergency Operating Center.
Typical field day setup will start Saturday at about 9:00 local, and tear-down will happen on Sunday at about 13:00 local. We start transmitting at 13:00 local on Saturday and operate 24 hours straight until 13:00 local on Sunday.
If you’re interested in helping before or during the event, please get in touch with any of the following personnel. Contact info for these is either on the SCARS membership roster or QRZ.com.
- Field Day Chair: Mark Clayton N5AZQ
- Safety Officer: Larry Goodwin W5LHG
- CW Station: Bob Gibson W5RG, Kim Elmore N5OP, Bill Roberson, Jeff Dye WD0GTY.
- SSB Voice Station: Ken Sanborn AG5RQ, Nathan Lis, Jon Jeitz.
- Digital Modes (FT8, PSK31, JT8CALL): Mark Clayton N5AZQ, Mike Wood KE5ASN.
- Food: Phil Sinnett KD5UGO, Ron LaSpiza K5RJL, Deano Burch KK6IPL
- License Testing: Peter Laws N5UWY (2:00 pm) Register at this link.
- Anything else: Ed Hatch AG5DV, or Mark Clayton N5AZQ
W5NOR Status
This year SCARS will be operating as designator 3F OK. The three signifies three simultaneous transmitters; the F status is an emergency operating center station. The first of our three transmitters will be a phone station operating from the emergency management truck using a fan dipole antenna tuned for the 15, 20, 40, 80, and 160-meter bands.
The second transmitter will operate CW from another similar 15 through 160-meter dipole anchored tuned for the lower end of the band.
The third transmitter will operate digital modes using a 15 through 160-meter dipole antenna. Typically FT8 is the king of Field Day.
ARRL Sections
The following is a list of the ARRL sections and their abbreviations. Note that these may be confusing. i.e. LA is Louisiana, LAX is Los Angeles.
| Alabama | AL |
| Alaska | AK |
| Arizona | AZ |
| Arkansas | AR |
| Colorado | CO |
| Connecticut | CT |
| Delaware | DE |
| East Bay | EB |
| Eastern Massachusetts | EMA |
| Eastern New York | ENY |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | EPA |
| Eastern Washington | EWA |
| Georgia | GA |
| Idaho | ID |
| Illinois | IL |
| Indiana | IN |
| Iowa | IA |
| Kansas | KS |
| Kentucky | KY |
| Los Angeles | LAX |
| Louisiana | LA |
| Maine | ME |
| Maryland-DC | MDC |
| Michigan | MI |
| Minnesota | MN |
| Mississippi | MS |
| Missouri | MO |
| Montana | MT |
| Nebraska | NE |
| Nevada | NV |
| New Hampshire | H |
| New Mexico | M |
| New York City-Long Island | NLI |
| North Carolina | NC |
| North Dakota | ND |
| North Texas | NTX |
| Northern Florida | NFL |
| Northern New Jersey | NNJ |
| Northern New York | NNY |
| Ohio | OH |
| Oklahoma | OK |
| Orange | ORG |
| Oregon | OR |
| Pacific | PAC |
| Puerto Rico | PR |
| Rhode Island | RI |
| Sacramento Valley | SV |
| San Diego | SDG |
| San Francisco | SF |
| San Joaquin Valley | SJV |
| Santa Barbara | SB |
| Santa Clara Valley | SCV |
| South Carolina | SC |
| South Dakota | SD |
| South Texas | STX |
| Southern Florida | SFL |
| Southern New Jersey | SNJ |
| Tennessee | TN |
| US Virgin Islands | VI |
| Utah | UT |
| Vermont | VT |
| Virginia | VA |
| West Central Florida | WFL |
| West Texas | WTX |
| West Virginia | WV |
| Western Massachusetts | WMA |
| Western New York | WNY |
| Western Pennsylvania | WPA |
| Western Washington | WWA |
| Wisconsin | WI |
| Wyoming | WY |
Operating Techniques
1) You will get many more stations in your log by calling CQ than by tuning the dial and answering CQs; however, if you’re calling CQ and not getting any replies, keep calling. Most major contesters call CQ for several minutes at a time before giving up. Giving up after three or four CQs is giving up too soon.
2) Keep your CQs short and to the point: “CQ Field Day, CQ Field Day, Whiskey-Five-November-Oscar-Romeo, Field Day.” Wait about 5 seconds between CQs — this gives stations enough time to answer you.
3) Use standard phonetics. “Cute” phonetics don’t always get through and they can confuse newer operators.
4) When working a station, you should give your exchange information only once and keep it simple. “Whiskey-Five-November-Oscar-Romeo, copy three Foxtrot Oklahoma, QSL?” If they didn’t get all of the exchange, they will ask for a repeat.
5) If you are running a pileup: Once you have pulled a call out of the pileup, give your exchange information first. Here’s an example: “Whiskey-Five-November-Oscar-Romeo, copy 3F Oklahoma, QSL?” Don’t ask for the calling station’s information first — this will reduce any sense of rhythm and timing in the pileup.
6) If you get a pileup of stations and can’t make out an entire call, listen for one letter and ask for it specifically: “The station with Delta only, go ahead.”
7) When you get the other station’s information, keep your acknowledgment simple. “QSL, thanks, QRZ Field Day from Whiskey-Five-November-Oscar-Romeo.”
8) Find a comfortable pace for you and maintain that pace. You will tire quickly if you are screaming into the microphone or trying to work stations too quickly. This leads to inefficiency.
9) Use a headset with a boom microphone and a foot switch — this frees up your hands to log QSOs. Writing or typing with a mike in your hand slows you down.
10) Go for as many bonus points as you possibly can. Numerous opportunities exist, from copying the Field Day message to sending traffic to using natural power for QSOs.
These tips should help maximize your score on Field Day. Remember: No matter how you choose to enjoy Field Day, maximize your fun, however you define it.