Roger Reini/ David Treharne FARL-LARC Field Day 2019 Roger Reini/ David Treharne FARL Club Meeting, June 13, 2019 Club Meeting Version

2019 Field Day What: An annual 24 hour outdoor operating event to demonstrate and practice Amateur Radio emergency operating skills. Who: Open to both existing amateur radio operators and to anyone interested in radio. When: Saturday and Sunday, June 22nd-23rd, 2019. Setup at 9:00am on Saturday, operating begins 2pm Saturday, ends 2pm Sunday. Stations: LARC is planning on 4A. Voice, Morse Code, and Digital. Includes a Get On the Air Station exclusively for new operators. Where: 37855 Lyndon St, Livonia, MI 48154 Sponsors: Livonia Amateur Radio Club and the Ford Amateur Radio League LARC Field Day Chair: Mike Rudzki, N8MR) FARL Field Day Chair: David Treharne (N8HKU)

Summary versus prior years 2018 2017 2016 Band CW Phone Dig Total % ---- -- ----- --- 80 157 6 40 388 1,061 12 1,461 51 20 68 923 33 1,024 36 15 91 10 121 4 46 5 57 2 25 1 SAT   750 2,035 61 2,846 100 Band CW Phone Dig Total % ---- -- ----- --- 80 292 323 615 27 40 352 859 50 1,261 55 20 53 278 351 15 39 1 2 10 4 6 7 SAT   740 1,468 71 2,279 100 CW Contacts back up from last year, Phone contacts up from last year, digital contacts down from last year.

Our Score Ranking 2018 vs 2017 2018 Scores Our score for class 4A was 8,992 points. #2 (of 7 entries) in class 4A in Michigan (2nd to K8UM) #3 (of 95 entrants) for all of Michigan #3 (of 15 entrants) in class for the Great Lakes Division #8 (of 272 entrants) in the Great Lakes Division overall #8 (of 137 entries) in 4A overall for all Field Day submissions #55 (of 2,902 entrants) overall for all Field Day submissions 2017 Scores Our score for class 4A was 6,816 points. #1 (of 6 entries) in class 4A in Michigan #4 (of 92 entrants) for all of Michigan #2 (of 14 entrants) in class for the Great Lakes Division #17 (of 272 entrants) in the Great Lakes Division overall #14 (of 133 entries) in 4A overall for all Field Day submissions #134 (of 2,964 entrants) overall for all Field Day submissions Overall: While K8UM did an extraordinary job to knock our clubs down slightly in the Michigan and 4A categories, but the clubs did great for Great Lakes and national scoring!

Top Bands for Field Day Conclusion: No matter what the time in the sunspot cycle, our best bands are 40m, 80m, and 20m. Prediction for this year: 40m, 20m, 80m. 2002: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m 2003: 40m, 20m, 15m, 80m 2004: 40m, 80m, 20m, 15m 2005: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m 2006: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m 2007: 40m, 80m, 20m, 15m 2008: 20m, 40m 80m, 15m, 10m 2009: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m, 10m, 160m 2010: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m, 10m 2011: 20m, 40m, 15m, 10m, 80m 2012: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m 2013: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m 2014: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m 2015: 40m, 80m, 20m, 15m, 10m 2016: 40m, 80m, 20m, 15m, 6m, 10m 2017: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m, 10m, 6m 2018: 40m, 20m, 80m, 15m, 10m, 6m * No 80m phone was run https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression

N Site Layout- 2019 Edition Porta potty The food tent is a white tent shelter, solid sides, can enclose the ends. Nearby are two picnic tables Livonia Fire Department Inflatable Tent Food Red Lines are the antennas N Digital (LARC) GOTA SSB2 GOTA Station antenna (vertical) 37855 Lyndon St, Livonia, MI 48154 LARC SSB2 Antenna G5RV Jr SSB1- FARL FARL SSB1 Antenna G5RV CW Station Antenna (different antenna vs last year CW

Schedule Friday: Sunday 3:00PM: Wire antenna set-up: Bill Allen, KD8KTF 6:00PM: Onsite set-up of tents, campers. (Security overnight). Saturday: 8:00AM - Weekly club breakfast @ Senate Coney Island (Plymouth Road and Stark Road) 9:0AM - Equipment setup 11:00AM- Boy Scouts Vist for Radio Demos on voice 1:00PM- Lunch and Safety Briefing 2:00 PM - Field Day operations begin 6:00PM- Dinner Sunday 7:00AM: Breakfast (FARL to supply.) 12:00PM: Lunch 2:00PM: Operating Event Ends 3:00PM: Teardown complete Other Events: Training Session: TBD Satellite Work: at FARL SSB station

Operating Set-up Using K8UNS as main station call Using K8UTT as GOTA station call Operating 4A CW station Tent (Mike, N8MR) New antenna setup, one they can load for transmit! SSB 1 Station: All HF except 40m. (FARL- Dave, N8HKU) (Using Tom Bray’s (W8TJB)Airstream) G5RV SSB 2 Station: 40m only (Tent or camper: Alan (N8BTU)) Antenna: G5RV Jr or full size Digital Station: (Bill Allen, KD8KTF) Satellite station: (LARC) Mike, (N8MR): Set up at FARL SSB station GOTA Station (LARC) in the Livonia FD Tent

Our FARL Station: FARL Station: Radio: Club FT-991 Antenna: Club G5RV Computer: Dell Computer from Dave, N8HKU Solar Power Charged battery for Alternative Power Bonus Everything but 40m. (160m-6m) Bonus 6m station here, withTom Bray will bring his kit. Generator Power: 300 watts needed for basic station, 600 watts if we have a separate VHF station running, xxx watts if the A/C is used. Tye Winkel, KC8YEJ, as a 2kW unit Bill Boyke, N8OZV, has a 5kW unit

Rules No rule changes for this year. Still have GOTA station and GOTA coach bonus Have bonus for any contacts made by participants under age 18. Still have Social Media bonus Still have Educational activity bonus Exchange is still the same, no changes

FARL Shelter Tom Bray, K8TJB, has a new trailer this year! The new trailer is much better than we deserve, so please treat it with respect and care! Use of A/C inside will be weather and generator capacity dependent. New trailer has more space and a nice table for the radios. What outside table do we need? Small square or long folding (the one used last year for inside the trailer?) Lighting OK for nighttime?

Connecting the Stations We plan to link the 2 SSB stations together this year, using a WiFi router and the N3FJP software in server mode on our SSB1 station computer. CW station can join in if they wish, but not required. Last year, SSB1 station still had RFI problems. Solution space: New ferrite rings: 1 on the USB cable from the Radio 1 on the Power supply to the Computer Use a Secure Digital card for the log memory. There was a problem last year with the N3FJP program showing an error writing to the hard drive. Probably RFI related, as the drive checks out with no errors or issues.

Getting New Hams Involved We want to get new hams and those interested in Amateur Radio out to Field Day and to operate or participate with us! Have a HF license: operate. Not a HF license: participate with a licenced amateur at the logging station. New Operators with an HF license can also operate the GOTA station. If they do, we want one of us to be there with them as a coach. Coaches for GOTA cannot log, but can show them how to operate and log. No problem to operate our main station with us if they do not want to use the GOTA. Field Day is a Training event that looks like a contest. Invite guests to log, then operate. Time span does not have to be long. LARC proposes sign up sheets to make sure all get operating time.

Logistics We may have a Boy Scout troop visiting us on Saturday between 11am and 1pm. If so, we need to be fully operational to do demos and help them participate on the air at this time. So, I propose we begin set-up at 9am. If we can get the antenna and the new coax to Bill Allen, KD8KTF, he can have the antenna installed on Friday. Otherwise, we will do it Saturday. Dave, N8HKU, has the G5RV antenna. The new coax is with Pat, WD8JDZ. The new coax needs 3-4 1ft. Dia coiled turns fashioned at the antenna end, bound with wire ties or equivalent.

Other Logistics Message traffic is to be handled by LARC. Assigned Safety Officer is expected from the LARC this year. LARC will put a flyer out to the neighborhood informing them of our activities. GOTA station with Coaches. We need to help with this coaching if we are to get the bonus points. Food: FARL has Sunday breakfast. Will have 2 hot dishes, plus fruit, pastry, pop tarts. Generator: FARL Generator: Bill Boyke’s (N8OZV). Bill to confirm generator is working properly If Bill’s generator is not functional, then discuss club purchase of an inverter 1,800-2kW generator. Final fallback: Use an 800W inverter plus a vehicle, such as David’s Fusion Hybrid. We will run the SSB station connected via WiFi this year. LARC requests we bring 2m handhelds for communication between stations and with the food tent. Bandpass filters: FARL will bring our sets again for SSB1 and SSB2. CW tent will bring their own.

Overnight on Saturday 20m was working well into the night last year, which was very unusual for this period in the sunspot cycle. SSB1 ran 20m, and did not make any contacts on 80m. SSB2 was trapped on 40m for the whole contest, because the station logs were not synchronized. FARL must commit to operating 80m this year. After dark, we will instruct the operators to move to 80m. If no one can operate overnight, keep the generator running for the logging computer. (other stations will be using this computer for logging) If you can come early in the morning, 80m is working until about 9am. (We will have breakfast about 7am!)

Field Day Funding Expenses: (Total from last year was $77.33) Sunday Breakfast ($63 last year) Gasoline for the generator ($15 last year, but Bill Boyke donated fuel as well) Recommend $200 for this year. If we need ropes or water or anything, it is within our approved budget.

Participation Who is coming and when? Tom Bray, W8TJD, Camper on Friday. Chris, K8CKJ: 9 PM Saturday to 8 AM Sunday Bill, N8OZV: 9 PM Saturday to 4 AM Sunday; plan to deliver generator before 11 AM Saturday Tye, KC8YEJ: backup generator Saturday morning Mac, KD8TPO: Saturday morning Scott Schaffer, guest at meeting: Saturday morning, very early Carl, KB4CWG: Saturday morning and afternoon, Sunday morning and afternoon Pat, WD8JDZ: Friday 3 PM, Saturday 9 AM, other times Saturday, Sunday 2 PM Roger, KD8CSE: Saturday morning, 9 AM to 1 PM; Saturday evening, TBD; Sunday morning, TBD to end David, N8HKU: Saturday 9am-5pm. Sunday: 7am through close

Kilo Eight United November Sugar Four Alpha, Mike India, Michigan K8UNS 4A MI Kilo Eight United November Sugar Four Alpha, Mike India, Michigan (Grid: only if asked: EN82gj)

Operating Hints Our Grid: (if asked, as this is part of the event): EN82gj Change bandpass filter when changing bands. Only transmit into the right band pass filter Antenna Tuner: Press the button and release it when the LED lights for tuning. The microphone is live when tuning, so do not talk! An SWR under 2:1 is fine. Make sure the logging file is on the same band as the radio. It should automatically change, but we have had RF issues that disconnected the radio from the computer. Use 80m after dark! Computer: Use Field Day, PW: K8UTT (all caps) Use FieldDay WiFi router Problems: Call Dave, N8HKU, 734-476-1666

Backup

Generator Inverter ones are quiet and fuel efficient Small ones can be carried by 1 person Large ones less expensive per kW LARC has a couple of Honda 2kW, current model is 2200i, $999 This one is still $480 at Home Depot and at Menard’s Ratings are peak, this one is 2.2kW peak, 1,800 watts steady. (200W more than normal of this size, but Honda has increased their power to 2,200 peak watts as well) 2 can be combined to double the power at 120V.

GOTA Rules 7.3.13. GOTA Bonus. Class A and F stations operating a GOTA station may earn the following bonus points: 7.3.13.1. When a GOTA operator successfully completes 20 QSOs, they receive 20 bonus points. Upon reaching an additional 20 QSOs the same operator receives a second 20 bonus points, up to a maximum of 100 Bonus points per GOTA operator. An operator may make more than 100 QSOs but the QSOs over 100 do not qualify for an additional bonus. 7.3.13.1.1. Additional GOTA operators may earn the GOTA bonus points under this rule, up to the maximum of 500 bonus points. (Remember that there is a 500-QSO limit for the GOTA station. But no single GOTA operator may earn more than 100 of the GOTA bonus points except as provided in 7.3.13.2.) 7.3.13.1.2. A single GOTA operator must complete all 20 QSOs required before the bonus is earned. There is no “partial credit” for making only a portion of the 20 QSOs or “pooling” QSOs between operators. 7.3.13.2. If a GOTA station is supervised full-time by a GOTA Coach, the bonus points earned for each 20 QSOs completed under Rule 7.3.13.1. will be doubled. 7.3.13.2.1. The GOTA Coach supervises the operator of the station, doing such things as answering questions and talking them through contacts, but may not make QSOs or perform logging functions. 7.3.13.2.2. To qualify for this bonus, there must be a designated GOTA Coach present and supervising the GOTA station at all times it is being operated