Field Day 2014

[WA1TRY]

Saw Ernie today and he has a truck for us to use for field day. Not the same old truck but a much nicer vehicle. He thought field day was this weekend so the truck was at the club. He said he would have to return it but should be able to get it back for next weekend.
Jim N1ZN

Hi guys,

I sent an email to most of the guys here .. I"ll post my comments in this reply in case I missed someone. Here is what is going on :

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Sorry to be away so much. Haven't been doing great health wise. I have a ton of chores that I need to finish by the first of July up at this house in Ellington, and between feeling like crap and still working 16 to 18 hour days I'm exhausted. I don't think I"m gong to meet my July 1st deadline.

However I haven't forgotten the club. I've been up here in Ellington averaging around 5 our to 7 days a week. I took both the club computers, the Toshiba and the Dell with me and have been working to make sure they are all ready. Bill and the CW guys are all set and will use the Toshiba. Jim and his SSB crew will use the Club's Dell that has my software installed and working .. full rig control too. And I've been trying to find a way to get John, K1YHP to use my program too, but I still need to meet with him and try something out. I believe he is usikng a 64 bit op. system, and I don't have a compiler that will work in 64 bit systems. 95, 98, XP and 7 will work IF you are using any of those up to 32 bit.

So I made a bootable USB Flash drive with it's own op. system. All we have to do is make sure John can boot to a USB drive. Almost all the more modern PCs from 2000 up have that capibility.

I'm here at my "home away from home" right now ... First time I've stopped for a break since 7 AM .. (it's 9:30 PM now) I thought I'd check my email and saw everyone is looking for me. <grin>

First .. sorry for the mix up with Joe and John, BAQ and YLP.. I thought Joe was going away for a vacation and wasn't coming back until this Thursday. I was planning to meet up that morning (this Thursday) early and get stuff ready. I got my Thursdays mixed up.

Here's what I know ...

The old CD truck is not available. Ernie said we can use the new emergency response vehicle instead. I looked at it and it doesn't look like it will work out for us. There is more room in KKF's car trunk than in that truck. So we will go to plan B.

Haggie and I will use our trucks to transport stuff to and from the field. We also have a small town trailer either of us can tow with our trucks. Between the two of us we should be able to handle everything.

Bill, KKF suggested to me that he might be able to load up his car with all the CW tent stuff. I think that will work. I'll make sure the CW go kit has the rig, computer and all station stuff ready "TUESDAY" night. Then by THURSDAY night I'll have all the "stuff" organized to load into the vehicles.

I haven't talked to Haggie or Al, N1API yet but I will as soon as I get around to eating this foot long Subway grinder. <grin> I know I said I wouldn't be around much this year. Been having weird physical problems that I think are due to some new drugs the docs gave me for my latest problem. I think I was doiig better without them.

But I"m happy to report that for the last 3 or 4 days I've been feeling almost normal. Maybe it's just taking for my body to adjust to the new pills or something.

So he what I plan on my end .. I will be up at the station TUESDAY some time around noon. I plan to stay there until 8 or 9 PM if needed. Then I"ll be there Wed. and Thursday from 10 AM until ?? It usually takes us an hour or less to "load the trucks".

Then I will be at the FD site at 2 PM sharp for setup.

Be prepared for rain. Bill as usual will handle the antennas so someone needs to help him chase arrows, and haul ropes etc. While he is doing that, it will be all hands on deck to get the tents up and all the equipment at least IN the tents and out of the rain. Once the tents are up, we have plenty of time ... Rain or no rain.

Joe, KC1BAQ is going to camp out Friday night and watch the site.

So, I'm in Field Day mode 24/7 from Tuesday until the first "CQ FD"

Oh I almost forgot .. ONE of the many health probs I have is that my hearing has become REALLY bad. I'm just about deaf now. I hope to get to see one of my docs (ear, nose and throat guy) this week). Also I'll need a couple hours with my hearing aid people to see if perhaps something is amiss there.

I'll be carrying around my HT most of the time.

Jim, we are going to need to buy some supplies. First aid kits are running low, batteries for the flash lights, and imortant this year, we should buy a few dozen cheap mid sized terry cloth towels .. a couple for each tent. I did that a few years back but seems we lose one or two every so often. They will come in handy if the weather turns to rain.

Tuesday I plan to do inventory and restock and also we have to assemble the club's 6m beam. I still think the beam is not the way to go for Field day BUT I wonder if we could put a 6m halo up and switch to that just to hear omini-directionally between openings. The band might open and if the beam isn't heading that way you'd miss them. At least with a Halo antenna, you might hear them weak .. but HEAR them and then know where to move the beam. I will make sure the VHF guys have plenty of coax, and antenaa switch etc. if needed. Also, Joe and John, you can only transmit on ONE radio. But you can monitor the other band with another rig. Remember you'll be using one logging program for all contacts.

There will be plenty of time for questions Tuesday and Wednesday. I'll try to helpl where I can.

If you are using any of your PERSONAL stuff ... put your call on it.

I have to work tormorrow here in Ellington. Can't stop now, I'm halfway through hanging two doors on the house and one in the garage. Until I get them done, I can't lock up the place. Got a few other things to finish and the rest can wait until after field day.

Again, I"m sorry if I screwed up the dates etc. on you guys. I was thinking Haggie was going to away for a week one week prior to FD and Joe was going to be away for a week until this coming Thursday. I think I got you guys mixed up.

I'll be checking my email from here later tonight and tomorrow.

73, Rich ... PS .. Don't worry ... there's a bunch of us who have been doing this for decades. It should be easy by now .. <grin>
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I need to talk to Bill, Jim, Al, John and Joe, Haggie and a few others. I will be available and all will be in place starting when I get back late Monday night. Bear with me. Unfortunately my hearing is bad enough that it's very difficult to understand speech over the phone .. even with a special amplified phone AND a $7 grand specially built hearing aid .. a waste of money .. So thank goodness I can still read. Meet up with me at the club on Tuesday, and Wednesday and we should be ready to go.

Oh by the way ... every night I've been up here the temperature has dropped to 50 to 52 degrees. And during the days it has been averaging in the high 80's. 92 a couple days ago. In the two weeks the temp inside the house never went higher than 72. ?? And I don't have any air-conditioning. Seems to be a constant breeze here all the time. But don't know why the house stays so cool even when it's hot outside. It's a puzzle.

- Rich