Field Day, 1998 June 26^th, 27^th, 28^th

The planning has begun

Planning now begins in earnest. There are six additional planning meetings scheduled to take us up to the week before field day weekend. The dates of all the meetings are:

July 19th, 1997

April 7th, 1998

April 21st, 1998

May 5th, 1998

May 19th, 1998

June 2nd, 1998

June 16th, 1998

Late breaking info

Any questions contact Fletch Seagroves, N1MEO - Field Day Incident Commander (603-654-5838)

See ya there.

Important Stuff to Do or Avoid

• Generator must not be enclosed. It must have adequate air flow.
• Natural power runs 1st. 2 meters, 10 watts, 2 PM. Regardless of what Gene wants...
• Field Day primers need to be out well before Field Day
• Station Master needs to be master of station.
• No co-captains on stations
• Novice Station needs adult supervision.
• Provide fail-safe mechanism for collecting operator logs without possibility of overwrite.
• Need to verify all rotators before field day.
• Label and note which rotators are used where.
• Personel shortage overloaded many people. We need to:
  1. Do less
  2. Get more people
  3. Work smarter, not harder :-)
• Take down personnel assignment list needs to be filled in first.
• Have a tower box party to refurbish tower boxes
• All personal tools must be labeled before being brought on site.

Wrap-up Notes

• A Tower 1 section had a damaged leg at top. Detected after it was raised to 60 feet. WB4MDC marked all 3 legs at base.
• Tower sections for towers 1 & 2 were marked with assembly order. Other towers need to be done similarly.
• Novice beam missing lift rings. They were not put on. Check tower box for them
• WB4MDC has club's rotator (Hygain TR4A) - Jack said he'd fix it
• 2 meter rotator not used - Why not?
• TV Rotator in henhouse donated from K2TE
• TV Rotator donated by K1CII with KD1AW

Various and Sundry

• WD-40 up towers on assembly. Put cans in tower boxes
• If one computer is used for two bands but up a sign explaining band change
• Intermittent noise on Tower 2. Could be UXA memorial beam. Check dissimilar metals contact.
• Signs worked real well.
• Need a better information booth
• A couple of extra snatch blocks with line would be real useful

Once again, the traditional question "Do we want to run battery this year?" was "No, we want fun" and generator power will be used.

The question of which callsign to use this year was raised and current board members informed the attendees that the board had decided earlier to use the new club vanity callsign, N1FD, instead of Jim Belanger's call, N1NH.

Sterling indicated that he would hold tower school on June 6th this year, rain date of June 7th. School will start at 9:00 AM EDT.

The need to move the majority of the club equipment from WS1E's house to the donated UPS trailer, AKA "The Big Orange Box", or BOB withing the month was discussed. The schedule decided upon was:

1. Saturday, April 11th, Fletch and Jim and other interested parties would visit BOB, take measurements, and decide on what kind of storage units to build
2. Saturday, April 18th, BOB would be cleaned and storage units would be installed.
3. Saturday, April 25th, club property would be transported to BOB.

Jim, WW1Y agreed to do a site survey and stump check in the next week.

A Field Day Site Committee was formed to locate a new site for 1998. The committee consists of Fletch, N1MEO, Ken KE1GI, and Henry, K1CII.

In addition to inviting guest operators and inviting local government and schools to visit during Field Day, it was suggest that invitations be sent to ARRL officials.

Attendees were: Jim, WW1Y, Tracy, N1WIR, Bob, KD1AW, Fletch, N1MEO, Jack, WB4MDC, Sterling, AK1K, and Tom, KD1MD.

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The trailer survey and preparations were completed. BOB contained a conveyor belt running the entire length that was removed. Fold down shelves that rested on the conveyor sides were removed along the left side. The right side were left in the full upright and locked position... The extruded aluminum rails from the conveyor fetched over $60 from the scrap dealer, enough to cover material expenses for the antenna storage units. Paint was scraped and the topsoil that had evolved from years of dirt buildup were cleaned out. Thanks go to Jim, WW1Y, Dave, N1SUE, David, N1XOT, and Don, KA1GOZ, for the cleanup work.

BOB has vertical channels along both walls about an inch and a quarter wide and one inch deep. About half the channels have 3 plates riveted across the channel with 16 inches of open space between the plated. Fifteen brackets were made to fit in the channels and extend behind the plates to provide support. Two rows of five were installed in the left wall channels, and one row of five in the right wall.

The suggestion of making Towers 1 and 3 one hundred feet tall and not erecting Tower 2 was debated. It was decided to leave Tower 1 and 2 at 70 feet. The decision of whether Tower 3 goes to 100 feet again was defered until the 40 meter phone station master position is filled and more people sign up for setup and teardown.

John, WS1E, wants the 40m CW beam above the 60' guy wires.

If a RTTY station is setup it will most likely use a dipole.

New Action Items:

1. Check with K1NR for VHF/UHF Station Master
2. Check with K1HI for 40m SSB Station Master (N1NYT wants it if he doesn't)
3. Check with K7CTW on ownership/status of Hy-Gain 20m beam
4. Check with N1DGQ on equipment availability
5. Check with KA2DEW for 1.2 GHZ equipment
6. Check with WA1VVH for microwave
7. Check with K2TE on 160 m
8. Check with NU1U on 15 m SSB
9. Update and print Primers for 5/4/98 meeting
10. N1TZD rumored to want 6 SSB. Confirm
11. Email positions filled/open list to NARC members

Attendees were: Jim, WW1Y, Fletch, N1MEO, Jack, WB4MDC, Jeremy, KB1AWE, Dave, N1SUE, David, N1XOT, John, WS1E, Ray, KB1SO, Mark, N1ZYZ, and Matthew, N1ZYY.

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New Action Items:

1. Check with Sterling, AK1K for 20m phasing cables
2. Check with Rex, K1KI for what he's bringing
3. Check with Kenny,KE1GI for rig, tent, etc.
4. Let Don know that he's still on the hook for tables and chairs for 15 CW
5. Check with Brooks, KC1PD for food selections
6. Work on finding a VHf/UHF Phone station master

1. Check with K7CTW on ownership/status of Hy-Gain 20m beam
2. Check with N1DGQ on equipment availability
3. Check with KA2DEW for 1.2 GHZ equipment
4. Check with WA1VVH for microwave
5. Update and print Primers for 5/19/98 meeting

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Fletch, N1MEO, was not present at the meeting. He signed up for station master for 2 meter, 220 MHz, and 440 MHz CW stations.

Jack, WB4MDC, needs connectors for the club rotators. They need to be a crushproof, waterproof, plug and socket type. One set of 3 conductor and one set of 8 conductor.

Rich, W1HZN, has bigeye and will repair it.

New Action Items:

1. Invite Vic Gauvin, W2PW. Is he on email?
2. Check with Sterling on 10 meter phone antenna on Tower 2
3. Need a 10 meter phone antenna. Maybe KD1AW or WW1Y
4. Check with Don, KA1GOZ, on his camper for infrared
5. Remind Brooks, KC1PD, to make sure about ice, dining tents, support staff, including KE1GI for soda, John, NF1N, for coolers and ice, and Jack, WB4MDC for water jug.
6. Check with Al, WA1TYB, for his trailer for KD1AW's water tank.
7. Check with WS1E on 6m CW. Serious effort?
8. Check with Brooks on availability of data capable cellular phone.
9. Check with Rich, W1HZN, for genertor maintainance.

1. Check with Rex, K1KI for what he's bringing
2. Check with Kenny,KE1GI for rig, tent, etc.
3. Let Don know that he's still on the hook for tables and chairs for 15 CW
4. Work on finding a VHF/UHF Phone station master
5. Check with K7CTW on ownership/status of Hy-Gain 20m beam
6. Check with N1DGQ on equipment availability
7. Check with KA2DEW for 1.2 GHZ equipment
8. Check with WA1VVH for microwave

• Sterling, AK1K doesn't have the 20m phasing cables. According to Rex, K1HI, Dean Straw, N6BV, said not to waste time on elaborate harnesses. Just use 2 electrically equal lengths of 50 ohm coax and a Tee. The 75 ohm coax harness wasn't used in 1997/
• Brooks, KC1PD says food is the same as last year. Meal tickets will be the same price as in 1997.
• Update and print Primers for 5/19/98 meeting. - Done Attendees were: Jim, WW1Y, Jack, WB4MDC, Dave, N1SUE, David, N1XOT, Bob, KD1AW, and Dave, N1AI.

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  02 June 1998

  New Action Items:

  1. Work out a schedule between 10m phone and novice
  2. KE1GI need help with soda pickup. When?
  3. Brooks need people to help cook. KC6NPK offered.
  4. Check for updated CT.DAT file
  5. Get white heat shrink tubing to Sterling for coax labeling.
  6. Jim and Al will inventory/arrange guy wires on 6/20 after breakfast.
  Old Action Items:
  1. Invite Vic Gauvin, W2PW. Is he on email?
  2. Check with Rex, K1KI for what he's bringing
  3. Check with Kenny,KE1GI for rig, tent, etc.
  Resolved Items:
  • Checked with Brooks on availability of data capable cellular phone. He's clueless.
  • Remind Brooks, KC1PD, to make sure about ice, dining tents, support staff, including KE1GI for soda, John, NF1N, for coolers and ice, and Jack, WB4MDC for water jug. - done
  • 10 meter phone antenna on Tower 2 a go
  • WW1Y has 10 meter phone antenna.
  • Don, KA1GOZ, will supply his camper for infrared
  • John, WS1E and Rich, W1HZN, will do generator maintainance. Chappell tractor says to not bother with valve adjustment until thousands of hours are logged.
  • VHF/UHF Phone station master - N1ZBS with K1NR help
  • N1DGQ will loan VHF/UHF Sticks and side arm and 220MHz FM rig
  • KA2DEW unabalbe for FD. Still need 1.2 GHZ equipment and station master
  • WA1VVH has nothing running at the moment
  • Al, WA1TYB, will supply his trailer for KD1AW's water tank.
  • WS1E will arrange 6m CW to support another op for a more serious effort?
  • Let Don know that he's still on the hook for tables and chairs for 15 CW -done. He used to rent them.
  • Check with K7CTW on ownership/status of Hy-Gain 20m beam - It's his.
  • Sterling, AK1K doesn't have the 20m phasing cables. According to Rex, K1HI, Dean Straw, N6BV, said not to waste time on elaborate harnesses. Just use 2 electrically equal lengths of 50 ohm coax and a Tee. The 75 ohm coax harness wasn't used in 1997.
  • Followup to above. Sterling found 2 equal lengths of RG213 with a Tee, and Rex found the 75 Ohm matching network.
  • Brooks, KC1PD says food is the same as last year. Meal tickets will be the same price as in 1997.
  • Update and print Primers for 5/19/98 meeting. - Done Attendees were: Jim, WW1Y, Jack, WB4MDC, Dave, N1SUE, David, N1XOT, John, WS1E, Fletch, N1MEO, Ray, KB1SO, Rich, W1HZN, Al, WA1TYB, Bob, KD1AW, Sterling AK1K, Justin, N1TZD, Tony, N1UZR, Brooks, KC1PD, Ed, K2TE, Brian, N1ZZD, and John, KC6NPK.

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    16 June 1998

    Things seem to be all ready and raring to go... T minus 11 days and counting.

    Mike, K7CTW will be on site overnight Friday with his RV and 4KW worth of power.

    Friday night after setup dinner is at Zacheria's

    July 18^th wrapup meeting has been moved from WW1Y's house to the First Church of Nashua (At the top of library hill). Time is still 10AM. After the meeting the trailer will be repacked and the tower boxes prepped for emergency use.

    New Action Items:

    1. Try to move the fridge and spare field range to BOC during field day
    2. Only 8 of the 11 RF filters accounted for.
    3. Check for Tarps or other coverings in the event of rain for transportation/staging of electrical and coax.
    Old Action Items:
    1. KE1GI need help with soda pickup. When?
    2. Jim and Al will inventory/arrange guy wires on 6/20 after breakfast.
    Resolved Items:
    • Invite Vic Gauvin, W2PW. Is he on email? - Not done.
    • Check with Rex, K1KI for what he's bringing - All set
    • Check with Kenny,KE1GI for rig, tent, etc. - All set
    • Novice/10m Schedule - 10m runs when novice doesn't want to.
    • Brooks has people to help cook. KC6NPK et al offered.
    • Updated CT.DAT file obtained
    • Sterling has white heat shrink.

      Attendees were: Jim, WW1Y, Jack, WB4MDC, Dave, N1SUE, David, N1XOT, John, WS1E, Fletch, N1MEO, Al, WA1TYB, Bob, KD1AW, Tom, N1JWA, Jeremy, KB1AWE, Don, N1UBD, Rex, K1HI, Mike, K7CTW, Carmen, K1LKP, Frank, W1TQZ, and John, KC6NPK.

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      Late Breaking Info

      We are missing 3 RF filters. Please look in your Field Day stuff.

      July 18^th wrapup meeting has been moved from WW1Y's house to the First Church of Nashua (At the top of library hill). Time is still 10AM. After the meeting the trailer will be repacked and the tower boxes prepped for emergency use.

      Guy wire inventory complete. Missing numbering tags and guy wire usage tags replaced. Guy wire 39 (Tower 3 SE 90 foot leg) was missing two 1/4" cable clamps at the high end.

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      Last Modified: 20 June 1998
      Jim Heedles, WW1Y