NARS Field Day 2021

Field Day Satellite Station for 2021 – Setup and Test in Hollis

On Wednesday, May 25, Jon – AC1EV, Jeff – AC1FX, Jim – K1BRM, and Vince – KD2TMJ met at Fred – AB1OC’s QTH in Hollis, NH to set up and test the satellite antenna, radio, computers and other gear our club, Nashua Area Radio Society will be using this year at Summer Field Day. Here are some pictures of our Field Day Satellite Station test.

Satellite antenna Base
Satellite antenna Base

The satellite antenna base is on the lower right of the above picture. The much larger antenna on the left is an EME array and as you might guess, is not very portable.

Preparing the base
Preparing the base

We placed the small Glen Martin tower with the AZ-EL rotators installed on the lawn and aligned it using a compass.

Field Day Satellite Station - Base aligned and leveled
Base aligned and leveled

We used doorstops under the tower legs to level it and sandbags to hold it steady. There are bubble levels on the tower to make it easy.

Install the support arms
Install the support arms

The support arms will hold the antennas.

Tighten support arm bolts
Tightening the support arm bolts

All of the bolts need to be tight. The antenna moves quite a bit and needs to maintain its shape.

Field Day Satellite Station - Installing 70cm antenna
Installing 70cm antenna

Fred (AB1OC) installing the 70cm antenna and aligning it properly in its brackets.

Tighten bolts on 70cm
Tighten bolts on 70cm

Vince (KD2TMJ) and Jeff (AC1FX) tightening the bolts for the 70cm antenna.

Install 2m antenna
Install 2m antenna

Vince (KD2TMJ) and Jeff (AC1FX) prepare to attach the 2m antenna.

Field Day Satellite Station - Preparing to wire the antenna array
Preparing to wire the antenna array

There are many wires that need to be connected to the antenna array: control wires for the AZ-EL rotator, Coax for the antennas, control wires that shift the polarization of the antennas, etc. Every connection outside has a matching connection in the shack. There are some wires already connected to hardware that remains attached to the antenna tower, such as the pre-amplifiers.

Dressing the wires
Dressing the wires

Since the antenna array can spin horizontally as well as tilt vertically all wires need to be secured so as not to tangle as the antenna moves. In addition, care needs to be taken to make sure each connection is correct to avoid any short circuits or other negative results. There needs to be enough slack to allow free movement for the antenna but not enough to allow any excess to become caught by moving parts.

Plugging in polarity control line
Plugging in the polarity control line

Jim (K1BRM) and Vince (KD2TMJ) watch as Jeff (AC1FX) connects another control line.

Field Day Satellite Station - Kitchen test setup
Field Day Satellite Station Test Setup

After the initial successful test of our Field Day Satellite Station, Fred (AB1OC) shows Vince (KD2TMJ) the radio setup and what he will do to make a QSO.

Fine Tuning on Successful Test
Fine Tuning on Successful Test

After a successful QSO Fred (AB1OC) makes a small adjustment by ear to a beacon from a satellite. On the monitor at the right of the screen, there are circles on the map that represent the locations on the ground that have a clear line of sight to the satellites. There is one red circle and that one indicates the satellite visible to our location and that the radio is tuned into.

ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups, or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. There are many different ways hams participate. Some stay home and operate their normal stations’ others take their radios outside and create a simple temporary station. Small groups of friends can do likewise and take their equipment to an outdoor location and share the experience together. The Nashua Area Radio Society and many other clubs take It in steps beyond that. We have access to the equipment and skills to set up a multi-radio station that is networked together and equipped to allow multiple users to operate simultaneously. We set up towers with beam antennas to get the most out of the radios as possible. One of our primary goals for this event is to provide an opportunity for our members to operate in a sophisticated off-grid ham radio environment and we will have up to 50 different operating slots for our members to sign up to operate in. This way, even newly licensed hams with no equipment can have a chance to operate and join the rest of us in participating in this fun event.

Jon (AC1EV)

One thought on “Field Day Satellite Station for 2021 – Setup and Test in Hollis”

  1. Great article on what is involved for satellite operation. I’m amazed at the massive amount of information on NARS Field Day activities. It brings back memories of the club’s zenith of Field Day operation in the 90s when we were “top dog” four years in a row.

    Congratulations to everyone in the club for being showcased on this month’s cover of QST. Just to show that what comes around goes around – dig through the ARRL QST archives for the cover of the November 1997 issue. In the background against a beautiful Field Day sunset is the majestic 100-foot tower that graced the N1FD site in Hollis. (I spent a lot of time on that thing, hi.)

    73 de Ed

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