The Nashua Area Radio Society tries to do something new each time we engage in an Emcom or other major field operation. We decided to try Winter Field Day for the first time this year and we made one ofour new elements a capable portable station for 160m.
It’s almost impossible to field an effective 160m station with only a Transmit antenna. Transmit antennas typically are too noisy for effective operation on the low bands. We decided to try a Beverage On The Ground antenna for the receive side of our 160m station. This proved to be a great choice.
You can read more about our project and how it performed via the link above.
To keep this light, we’ll use titles of Rock’N’Roll songs to theme the sections in this article. I’ve included links to the music videos so you can play them in the background while you read – this might be more fun than my article…
Several months ago, Craig N1SFT suggested that we do Winter Field Day (WFD) as a means to practice our Emergency Communications (EMCOM) skills and to get additional practice setting up our towers and antennas. Craig further suggested that we operate from Keyes Memorial Park in Milford, NH due to its public location, large open area, and availability of an open pavilion that could be used to construct a temporary outdoor shelter. Jerry K1OKD, Charlie W1CBD, Dave K1DLM, Mike, K1WVO, John KB1EEU, and I joined Craig to form what became the core of our 2019 Winter Field Day Team.
Early on, we met with the Milford Town Board to secure permission to operate in the park overnight and we began holding weekly calls to develop our plans. Early on, we decided to operate four all-mode stations and to cover all of the non-WARC bands from 160m through 2m and 70cm. We felt that this arrangement would make us competitive with the top stations in Winter Field Day over the past several years.
Winter Field Day Site and Antenna Plan
Jerry and Craig created a Site Layout and Antenna Plan. It was a challenge to fit antennas for so many bands into the limited space. All of the feedlines would lead back to the Pavillion which we planned to enclose with tarps and heat.
Winter Field Day Station Plans
Jerry and I put together the station plan shown above. The idea was to have 4 stations which we could operate on any band from 80m – 10m and to have two of these station with special capabilities for either 160m or 6m and above. The 6m+ station would use our portable satellite antennas to enable us to earn the Winter Field Day satellite bonus as well as be able to make FM and weak signal contacts on the 2m and 70cm bands,
RBOG Antenna SystemN3FJP Winter Field Day Logger during our Station Test and Training Session
We always try to incorporate some new things into each of our Field Day plans. The addition of the 160m was a big one for us this time. We decided to build a 160m dipole for our Transmit antenna and a 160m Reversible Beverage On The Ground (RBOG) antenna for receive. You can read more about our 160m antenna system and its installation and test here.
We also opted to use the N3FJP Logger for Winter Field Day. This logger supports WFD and has many of the core features of the N1MM+ contest logger that we use for Summer Field Day. Networking is simpler with this logger and the learning curve associated with it is not as steep. We held a training session the week before WFD where many of our operators had a chance to use the N3FJP Logger with our WFD stations and supporting gear and software. Everyone seemed to master the new logger quickly.
With all of our preparation complete, we arrived at Keyes Memorial Park on Friday and began setting up at 2 pm. One of the first things we tackled was the construction of a temporary shelter around the Pavillion in the park.
Give Me Shelter – Putting Up Tarps
The weather can be pretty brutal here in New England in January and we began by putting up tarps to serve as a windbreak.
Our WFD Shelter – A Construction Marvel
The process took several hours but it was very effective when complete. Thanks to John and Craig for leading the charge on this excellent piece of work!
The first order of business for the Wire Antenna Team was to put up a 50 ft guyed mast and hoist our new 160m transmit dipole antenna up.
160m Tx Dipole SWR After Tuning
Due to its size, we had to tune this antenna on site. The final tune-up worked out great and the antenna provided over 60 KHz of usable Tx bandwidth on the 160m band.
160m RBOG Receive Antenna
The Wire Antenna Team also put up a 160m Receive Reversible Beverage On The Ground (RBOG) Antenna next. This antenna requires good grounds at both ends and is 180 ft long. The grounds were enhanced with three 50 ft radials at each end and the antenna was feed using 300 ft of 75-ohm flooded coax. You can read more about this antenna here.
The Craig N1SFT, Hamilton K1HMS, Brian W1BP, and Mike K1WVO were the core of our Tower Team and they spent the afternoon on Friday putting the tower, Triband Yagi, and the wire antennas for 80m and 40m together.
Craig Rigging the Tower Lift System
We used a gasoline powered winch and associated rigging to lift the tower. Craig spent some time to rig and secure the winch in preparation for lifting the Tower.
Brian W1BP and Mike K1WVO handled the assembly and checkout of our TX-38 Triband Yagi which covers the 20m, 15m, and 10m bands.
Craig Your Feet Go There…
A lot goes into properly and safely assembling a complex antenna system like our falling derrick tower and the Tower Team used the entire period from 2 pm until dark to ready our tower to go up.
Our Tower Going Up
One of the first things that we did on Saturday was to raise the tower. The picture above shows the tower being lifted using a falling derrick. The tower consists of 40 ft of Rohn 25g tower and includes the TX-38 triband yagi on a rotator and two wire antennas for 80m and 40m on a sidearm.
Tower Is Up and Guyed – Wired Antenna are Being Anchored
The final step was to adjust all of the tower guys to ensure that the tower was level and secure. With this done, the ends of the two wire antennas were anchored to create inverted-V dipoles for 80m and 40m. The 80m antenna is made from uninsulated copper wire and it has two dangling jumpers which can be left hanging or wrapped around the antenna to allow it to be used for either CW/Digital or SSB operation on the 80m band.
We Choose To Go To Winter Field Day and Do The Other Things Not Because They Area Easy But Because They Are Hard…
Satellite Antenna Assembly
With the HF antennas complete, we turned our attention to the Satellite/2m/70cm weak signal antennas. We have used this antenna system in several portable operations in the past and it went together quickly.
Completed Satellite, 2m, and 70cm Antennas
These antennas are computer controlled and feature tower mounted preamps and switchable circular polarity. The package makes satellite and other contacts relatively easy.
Folks call 6m The Magic Band because one never knows when or how it will open. Many dedicated 6m operators listen every day to noise because They Don’t Want To Miss A Thing on 6m.
Jamey AC1DC led the way on our final antenna for Winter Field Day – a 3 element 6 m yagi on a 30 ft mast. This antenna can be pointed by rotating the mast at its base.
Nashua Area Radio Society Colors
With all of the setup outside done, we put up our Nashua Area Radio Society On The Air banner and headed inside.
We Come From The Land Of The Ice And Snow From The Midnight Sun…
With most of the outside work on antennas done, we finally came inside to connect the feedlines from our antennas to the filter system and the radios. We did a careful checkout of the SWR of each antenna as we integrated it into our station.
Filters and Antenna Switching
Here’s a better view of the filter system that we used. The single feedline from the TX-38 triband yagi is fed through a triplexer which allows radios on 20m, 15m, and 10m to simultaneously use the Tribander. Each antenna path also passes through a bandpass filter to isolate the associated radio from Tx interference and overload damage from the other radios in the setup. Coaxes from each of the four radios in our setup can be connected to the filter associated with an available antenna and band. This made for easy reconfiguration of our station as the band conditions change.
Mike K1WVO Checking Our Station
With everything up and connected, we took a little time on Saturday morning to check out our station and ensure that everything was working as planned. With this done, we were ready for Winter Field Day to begin!
With everything ready to go, we took time out to have a nice lunch and relax before operations began. Craig and others took the time to pick up food for the feast and he and others cooked us hot meals throughout the setup and operating period. THANK YOU CRAIG!
We had a great operator team on station throughout the 24-hour Winter Field Day period.
Abby AB1BY and Jamey AC1DC Operating
Abby AB1BY and Jamey AC1DC started out on 40m SSB and they were the early QSO leaders!
Bill AB1AV and Dave KM3T Operating
Dave K3MT and Bill AB1AV stated out on 20m CW and produced an amazing string of CW contacts from the very start of operations.
Dennis K1LGQ Operating SSB?!!?
What? Dennis K1LGQ on 80m SSB Phone? Yes, it is true. The amplifier at his home QTH has made him a different Ham… After a run on 80m SSB, Dennis changed over to 160m CW and quickly discovered just how well our 160m Tx and Rx antenna systems performed. He was producing a nice rate of QSOs on 160m from about 4 pm well into the early evening.
AB1OC Operating
The first order of business for me was to secure our satellite bonus. The needed satellite contact was completed about 15 mins into the operating period. With this done, I began working the high bands, 6m, 2m, and 70cm in search of contacts and multipliers.
The Heaters Were Popular…
We had a mix of propane and kerosene heaters in our makeshift shack and these were popular spots for visitors and those looking on.
I have the highest respect for the folks who hang in all night at Field Day and during contests. This is tough work and it really shows the dedication of those who do it.
Operator Night Shift – The Most Interesting Hams In Amateur Radio…
Here’s one of our overnight operator teams. They kept our station going all through the night on Saturday.
These are the most interesting Hams in Amateur Radio…
These folks were also very, very N1FD – Number 1 Frozen to Death…
Operations continued right up until 2 pm on Sunday. We had some excitement with our logs and some other minor glitches but overall the operation went very smoothly and our equipment performed great.
So how did we do? Extremely well I think. All of the hard work to build a great station and operate it very hard is evident in our Winter Feild Day results.
Some highlights include:
We made a total of 1,146 contacts during the 24-hour operating period
We worked 48 of the 50 US States
We worked all but 6 ARRL sections in the US and Canada
We worked 14 Countries
We had an amazing 329 CW, 756 Phone, and 61 Digital Contacts!
We turned in a solid performance with 15 multipliers
Our 160m portable antenna system worked amazingly well. We made 134 contacts on 160m using just 100W including one to Missoula, MT – a 2,100 mi contact.
Our final claimed score (after removing duplicates) was:
Total QSO Points – 1,484
Power Multiplier (100W or less) – 2
Band-Mode Multiplier – 15
Score from QSOs – 44,520
Outdoor Bonus – 1,500
No Commercial Power Bonus – 1,500
Definitely Not At Home Location Bonus – 1,500
Satellite Contact Bonus – 1,500
Final Claimed Score – 50,520
Our top operators included:
Operator
Call Sign
QSOs
% of Total QSOs
Jamey Finchum
AC1DC
214
19
Dave Pascoe
KM3T
198
17
Dave Merchant
K1DLM
118
10
Bill Noyce
AB1AV
116
10
Fred Kemmerer
AB1OC
111
10
Abby Finchum
AB1BY
100
9
Other Operators Combined
---
857
25
Here’s a breakdown of our contacts by Band and Mode:
With the operating period over, we began the process of taking all of our equipment down and packing it up. This is always a sad time for me as I know that we’ll have to wait several months before the fun begins again.
As If We Were Never There…
I went back to the park on Monday after Winter Field Day to take one last look around. As is always the case, it is as if we were never there.
It is a great testament to the skill and ingenuity of Amateur Radio operators in general and NARS members in particular that we are capable of pulling off a major emergency communications setup, test, and takedown such as we did this past weekend.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to a fine job well done and to the many, many special memories that we shared. And a special thanks to Charlie W1CBD whose amazing photography made this article possible.
The ARRL organized a National Parks on the Air program (NPOTA) in 2016 that made operating portably extra fun. But you don’t need a special event year like this to have a reason to get out and make QSOs. There are other programs that operate continuously that are good draws for these far away places. I made several trips to Boston Harbor Islands in 2016 to celebrate NPOTA, and help operators put some QSOs in the log for other awards programs as well. Here are a couple of programs that will continue long after NPOTA is over:
The British program Islands on the Air (www.rsgbiota.org) gives participants an opportunity to collect islands much like the ARRL’s DXCC program collects countries (entities). As it turns out, because there is no commercial power (mains) available to the public, the Boston Harbor Islands are somewhat rare (being claimed by only 30.2% of IOTA participants). It is a lot harder to get on the air and be heard when it is only battery and solar power driving things. That makes the challenge even more fun. And, when you are heard, you’ve often got a pileup!
The US Islands Awards Program (www.usislands.org) is similar to the IOTA program, except it accepts islands anywhere in the United States. (The IOTA program only counts islands that are true “sea” islands.) Lovells Island in Boston Harbor has the designation MA042S, and I was lucky enough to be the first to activate it for this program.
These mini-DXpeditions to Boston Harbor Islands begin at home, sorting, selecting, and packing the items needed for a successful activation. For day trips to Georges Island, the largest of the group, and the main destination for the Boston-to-island ferry service, I concentrate on packing just the bare essentials of radio, antenna, coax, rope, and so on.
Maybe a little more than a 100 pound DXpedition this time. Lovells Island offers campgrounds but no water. You must bring your own. At about 8 pounds per gallon, things get heavy in a hurry.
Georges Island is about an hour long ferry ride from Long Warf in Boston, and it has been built up quite a bit just in the last ten years. It how has a snack bar, a new play area for young children, and hosts many festivals and events during the summer. The boats that once carried only a handful of passengers ten years ago are now often full of families and groups. Everyone is friendly, and more than once I’ve had help from my fellow voyagers with my gear.
Once off the boat on Georges, I hike quickly to a picnic table near a tree. No trees on this island are very tall, so there are no prospects for running wire dipoles or other wire antennas. Instead, I build a vertical antenna from a mini-Buddipole (www.buddipole.com) kit. I will often lash the shock-cord mast to one of these short trees to hold it up. The wires from my home-brew four-wire radial kit also serve as guys for the setup. Assembly is usually quick (under ten minutes) and a quick check with an antenna analyzer confirms the antenna is resonant.
Georges Island and Lovells Island are about seven miles out to sea in Boston Harbor. They offer a great day trip, or camping (on Lovells).
In previous years, daytime operations were typically on 20m, 17m, or 15m. Because of changing propagation conditions, in 2016 I only operated almost exclusively on 20m. Selecting an operating frequency can be a challenge when operating QRP. I’ve often been “pushed off” my calling frequency by another operator that likely couldn’t hear me. Oddly enough, I’ve had good luck operating near the top of the 20m band, well into the General segment, which has the additional benefit of increasing the number of people who can call you.
Day trips with only a couple of hours of operation need only a battery, but I find that I bring a solar panel out of habit. With the panel connected, I usually leave with my battery fully charged. Running without the panel would also work, but I’m unwilling to take a chance that my day would be cut short because of power problems.
The operation on Lovells Island includes a pop-up enclosure that fits over a picnic table, and a tent for sleeping. Two 20-Watt and one 13-Watt solar panels are visible in the foreground among the rocks.
Camping trips are more involved. Lovells Island is the only place that both counts for the IOTA program and provides campsites. You need to plan ahead as campsites are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, and reservations begin in January. I am rarely able to reserve all the dates I would like, and choosing dates seven months in advance means you’ll never know what kind of weather you’ll encounter. A severe thunderstorm over one of these islands is magnificent and terrifying!
Getting to Lovells is also more difficult. The ferry shuttles between Georges Island, a few other large islands, and Boston Harbor’s Long Warf. Connections to Lovells Island are made from Georges, and only occur three times per day. Once that last boat has left, you are stuck on Lovells until the next morning. You better have everything you need! That includes food, water, first aid supplies, power for your phone and radio, and anything else needed for a successful camping trip.
NE1RD Power and Light. Multiday QRP operations depend on a good power source. Two 20-Watt panels are connected in series to the GoalZero Sherpa 50 battery. The small 13-Watt panel on the rocks is recharging my phone.
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Lovells Island is covered in trees, many of them tall enough to easily support a wire antenna. That sounds convenient, but how long did it take you to hang your last wire antenna at home? Was it a several hour operation with a couple of friends? Given the short time available during one of these trips, I bring a backup antenna in case the wire antenna cannot be hung successfully (or hung high enough). My tool of choice is a throw weight and line like those used by arborists. Though the lead filled leather bag is heavy, it is compact and effective for getting a rope through a tree. An end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna is a good choice for this duty since it only requires one line high in a tree. The remainder of the wire that isn’t hung vertically can slope down to the ground and be tied off.
I’ve had good luck with two EFHW antenna models. PAR EndFedZ antennas (www.lnrprecision.com) offer a trail-friendly antenna good for 10-20-40m that easily handles QRP power. This packs small and is light.
Intrigued by an advertisement on the ARRL website, I ordered and tried the MyAntennas (www.myantennas.com) EFHW-8010, a multiband antenna good from 80m through 10m that can also handle high power. On my last camping trip, I was very lucky to get my first throw through the tree in a good spot, and this EFHW antenna was up and running in about thirty minutes. It performed very well and will be in my pack on future trips.
Camping on Lovells is primitive. The park service offers chemical toilets, and cleared areas with picnic tables, but nothing else. You must bring your own water. Budget at least a gallon a day, and more if it’s hot. Suddenly, a three-day camping trip can get bulky and heavy! I’ve tried several “beach carts” and may have finally found one that is robust enough to handle the weight of all my gear, and the rough terrain of the island. Remember to bring everything you need to pack out your trash, too. Good campers leave nothing but footprints.
Boston to the left and Logan Airport to the right on the horizon. You can’t beat the view from Lovells Island.
Prior to each trip, I will array everything to be taken on the floor, and I’ll perform an inventory, thinking through each step and each thing that must be accomplished. Forgotten rope or even a forgotten connector might ruin an operation. Once everything is counted, the cart and my large backpack are filled.
Operating begins after camp is assembled, and I’ve had a short rest. These trips often happen in July or August, and it can be hot and sticky on these islands. Beware dehydration and overheating. When operating in a remote area, help may not be just a phone call away. It is important to take care of yourself first.
In three trips out to the islands in 2016, including two camping trips, I made 343 QSOs to 18 DXCC entities and 42 states. I’m going to work on completing my Worked All States award from these islands next year! That said, it isn’t just my awards program that keeps me going. I know that I’ve made it possible for other hams to work these islands for the IOTA program, the US Islands program, and even Worked All States. It is gratifying to hear, “Thanks for the new one!” several times during each trip.
Nighttime is a great time to operate. The pop-up enclosure over the picnic table protects me from pests, even with the lights on.
I’m already planning next year’s trips. I operate as NE1RD/1 and have a fine QSL card that I would love to send to anyone I work. While Boston Harbor Islands are not exactly exotic, they are beautiful, and the act of planning and executing these excursions has made me a better DXpeditioner, and I believe a better operator.
Radio Amateurs Developing Skills Worldwide
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