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.

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.

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

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.

The support arms will hold the antennas.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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)