The discussion of Field Day is quite appropriate because this weekend
is European CW Field Day. It starts at 1500z Saturday 4th June, and
runs for 24 hours on 160 through 10m excluding WARC. Please come on
and work us (flares permitting!)
One point that has not been mentioned on the reflector is that here in
Europe, we have separate field days for CW, SSB and VHF. Some people in
Belgium have suggested that they should be combined like they are in the
States, but I don't believe this idea has widespread support and I know
that such a change is not favoured here in the UK. Presently, our field
day contests ain't broke and they don't need fixing. My group treats the
CW field day (this coming weekend) *extremely* seriously whereas the VHF
and SSB events are more of an excuse for a lot of beer drinking and a
good social weekend with radio thrown in.
My experience is that ARRL Field Day is a domestic event. I have tried
calling stations in the past but few of them were interested in
working me. That's fine by me, and to have a worldwide field day would
certainly change the nature of the ARRL event dramatically.
I like to use the example of Field Day when people criticise contests
for favouring big stations sitting on a frequency running excess power
and calling CQ all the time. RSGB organises inspections during CW and VHF
field days. We can therefore ensure that stations are sticking to the rules,
which in the case of the restricted section of CW Field Day means 100W
output, and a single element antenna no higher than 36ft. In this way,
the often-discussed goal of 'equalising' competitors in a contest can be
approached. As it is a portable contest, the choice of site and even which
part of the country to operate from, becomes part of the strategy. Each
year around 20 percent of the entrants are inspected. Some are inspected
more than once over the weekend. All entrants pre-register their intent
to compete.
If you think 100W and a 36ft high doublet isn't much of a station, the
leaders make in excess of 1000 QSOs in 24 hours (flares permitting!) and
the setup is in line with the original intent of field day, namely setting
up a station in emergency conditions. Open section entrants have a higher
height limit and no restriction on the number or type of antennas.
Dave G4BUO
wbs@cix.compulink.co.uk
>From Willy Umanets <uw9ar@chal.chel.su> Wed Jun 1 16:42:55 1994
From: Willy Umanets <uw9ar@chal.chel.su> (Willy Umanets)
Subject: No subject
Message-ID: <AB_nAxjqJ2@chal.chel.su>
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73, Willy, UA9BA
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>From Peter G. Smith" <n4zr@netcom.com Thu Jun 2 13:26:33 1994
From: Peter G. Smith" <n4zr@netcom.com (Peter G. Smith)
Subject: Recruiting/Motivating New Contesters
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9406020508.A6955-0100000@netcom10>
Ken, you're gonna need either Kevlar or Nomex -- bullet and flame-proof,
respectively.
But seriously ... I don't agree with your basic premise. I think Field
Day probably makes more new contest enthusiasts than anything else, and
it's because the enthusiasm is contagious. Setting up one big prize that
one somebody can win once doesn't really speak to the need, which is to
bring a new generation (and successive new generations) to the sport.
On the downside, I can recall, as a new contester, nearly being turned off
the sport for good by the arrogance of some of our number. In particular,
joining a multi-op for the first time, doing a decent job on 10 meters,
and being told not to bother coming back the second weekend (this was in
the ARRL, back a ways) because they had a better guest op coming down from
CT. Getting sneered at on 3830. That sort of thing.
My prescription for recruiting is simple -- use events like FD, the IARU,
the WAE, and others where the stakes aren't so high (for us Americans,
anyway) to invite younger hams in for a casual multi-single. And in all
our dealings with new contesters, remember that we were green once and
NEVER, NEVER put them down!
73, Pete 2003 Sarazen Pl.
n4zr@netcom.com Reston, VA 22091
N4ZR@N4OHE (PacketCluster)
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