Radio - Field Day 2008

I am an amateur radio license holder.  Each year, the world of amateur radio puts together Field Day.  This contest is quite unique, as you must leave your well built shacks, and take to the outdoors with all of your portable equipment.  You then spend 12 hours or so, putting up portable antenna structures, setting up portable power, and drinking a few beers.  

This year, I spent field day with my father, and the Flying Pigs QRP club at Ceaser Creek park in southwestern Ohio.  The cool thing about this group, is that they use very little power to do their communications.  QRP by its nature is a low power mode of operating.  All of the stations were battery powered.  We had several stations running CW on 20 and 40 meters, as well as a station running RTTY and PSK.  I manned a 6 meter rig hooked up to a quad.  The quad sat on top of about 25 feet of masting in what was one of the coolest portable mast kits I've seen.

Everything was set for a great field day, except for two main ingredients.  1.) Solar conditions were horrible.  2.) The weather included several severe thunderstorms, as well as "not severe" thunderstorms :).  One of the severe storms actually knocked several large branches down and onto our GOTA station's enclosure with a few folks in it.  Luckily, no one was hurt.

Between the brats, a single 6 meter fm contact, and few hours drive each way, a good time was had by all.  Here's hoping that FD 2009 won't be quite so wet.

Flying Pigs QRP Club website is located at http://www.fpqrp.net