[IRCNews] Field Day Ops needed

[Ken Bandy, KJ9B]

This message from Bill, WY9T:

Calling all Central Indiana Hams,

Field day is this weekend, it starts Saturday at 2PM and runs until Sunday
2PM.
 
Tom Chance (who is heading up the Marion County fairgrounds group) has asked
me (Bill Kennedy, WY9T) to help the team put together an operator schedule
for this year, i.e.: get people to sign up for an hour or two this weekend
:)

We have a super setup this year. We will be using the sheriff's building at
the Marion County fairgrounds. It's a great location with bathrooms and
lighting (though all field day radios will be using generator power only).
There will be 3 HF stations (1 full time CW station and 2 full time SSB
stations), a VHF station, and a GOTA station (the Get On The Air station,
run by W9PSE).

We hope to fill out the whole schedule in the next few days so we need to
get cracking on this.
 
I know many of you operate with this group every year. In fact, I assisted
Tom with the scheduling in 2008 and know that most of you will be
participating again this year. So if you're an old hand and will absolutely
be with us this year please respond to this email at your earliest
convenience (like today, please) and drop me a quick note at wy9t at yahoo.com.
Let me know what hours you'll be available, if you want to operate phone or
code and whether you'll be staying for the whole 24 hour period. If you'd
like to help on Saturday and then come back on Sunday let me know that too. 

If it's been a while since your last field day (or you've never stopped by
to visit before) please consider visiting the group this year and see how
this whole thing works. Over the last couple of years Tom has put together a
big operation and over 80 people participated last year. It's a great bunch
of guys and gals having a blast and it looks like the long range weather
forecast is shaping up real nice.
 
We hope to make this the biggest effort ever so if you're sitting on the
fence please give it a shot and drop me a note. You don't have to be there
for the whole event. The operating schedule is for 1 hour blocks of time. If
you'd like to volunteer for just an hour and then call it a day that is
absolutely fine. But if you want to hang around for an hour or two or the
afternoon/evening please do. We have 72 one hour time slots to fill so
please volunteer if you can. Some ops run a 2 hours shift without a break so
let me know if you can do that.
 
There will be about 20,000 field day operation this year which makes for
lots of activity on the bands.  
 
The thing is we need your help to get this schedule fleshed out and we're
hoping to put together our biggest effort ever this year. With 3 HF radios
running full time for 24 hours we need all the ops we can. So please drop me
note, today if possible, and let me know if you can help. wy9t at yahoo.com  .

But please, if you haven't done field in a long time or want to give it a
try for the first time please get back to me.
 
Also, Tom's group has put a lot of time into checking for noise and the
location is quite for radios. If you've never been to the fairgrounds is a
great location. It is conveniently close by for all of us.
 
The fairgrounds are located on the southeast side of Indy and here is a link
to a map on Map Quest. Enter the fairgrounds at our private entrance on
Fisher Road (there will be a sign pointing to the Field Day site then look
for the antennas). 
 
http://mapq.st/jNgQ9d
 
If you want to stay for the whole event there is free camping available
right at the field day site (or you can sleep in your car or truck).
Remember there are clean bathrooms on site and the building is lighted.
On Sunday morning breakfast will be provided by the Indianapolis Radio Club
(which is one of the many wonderful things they do for hams in central
Indiana). Stop by Sunday if you can, have something to eat and meet the guys
and gals who help make this whole thing happen

Again, please respond to this email as soon as you can as field day is this
Saturday/Sunday.
 
Thanks for all your help and attention to this matter.
 
See you this weekend.
 
73
 
Bill, WY9T