[IRCNews] Indianapolis Radio Club Field Day Sign Up - Operators Needed - Please Read

Mon Jun 20 07:21:01 CDT 2016

Please contact Bill Kennedy, WY9T, at the address below, if you want to be involved in the Indianapolis Radio Club's Field Day operations.  It promises to be a fun time!

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Calling All Amateurs.

2016 Field Day Notice Follows -  Volunteers Needed.

The Following Information Concerns the Indianapolis Radio Club Field Day Effort.

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Last year, the Indianapolis Radio Club (IRC) came in 7th in the nation for a class 3A entry (an extraordinary effort). And quite honestly, over the last few years, the IRC has placed well in the ARRL Field Day standings. The reason, lots of hams in the Indianapolis area have turned out and put in a few hours of their time and got on the air. This year, who knows, but whatever the case, the Indianapolis Radio Club needs your help next weekend and that is what this notice is all about.

WHEN: ! Field Day is held the last full weekend in June (next weekend). For us, Field Day starts next Saturday, June 25th at 2 p.m. and ends 24 hours later on Sunday, June 26th. If you volunteer for on air operations, you don't have to be there when Field Day starts. It is only necessary that you arrive before your scheduled shift.

WHERE: Indianapolis Radio Club Field Day Operations are held at Camp Belzer (which is the Central Indiana Boy Scouts of America camp ground). The address is 6102 Boy Scout Road, Lawrence, IN 46226. Boy Scout Road is located on the east side of Indianapolis about a 1/2 mile east of 465 on 56th Street (there is an exit for 56th Street off of 465). Turn north on Boy Scout Road. The camp entrance is about 3/4 of a mile down on the west side (it is well marked). Operations will be set up next to the main parking lot. We will be occupying the main shelters, you can't miss us.

The site will be open the whole 24 hours, and for the most part, a lot of people come and go over the day. At any given time, there are usually 25 to 40 guys/gals on site. So even if you just want to stop by and see what's going on, there will always be someone there.

As has been the case for the last few years, Tom Chance (K9XV) is organizing the Indianapolis Radio Club Field Day effort. Tom pretty much has Field Day! down to a science.

The way Tom has the site set up is as follows.

There will be 3 HF radio stations (two SSB stations and one CW station), all 3 of these stations will be on the whole 24 hours.

There will also be a 6M station that will be available the whole time. One cool thing about the 6M station, because it will be Field Day, there will be thousands of other FD stations operating on 6, if there are any 50 MHz openings, the band can really see a lot of activity.

There will also be a, "Get on the Air" station (commonly called a "GOTA" station). The GOTA station is for any ham who has a license but has never been on the air (it is also for a ham who hasn't been on for a while). So, if you've got your license (which includes Techs) but haven't had a chance to use it (or you've been away from ham radio for awhile), Field Day is right down your alley. It's the perfect opportunity to actually get on the air using the shortwave frequencies while another ham sits right beside you. That ham will show you what to do and you can actually make some contacts. It's a lot of fun and a great way to, "Get on the Air".

Also, the GOTA station is open to anyone who is not a ham. So, if you know someone who might be interested in amateur radio, get in touch with them and bring them out to the Field Day site. They can actually use the radio, make a few contacts, meet a bunch of other hams and see how much fun it is.

Overnight camping is available right at the Field Day site (it is free). A lot of guys like to camp for Field Day and hang out (even if they're not operating). Yes, it may be the Boy Scout camp on the edge of the city, but it's still camping. Bring your tent, camper or van and favorite sleeping bag (don't forget a pillow). Men's and women's facilities are available (also showers).

If you like, bring a cooler with your favorite snacks, sandwiches and drinks.

Field Day Setup

Tom needs a bunch of guys for setup and tear down. If you'd like to man a rope, help push up a mast or run some coax, etc, there is always a need for setup and tear down guys.

FD setup is from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Tear down is from 2:00 p.m. till 3:00 p.m. +/-.

Overnight Operations

It is critically important, if we are to have a full effort, that we operate round the clock, which means we need overnight operators. There are lots of hams who like operating late night. The late shift is very flexible. So, if you are a night owl and like to operate late into the night, the club very much needs your help in this respect. If this is you, then please help out on the midnight to 8 a.m. shift.

How the Schedule Works

Click on the blue link below to view the schedule. You can't edit the schedule yourself, you can only view it. Look the schedule over and pick out the slot(s) you'd like to help with. One hour shifts are welcome, but we encourage a two hour sh! ift. Also, If you can do two shifts, say one in the afternoon and then one later in the evening or next morning, please do so. It's important we have no empty slots. A full schedule translates to a good showing in the standings.

Once you've picked out a slot or two, send me an email with your selection(s). My email address is:

wy9t at yahoo.com

When1 I receive your email, I will edit the schedule and insert your call and name in the time(s) you have volunteered for. I will then send you back an email acknowledging your time(s) and include a link to the schedule so you can verify I h! ave you down correctly. Please check the schedule when you receive my reply, just to make sure I have everything right. 

All slots are on a first come first served basis.

Okay, here is the link to the schedule.

http://tinyurl.com/2016indyfd

Please help as much as you can.

Field Day is a lot of fun. It's the biggest ham radio event in the United States bar none. There will be tens of thousands of guys and gals and hundreds of clubs on the air next weekend. If you've never been involved with Field Day before, this a great time to see what it's all about. As with most anything involving ham radio, it is all about volunteering and helping out. Please come and join us.

73 to all.

Bill Kennedy, WY9T

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