For Winter Field Day we will be operating out of Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, 73069. This year we will be planning a complete field day operation from the firehouse.
What Is Winter Field Day?
The Winter Field Day Association (WFD) sponsors an Annual Winter Field Day competition. Each year this is on the fourth full weekend in January. This year it will be January 28 and 29. Rules, submission guidelines, and past results are available at https://www.winterfieldday.com/. Each year, thousands of radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups, or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.
Winter Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest, and, most of all, FUN!
It is a time when many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles. While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public.
The contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and to learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions. We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fund-raisers such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls, and museums — these are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.
But despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems — or maybe because they ARE so complex — ham radio has been called into action, again and again, to provide communications in crises when it really matters. Amateur Radio operators (also called “hams”) are well known for their communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations.
Schedule
- 9:00 am Saturday – Equipment and people will start to arrive at 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK.
- 9:15 am Saturday – (or so) Safety meeting to discuss the risks and efforts for the next couple of days.
- Noon Saturday – Make-your-own sandwich lunch will be provided at noon on Saturday.
- 1:00 pm Saturday – Transmitter operations begin. Three stations, CW, voice, and data stations will be on-the-air.
- 3:30 pm Saturday – Amateur Radio licensing exam. Sign up at https://w5nor.org/license/ (NOTE THAT the license exam will be held at the Norman Library Central location, 103 West Acres St, Norman, Oklahoma 73069.
- 6:00 pm Saturday – Supper. Uncle Phil Sinnett KD5UGO and Cousin Bill Lockett AE5F will be arranging to feed the assembled operators. While water and juice drinks will be provided, please feel free to bring your own beverages.
- 9:00 am Sunday – Breakfast by David Grizzle and crew.
- 1:00 pm Sunday – Transmitter operations end.
- 1:00 pm Sunday – Tear-down activities begin. Make sure to come back and help the team disassemble the gear.
Operating from Firehouse #7
We’ll be operating in class 3I again this year. The number 3 signifies the number of simultaneous transmitters, and the I means that we are working from an indoor Emergency Operating Center.
Typical field day setup will start Saturday at about 9:00 local, and tear-down will happen on Sunday at about 13:00 local. We start transmitting at 13:00 local on Saturday and operate 24 hours straight until 13:00 local on Sunday.
If you are interested in helping before or during the event, please get in touch with any of the following personnel. Contact info for these is either on the SCARS membership roster or QRZ.com.
- Field Day Chair: Mark Clayton N5AZQ
- Safety Officer: Larry Goodwin W5LHG
- CW Station: Bob Gibson W5RG, Kim Elmore N5OP, Bill Roberson, Jeff Dye WD0GTY.
- SSB Voice Station: Ken Sanborn AG5RQ
- Digital Modes (JS8CALL): Thom Tucker KI5MNC
- Food: Phil Sinnett KD5UGO, Bill Lockett AE5F
- License Testing: Peter Laws N5UWY (3:30 pm) This test will be at the Norman Public Library – Central Location, 103 West Acres St, Norman, Oklahoma 73069.
- Anything else: Mark Clayton N5AZQ
W5NOR Status
This year SCARS will be operating as designator 3I OK, and we will be using the W1AW/5 callsign as a part of the portable W1AW operation in the ARRL’s Year of the Volunteer. The three signifies three simultaneous transmitters, and the I status is an indoor emergency operating center station. The first of our three transmitters will be a phone station. The second transmitter will be operating CW, from another similar 15 through 160-meter dipole. The third transmitter will be operating digital modes like PSK31 and JS8CALL.
ARRL Sections
The following is a list of the ARRL sections and their abbreviations. Note that these may be confusing. i.e. LA is Louisiana, LAX is Los Angeles.
| Alabama | AL |
| Alaska | AK |
| Arizona | AZ |
| Arkansas | AR |
| Colorado | CO |
| Connecticut | CT |
| Delaware | DE |
| East Bay | EB |
| Eastern Massachusetts | EMA |
| Eastern New York | ENY |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | EPA |
| Eastern Washington | EWA |
| Georgia | GA |
| Idaho | ID |
| Illinois | IL |
| Indiana | IN |
| Iowa | IA |
| Kansas | KS |
| Kentucky | KY |
| Los Angeles | LAX |
| Louisiana | LA |
| Maine | ME |
| Maryland-DC | MDC |
| Michigan | MI |
| Minnesota | MN |
| Mississippi | MS |
| Missouri | MO |
| Montana | MT |
| Nebraska | NE |
| Nevada | NV |
| New Hampshire | H |
| New Mexico | M |
| New York City-Long Island | NLI |
| North Carolina | NC |
| North Dakota | ND |
| North Texas | NTX |
| Northern Florida | NFL |
| Northern New Jersey | NNJ |
| Northern New York | NNY |
| Ohio | OH |
| Oklahoma | OK |
| Orange | ORG |
| Oregon | OR |
| Pacific | PAC |
| Puerto Rico | PR |
| Rhode Island | RI |
| Sacramento Valley | SV |
| San Diego | SDG |
| San Francisco | SF |
| San Joaquin Valley | SJV |
| Santa Barbara | SB |
| Santa Clara Valley | SCV |
| South Carolina | SC |
| South Dakota | SD |
| South Texas | STX |
| Southern Florida | SFL |
| Southern New Jersey | SNJ |
| Tennessee | TN |
| US Virgin Islands | VI |
| Utah | UT |
| Vermont | VT |
| Virginia | VA |
| West Central Florida | WFL |
| West Texas | WTX |
| West Virginia | WV |
| Western Massachusetts | WMA |
| Western New York | WNY |
| Western Pennsylvania | WPA |
| Western Washington | WWA |
| Wisconsin | WI |
| Wyoming | WY |
Operating Techniques
1) You will get many more stations in your log by calling CQ than by tuning the dial and answering CQs; however, if you’re calling CQ and not getting any replies, keep calling. Most major contesters call CQ for several minutes at a time before giving up. Giving up after three or four CQs is giving up too soon.
2) Keep your CQs short and to the point: “CQ Field Day, CQ Field Day, Whiskey-One-Alpha-Whiskey Stroke Five, Winter Field Day.” Wait about 5 seconds between CQs — this gives stations enough time to answer you.
3) Use standard phonetics. “Cute” phonetics don’t always get through and they can confuse newer operators.
4) When working a station, you should give your exchange information only once and keep it simple. “Whiskey-One-Alpha-Whiskey Stroke Five copy three India Oklahoma, QSL?” If they didn’t get all of the exchange, they will ask for a repeat.
5) If you are running a pileup: Once you have pulled a call out of the pileup, give your exchange information first. Here’s an example: “Whiskey-One-Alpha-Whiskey Stroke Five, copy three India Oklahoma, QSL?” Don’t ask for the calling station’s information first — this will reduce any sense of rhythm and timing in the pileup.
6) If you get a pileup of stations and can’t make out an entire call, listen for one letter and ask for it specifically: “The station with Delta only, go ahead.”
7) When you get the other station’s information, keep your acknowledgment simple. “QSL, thanks, QRZ Field Day from Whiskey-One-Alpha-Whiskey Stroke Five.”
8) Find a comfortable pace for you and maintain that pace. You will tire quickly if you are screaming into the microphone or trying to work stations too quickly. This leads to inefficiency.
9) Use a headset with a boom microphone and a foot switch — this frees up your hands to log QSOs. Writing or typing with a mike in your hand slows you down.
These tips should help maximize your score on Winter Field Day. Remember: No matter how you choose to enjoy Winter Field Day, maximize your fun, however you define it.