Slashdot Mirror
Field Day 2002
suwain_2 writes "This weekend, amateur (ham) radio operators across the country will be setting up to practice emergency communications. Particularly after the tragic events of September 11th, I thought the general public, particularly Slashdot readers, might be interested in seeing what we do. This year bonus points are awarded to stations who have a "Get On the Air" station, to give non-hams a closer look (and even a chance to operator) at exactly what goes on. Unfortunately, the ARRL, who sponsors Field Day, has very little information on their site for non-hams, but what information they do have exists here. Check out the local newspaper to see if it's mentioned, and, if it is, stop by this weekend and take a look!"
Strange that it is organised by country, given the international context of radio.
Isn't this weekend supposed to be worldwide field day for satellite contacts ?
73!
I just setup a quick and dirty AM broadcast band radio transmitter yesterday... cheap and easy to do, if you've already got a fairly fancy function generator on-hand.
Equip:
1 BK Precision 4040A Function Generator
2 line, or higher, level audio source.
a Connect audio source to the VGC/Mod input
b Set Int/Ext modulation selector to Ext (external)
c Set AM/FM modulation selector to AM
d Adjust the output frequency (the 'carrier') to something in the AM broadcast band (about 540 to 1150 KHz)
e Attach a length of wire to the center lead of the Output BNC connector and crank the 'Output Level' adjustment to max.
f Tune in on an AM reciever (you've got one of those, right?)
g Jam on!
Actually, you could also do FM, but my FG (the 4040A) only goes to 20 MHz, way below the FM broadcast band of 88 to 108 MHz. Also, this isn't exactly a jammin' pirate station; let's just say I could pick it up from across the room.
What is a contest?
Contests are competetive events designed to simulate the kind of rapid flow of information that would need to occur in the event that radio amateurs were relied upon to handle disaster communications on a large scale.
Field Day, while lots of fun, serves the purpose of getting new people involved with Amateur Radio, and so it is generally a lot less competetive than what you'd find at the typical contest-station during a contest weekend.
In a contest, you try to contact as many other hams as possible, and you get points (multipliers to your score) for every distinct geographical region you contact. Some contests are US only, and many are worldwide. Some are focused on a particular frequency band, and some cover all HF bands.
There is nothing quite like the adrenaline that comes from making serious rate (300+ contacts per hour) for a few hours in a row. Aside from that, there is typically a great deal of team-spirit and good-natured rivalry among contesters, particularly those who are in the same state or county.
If you've always had an interest in ham radio but feared that it didn't have high enough octane to suit your temperment, look no further.
I'll post some web references below this comment soon...
Amazing magic tricks
This is probably in the ARRL link.
:)
Field Day is themed about emergency communications, although it couldn't be considered "practice" for emergencies. (Running/participating in emergency nets, etc.) - That's what ARES/RACES drills are for.
Field Day is purely a contest - BUT it is a contest that was designed with emergencies in mind. Most ARRL (and international) contests have various operator classes - In the case of Field Day, operator classes are based on how your station is powered. I think there's also a rule stating that you can't operate from your own station.
So basically, all Field Day entrants MUST be using equipment brought to the operating position for the event, not stuff that is there at all times. (I think people HAVE operated in tents from backyards, but people prefer to go hardcore and do some mountaintopping, or go to a firehouse, etc. where they can set up with their club. Club operations from community firehouses, etc. seem to be the most common Field Day arrangements.)
As a result, Field Day makes sure there are plenty of operators in this country with portable (or semi-portable at least) equipment that can be set up in a matter of hours. Bonus points to those who can operate for a weekend without a single bit of help from AC mains.
I was thinking of making the trek back up to school for Field Day, but I need to do some car shopping instead. I wish it were a few weeks later.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Has anyone noticed a rise in radio interference from HAM and CB operations, not because of illegal wattage, but more so because of the lack of adequate radio inteference shielding in the current electronic devices? Seems people have forgotten about HAMs and SSW/CB bands in this Internet and "High Tech" age.
One of the most popular uses of packet radio seems to be accessing the local "DX Cluster"
:) I'd say the hardest part of the contest was maintaining power levels. Also, our rotor was broken so we had to send guys up onto the tower to rotate our Force12 while we hit the brake release on the rotor.
It's basically a system that allows people to report stations they hear, allowing someone looking for their final multipliers in a contest to know where to look for a station.
The interesting thing about this is that you're not allowed to advertise yourself on the clusters. As a result, if you appear, it's because someone else put you there. You'd think that the DX clusters would die as everyone would keep their "rare finds" secret so as to keep ahead, but instead, the DX clusters are INSANELY active during contests, which says a lot of good things about the ham radio community in general.
DX spots are wonderful when your club is hunting down their last multiplier (Santa Barbara) in the final hours of the ARRL SSB Sweepstakes.
N2YPH
And keeping your Collins 30S-1 happy for nearly 48 hours of continuous operation is no simple trick.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I don't have any personal experience with the NYC 'net, but I do know that the various amateur emergency organizations were mobilized for well over six weeks.
It's not always the phone/cell systems that ham radio is designed to replace - Hams are also used to augment already allocated emergency frequencies. (Police, fire). I believe the Red Cross made VERY heavy use of hams for their communications. Simply put, they needed a dispatch-style system that landlines/cells weren't suited to.
In addition, a few years back there was a NASTY ice storm in upstate NY - Many cell tower antennas iced up and ceased operation, and hams came into play then too.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
There is a little more to it than that. check out AMSAT for some info on one other aspect of the hobby.
'73 de
VE6LSH
And it's also what Nikola Tesla did before Marcoli.
. htmlt ml rad io.htm (less detailed an account)
The USPTO initially held the position that Marconi's device used Tesla's patents ("Many of the claims are not patentable over Tesla patent numbers 645,576 and 649,621"). In 1904, the USPTO reversed itself, probably due to financial backing from JP Morgan, et. al. Tesla was broke and tried to sue in 1915 (Marconi won the Nobel Prize in 1911 for the radio), but couldn't push it. In 1943 the Supreme Court reversed the USPTO's decision, giving prescedence to the Tesla patents, probably largely because Marconi was suing the government for using radio without licensing it.
Some of many sources:
http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_whoradio
http://www.mecfilms.com/dna/indev/patent2.h
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/b
I was NOT a ham at the time, but the NY effort was huge. It was what I needed to get off my butt an get my license
Since that time I've gotten involved in NYC ARES. In fact, I've become the Queens County Assistant Emergency Coordinator
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
I think you missed the point... perhaps that's why you don't operate anymore.
I mean sure, if you just want to talk to other people there are easier (and better) ways to do so. We lost a lot of folks to the Internet revolution because they simply liked to chat with people. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm an Internet junkie myself.
There's more to it than that, though. For one, it's a challenge. If you like challenges, it's a great hobby. Trying to talk to someone in France while both of you are coping with an unusual accent and bouncing a weak signal off of the atmosphere is very challenging (and VERY exciting). If that doesn't satisfy your desire to be challenged, try to do morse code by bouncing a signal OFF THE MOON.
Or maybe you'd prefer to talk via satellite. There are dozens of amateur radio satellites in orbit right now and YOU CAN USE THEM TOO.
To truly understand how radio waves bounce around is also very difficult (indeed, impossible in some respects... it's very voodoo). Once you sort of get it straight in your head, it's exciting when you're right. Especially if you're trying a little experiment to see if it helps matters.
Most people take cell phones, radio stations, satellite TV, walkie talkies, and other wireless items forgranted. Learning what makes all that work is VERY exciting (to a geek, anyway).
Even better than learning, though... YOU CAN DO IT TOO. Ever wondered how television transmitters get a signal from a camera onto your TV? Or, better yet, have you ever researched the subject and wished you could experiment with it? YOU CAN.
That's just scratching the surface, too. It's a big onion and the more you peel away the more there is.
Sure, there are some "old farts" out there... but those are the nicest and most helpful people you will ever meet.
As for 9/11, yes Amateur Ops were in huge demand. I'm not sure if you noticed, but there was a large antenna on the top of one of the WTC towers... almost all of lower Manhattan's public safety stuff was on that tower. Not to mention television transmitters, radio transmitters, and so on. It was not only a loss of public safety communications but general public communications as well.
All opinions presented here aren't mine.