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Nobody wants it, few people expect it, and even fewer are ready for it when disaster strikes. When the lights go out, the internet gets pooched, and cellphone service is graveyard dead, how do you communicate?
There are people right here in your own community who not only expect it, but are planning for it. Among those, Amateur radio operators.
They build, plan, organize the right skills and gear, and once a year, jerk the plug out of the wall, drag it all out in the open, and test their ability to communicate under field conditions.
They call it, Field Day” and it’s happening again this year at the Love Civic Center Pavilion June 25th and 26th. The public is welcome and encouraged to come observe and if you like, actually get on the air using an amateur radio station.
Information about getting your own “ham” radio license will be available.
So, come along, have a look and join the fun.
That’s June 25~26, at the Love Civic Center pavilion.
See you there!
-30-Point Of Contact is: Eric@easttexasradio.com
W5PTX and I met out at the FD site today and came up with a plan for his antennas and below is the updated planned layout.
Please let me know if you have anything to add, subtract, multiply or divide…
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15My6ulaF4XhrDIs6aTzEedEF3R-KJtG0?usp=sharing is the link to the two promos Cindy and I created and are now playing on KZHN 1250 AM in Paris. The approximate times these play are 00:25, 03:55, 05:10, 07:10, 07:40, 09:05, 11:10, 12:15, 17:10, 20:05, 22:10.
Feel free to let other radio stations use these two files. The “clp” file is an ARRL sound clip with me on the end and is 30 seconds long. The “cap” file is Cindy reading the excellent script that Danial came up with and is one minute long.
Listen to the radio for the PSA’s!
Charles and Cindy,
Nice PSAs! LOL That surely will score come extra points for the Club. On another note, looking at your picture I added a skateboard park call out and driveway call out using the red box; is the yellow line inside of the red box depicting a line or lines on the ground or elevated across the driveway? The city won’t want us to completely impede traffic over to that parking area and skateboard park, so if it is on the ground I was wondering if maybe we should run the line(s) through something? I could bring sections of schedule 40 PVC that the line(s) could be fed through and thereby be protected from being run over. WE have some orange cones we could temporarily place across the driveway while we are doing the work if you want them. Another way we could do it would be to elevate the line(s). We have two 8′ ladders we could bring. We could stand one of them up on each side of the driveway with a piece of 3/4″ EMT (We can provide that too.) tied to them vertically and have the cables pass through a looped zip-tie or a “T” connector attached at the top of each. That would get the cable(s) sufficiently off the ground such that everything could drive underneath. What are your thoughts?
The orange line that crosses the road on the west side of the pavillion is a horizontal wire antenna that will be about 40′ high on the east side and about 20′ high on the west side and should be high enough so normal vehicles can go under it.
Charles WA5VHU
Charles,
Thanks for the reply. Something Kathy and I have wondered was if our Genie GS1930 scissor lift might be useful? It has ground controls so if it was not a rule violation of some type the wire at the 20′ end could be attached to it and we would then just have to push a button and extend it up to wherever it needed to be. Max height is 25′ on the lift. It is not 4×4 but we could trailer it there, parking the trailer where the lift needed to be used and then disconnect the trailer and just leave it there for the duration. If we had flags or banners they could also be affixed to it drawing more eyeballs to our event. So long as we keep it on the pavement it could be used elsewhere to attach things prior to its use as previously described. Again, we do not know the rules, but if you want to use it please let us know so we can make sure and bring it.
Phillip
Wow!
I don’t think I need use of the lift this year. We were supposed to have use of the civic center’s lift a couple of years ago to put our VHF antennas on but that didn’t happen. If someone wanted to do a VHF station this year your lift would make it easy to get the aerials up in the air!
Is the 25′ height the floor of the lift? So you could add the height of the person’s reach?
Reason I ask, for future use, I have wanted to see about us putting up marine quality pulleys and stainless steel wire on the two parking lot lights across the parking lot, the ones I used to support my loop last year. The lights are about 30′ high. Put pulleys and wire on the NW and NE corners of the pavillion and we can easily and quickly raise wire antennas over the parking lot.
This is what the RATS in Richmond, VA do, they installed and keep pulleys and wires on the soccer field lights so raising their antennas is as easy as raising a flag.
Below is their field, they operate from the brown pavillion on the right, it’s a nice quick setup that works very well:
“Is the 25′ height the floor of the lift? So you could add the height of the person’s reach?” – Yes, that is the height of the deck you stand on. And that deck is also designed to deploy 5′ out for reaching stuff that is perhaps past something on the ground. Think pulling up to a parking lot concrete bumper and needing to reach something the other side of that and further a few feet.
The offer stands. And if you want to ask about putting that hardware on their structure I can meet you over there in the fall on a nice day and we can get it done for next year. For all we care people could mount their VHF stuff right on the lift and then we could raise it up. Zip-tie a piece of 10′ EMT to one of the safety rails with their aerial(s) on top and push the button and raise it/them up to 35′ in seconds. We have plenty of time so let me know if you want it.
I have already contacted Randy Tuttle, Paris Emergency manager and EOC manager. I will give him a call the day before FD also. – Jerry
Cindy bought a first-aid kit at the store today. I asked her if it was for Field Day, she said yes.
I told her that was a great idea and she could be in charge of safety for Field Day. She said OK.
Hope that’s agreeable with all.
As the safety officer for Field Day 2022 I have some safety tips for the RRVARC’s 2022 Field Day.
With the temperature supposed to reach 104 on Saturday and 102 on Sunday here are some tips for you on Field Day.
Bring a change of clothes – if you are working on setting up and or taking down it is essential for your body that you do not stay in wet sweaty clothes. This includes socks and underwear. You can change in one of the air conditioned campers.
Stay hydrated. It is essential for your body that you stay hydrated with water and /or something like Gatorade.
Sip your drink do not gulp your drink. Cold drinks are a shock to your body and should be sipped on for that reason.
Do not be shy to ask for water or Gatorade.
Caffeine is not recommended to drink when working in the heat.
Wear gloves – when working with items that have been out in the sun remember they will be very hot to the touch and can burn you sometimes those burns can hurt.
Wear a hat to shade your face. This will help you stay cool and not get a sunburn on your face.
Wearing a hard hat would not be a bad idea as you help people put up their antennas.
If you are not feeling well do not press on: stop, sit down and cool down. We will have an air conditioned trailer there so come in and cool off.
Make sure that your equipment such as trailer tongues and guy wires are marked so people will not walk into them. We will have some hot pink surveyor marking tape.
I will be monitoring the weather on and off for the chance of any storms while we are at Field Day. As of right now there is a 10% chance of precipitation on Saturday and a 40% chance on Sunday.
I will have a first aid kit with me. I hope it is not needed but do not hesitate to ask me for something if you need it.
Please check on each other from time to time to make sure your fellow hams are okay out there in the heat.
I want all of us to have a fun and safe Field Day
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