WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.339 This episode of HamTalk Live is brought to you 00:00:03.339 --> 00:00:06.740 by Tower Electronics. For connectors, cables, 00:00:06.980 --> 00:00:13.679 and more, call 920 -435 -2973 or visit pl -259 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:18.339 .com. And by ICOM, heard it, worked it, logged 00:00:18.339 --> 00:00:23.579 it. Visit www .icomamerica .com slash amateur 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:31.479 for more information about ICOM radios. with 00:00:31.479 --> 00:00:37.920 Neorep, here we go. Welcome to Amtopi, call in, 00:00:38.039 --> 00:00:42.340 let's talk, Neil's your guy. Amtopi, here we 00:00:42.340 --> 00:01:02.670 go. Good evening, it's time for HamTalk Live, 00:01:02.950 --> 00:01:07.730 episode number 320. Field Day 2023, recorded 00:01:07.730 --> 00:01:13.489 on Monday, June 19th, 2023. I am your host, Neil 00:01:13.489 --> 00:01:18.030 Rapp. Call sign is WB9VPG. Thanks for tuning 00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:21.510 in to this episode of HamTalk Live. Tonight we're 00:01:21.510 --> 00:01:26.980 joined by Paul Bork, N1SFE. And last time here 00:01:26.980 --> 00:01:30.459 on the show, we were live from Ham Vaish Hamvention 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:35.099 in Dayton. Hope you enjoyed that. I was totally 00:01:35.099 --> 00:01:39.760 exhausted after that. I've never had Hamvention. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:44.379 It's always busy for me. I've never had a busier 00:01:44.379 --> 00:01:48.540 Hamvention than this year, but it was great to 00:01:48.540 --> 00:01:52.780 see everybody and do all that stuff. But Wow, 00:01:52.780 --> 00:01:57.319 it took a took a while to recover there But hope 00:01:57.319 --> 00:01:59.840 you had a good one. And if you missed out, please 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:02.640 please think about going in the future. It was 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:08.539 great. I had a record attendance Since they moved 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:14.180 so Things are always Fun at Dayton. So if you 00:02:14.180 --> 00:02:17.039 missed that show here on ham talk live, you can 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:19.780 listen anytime ham talk live comm or on your 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:23.270 favorite podcast app or Of course, we're also 00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:28.330 on YouTube. And after I rested up from that and 00:02:28.330 --> 00:02:30.889 almost had everything put away, we turned around 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:34.310 and left for vacation. So I've been gone for 00:02:34.310 --> 00:02:37.650 a while, but I got to go down to Florida for 00:02:37.650 --> 00:02:41.129 a while and went monorail mobile for the first 00:02:41.129 --> 00:02:44.409 time. I didn't take the satellite antenna because 00:02:44.409 --> 00:02:50.620 I was trying to use this trip as a makeup. to 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:54.699 my wife because, well, at hamcation a couple 00:02:54.699 --> 00:02:59.159 years ago, I got food poisoning on day two. And 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:01.199 on day three, we were supposed to go to Epcot. 00:03:01.580 --> 00:03:09.240 So because of that, I kind of got sick and couldn't 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:14.259 go to Epcot. So this was the makeup trip. So 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:19.340 I didn't. Dare take the satellite antenna with 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:22.580 me, but I did take the HT with me Did take a 00:03:22.580 --> 00:03:25.080 couple of hours to go ride the monorail and while 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:30.340 I did I went monorail mobile and I Figured out 00:03:30.340 --> 00:03:33.199 a few things to hit the digipeter. It does matter 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:37.759 which side of the monorail you're on and You 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:41.379 know, it does kind of shield the RF. So I did 00:03:41.379 --> 00:03:44.199 the old trick I used to do back in junior high 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:46.500 and high school, you know, put the rubber duck 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:50.259 up near, you know, right along the window, right 00:03:50.259 --> 00:03:55.939 along the metal seam there of the vehicle. And 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:59.080 that usually helps. But I did find out it does 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:03.169 matter. Which side of the monorail you're sitting 00:04:03.169 --> 00:04:07.650 on so I was able to track on APRS sent out a 00:04:07.650 --> 00:04:10.370 couple of messages didn't didn't really get any 00:04:10.370 --> 00:04:14.430 any contacts unless that one gets confirmed by 00:04:14.430 --> 00:04:19.149 APRS, but Did give it a shout out on a couple 00:04:19.149 --> 00:04:25.209 repeaters and So got to enjoy some time monorail 00:04:25.209 --> 00:04:29.110 mobile Down there and also got to see Andy KK 00:04:29.110 --> 00:04:33.230 for LWR and had dinner with him and his wife 00:04:33.230 --> 00:04:37.610 Christy and and even went and shot a video which 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:41.689 which will be Coming out here soon shot a short 00:04:41.689 --> 00:04:46.649 video from from the skyliner down there So that 00:04:46.649 --> 00:04:48.769 was kind of fun. I may have to go skyliner mobile. 00:04:48.889 --> 00:04:51.209 I didn't do that. So maybe next time we'll do 00:04:51.209 --> 00:04:56.490 that but anyway Tonight we're talking about field 00:04:56.490 --> 00:05:00.569 day because now that's next on the list that's 00:05:00.569 --> 00:05:04.050 coming up this weekend. So we usually have Paul 00:05:04.050 --> 00:05:07.769 Bork in 1SFE here to talk about field day and 00:05:07.769 --> 00:05:10.769 take some questions and so we're going to talk 00:05:10.769 --> 00:05:14.550 about field day today right after this word from 00:05:14.550 --> 00:05:17.769 Tower Electronics right here on HamTalk Live. 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:23.139 Thanks for choosing Tower Electronics. How may 00:05:23.139 --> 00:05:26.879 we help you today? We have PL -259s. We have 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:30.220 end connectors. We have SMA adapters. We have 00:05:30.220 --> 00:05:33.500 BNC adapters. What can I show you today? Where's 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:36.660 the tower? Well, we don't actually have a tower 00:05:36.660 --> 00:05:39.540 with us, but we have all kinds of things you 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:43.259 can use with a tower. We have power poles, antennas, 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:45.759 soldering irons and meters. Where's the tower? 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:49.629 Ma 'am, that's the name of our company. We can't 00:05:49.629 --> 00:05:51.829 haul towers to all the ham -fests across the 00:05:51.829 --> 00:05:54.589 country that we visit, but we have almost every 00:05:54.589 --> 00:05:56.970 connector and adapter you would need to connect 00:05:56.970 --> 00:05:59.189 your antenna that's on your tower. I don't think 00:05:59.189 --> 00:06:02.569 there's a tower back there. I really don't. Tower 00:06:02.569 --> 00:06:05.209 Electronics. Visit us at a ham -fest near you 00:06:05.209 --> 00:06:10.730 or call 920 -435 -2973 or see our whole catalog 00:06:10.730 --> 00:06:14.470 at plbanks259 .com. Sorry, one thing we don't 00:06:14.470 --> 00:06:18.790 have is a tower. And coming up on the Tower Electronics 00:06:18.790 --> 00:06:21.550 HamFest schedule July 8th will be in Oak Creek, 00:06:22.230 --> 00:06:26.250 Wisconsin And then July 29th in Winchester, Indiana 00:06:26.250 --> 00:06:33.050 But you can visit them anytime at PL -259 .com 00:06:33.050 --> 00:06:36.670 At HamTalk Live we have a million dollar request 00:06:36.670 --> 00:06:39.790 guarantee You give us a million dollars and we'll 00:06:39.790 --> 00:06:42.870 do a show about whatever ham topic you request 00:06:42.870 --> 00:07:11.399 guaranteed HamTalk Live And welcome back to ham 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:15.800 talk live tonight Paul Bork in one SFE joins 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:19.410 us. on the Orlando Amateur Radio Club and hamcation 00:07:19.410 --> 00:07:25.149 Zoom line. Paul is the ARRL contest program manager. 00:07:25.970 --> 00:07:28.670 He's just finished up his fourth year in that 00:07:28.670 --> 00:07:33.810 role and he's been licensed since 1994 and came 00:07:33.810 --> 00:07:37.750 out of some some broadcasting experience and 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:40.680 started the station at the university of Hartford 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:43.839 where the general manager pushed him to get his 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:47.199 ham radio license. And he is a, he is a townie. 00:07:47.379 --> 00:07:49.800 He's a, he's in Newington and grew up in Newington 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:53.839 and, um, likes giving back to the hobby. And 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:57.160 we always talk to him this time of year to talk 00:07:57.160 --> 00:07:59.560 about field day, which is what we're doing tonight. 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:02.000 So Paul, welcome back to the show. Good to see 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:05.139 you. Hi, Neil. Thanks for having me on. And so 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:08.439 good to be here as always. Yeah, somehow we messed 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:12.399 up last year. So my apologies for not having 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:16.319 Paul on last year, but there haven't been a whole 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:19.060 lot of changes, but there are some changes this 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:21.660 year and we're going to talk about those here 00:08:21.660 --> 00:08:25.639 in just a little bit. But first, for the newbies 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.939 out there that may not be familiar with field 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:32.539 day, just talk a little bit about when field 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:37.419 day is and what it is. Okay, well the field day 00:08:37.419 --> 00:08:40.019 is always held the fourth full weekend of June 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:43.500 and what field day is is field day is a lot of 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:47.080 things but it's really an on -air operating event 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:51.379 which really showcases a lot of clubs and groups 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:56.620 get together and they operate in outside parks 00:08:56.620 --> 00:09:01.279 and public locations and they set up temporary 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:05.210 stations for field day and operate Almost as 00:09:05.210 --> 00:09:07.710 a it's a practice for emergencies and informal 00:09:07.710 --> 00:09:11.009 contest. It could be a picnic. It's you know, 00:09:11.029 --> 00:09:14.230 and sometimes it's a it's a club picnic, but 00:09:14.230 --> 00:09:17.309 it really is a showcase for amateur radio to 00:09:17.309 --> 00:09:21.490 the public and it showcases our emergency readiness 00:09:21.490 --> 00:09:24.690 to set up stations and and to support emergencies 00:09:24.690 --> 00:09:29.049 and and really an opportunity to get on the air 00:09:29.049 --> 00:09:33.070 and and have fun and also to uh, inform the general 00:09:33.070 --> 00:09:35.889 public what amateur radio is and what it is exactly 00:09:35.889 --> 00:09:40.889 that we do. Now, to add to the fun, there, there 00:09:40.889 --> 00:09:44.370 are some, some point values that are assessed 00:09:44.370 --> 00:09:48.250 to, uh, different things and to encourage different 00:09:48.250 --> 00:09:52.129 things to happen, uh, during field day. And, 00:09:52.129 --> 00:09:55.669 and we won't get into that whole, is it a contest? 00:09:55.830 --> 00:09:58.330 Is it not a contest argument? Cause it's not 00:09:58.330 --> 00:10:02.220 a contest. People say if you put points to it, 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:08.799 it is. It really is what you make of it. I get 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:10.639 asked that question a lot. I say, well, if it's 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.860 a contest, why are there points? Well, it gives 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:18.059 you a way to judge what you did last year. Did 00:10:18.059 --> 00:10:21.299 we do better? Did we do worse? Some groups do 00:10:21.299 --> 00:10:23.720 consider it as a contest. They want to say, hey, 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:26.559 there's a Crosstown Rival Club. rival club and 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:28.039 they want to do better than them. And that's, 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:30.179 you know, as maybe there's a cross town rivalry 00:10:30.179 --> 00:10:33.179 and it's, it is really what you make it of it. 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:35.820 Um, so it's, you know, yes, there are points 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:38.360 values assessed, but it, it kind of really is 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:41.879 a way to judge, um, how, how you've done over 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:46.779 previous years. Well, you know, the points are 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:49.960 there and it, like I said, I'm not going to. 00:10:49.929 --> 00:10:53.549 dive into the controversy here. I've got my opinion, 00:10:53.889 --> 00:10:58.210 but, but, but yeah, everybody's got got their 00:10:58.210 --> 00:11:03.289 opinion on it. But It's a time that you can kind 00:11:03.289 --> 00:11:06.370 of judge, like you said, how well you're doing 00:11:06.370 --> 00:11:08.610 compared to other years and that, you know, did 00:11:08.610 --> 00:11:11.429 this work better? Did that work better? Um, it's 00:11:11.429 --> 00:11:13.769 a way to, to kind of tell that a little bit. 00:11:14.090 --> 00:11:16.809 So for, for those people who have never been 00:11:16.809 --> 00:11:19.870 to field day, what, what should they expect? 00:11:19.870 --> 00:11:24.110 Just going to a ham radio field day. Well, I 00:11:24.110 --> 00:11:27.330 mean you can a lot of groups there's there's 00:11:27.330 --> 00:11:30.610 public displays of you know There'd be a little 00:11:30.610 --> 00:11:32.149 public information booth. They'll give you a 00:11:32.149 --> 00:11:34.250 little bit of information about what amateur 00:11:34.250 --> 00:11:38.669 radio is You know a lot of groups will give you 00:11:38.669 --> 00:11:40.590 an opportunity to even get on the air and operate 00:11:40.590 --> 00:11:43.590 even as an unlicensed You know say you were an 00:11:43.590 --> 00:11:45.809 unlicensed tamper just you brought your friend 00:11:45.809 --> 00:11:49.269 with you you know they'll be able to demonstrate 00:11:49.269 --> 00:11:51.149 what amateur radio is and maybe even let you 00:11:51.149 --> 00:11:55.840 get on the air and enjoy some contacts. There's 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:59.059 a good way to really network with your local 00:11:59.059 --> 00:12:04.159 clubs and your groups. Some clubs have food. 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:08.899 There's a cookout. Again, a lot of times they're 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:12.740 in a park. There's actually a group near me that 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:15.639 actually gets together at a farm. and they have 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:18.659 quite the spread set up. They have a snack bar 00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:21.059 and everything. But yeah, they have quite a bunch 00:12:21.059 --> 00:12:23.299 of different stations set up and it's really 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:27.960 kind of interesting. Well, we encourage everybody 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:30.299 to get out and check out Field Day because it 00:12:30.299 --> 00:12:33.399 is a great opportunity to just get on the air 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:37.320 and meet up with some people and get some tips 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:41.519 and tricks from other people and kind of find 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:45.970 out what This HF thing is all about and as well 00:12:45.970 --> 00:12:52.129 as VHF and UHF. There's a lot of HF ability there 00:12:52.129 --> 00:12:55.230 and you may not have a license for that. Yeah 00:12:55.230 --> 00:12:58.470 and again there are stations set up. Some of 00:12:58.470 --> 00:12:59.870 the bigger stations will have what's called a 00:12:59.870 --> 00:13:01.669 get on the air station or what we call a gota 00:13:01.669 --> 00:13:05.330 station which its main purpose is to provide 00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:09.389 either inactive hams or relatively inactive hams 00:13:09.389 --> 00:13:13.309 or maybe a chance for them to get on the air. 00:13:13.490 --> 00:13:16.690 And even someone who might have a technician 00:13:16.690 --> 00:13:19.690 class license to get on the air on HS and really 00:13:19.690 --> 00:13:23.129 see what 20 or 40 meters phone is like so that 00:13:23.129 --> 00:13:26.309 they'll allow those people to get on the air 00:13:26.309 --> 00:13:29.929 and experience parts of amateur radio that they 00:13:29.929 --> 00:13:32.929 normally wouldn't. So it allows them to try something 00:13:32.929 --> 00:13:37.669 new. Well, now that we know what, what field 00:13:37.669 --> 00:13:42.090 day is that there are the point systems and rules. 00:13:42.769 --> 00:13:45.409 I just want to add before we get into that, Neil, 00:13:45.809 --> 00:13:49.470 that you're new to amateur radio. Um, check out 00:13:49.470 --> 00:13:54.090 our website, arr .org, uh, slash field hyphen 00:13:54.090 --> 00:13:57.110 day. There's a bunch of great information on 00:13:57.110 --> 00:13:59.309 there. And, and, you know, lots of frequently 00:13:59.309 --> 00:14:02.529 asked questions lists and also all sorts of. 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.320 It's a treasure trove of information. So if you're 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:08.799 new to Field Day, absolutely, I encourage you 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:12.120 to check out the website. Yep, absolutely. And 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:16.139 we have that link already in the description 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:20.399 of this episode. So if you need that link, it's 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:25.379 there at the end of the description. But since 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:28.039 we've got the rules and everything, which you 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.519 will find on the website and all that kind of 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:34.820 thing, You know, we don't get points for working 00:14:34.820 --> 00:14:38.980 the same station 20 times in the same, uh, 24 00:14:38.980 --> 00:14:43.480 or 48 hours that you're out there. So, uh, let's 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:46.500 talk a little bit about, uh, the rules, specifically 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:49.679 the changes for this year, because, you know, 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:52.059 the rules have been pretty consistent over the 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:55.299 years. Um, but sometimes, you know, things like 00:14:55.299 --> 00:14:58.700 the get on the air station, um, may get a few. 00:14:58.889 --> 00:15:01.590 tweaks and that kind of thing. So the first one 00:15:01.590 --> 00:15:05.490 I see is that there is no limit to the number 00:15:05.490 --> 00:15:08.750 of contacts made by the go to station. They're 00:15:08.750 --> 00:15:11.330 all worth five points, regardless of mode. So 00:15:11.330 --> 00:15:13.669 talk about that one. Right. So as I mentioned 00:15:13.669 --> 00:15:18.389 before, the, you know, a class, a class A and 00:15:18.389 --> 00:15:20.210 F stations have what's called a get on the air 00:15:20.210 --> 00:15:23.590 station, which allows, uh, again, relatively, 00:15:23.590 --> 00:15:28.070 uh, inactive licensees or even, um, non -licensed. 00:15:28.190 --> 00:15:32.250 guests to operate. And so there used to be a 00:15:32.250 --> 00:15:34.210 cap to the number of QSOs you can make from the 00:15:34.210 --> 00:15:36.129 go to station. Well, they've changed that where 00:15:36.129 --> 00:15:39.190 there is no cap for those QSOs. So you can make 00:15:39.190 --> 00:15:42.309 as many QSOs or contacts from the go to station 00:15:42.309 --> 00:15:46.350 as you can with no limit and five points for 00:15:46.350 --> 00:15:49.549 each contact regardless of mode. So by mode, 00:15:49.789 --> 00:15:54.470 we mean either Morse code, CW, phone, or a digital 00:15:54.470 --> 00:15:56.740 mode. Any of the digital modes will count as 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:58.820 digital so the soldiers there there are five 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:02.320 points for each contact From the go to station 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.259 and there's also we've simplified the way the 00:16:05.259 --> 00:16:07.659 scoring is too So it's I think it's going to 00:16:07.659 --> 00:16:10.240 make it a lot simpler for groups to be able to 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.659 figure out how to calculate out How many points 00:16:12.659 --> 00:16:14.820 are going to get from there go to station? It 00:16:14.820 --> 00:16:16.820 really made it they really kind of streamlined 00:16:16.820 --> 00:16:19.539 the the process So I'm hoping that that's going 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:22.519 to a lot of a lot of entrance are going to find 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:25.340 it a lot easier to to submit their entry without 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:29.299 having to figure out all this funny math yeah 00:16:29.299 --> 00:16:33.740 okay so you know the go to station is there make 00:16:33.740 --> 00:16:36.639 use of it for your your newbies and your and 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:40.919 your inactive hams just get them on the air uh 00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:45.700 i remember uh i used it for a boy scout merit 00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:50.519 badge uh as soon as you know the the event started 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:53.759 We lined them up at the go to station and I ran 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:56.240 them through and got them a contact for toward 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.299 their merit badge. And that was the first two 00:16:58.299 --> 00:17:02.320 or three hours of the go to station. Um, so it's 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:04.940 great opportunity to get people on the air that, 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:08.779 uh, I may not have been on for awhile. So again, 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:13.180 no limit now. All right. The next one. Oh, go 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:17.490 ahead. I was just going to kind of emphasize 00:17:17.490 --> 00:17:19.769 what you were saying there about the no limit 00:17:19.769 --> 00:17:22.990 and that we really made it go to scoring a lot 00:17:22.990 --> 00:17:26.910 simpler. Alright, so the next one we've already 00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:30.869 been talking about the wording on this one. This 00:17:30.869 --> 00:17:33.950 is the exact wording here and we'll talk about 00:17:33.950 --> 00:17:37.490 what this means. You may need your dictionary 00:17:37.490 --> 00:17:42.910 for this. Each contact must include contemporaneous 00:17:42.990 --> 00:17:47.029 direct initiation by both operators making a 00:17:47.029 --> 00:17:50.430 contact. Initiation of a contact may be either 00:17:50.430 --> 00:17:54.190 local or remote control. Fully automated contacts 00:17:54.190 --> 00:17:59.710 are prohibited. And now in English that says... 00:17:59.710 --> 00:18:03.049 So there's a lot in there. So what that means 00:18:03.049 --> 00:18:07.180 is... When you go to make a contact, especially 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:11.059 in a lot of digital modes or even with CW keyers 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:14.539 or whatever, there has to be a human operator 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:18.299 starting that contact. I think this really speaks 00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:21.660 a lot to FT8 and those modes. Somebody actually 00:18:21.660 --> 00:18:25.640 has to start the sequence of calling CQ by starting 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.160 the computer calling CQ and then somebody has 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:31.809 to be there to answer it. What it really is saying 00:18:31.809 --> 00:18:33.910 is we don't want to have fully automated contacts. 00:18:33.990 --> 00:18:39.250 So there needs to be an operator initiating the 00:18:39.250 --> 00:18:41.910 CQ sequence and an operator answering it on the 00:18:41.910 --> 00:18:44.750 other side. So it can't just be two computers 00:18:44.750 --> 00:18:47.609 set up to do this all automated with no user 00:18:47.609 --> 00:18:49.430 intervention. You go away and have a sandwich 00:18:49.430 --> 00:18:51.789 and you've made 20 contacts. In other words, 00:18:51.789 --> 00:18:55.789 you have to be at the station to actually manually 00:18:55.789 --> 00:19:00.819 initiate or respond to the contacts. Does that 00:19:00.819 --> 00:19:04.920 make sense? Yeah. With digital, it's easy to, 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:06.980 you know, some people will do that. They'll set 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:09.759 it up and it will automatically go out there 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:12.119 and make contacts and just keep track of them. 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:16.140 And yeah, that's not what we want here. The second 00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:18.500 part of that where it says fully automated contacts 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:21.980 are prohibited, that speaks to that. So what 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:24.480 we don't want to see is, and there are ways we 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:26.440 can do that with the digital modes is you can 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:29.000 set up scripts and. and you know there's all 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:32.400 sorts of you know like WSJT is open source so 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:34.940 there's a lot of other software based on that 00:19:34.940 --> 00:19:38.380 that can do that well that that's not allowed 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:40.119 so in other words somebody has to actually be 00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:43.700 there so again you can't just let set the set 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:45.700 the station up and walk away from it let it make 00:19:45.700 --> 00:19:50.220 contacts for you that's that's not allowed and 00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:54.549 you know there's Some movement toward that even 00:19:54.549 --> 00:19:57.589 on sideband where you just type in the call sign 00:19:57.589 --> 00:20:00.690 or it you know listens and tries to figure out 00:20:00.690 --> 00:20:05.309 the letters and Automate that so yeah, we were 00:20:05.309 --> 00:20:07.769 we're not counting that toward toward this But 00:20:07.769 --> 00:20:10.349 I know you mentioned you got a you got a call 00:20:10.349 --> 00:20:12.890 already about the voice gear so you might go 00:20:12.890 --> 00:20:16.869 ahead and throw that story in Yeah, so I yeah, 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:19.529 I took a call the other day said hey I have my 00:20:19.529 --> 00:20:22.089 my my computer set up, you know computer logging 00:20:22.089 --> 00:20:24.769 and that program has a voice gear where basically 00:20:24.769 --> 00:20:28.609 you can record yourself calling CQ and You know, 00:20:28.630 --> 00:20:31.210 it'll do it. He says I haven't set up for an 00:20:31.210 --> 00:20:34.279 eight second cycle. I'll call CQ going to receive, 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:38.039 call CQ again. I said, is that prohibited? That's 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:40.640 absolutely not prohibited. It's 100 % allowed. 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:42.880 I mean, that happens in contesting all the time. 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:46.500 But when somebody comes back to that CQ, you 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:52.519 have to manually answer that call. So you can't 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:58.539 just have the computer do it all by itself. The 00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.200 voice keyers are allowed, and I get a lot of 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.779 calls too about people asking me whether FT8 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:05.960 is allowed, because there is what's called the 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:08.779 auto sequence, where you'll start calling CQ, 00:21:09.140 --> 00:21:11.220 and you have to manually start that, so there's 00:21:11.220 --> 00:21:14.079 the contemporaneous, or the manual initiation, 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:17.440 so someone's actually starting that, it'll call 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:20.299 CQ, and then when somebody answers, it'll answer 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:23.440 it, and it'll go through the sequence, but that's 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:28.079 not... That is not prohibited. The regular WSJT 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:32.640 FT8 mode and FT4 modes are allowed as long as 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.339 the mode can support the exchange for field day, 00:21:35.380 --> 00:21:38.759 they're allowed and it's not considered automated 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:41.720 contact unless you are using some other software 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:45.180 that automates that so that when the first QSO 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:47.859 is done, it moves on to an external without any 00:21:47.859 --> 00:21:51.420 user initiation at all. It does that automatically. 00:21:51.740 --> 00:21:55.869 That's what's prohibited. Now you mentioned something 00:21:55.869 --> 00:21:59.890 we should probably emphasize too Although I think 00:21:59.890 --> 00:22:02.210 people are getting better at this now that they've 00:22:02.210 --> 00:22:05.910 had more experience with FT8, but You've got 00:22:05.910 --> 00:22:08.529 to support that exchange and if you just turn 00:22:08.529 --> 00:22:14.309 on WSJT and just run plain old FT8 those are 00:22:14.309 --> 00:22:18.210 not going to count so Kind of emphasize here 00:22:18.210 --> 00:22:22.920 the exchange in that Right, so yeah, so again, 00:22:23.240 --> 00:22:26.980 the exchange, you're exchanging your stations 00:22:26.980 --> 00:22:30.460 class and your ARL or radio amateurs of Canada 00:22:30.460 --> 00:22:33.859 section, which in the normal FT8 mode, it does 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:36.119 not do that. It's normally exchanging grid squares 00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:40.880 and the signal report. So there is a field day 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.920 mode in WSJT that supports the field day. So 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:48.390 it is built in. You just have to make sure you 00:22:48.390 --> 00:22:50.390 have that turned on. And I find that happens 00:22:50.390 --> 00:22:53.190 with a lot of other events, too, like our recent 00:22:53.190 --> 00:22:56.170 international digital contest. A lot of people 00:22:56.170 --> 00:22:58.349 weren't using contest mode. They were using just 00:22:58.349 --> 00:23:01.009 standard FT8 mode. And it confuses the heck out 00:23:01.009 --> 00:23:02.789 of everybody because they're not exchanging the 00:23:02.789 --> 00:23:07.250 right information. So make sure you've got that 00:23:07.250 --> 00:23:09.569 field day mode turned on if you're running field 00:23:09.569 --> 00:23:12.650 day. Otherwise, it's not going to count. You 00:23:12.650 --> 00:23:17.650 got to get that exchange in. Okay, let's see 00:23:17.650 --> 00:23:20.329 the other one that I have here and you'll have 00:23:20.329 --> 00:23:23.289 to correct me if I missed one I've got one more 00:23:23.289 --> 00:23:27.970 and that's for power output That the power output 00:23:27.970 --> 00:23:32.869 for classes A B and C Have a cap now. So talk 00:23:32.869 --> 00:23:36.789 a little bit about that. Oh Last the last couple 00:23:36.789 --> 00:23:38.910 years we limited a power output to every for 00:23:38.910 --> 00:23:41.049 every class regarding over goes with the classes 00:23:41.049 --> 00:23:45.339 Everything was 100 watts maximum. Well we actually 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:50.519 had a lot of the outlying groups out and set 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:52.559 up remotely out in the field, especially out 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:54.779 in like really remote places like, you know, 00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:57.180 parts of Alaska or Hawaii. They were finding 00:23:57.180 --> 00:24:00.180 that 100 watts just wasn't cutting it. They weren't 00:24:00.180 --> 00:24:03.539 really able to make it through. So for those 00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:05.859 stations, it's Class A, B, and C. Well, Class 00:24:05.859 --> 00:24:09.660 A and B are portable stations out in the field, 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:12.250 and Class C is mobile. But for Class A, B, and 00:24:12.250 --> 00:24:16.150 C, we're allowing 500 watts maximum. All other 00:24:16.150 --> 00:24:18.349 classes still remain at 100 watts maximum. So 00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:20.829 that's the home stations, which would be Class 00:24:20.829 --> 00:24:24.630 D and E, and that Class F EOC stations still 00:24:24.630 --> 00:24:30.130 remain at 100 watts. Okay, so do you need to 00:24:30.130 --> 00:24:36.230 watch that power output if you are running from 00:24:36.230 --> 00:24:41.599 home or the EOC? It is just 100 watts. But 500 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:45.440 otherwise. Okay. Any other changes here that, 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:51.000 uh, I missed or, or changes that aren't super 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.900 highlighted in the, in the rules? Well, this 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:56.640 is, this is an older change that happened at 00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:58.460 the beginning of the year that does affect field 00:24:58.460 --> 00:25:01.579 day and other, um, contests that support that 00:25:01.579 --> 00:25:05.609 have, um, ARRL or Radio Amateurs of Canada's 00:25:05.609 --> 00:25:09.430 sections as their exchanges and that last, starting 00:25:09.430 --> 00:25:12.150 on January 1st, the Radio Amateurs of Canada 00:25:12.150 --> 00:25:15.710 had changed their sections. So they actually 00:25:15.710 --> 00:25:17.789 split up the maritime section. So the maritime 00:25:17.789 --> 00:25:20.950 section no longer exists anymore. So now it's 00:25:20.950 --> 00:25:23.750 Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are their own sections 00:25:23.750 --> 00:25:25.769 and a couple years ago they actually split off 00:25:25.769 --> 00:25:29.049 Prince Edward Island. So be aware that there 00:25:29.049 --> 00:25:33.079 are different Canadian sections and I would Strongly 00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:35.240 recommended that if you're logging software needs 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:37.720 to be upgraded. I would absolutely upgrade it 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:40.339 I know a couple of the software authors have 00:25:40.339 --> 00:25:44.519 have new field day software updates that support 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:48.819 the new sections and Be prepared for some of 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:53.380 those other section abbreviations to change Like 00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:55.319 there used to be a section called Greater Toronto 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:58.019 area, which is now known as Golden Horseshoe. 00:25:58.059 --> 00:26:02.240 So you may here station still using the old abbreviation 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:06.640 and so I would definitely recommend going to 00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:08.619 the field day page and checking out the field 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:11.359 day packet there is a list of ARL RAC sections 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:14.500 on there that is current for this year so definitely 00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:16.519 familiarize yourself with that and make sure 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:21.160 that you update your login software. Okay and 00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:25.000 then last before we go to the break let's talk 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.759 a little bit about where to find all this information 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:34.440 for rules and, and how to submit those dupe sheets. 00:26:34.940 --> 00:26:38.920 All right. So, uh, let me see here, arl .org 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:43.039 slash field day is the, is the place to go. And 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:46.039 there's a whole bunch of information there. Um, 00:26:46.420 --> 00:26:48.400 so you'll look at, there's a resources and rules 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:51.160 section. And the thing I keep pointing to is 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:54.359 the 2023 field day packet that has everything 00:26:54.359 --> 00:26:56.059 you need to know about this year's field day. 00:26:56.269 --> 00:26:58.910 There's also some of those on that web page, 00:26:58.970 --> 00:27:01.089 some of those files are available separately 00:27:01.089 --> 00:27:04.630 too. So you can take a look at the summary sheet. 00:27:05.390 --> 00:27:08.329 If you want to enter by paper, there is stuff 00:27:08.329 --> 00:27:10.529 you can print out that you can mail in. But we 00:27:10.529 --> 00:27:15.289 really do recommend going to the online Field 00:27:15.289 --> 00:27:22.049 Day web app, which is field -day .arl .org. There's 00:27:22.049 --> 00:27:24.230 a link, there's a link. So it's confusing because 00:27:24.230 --> 00:27:27.769 there's two, there's arl .org slash field hyphen 00:27:27.769 --> 00:27:31.549 day and field hyphen day dot arl .org with the 00:27:31.549 --> 00:27:37.329 entry form is online and the easiest way to submit 00:27:37.329 --> 00:27:41.490 your entry is to do it online. It steps you through 00:27:41.490 --> 00:27:43.849 the whole process and you don't have to mail 00:27:43.849 --> 00:27:46.609 anything in. So it saves a lot of paper and a 00:27:46.609 --> 00:27:51.440 lot of stamps. And saves a lot of hours for Paul 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:57.220 Bork in 1SFE. Well, that too. I mean, but yes, 00:27:58.279 --> 00:28:01.579 the last couple of years we've had about 99 or 00:28:01.579 --> 00:28:07.319 so percent of entries online. You get an immediate 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:10.900 confirmation, and if there's any part of those 00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:14.799 entries that are missing, there's documentation 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:16.720 for certain bonus points you have to supply. 00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:19.400 If that's missing, it will tell you, hey, we're 00:28:19.400 --> 00:28:21.440 still waiting for this document. And you can 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:24.940 go back later and add it. And I encourage everyone, 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:28.119 if you're submitting online, you're going to 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:31.400 get a confirmation email. Take a good look at 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:32.799 it, because it will tell you a lot of things. 00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:34.720 Because I have a lot of stations that will submit, 00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:36.859 and they'll be missing something like the dupesheet 00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:39.839 or Kuvrilo file, depending on how you're logging. 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:43.279 But the dupesheet is basically a list of call 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:45.420 signs and stations who work sorted by band and 00:28:45.420 --> 00:28:47.960 mode. Well, we want to make sure that some effort 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:52.859 has been Attempted to make sure you don't work 00:28:52.859 --> 00:28:56.000 the same station Multiple times in the same band 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:59.200 and mode. So the dupe she is just really it's 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:01.279 not a full log It's just a list of stations you 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:04.680 worked on 20 meter phone 20 meter digital or 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:06.579 you know, whatever bands you worked So really 00:29:06.579 --> 00:29:08.700 what we want to see is that there was some some 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:11.240 effort taken that you to prevent that you've 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:15.720 worked the same station on the same band of mode 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:20.900 more than one time So a lot of stations Seem 00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:23.440 to forget to upload that and it will be like, 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:25.480 well, I submitted an entry. How come it's, how 00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:28.000 come I'm not seeing it being complete? Well, 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:30.079 that confirmation email will tell you all the 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:32.339 information that you need to upload to make that 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:37.359 entry complete. Okay. Very good. So Paul Bork 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:42.779 in one SFE is the ARRL contest program manager. 00:29:42.779 --> 00:29:45.319 And he's with us once again, talking about field 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:48.059 day. And we're going to talk about some more 00:29:48.059 --> 00:29:52.329 field day stuff. Right after this word from ICOM 00:29:52.329 --> 00:29:56.759 America, right here on HamTalk Live. Keep your 00:29:56.759 --> 00:29:59.319 contesting edge and be a Field Day leader with 00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:02.380 ICOM. Field Day is Amateur Radio's most popular 00:30:02.380 --> 00:30:05.099 event and is just around the corner. 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For more information about 00:32:29.460 --> 00:32:33.240 ICOM's amateur offerings, visit icomamerica .com 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:37.400 slash amateur. You're listening to Ham Talk Live, 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:40.740 the number one podcast amongst the podcasts with 00:32:40.740 --> 00:32:44.380 the words ham, talk, and live in the title. Here's 00:32:44.380 --> 00:33:03.720 your host, Neil Rapp. We are back. Welcome to 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:08.019 HamTalk Alive. Talking to Field Day tonight with 00:33:08.019 --> 00:33:11.700 Paul Bork in one SFE and we'll resume that in 00:33:11.700 --> 00:33:16.220 just a moment. But first, it's time once again 00:33:16.220 --> 00:33:21.319 for the N9 GSU Choke of the Week. Now it's time 00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:24.779 for the HamTalk Live Ham Radio Joke of the Week, 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:27.420 the part of the show where Rick tells us a ham 00:33:27.420 --> 00:33:30.680 radio joke. The HamTalk Live Ham Radio Joke of 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:34.119 the Week is brought to you by QRM Labs. Now, 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:38.180 here's Rick Garrett in 9GSU with today's HamTalk 00:33:38.180 --> 00:33:46.660 Live Joke of the Week. I decided to take my friend 00:33:46.660 --> 00:33:48.980 who had never been out of the big city camping 00:33:48.980 --> 00:33:51.559 for an overnight parks on the air activation. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:54.480 Well the mosquitoes were the worst I have ever 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:57.380 seen them. We kept lathering on bug repellent 00:33:57.380 --> 00:34:00.119 and still they came. Finally we saw lightning 00:34:00.119 --> 00:34:02.579 bugs my buddy says I give up. Now they've got 00:34:02.579 --> 00:34:06.859 flashlights. This has been the ham talk live 00:34:06.859 --> 00:34:09.519 ham radio joke of the week with Rick Garrett 00:34:09.519 --> 00:34:13.239 in nine GSU Tune in again next week for another 00:34:13.239 --> 00:34:20.119 joke from Rick Welcome back to ham talk live 00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:22.579 be sure to you check us out on Facebook Twitter 00:34:22.579 --> 00:34:26.739 and Instagram and tonight we are with Paul Bork 00:34:26.739 --> 00:34:32.380 in one SF II is the ARRL contest program manager 00:34:32.380 --> 00:34:37.969 and he as the, uh, in dubious role of being in 00:34:37.969 --> 00:34:41.650 charge of field day, uh, which is one of the 00:34:41.650 --> 00:34:45.789 biggest events, uh, in ham radio to be honest. 00:34:45.889 --> 00:34:49.769 And, uh, so he gets to, uh, to control the chaos 00:34:49.769 --> 00:34:54.150 here as much as possible. And, uh, so part of 00:34:54.150 --> 00:34:57.510 that chaos is finding a field day location. So 00:34:57.510 --> 00:35:00.829 Paul, if I want to go to field day, how do I 00:35:00.829 --> 00:35:05.639 figure that out? Okay well, several years ago 00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:08.579 the ARL added what's called the Online Field 00:35:08.579 --> 00:35:14.460 Day Station Locator. It's at www .arl .org slash 00:35:14.460 --> 00:35:18.760 field dash day dash locator and it actually will 00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:21.199 bring you up a map, you can search by location, 00:35:21.480 --> 00:35:24.260 it'll bring up a map of all the field days near 00:35:24.260 --> 00:35:26.639 you. This year there are currently, I'm looking 00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:29.679 at it right now, as of right now there are over 00:35:29.679 --> 00:35:32.369 1200 field day sites in the database. So there's, 00:35:32.489 --> 00:35:35.110 you know, you type in your, your location or 00:35:35.110 --> 00:35:39.250 even a call sign of a potential participant, 00:35:39.489 --> 00:35:42.409 a group that might have a say, I know club X, 00:35:42.409 --> 00:35:44.809 Y, Z call sign is this, I want to know where 00:35:44.809 --> 00:35:47.230 they're going to be. But the easiest way to do 00:35:47.230 --> 00:35:51.409 it is to type in your, your, your, your zip code 00:35:51.409 --> 00:35:54.989 or your location, it'll show you a bunch of field 00:35:54.989 --> 00:35:56.590 day locations near you. As a matter of fact, 00:35:56.670 --> 00:35:58.269 you know, I'm looking, I'm looking near you. 00:35:59.780 --> 00:36:03.579 All right. I have to be looking at that. 41091. 00:36:03.900 --> 00:36:07.219 There you go. Yeah, there you go. So then again, 00:36:07.480 --> 00:36:09.980 so the map was centered around the Cincinnati 00:36:09.980 --> 00:36:13.179 area, obviously, Northern Kentucky. So anyway, 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:16.920 is your group on there or are you doing some 00:36:16.920 --> 00:36:21.360 field day? Yeah. So I usually do two. K4CO is 00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:25.199 an independence, which is the one closest to 00:36:25.199 --> 00:36:29.699 me, I would believe. And then after I go there, 00:36:29.739 --> 00:36:32.280 then I run up to the Voice of America Museum 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:36.539 at WC8VOA up on the north side of Cincinnati. 00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:40.659 That's right. It's usually do operate there anyway. 00:36:41.039 --> 00:36:43.880 So yeah. So the, uh, the field day locator is 00:36:43.880 --> 00:36:47.760 a great, a great tool to use if you, if you're, 00:36:47.760 --> 00:36:50.619 uh, new to field day or maybe you haven't been 00:36:50.619 --> 00:36:53.099 to one in a while, you know, the last few years, 00:36:53.239 --> 00:36:56.179 things have been kind of, kind of, uh, not normal 00:36:56.179 --> 00:36:59.980 with, with, uh, was COVID -19 and all that stuff. 00:37:00.460 --> 00:37:04.079 So a couple of years ago, it was pretty much 00:37:04.079 --> 00:37:08.300 field day was not pretty much a home event. So 00:37:08.300 --> 00:37:12.119 there's a lot more groups operating out in the 00:37:12.119 --> 00:37:16.119 field. So there's plenty of opportunity to find 00:37:16.119 --> 00:37:20.099 a field day location near you. All right. So 00:37:20.099 --> 00:37:22.920 check out the locator and if you're entering 00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:28.059 the address, make sure you fill that out. completely. 00:37:29.019 --> 00:37:31.320 Well, yeah, I mean, there are. So one of the 00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:33.280 biggest challenges I have is that when a group 00:37:33.280 --> 00:37:37.139 or usually a club secretary or somebody, somebody 00:37:37.139 --> 00:37:40.239 delegated by a group that wants to put their 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:43.159 field in the locator will type in the name or 00:37:43.159 --> 00:37:45.500 type in their entry and they won't put the full 00:37:45.500 --> 00:37:49.119 address in and which causes the the mapping location 00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:51.719 not to be able to find it. And so it ends up 00:37:51.719 --> 00:37:53.699 putting putting them out in the middle of the 00:37:53.699 --> 00:37:56.849 Atlantic Ocean somewhere. And we know that's 00:37:56.849 --> 00:38:00.849 not where the field day is. So I know that on 00:38:00.849 --> 00:38:04.530 the field day locator, if you are one of the 00:38:04.530 --> 00:38:06.269 delegates from a club entering the information, 00:38:06.369 --> 00:38:08.349 make sure you put a full address in and make 00:38:08.349 --> 00:38:11.269 sure that that pin shows up on the map where 00:38:11.269 --> 00:38:12.909 it should be, at least close to where it should 00:38:12.909 --> 00:38:17.849 be. And the easiest way to do, when you get on 00:38:17.849 --> 00:38:20.630 the field day locator, if you have an ARRL .org 00:38:20.630 --> 00:38:24.039 website account, and you're logged in, it will 00:38:24.039 --> 00:38:29.519 default to your location that ARL has for your 00:38:29.519 --> 00:38:31.719 address. So it's nice because when I start up 00:38:31.719 --> 00:38:39.019 mine, it comes up with my area. Okay. So if you 00:38:39.019 --> 00:38:42.179 haven't submitted your Field Day location, make 00:38:42.179 --> 00:38:45.820 sure you do that so people can find out where 00:38:45.820 --> 00:38:52.199 Field Day is being operated this weekend. When 00:38:52.199 --> 00:38:56.559 people are submitting the forms and submitting 00:38:56.559 --> 00:38:59.539 the reports and the dupe sheets and everything, 00:39:00.079 --> 00:39:02.340 Paul, what are some of the common mistakes that 00:39:02.340 --> 00:39:06.059 people can look for to save you some headaches? 00:39:07.699 --> 00:39:12.119 One of the biggest challenges is that certain 00:39:12.119 --> 00:39:14.320 bonus points, if you're claiming certain bonus 00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:16.719 points, certain bonus points require some sort 00:39:16.719 --> 00:39:24.769 of documentation. a photo of your educational 00:39:24.769 --> 00:39:28.670 activity or, you know, some require documentation 00:39:28.670 --> 00:39:32.190 or like you copied the W -1AW bulletin. That's 00:39:32.190 --> 00:39:34.929 another one. If you're going to claim that bonus 00:39:34.929 --> 00:39:39.289 point, we want to see something that shows that 00:39:39.289 --> 00:39:41.030 you actually copied a bulletin. We're not looking 00:39:41.030 --> 00:39:43.730 for a perfect copy. A lot of people think it's 00:39:43.730 --> 00:39:45.489 like a code proficiency test if they're copying 00:39:45.489 --> 00:39:48.050 on CW. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just 00:39:48.050 --> 00:39:51.500 shows that you actually copied the W1AW message 00:39:51.500 --> 00:39:56.000 from W1AW. So one of the biggest things is bonus 00:39:56.000 --> 00:39:58.659 point proofs. We call it proofs. So make sure 00:39:58.659 --> 00:40:02.019 that you have uploaded something. And one of 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:04.840 the biggest challenges we have is if the files 00:40:04.840 --> 00:40:08.940 are really big, like file size, a lot of big 00:40:08.940 --> 00:40:11.929 files tend to not work really well. So try to 00:40:11.929 --> 00:40:14.849 keep your file sizes down. I think we want to 00:40:14.849 --> 00:40:17.670 see something under, you know, like three, four 00:40:17.670 --> 00:40:20.809 megabytes a document. And if you have a lot of 00:40:20.809 --> 00:40:24.010 big documents to upload, you can, I recommend 00:40:24.010 --> 00:40:27.710 doing them in several sessions where you upload 00:40:27.710 --> 00:40:29.670 one document, upload another one, because if 00:40:29.670 --> 00:40:32.469 you try to do too many of them, the site does 00:40:32.469 --> 00:40:37.010 not accept it. And so just be aware of the file 00:40:37.010 --> 00:40:39.329 sizes of the documents. We just really need something 00:40:39.329 --> 00:40:42.650 to be legible. It doesn't need to be, you know, 00:40:42.750 --> 00:40:44.610 high resolution or anything, which is going to 00:40:44.610 --> 00:40:45.949 be something legible or something that we can 00:40:45.949 --> 00:40:49.969 read or, you know, prove that you had proof of 00:40:49.969 --> 00:40:54.590 a bonus point that you're claiming. All right. 00:40:54.690 --> 00:40:57.230 Well, Paul, I think that's everything. Anything 00:40:57.230 --> 00:41:00.050 that you can think of that people should be aware 00:41:00.050 --> 00:41:04.760 of preparing for field day? Yes, so field day, 00:41:04.760 --> 00:41:06.639 of course, is the fourth weekend of June. So 00:41:06.639 --> 00:41:09.880 that's this coming weekend starts at 1800 UTC 00:41:09.880 --> 00:41:14.800 Saturday. And some groups who choose to, who 00:41:14.800 --> 00:41:17.420 don't choose to start setting up until 1800 can 00:41:17.420 --> 00:41:22.940 actually operate until 2100 UTC on Sunday. And 00:41:22.940 --> 00:41:27.219 so that's the field day period. There is a 30 00:41:27.219 --> 00:41:31.070 days or a month or 30 days from the from the 00:41:31.070 --> 00:41:33.610 event is when the entries are due. So you have 00:41:33.610 --> 00:41:38.630 until the end of the end of July. And so just, 00:41:38.630 --> 00:41:40.309 you know, hopefully you get out there and have 00:41:40.309 --> 00:41:42.989 fun and, you know, make sure you get those entries. 00:41:43.010 --> 00:41:47.969 And again, go to www .arl .org slash field dash 00:41:47.969 --> 00:41:52.429 day for all the all the info. And again, if you 00:41:52.429 --> 00:41:54.269 have any other questions, you can always just 00:41:54.269 --> 00:41:57.409 shoot me an email over at the contest branch 00:41:57.409 --> 00:42:03.809 at ARL at contests. dot arl .org or fdinfo fdinfo 00:42:03.809 --> 00:42:08.090 at arl .org. Okay, well that's how you can get 00:42:08.090 --> 00:42:13.050 a hold of Paul Bork, N1SFE at AWRL. Thank you 00:42:13.050 --> 00:42:16.869 so much for joining us tonight and talking a 00:42:16.869 --> 00:42:20.130 little bit about field day and hope to catch 00:42:20.130 --> 00:42:23.349 you on the air soon. All right, Niels, thanks 00:42:23.349 --> 00:42:25.489 for having me. A great, great, great, great being 00:42:25.489 --> 00:42:29.230 on the show again. All right. Well good luck 00:42:29.230 --> 00:42:33.349 everyone with your field day activities and hope 00:42:33.349 --> 00:42:37.389 you can get out and enjoy those this weekend. 00:42:37.570 --> 00:42:41.670 But that is a wrap for this edition of HamTalk 00:42:41.670 --> 00:42:44.550 Live. I'd like to thank my guest Paul Bork in 00:42:44.550 --> 00:42:47.230 1SFE and everybody out there in cyberspace for 00:42:47.230 --> 00:42:50.809 listening and invite you back next time and for 00:42:50.809 --> 00:42:53.469 a list of our upcoming guests go to HamTalk Live. 00:42:54.610 --> 00:42:58.769 So for now, this is Neil Rapp saying 73, 75, 00:42:59.349 --> 00:43:01.909 and may the good DX be yours.