So.....

Who will be participating in this years Field Day?!

I definately plan to be operating....

SSB During the day, and switching to the digital modes at night..
40m for me works great with DX, not so much for the stateside stations. I think my radiation angle is to high, It is a non resonate verticle with a balun and no way to connect radials to it as far as I know. Though I wonder what would happen if I got a bunch of metal screen and just threw it down in the grass.

I keep meaning to get a 40/80M dipole at least to run along the fence but have too many other projects going on!


Would love to get some RTTY in, but it was dead last year. So mostly plan to do FT4 and FT8 for the points.

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So.....

Who will be participating in this years Field Day?!

I will kinda be ....
I am the Southern Florida, SFL, SEC. I have 14 counties all the way to Key West. So I will be visiting as many Clubs as Possible to say hello and to give them the extra points for ARRL Leadership.

de K4JTT

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Rug Rat wrote to All <=-

I definately plan to be operating....

I will be with myclub I helped found (Northeast Tennessee radio Community: https://netrc423.org). I don't have a station at home right now but
hopefully soon.

SSB During the day, and switching to the digital modes at night..
40m for me works great with DX, not so much for the stateside stations.
I think my radiation angle is to high, It is a non resonate verticle with a balun and no way to connect radials to it as far as I know.
Though I wonder what would happen if I got a bunch of metal screen and just threw it down in the grass.

I'll probably be using my 40 meter Tek-Tenna in its "sirectional dipole" configuration.

I keep meaning to get a 40/80M dipole at least to run along the fence
but have too many other projects going on!

So many projects, so little time.

Would love to get some RTTY in, but it was dead last year. So mostly
plan to do FT4 and FT8 for the points.

I once ran PSK31 and Olivia 16/800 (I think?) and made some contacts there.

I can't wait to move somewhere where I have a small backyard and can put up
my Mosley RV-4C vertical (10-40m w/80m coil). 33 feet tall, works well.
I'd love to put up my 135' EFHW with a 9:1 balun but I doubt I'll find a
place big enough for that.

73 DE KS4TD,
Sean

... If things get better with age...I must be magnificent!

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On Fri 12-Jun-2026 7:38a, Ricky Deluco@1:135/382.0 said to Rug Rat:

So.....

Who will be participating in this years Field Day?!

I will kinda be ....
I am the Southern Florida, SFL, SEC. I have 14 counties all the way to Key West. So I will be visiting as many Clubs as Possible to say hello and to give them the extra points for ARRL Leadership.

de K4JTT

Sounds like a busy day.. I will have to grab your email address from QRZ, and even though you are not the NFL SEC, I can send you a RadioGram through Winlink to get those points... :D

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Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Sean Dennis to Rug Rat on Fri Jun 12 2026 23:12:22

I can't wait to move somewhere where I have a small backyard and can put up my Mosley RV-4C vertical (10-40m w/80m coil). 33 feet tall...

Good luck with that. Small backyards usually equate to suburban areas where such antennaes are either frowned upon or banned by the city or HOAs. You'd do better in a rural area.
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Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Sean Dennis to Rug Rat on Fri Jun 12 2026 23:12:22

I think my radiation angle is to high, It is a non resonate verticle with a balun and no way to connect radials to it as far as I know.
Though I wonder what would happen if I got a bunch of metal screen and just threw it down in the grass.

Don't know your locale, but if you can work the UK, you should talk to Jov (a.k.a., Dave) around 7140khz. He's on most evenings from 0100-0400 UTC. He's very antennae savy. Maybe he can help.
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On Sat 13-Jun-2026 2:04p, Mortar M.@1:124/5016.0 said to Rug Rat:

Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Sean Dennis to Rug Rat on Fri Jun 12 2026 23:12:22

Don't know your locale, but if you can work the UK, you should talk to Jov (a.k.a., Dave) around 7140khz. He's on most evenings from 0100-0400 UTC.

LOL, why don't you get him hooked up on Telnet and get him on the net.. :)

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Sounds like a busy day.. I will have to grab your email address from
QRZ, and even though you are not the NFL SEC, I can send you a RadioGram through Winlink to get those points... :D

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Winlink .. K4JTT. I will respond

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Less than 2 more weeks!

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Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Rug Rat to Mortar M. on Sat Jun 13 2026 15:19:32

Don't know your locale, but if you can work the UK, you should talk to
Jov (a.k.a., Dave) around 7140khz. He's on most evenings from 0100-0400 UTC.

LOL, why don't you get him hooked up on Telnet and get him on the net.. :)

Ah, you know him. ;)
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Who will be participating in this years Field Day?!

Not me. I don't do well outdoors, as I can sunburn in 10 minutes,
and am allergic to stinging insects. With the way the weather has
been here lately, I may instead be involved with Skywarn operations.

Daryl, NK5LA

... As Zeus said to Narcissus, Watch yourself.
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On Tue 16-Jun-2026 7:21p, Daryl Stout@1:19/33.0 said to Rug Rat:

Who will be participating in this years Field Day?!

Not me. I don't do well outdoors, as I can sunburn in 10 minutes,
and am allergic to stinging insects. With the way the weather has
been here lately, I may instead be involved with Skywarn operations.

Daryl, NK5LA

Well you can still operate from your house...
Which is what I will be doing in Florida. I just hope we are thunderstorm free or I will be running in and out alot putting up and taking down the antenna.. :)

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Daryl Stout wrote to Rug Rat <=-

Daryl, NK5LA

I thought you went back to your orignal callsign? I know you were talking about it when you were still WX1DER.

-- Sean KS4TD

... Sometimes when it's quiet, you can hear the brain cells die.

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Rug Rat wrote to Daryl Stout <=-

Which is what I will be doing in Florida. I just hope we are
thunderstorm free or I will be running in and out alot putting up and taking down the antenna.. :)

I just discovered my ham radio club made no plans for Field Day.

Unfortunately, I am not surprised at this.

-- Sean KS4TD

... The "Any" key? See the one in the back marked "Power"?

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On Wed 17-Jun-2026 2:37p, Sean Dennis@1:18/200.0 said to Rug Rat:

I just discovered my ham radio club made no plans for Field Day.

Unfortunately, I am not surprised at this.

-- Sean KS4TD

So many responses, so little time.... :)

Ham's do tend to be some of the wrost marketers around.

For instance, going to a fair and stopping by the ham radio booth and a woman trying to sell the hobby by saying the gentleman already a radio in his pocket, his cell phone.. (Yes I know this is an analogy that is used offen, and I know comparing something that looks complex to something simple is a valid teaching meathing <I use it all the time.>, but it is a TERRIBLE marketing tool! For one simple reason.. Why would I need something you so eliquently told me I already have.. Moving right along.....

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Well you can still operate from your house...
Which is what I will be doing in Florida. I just hope we are
thunderstorm free or I will be running in and out alot putting
up and taking down the antenna.. :)

Unfortunately, we're supposed to have thunderstorms here every
day through the end of June. When there's a threat of severe weather,
I end up operating The Weather Watch Net with Arkansas Skywarn (R)...
which is the ONLY RF that I have here. Everything else is "internet
radio", but at least my license isn't just a sheet of paper.

Daryl, NK5LA

... Feel the lightning charge?? Bend over, and kiss your butt goodbye.
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Sean,

Daryl, NK5LA

I thought you went back to your original callsign? I know you
were talking about it when you were still WX1DER.

Well, I did at one time. But, I was talking with Dan, N7UVI, before the Trains Net that I do every Friday (weather permitting) on theQuadNet
Array, and the discussion got around to train horns...specifically, the
Nathan K5LA horns that were designed for Amtrak trains 50 years ago. I
thought "that'd be a neat call to have"...so, I checked, and it had never
been issued (which to me, made it a novelty, plus it has a better rhythm
on CW).

I got permission from Mike Yuhas, AB9ON, to use a photo of Amtrak's
Silver Meteor, northbound, between West Palm Beach and Mangonia Park,
Florida, for the new QSL and eQSL cards (which you can see on my QRZ bio,
along with an AI of me in my Train Conductors Outfit, done by John Seymour, KD4YVV). I'll be mailing these out late next week, and you're "on the list"
for one of them. :)

The call stands for "Nathan K5LA" -- and on YouTube, Mike Washington (CoasterFan2105) has a 15 minute video on these horns on Amtrak trains. It
is in tribute to my late uncle, K3VRM (SK), who was the youngest engineer
hired on by the Penn Central Railroad...and the only other amateur radio operator in the family. He gave me my love of ham radio and trains...and he
was the main reason I do the Trains Net each week (again, weather permitting). First time checkins can request a commemorative certificate via email. I did keep my original callsign there, as it's a forwarder to my main email, which
is one of my former callsigns.

If YL's and XYL's can change their minds, us OM can do so as well (hi hi).

73,

Daryl, NK5LA

... Try to beat a train to a railroad crossing, and you'll be DEAD WRONG!!
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Rug Rat wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

For instance, going to a fair and stopping by the ham radio booth and
a woman trying to sell the hobby by saying the gentleman already a
radio in his pocket, his cell phone.. (Yes I know this is an analogy
that is used offen, and I know comparing something that looks complex
to something simple is a valid teaching meathing <I use it all the
time.>, but it is a TERRIBLE marketing tool! For one simple reason..
Why would I need something you so eliquently told me I already have.. Moving right along.....

I tell people that their smartphone is a two-way radio with a computer attached. That gets them thinking.

-- Sean KS4TD


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Daryl Stout wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

If YL's and XYL's can change their minds, us OM can do so as well (hi hi).

That's a nice backstory to your callsign... better than mine. LOL

For those who don't know, my initials are STD (yes, go ahead and laugh, I do also; my mother tells me that "that didn't have a negative connotation when I named you"). When I tell people what my initials are, they never forget me.
XD

-- Sean KS4TD


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Daryl Stout wrote to Rug Rat Subject: Re: Field Day 2026

Who will be participating in this years Field Day?!

Not me. I don't do well outdoors, as I can sunburn in 10
minutes, and am allergic to stinging insects. With the way the
weather has been here lately, I may instead be involved with
Skywarn operations.

You can do FD from he home station. 1D is a popular mode. FT8
will be very active or you can do SSB or CW.

Al Kaiser n1api@cox.net <=-

'Til we write again...

Al Kaiser - Meriden, CT, 26-Jun-2026 at 7:18.
Fido : 1:142/926 - Internet : n1api@cox.net

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Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Sean Dennis to Daryl Stout on Wed Jun 24 2026 18:14:03

When I tell people what my initials are, they never forget me.

At least they don't avoid you...or do they? ;)
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Well, conditions are pretty bad, at least for me.

How about others?

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Well. 8.5 hours in and I have only made 55 contacts.

Very very disapointed. Though we still have 40 meters to work and FT4, so hopefully I can get the total count up and at least beat last years score!

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Mortar M. wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

At least they don't avoid you...or do they? ;)

No, it's helped me more than hurt me. I was bullied as a kid about it but these days, it's a funny way to make sure people remember me.

-- Sean

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Rug Rat wrote to All <=-

Very very disapointed. Though we still have 40 meters to work and FT4,
so hopefully I can get the total count up and at least beat last years score!

We had severe weather here so we gave up on FD this year. I am hoping to be able to have a nice little HF set up here sat home and I'll work FD from home because, as much as I love being outside wih my club working FD, I physically cannot handle the heat anymore. The last Field day I ran alone was in 2018.

-- Sean KS4TD

... WinErr 019: User error: not our fault. Is not! Is not!

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On Sun 28-Jun-2026 1:53p, Sean Dennis@1:18/200.0 said to Rug Rat:

because, as much as I love being outside wih my club working FD, I physically
cannot handle the heat anymore. The last Field day I ran alone was in 2018.

Yeah, it is nice being able to sit inside your house with the AC on :)

I think for next year I want to save up and rent and RV and go to a campsite or find a place I can run the Genset for 24 hours....

I will post more detailed stats later, but I did end up doing slightly better than last year! 345 poings vs. 314 from 2025. With the bonus points of copying the ARRL bulliten, sending a RADIOGRAM to the area 4 Section manager, and sending 10 Radiograms via Winlink I should have 645 points..

I even ended up working Indonesia, Japan, Italy, and Mexico (there were other Indonesian stations calling, but were not sending a FD echange. So we had to skip them.)

I ended up going to bed at 0630, and intended to get up at 1030, but ended up murdering the alarm and forced myself out of bed at 1200.

All and all, I have to be happy with what I was able to do, but it was definatly beter last year!

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Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Rug Rat to All on Sat Jun 27 2026 15:31:27

Well, conditions are pretty bad, at least for me. How about others?

Would be more meaningful if you gave your location. Anyway, out PA way, 40m was bumper-to-bumper QSOs, even at Midnight.
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My location is NFL.

Oh, I could hear plenty of activity on 40! My problem is while my vertical works great for DX on 40 (I can work Europe with ease), it does not do so well for local contacts. Next year I either need to get my rotatable ham stick dipole up for 40 / 80, or find a way to get a dipole up in my back yard.

20 Meter phone was noisy as hell all day, with wild QSB..

I did really well at night when I went to digital though. There were even a few Indonesian and Japan stations getting in the game. If it wasn't for FT4/FT8 it would have been slim pickins

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Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Rug Rat to Mortar M. on Mon Jun 29 2026 15:50:54

My location is NFL.

Your with the National Football League?
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On Tue 30-Jun-2026 10:27a, Mortar M.@1:124/5016.0 said to Rug Rat:

Re: Re: Field Day 2026
By: Rug Rat to Mortar M. on Mon Jun 29 2026 15:50:54

My location is NFL.

Yes sir! :)

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Finnaly got the logs compiled! I know 3 days later seems a bit strange.
The delay was partially due to lazyness (Though not quite as lazy as my first FD attempt, where I did not submit at all!) and partially for needing to mentally step back and take a break from anything related to Field Day for a bit.

As promissed here is my submission summary.

Call Used: KF6HDJ GOTA Station Call: (NONE) ARRL/RAC Section: NFL Class: 1D

Participants: 1 Club/Group Name: (none)

Power Source(s): Commercial

Power Multiplier: 2X

Preliminary Total Score: 740 - (Additional 300 points pending bonus documentation)

Bonus Points:
Formal message to ARRL SM/SEC 100 - Pending documentation
W1AW Field Day message 100 - Pending documentation
Formal messages handled (10 x 10, max of 100) 100 - Pending documentation
Entry submitted via web 50
Total bonus points 350

Score Summary: (Pending Cabrillo log/dupe sheet)
CW Digital Phone Total
Total QSOs 0 145 55
Total Points 0 290 55 345 Claimed Score = (QSO points x power mult) = 690

Submitted by: Brent P. Hendricks, KF6HDJ brent_hendricks@yahoo.com

Band/Mode QSO Breakdown:
CW Digital Phone
QSOs Pwr(W) QSOs Pwr(W) QSOs Pwr(W)
160m
80m
40m 3 100
20m 142 100 43 100
15m 10 100
10m 2 100
6m
2m
222
432
Other
Satellite
GOTA
TOTAL 0 145 55

So, where do I think I cam make improvements for Winter Field Day (If I choose to participate. I kind of had a falling out with the organizers over a rule I think is poorly written and their response to me mentioning it.).

While my vertical works well for the high bands, it SUCKS on 40/80 (Local. DX it works like magic.). I need to get an additional antenna, either a dipole I can at least put along my fence line, or a rotatable dipole made out of HAM sticks. It may not be the greatest, but it will at least be something to mitigate the poor performance on the lower bands.

I really wish the ARRL would not allow FT4/FT8 for Field Day. I know this would piss a lot of people off, but while the mode is suitable for Field Day, it is completely useless to send traffic in an actual Emergency other than a digital propagation test/meter. This is supposedly a Emcomm excercise and not a contest. There are modes that work similarly that can be used in an actual emergency such as JS8CALL. I know this sounds hypocritical since the majority of my QSOs this year was logged with FT4/8, but one must do what one must do!

73

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