Field Day Wrap-Up 2018

Here’s a belated posting of the June Field Day results. Checking the ARRL Database, K6MMM had the highest 3A score in the SCV section, and K6MMM was #6 in the SCV section overall. Congratulations! — Kerry K3RRY. 

On July 6, 2018, members of the San Lorenzo Valley Amateur Radio Club met to discuss the results of Field Day 2018. During the meeting, John AC6SL presented his analysis of the club’s score of 3,736. Operations dominated in CW, SSB, and digital modes, including satellite contacts, with CW generating the greatest operations score of 1,428. However bonus points of 1,430 exceeded individual operations scores of all modes. John AC6SL was the top CW operator, Tom W6TJK was the top SSB operator, and Rich KE1B was the top digital operator. A plot by Rich KE1B of QSOs per hour showed the understandable dropoff during dinner and the early-morning hours.

The captain of the Phone Station, Tom W6TJK, thanked his team for overcoming numerous challenges during setup and observed that during operations SSB operators made the score. Tom especially thanks Robert KB6QXM for working through the noisy 80-meter conditions, and he would like to note the work of youth operator Beckett KM6DOR for his extra effort making the contacts. Here are Tom’s slides.

John KJ6ZL, captain of the Satellite Station, repeated his setup from last year. Although satellite passes were not ideal, the station made 34 contacts. John thanks JV K6HJU for providing an emergency Yagi antenna when one of the station’s antennas was damaged, and he appreciates the use of Kerry K3RRY’s utility trailer as a shelter.

Issues with the GOTA station’s trailer required falling back to Plan B and locating the station in a camping tent, which unfortunately provided little protection from either the heat or the light of the sun. Nonetheless, the 40-meter inverted-V antenna worked, and the station made 30 contacts. Sarah KM6PNA, president of the UCSC Ham Club, obtained the top GOTA score with 10 QSOs. Second place was held by Ian, the young grandson of Frank N6FW (SK) and Julie KC6DLE.

Rich KE1B collected the contact logs and submitted the Field Day Entry Form.