Join us for Field Day, this Saturday, June 25, and make a few contacts. This year we will have several radio stations on the air communicating with people around the world. Our special “Get on the Air” station is staffed by mentors who will show you how to use the equipment and how to contact other people throughout the United States. You also can visit the Satellite station and listen as we contact other radio amateurs through Earth-orbiting satellites that were designed and build by radio amateurs! At our Digital station we use text-message-like exchanges, but over the radio. At our Morse code station you’ll see people communicate using the dits and dahs of Morse code even today. And our HF (high frequency) station lets you watch a radio amateur “run a freequency,” quickly making one contact after another.
Location
CAL FIRE Training Center, 13575 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. (Directions. Note: if you are driving up Empire Grade from Santa Cruz, then you will go past CAL FIRE Station 31 at 7276 Empire Grade and continue another 6 miles to the CAL FIRE Training Center at 13575 Empire Grade where we have set up our radio stations. The entrance to the training center on the left side of the road looks like the photo above.) For a Google Map, go to the ARRL Field Day Station Locator, enter “K6MMM” in the Location or Call Sign field, and press the Search button to show our location on the map with a uniquely colored marker.
Frequencies
The local simplex frequency in and around the site will be 147.555 tone 94.8, ARES TAC 14, which is assigned to the SLV area. Questions about equipment positioning on Friday should be on that frequency. If you are one of the people towing a trailer, be on that frequency upon entering the gate. K6HJU will be the Logistics Chief for the positioning of the rigs. Call K6HJU for those questions.
For wide-area talk-in on Friday we’ll be using W6WLS (147.18 (+), PL 94.8. W6WLS is linked with KI6FKX in Salinas 147.27 (+), PL 94.8.
Schedule
Setup is on Friday. Actual Field Day operations begin at 11:00 AM on Saturday.
Saturday dinner is pot luck. Check the Pot Luck items tab of this spreadsheet to see what everyone else is bringing.
| Day | Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | On site to begin setup. Teams assembled. Bring your safety equipment, tools, sun protection, and your lunch and drinks for Friday. |
| Noon | Lunch. Bring your own cooler with drinks and your lunch. | |
| Evening | Pizza dinner privided by SLVARC. | |
| Night | Play with radios to enjoy. Make sure all is working AOK. | |
| Saturday | 11:00 AM | Start of Field Day |
| 6:00 PM | Potluck Dinner. Santa Cruz County Amateur Radio Club is subsidizing food for Saturday’s dinner. Bring your own potluck dish to share. Check the Pot Luck items tab of this spreadsheet to see what everyone else is bringing. | |
| Sunday | 11:00 AM | Collect logs from each station (thumb drives, backup drives) |
| Afternoon | After Field Day ends at 11:00 AM begin tear down and clean up | |
| 3:00 PM | Complete demobilzation |