Vintage AM Station at Field Day

[W9GT]

I will be taking a vintage AM rig out to our Field Day site again this year.  I did this several years ago and it was very well received and everyone enjoyed seeing the old 1947 vintage gear in operation.  We made quite a few contacts, as well.  

Hope to be successful again this year with the Fort Wayne Radio Club (W9TE).  We will be hanging out on 75 meters with the old John Meck T-60-1 transmitter and the National NC 2-40D receiver.  Look for us around 3870-3885, but we might be anywhere on the band working AM and AM-SSB cross mode.

I would greatly encourage others to do the same thing at your local Field Day operation.  It is loads of fun and allows many to see old gear and AM in operation.  I think the ARRL should consider adding an extra credit or a special class for operating vintage (pre-1960) gear at Field Day.  Much the same as they have allowed a "freebie" additional station for VHF or a "Get on the Air" station for beginners .   Hope to see you on the air this weekend.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[kb3ouk]

I had an idea to get on this weekend and just run AM only, not answering any calls from anyone who wasn't running AM. I might still try it.

[KB5MD]

I'm game...now to just quieten down all the QRN of summer time.  Sheeese what a mess

[The Slab Bacon]

CQ RAG CHEWERS ONLY, NO CONTESTERS PLEASE! ! !                                               

[W9GT]

Field Day is hardly comparable to other "contests".  It is certainly not my intent to offend anyone, Slab! I guess it would be a boring world if we all always agreed with each other.

I plan to introduce some of my interests in the hobby to others whom otherwise might never get to see "boatanchors" in action. 

Anyway, along with thousands of others, I plan to enjoy Field Day this weekend.  If you don't care to participate, that is up to you. 

Have a good day.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[W7TFO]

Jack,

Please take & post some photos of the setup for us here.

Thanks,

DG

[The Slab Bacon]

Actually, Jack, I am a very competant field day operator and have worked field day quite a few times with local clubs. I can usually do 2 or 3 operators worth of Qs by myself without a dupe man!! I actually enjoy the fast and furious pace.

But.............I much more enjoy a slower paced relaxed atmosphere. I usually post the "CQ ragchewers only, no contesters please" as kind of a "poke in the ribs" (Usually with the proverbial "szht eating grin") I have also been known to get on during a contest and call that same CQ  

Dont take offense, I didn't, just my orneryness poking through.   

[W3GMS]

I will be taking a vintage AM rig out to our Field Day site again this year.  I did this several years ago and it was very well received and everyone enjoyed seeing the old 1947 vintage gear in operation.  We made quite a few contacts, as well.  

Hope to be successful again this year with the Fort Wayne Radio Club (W9TE).  We will be hanging out on 75 meters with the old John Meck T-60-1 transmitter and the National NC 2-40D receiver.  Look for us around 3870-3885, but we might be anywhere on the band working AM and AM-SSB cross mode.

I would greatly encourage others to do the same thing at your local Field Day operation.  It is loads of fun and allows many to see old gear and AM in operation.  I think the ARRL should consider adding an extra credit or a special class for operating vintage (pre-1960) gear at Field Day.  Much the same as they have allowed a "freebie" additional station for VHF or a "Get on the Air" station for beginners .   Hope to see you on the air this weekend.

73,  Jack, W9GT

Jack,

Fantastic idea!  I would love to see some of the pictures of your vintage FD station.  I was just talking this morning to a bunch of my Antique Wireless friends saying how I would like to use one of my 30's vintage stations to work some CW during Field Day.  Maybe my Collins 4A along with an early HRO.  Like a lot of others, contest do not excite me, but a vintage FD setup could be a lot of fun. 

Enjoy....
Joe, GMS

[k4kyv]

ZUL Gerry ought to set up his broadcast transmitter mobile that he brings to Dayton every year somewhere for Field Day.  That would generate some attention!

[Pete, WA2CWA]

From the ARRL web site:
While some will treat it as a contest, most groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities.  It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to local elected community leaders, key individuals with the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.

[Knightt150]

Jack: I am very glad you are going to setup the old equipment, when I first did field day over 50 years ago that is all we had was vintage equipment, I just got out of the hospital and will not be able to go or see a FD operation this year How about some good posted pictures on the forum for us shutins.

John W9BFO

[kb3ouk]

I'm probably gonna try to operate some tomorrow, maybe around the top end of 40 meters or the AM window on 75, calling for field day but running AM. That should get some attention and not have too many people crowding around because what I remember from last time I ran field day, 75 was pretty much dead during the day, and I'd say people will probably avoid the top end of 40 because of the broadcasters.

[KL7OF]

10 meter AM should be easy if the band is open....It is not too crowded above 29000 kcs..

[Pete, WA2CWA]

From the ARRL web site
Abbreviated prop forecast:
The outlook for Field Day weekend, June 22-23, is for low sunspot numbers and quiet geomagnetic conditions. The progression of daily sunspot numbers in the past five days (June 17-21) was 96, 66, 64, 29 and 13. Predicted daily solar flux is just 95 for June 22-29...

[N8LGU]

I'll be running my Globe Scout 65 and HQ-110 atop the mountain outside of Parsons, WV. on 7290 kc. AM only. Hope to work some of you. The local FM'ers think I'm crazy! 

[K5UJ]

From the ARRL web site:
While some will treat it as a contest, most groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities.  It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to local elected community leaders, key individuals with the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.

The ARRL may put that line out there but from my experience with several clubs over the past 30 years or so it is a serious contest period.  They may as well just take sweepstakes, put the ops in tents and call it field day and there you have it.  The exchange is less complex.  Those are about the only differences. 

The first few years I was a ham I was involved with a couple of clubs and it was fun.  We went to a park somewhere in Memphis, cranked the generators, threw up a few tents and shot wires over trees and we were in business.  The rigs were second rate outdoor rigs--old SBE, Swan and Heathkits.  They were no frills simple to operate rigs.  Logging was pencils, dup sheets and paper logs. 

I quit doing anything for several years from around 1975 to early 1980s because I was in the Army or in civilian jobs but around 1981 or 1982 I went back for a Field Day with the old club.   It was night and day.   Gone were all the old rigs and simple ways of doing things.   They had crank up towers and beams and quads.  Trailers and then, rudimentary computer logging.  The rigs were fancy JA plastic radios with 100 buttons I could not figure out.   It was all about being seriously competitive and WIN WIN WIN!!!
I stuck it out but on Sunday instead of dropping wires, heaving the gens onto a trailer and wadding the tents and card tables into a van and being home in an hour, they spent all Sunday afternoon dismantling everything.   That did it for me with that club.

10 years later when I had moved up here I went to the local ham club meeting in November 1992.  I walked in and found the usual ham club meeting--a bunch of guys down in front, presumably the club officers, facing lots of middle aged guys siting in rows in folding chairs.  A fat guy with greasy black hair combed back was standing up and yelling at everyone telling them they had to use the distributed logging system and if they needed to hit the john, they had to let central operations control know on some 2 m. frequency so a fill-in op could be there to take over his position.  After a few minutes I figured out they were preparing for Field Day...six months ahead of time, and getting yelled at about it.   I turned around and left -- I found better things to do than Field Day.

[wd9ive]

K5UJ,

you hit the nail on the head, very well said.

[kb3ouk]

Thats why I've been doing it by myself instead of with the local cub, too complicated. Last time, I just dragged a rig outside, ran an extension cord out the door, threw some wire in a tree and went from there. Paper logs and everything. Today I might just go in the shack and fire up the rigs right from there, and do a computer log. But I'll mostly be on AM on 40 and 75.

[W1RKW]

I've never done a field day but have always wanted to do an AM field day on my own with something portable.

I did the club thing too when I first was licensed. I was persuaded by the people that administered my novice license in 1981 to join the club. It was very short lived because the experience was pretty much what Rob described. Everything was about the 2m repeater.  I never looked back.

If time permits this weekend I'll do a quick setup and run solar/battery AM with the Retro75 and Retro40 out in the back 9.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

pencils and paper logs; maybe squirrels on a treadmill running the generator

[kb3ouk]

I'm on 3890 right now, calling in and answering AM only at the moment.

[KX5JT]

pencils and paper logs; maybe squirrels on a treadmill running the generator

Pencil and Paper!!! LOVE IT!!! Pete has no sense of nostalgia

[K9PNP]

Jack:   Glad to see you will be on AM for field day.  Originally had the idea to take the AF-68/PMR-8/M-1070 PS out to our site.  Let's face it; it was a mobile rig in the day.  Unfortunately, it fell that I'm working a full tour today.  Would have been good to talk to you from the other diagonal corner of the state.  We have the mobile EOC trailer out for field day down here.  True, we have a portable tower, but it's a homebrew powered 'crank-up' that we tow behind a car or truck.  And when I went by the site on the way back to the station a little while ago, there was a lot of wire in the air.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

no pencils or paper but I'm not logging. guy next to me is. on 4th beer already. 15 is hot. lots of contacts. over

[W3RSW]

Go for it!
Don't forget to use the proper facilities (a few good trees) for reverse osmosis.