The AM Forum

It occurred to me yesterday that I have heard nothing of Vintage Field Day.
For the last several years Electric Radio has suggested a "Vintage Field Day", a week or so earlier in June than the ARRL Field Day.
Did I miss it this year, or did it just not happen?

(http://www.eht.com/oldradio/arrl/sjra-vfd/SJRA-FD56-8.jpg)

I know ER has sponsored Vintage Field Day operation for several years with very limited participation.  Last year, I decided to take a vintage station to our local Field Day and demonstrate vintage radio and AM.  See the link: http://home.comcast.net/~w9gt/w9te.htm  We really had a ball and I received many great comments and pleas to come back again.  Many of the younger hams really enjoyed seeing the old station (and operator) work and the old timers got a real kick out of it. I would encourage anyone who is able to do something similar to try this at their own local Field Day exercises.  Maybe this will receive more support and participation than trying to promote a separate event.

73,  Jack, W9GT

I'll have to email Ray at ER and see what's up.

As for the vintage station at the ARRL version of Field Day, hey, that is a great idea Jack!
May be too late for me to do that locally, but some AM operation, and cool looking vintage gear, would be ideal to attract new folks to the hobby.
Old radios have so much more "presence" than new solid state stuff, people love the lights, glow of tubes, and turning the knobs.
I'll add that to my list for next year, good idea to keep in mind.

72 ES BTU Bruce W1UJR

The answer:

Hi Bruce
VFD was supposed to be June 2, but I don't think you missed anything. I didn't hear any activity on any band, made no contacts, and nobody has send me any photos!

73,
Ray, NØDMS
Electric Radio Magazine

Hmmmm,

I remember reading about Vintage Field Day in ER, years ago.  It might be cool to bring along the vintage stuff to the regular Field Day.  I don't know if I'll have the Cheyenne ready in time for next week.  Also, I have the MRAC (Milwaukee Radio Amateurs Club), pestering me to be a CW gun for them this year, ever since they found about about the high speed CW shenanigans I pulled last year at the Milwaukee Repeater Club's Field Day site.  I don't know - I've been thinking about doing Field Day, QRP Portable this year.  I'll have to think about this.

73,
Ellen - AF9J  

Every year used to be vintage field day for us. Up until we stopped doing field day about 6 years ago, we used to use my KWM-2 for our 80m fone station. It impressed many people to see the complete KWM-2 / 30L1 station set up at Cox's point state park. We used to rock and roll that band. One year Derb brought his SX-17 / Stancor setup and we ran 40m am with it all morning before the corntest started. It was a lot of fun.

Due to county budget cuts, Baltimore county did away with the night watchman at the park and we were no longer able to spend the night there. We had many great field days there. Not to mention tons and tons of good food!! (I was the cook as well)

                                               The Slab Bacon

Methinks it is on for this Sunday. The Military group is headed down to Brown's (WA1NZR's) military island fortress in RI to set up. You would think that somebody would be announcing this activity.

Mike WU2D

(http://www.arnewsline.org/images/stories/Paulwa3vjb.jpg)

BAH, no stinking junior Collins models for moi !

Real ops haul big metal out in the field.

Real Vintage Field Day - link from John K2TQN's site -> http://www.eht.com/oldradio/arrl/sjra-vfd/index.html


(http://www.eht.com/oldradio/arrl/sjra-vfd/SJRA-FD56-19.jpg) (http://www.eht.com/oldradio/arrl/sjra-vfd/SJRA-FD56-16.jpg)

Hey Paul, Looking at that picture, I'm noticing the hair and moustache WITHOUT any grey??? I guess you were a bit younger when you lugged the "big metal"?? ;D ;D

Strictly distortion added in the PhotoShop software.
I have no control over that.
huh-HA !!

Okay, here's a field mobilization, here, I am using an HT600 as part of a special wireless link to a 30L1, so there ...

(http://amfone.net/mkportal/k3l05/Firstorm1.gif)
(http://amfone.net/mkportal/k3l05/k3lSPAM.jpg)

By the looks of that sky in the background you may have been calling "help Cecil Help" for someone to get your butt off of the lighthouse before you get clobbered with a nasty storm.

Was that from one of the K3L endeavors??

Oh, yea, speaking about K3L, about those QSLs............................

I found this picture of me doing Field Day at Bell Labs Crawford Hill, in 1969 or 70. Picture was taken at around 6AM. My shift started at 5AM; of course after I spent Saturday evening to the wee hours of the morning, partying at the local hot spot. This set up was the 2M, 6M(HW-10, Swawnee, in clear view; 2 M stuff on top) and 20 M equipment facing me. I have no clue or memory what equipment was in front of me at that time. I have no idea who the female person is in the picture; I don't think I brought her; I think she was there already(?).

We set up under the opening of the horn antenna. 6 and 2 meter beams and rotor were lashed to a mast and the mast was lashed to the vertical wheel of the horn when the horn opening was almost pointing upward. We then rotated the entire structure so that the horn opening would face downward and the mast (with the antennas and rotor mounted on it) would then be vertical on top of the horn. This thing turned as slow as grass growing. There was at least one or two more HF setups for 75 M and one for 40 M or Novice.

(http://amfone.net/Amforum/gallery/25_20_06_07_4_25_03.gif)

(http://amfone.net/Amforum/gallery/25_20_06_07_4_32_41.jpg)

Hair was big in late 60's and 70's:
(http://www.costumesinc.com/Costumes/images/medium/53793.jpg)

(http://stylebubble.typepad.com/style_bubble/images/hair2_1.jpg)

Pete!
You remember intimate details about the antenna and its performance but nada about the YL?

Maybe hamsexy.com is correct about us......

It’s hard to grasp the magnitude of the size of that horn antenna as our Field Day antenna mounting structure. Getting those antennas up, and then taking them down, is something that’s hard to forget. YL names and/or “situations”, when you’re 25-year-old male, are easy to forget unless they were memorable.