SUBJECT: Field Day Antennas & Equipment. Part one

This is an eight part series and will conclude in April so that anyone
building these antennas or preparing for Field Day will have enough 
time.

FIELD DAY OVERVIEW:  There are many stories from field day events that
new amateurs hear from rain, wind, and rotten luck to the day the team
made the top 10% in the class.  Field day is not a contest but it is
hard to tell with some clubs or groups.  For point chasers, total HF 
QRP CW will bring in the big points.  Of course, excellent antennas
are a must to make the QRP CW work in a sea of Amateurs. There so many
combos of point gathering that it could make your head spin. One
year I made a full size 40m 2ele beam and under poor conditions we
racked up over 800 points on SSB alone at 100w.  CW pulled in another
600 which was over 40% of our total score. We had the E.F.Hutton
station on 40m. When our station talked everyone listened. BTW, it 
took two people to move the beam to a new bearing. :)

Field Day is actually an event to see just how well amateurs can put 
together an emergency communications field station and make as many
contacts as possible in a twenty-four hour period.  Hurricane Andrew
taught us the value of Field Day here in Florida.  So when you
get out to participate in Field Day, think of what it would be like
to have no commercial power, little or no water, food, cover, and
help. It's just you and your ham friends providing the only local 
communications link to the rest of the USA.  When disaster happens
no one knows the date in advance. So keep these designs and ideas
and prepare now.  Keep them in a kit that you can grab in a moments
notice. When disaster strikes, you're ready!  As for the Field Day
event, all you'll have to do is show up with your kit. 

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NOTE: All of the following in this series is based on no commercial
power or facilities.  If these are available to you, treat them as
a plus.


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EQUIPMENT

    Transceivers
              o  2m (144-148){All mode & FM} [Mobiles, HTs] 
                        o PACKET with laptop & software
                        o Simplex operation
                        o HTs for local comm at the site
                        o Satellite work
              o  HF (80/75m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 10m) [DC powered rigs]
                 *CB mobiles for the real McCoy-Not everyone is a 
                 ham when disaster happens. 
              o  Hi VHF and UHF for SAT work or simplex

    Receivers
              o  Scanners for local emergency reception
              o  AM/FM Commercial band (540-1610 kHz,88-108 MHz)
              o  DC powered Television.

    Gen HF
              o  Tuners
              o  SWR bridge

    Power
              o  Batteries - deep cycle 12vdc (trolling motor type or
                 the type used in golf carts)
              o  Solar Cells for recharging batteries
              o  Small generators ( don't forget the fuel )
              o  Battery chargers to operator off the generators
              o  Power supplies to operate off the generators
              o  Wind generators (pray for a good wind which usually 
                 comes with the rain)
              o  Large generator (if possible)

    Supports

              o  Crank-up towers
              o  Push-up masts
              o  Sling shot and/or bow and arrow, fishing line
                 (There maybe a tree or pole handy)
              o  Tower sections (Like Rohn 20/25)

    Coax (stick with coax for this event unless you have a clear shot
         to the rig)
              o  Jumpers
              o  RF runs (that actually reach the antenna without moving
                 the rig.

    Misc
              o  Safety Belt
              o  Rain coat
              o  First Aid kit
              o  Water
              o  Packaged, ready-to-eat food
              o  Gum
              o  A hat and bandana (sun and sweat) or prepare for
                 cold weather for the real McCoy.
              o  Toilet paper (sometimes lots of it because no one
                 else remembers)
              o  Pencil, notebook, and a calculator(solar powered,
                 when does a battery go bad?)
              o  Extention cords
              o  Soldering iron and solder
              o  Toolbag with the right tools this time :)
              o  Extra connectors (PL259 males, bullets, barrels, 
                 elbows, BNCs etc, etc.)
              o  Mosquito repellent (SLAP!! "Oh!, sorry Bob." A must!)
              o  Asprin or equal (For the five a.m. headache)
              o  Imodium D for the green-apple two step from too much
                 coffee by 10 a.m. Sunday
              o  Coffee (I forgot) and accompanying equipment.
              o  Plop plop fizz fizz  if you have a headache and upset 
                 stomach from the rain, wind, and rotten propagation, 
                 not to mention the two day old pizza you're still 
                 nawing on. <burp>  uhhhhhh. "Field Day, Field Day from
                  ... from ... <in the background> What the hell is the 
                 call we're using this year?  And someone check Bob. He
                 hasn't made a contact since I slapped that mosquito on
                 his forehead!"


Next:  Some antennas and a kit you can make.



-WS