ARRL Field Day

United We Stand

Brainerd Area Amateur Radio Club

ARRL Field Day... June 28 - 29, 2003

The Brainerd Area Amateur Radio Club participated in the Annual ARRL Field Day. Club members will gather at the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area near Crosby-Ironton. This is the same location as last year. Thanks to Steve Weber WØTNT and the DNR (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) for making possible our stay at the site.

	Dan AAØNK on 20-meter sideband. Some of the crew: Shirley KCØDCW, Terry KIØFW, Al WØRC, Jim WØJDS, Jim WAØAXB, Mark WØMH, and Marv WØYHE Click on each photo for a better/larger view.
	Terry KIØFW on VHF from his camper/trailer Paula WØHA and Roger WØWUG on HF Click on each photo for a better/larger view.
	Terry KIØFW and Jim WAØAXB spot a storm approaching. It got interesting for a while, but most of the rain fell elsewhere. Click on each photo for a better/larger view.
	John WØJGY on HF. What would a Field Day be without a camp fire? Click on each photo for a better/larger view.
	Marv WØYHE on CW. When the storm cleared, a rainbow appeared. Click on each photo for a better/larger view.
	Saturday gave us a beautiful sunset. Meanwhile, Art NØTNJ was on CW. Click on each photo for a better/larger view.

BAARC participation in the annual ARRL field day concluded at 2:30 PM on Sunday the 29th with the Tower and Communications trailers winding their way down from the Mahnomen overlook in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area near Ironton.

BAARC operated 2 stations this year, one HF voice and one CW. Using the WØUJ 2A call sign, a total of nine operators logged 470 contacts. Al made the first HF contact at 1 PM on Saturday as well and was also responsible for rebuilding and installing the rotor and beam antenna that was used.

Kudos to Art NØTNJ and Marv WØYHE who combined to make 328 CW contacts. HF operators Dan AAØNK, Jim WØJDS, Mark WØMH, Roger WØWUG, John WØJGY, and Marv logged 135 voice contacts. Terry KIØFW added 7 more call signs to the log on 2M simplex.

In addition to the operators already mentioned, several BAARC members assisted with the set up and take down of the trailer, the tower, and the antennas. These included, Al WØRC, Jack WØJEM, Alan AAØAS, Steve WØTNT, Jim Barry WAØAXB, and Shirley KCØDCW. Paula WØHA as an experienced scout and all-round wood-gatherer, provided invaluable service at the camp fire on Saturday. Lyle KØLR and Kathy KØTHY visited on Sunday.

The set up and operation of the trailer and portable tower provided good experience, good fellowship, and training for those participating. Some needed repairs and maintenance on the portable tower were also discovered.

The severe weather spared our field day location, but provided some spectacular close-up views of the storm cell as it passed by. Mark WØMH was able to get some pictures of the storm as well as a spectacular rainbow that followed. Some of those photos are on the BAARC website. 73's to all who helped this year, and a special thanks to Steve WØTNT and the Minnesota DNR for the site preparation and accommodations. Submitted by Jim Shubert, WØJDS (formerly KCØANQ)

Jim Shubert KCØANQ, BAARC V.P. and Program Chairman.

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