Winter Field Day 2018

2018 Winter Field Day – Final Report and Thoughts for Next Year

The NSARC Winter Field Day team met on April 12 at the Chinese restaurant close to the site where its members had shivered their way to the highest score in Canada west of Ontario in January.  Our final score was 5064 after review by the organizers’ computer that found 3 “Busted” CW Contacts, 2 “Not In Log” CW contacts, and 1 “Not In Log” phone contact.  Before adjustment by the organizer per our plea, our official score had been much lower because the “soapbox” section of the log file we submitted did not include a claim for our bonus points for being outdoors, not at a home, and using non-commercial power.  We made our bonus points claim on our entry; the lesson learned here is that the claim must be made in both places.  We hope to use computer logging next year to avoid the difficulties of writing with frozen fingers and will pay closer attention to recording outgoing signal reports which may have caused the “Busted Contact” discrepancies.  We aren’t all comfortable with sending 59[9] regardless of actual signal quality.

The team’s expenditures of NSARC money were:

$75 fee to have our insurance certificate annotated to list MVRD as additional insured

$30 for hazard-marking cones

$56 for duffel bags to repack the club’s tent

Two team members created a tent setup diagram and instructions ahead of the event which helped immensely.  Those instructions are now laminated and stored with NSARC’s 10 x 20 -foot tent inside the new duffel bags.  We hope to find a sturdier shelter for next year’s event.

One “fortune” revealed at our dinner said “You will be inspired to new heights of accomplishment” which may portend that our antenna halyards next year will installed by a bicycle tire pump instead of a slingshot band.  If this makes absolutely no sense at first read, take a look at http://www.antennalaunchers.com/antlaunching.html

The team is happy that its experience this year aligned well with the mission of Winter Field Day – to have a fun event that exercises and builds the communications skills that will be needed in a regional emergency under adverse weather conditions.  The WFD Team thanks the club for its support and invites more club members to participate next year.