07/09/2005 | KC0AHN This year the Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society of Wichita, KS based their field day at the Bob (KA0MR) and Mary Jo Bailey Ranch near Moundridge, KS in EM18. We had a 4A station, an awesome barbecue banquet and waffle breakfast, and all the normal Field Day obstacles to overcome. Every year, we learn a little better how to organize, operate, and eat to the highest levels of efficiency

Setup -
Dexter Schnebly helped set up....

10m & 15m Station - Steve Canfield and daughter ran the 15m station.

20m Station -
Dave Powers the usual sterling performance. I hope we figure out the IC-756 Pro II. Too many bells and whistles to get figured out in one day. Dennis Fredrickson. on 20m .

40m Station -
Dennis Gaskill & Gary Cowles on 40 m. Thanks to Sam Patton for helping me fight with my antennas....

PSK Station -
John Harford wrote some checks and did some PSK......I didn't get time to meet his wife...

Good grief! James Whitfield (N5GUI) took down his antenna at home and put it up with three masts, a bunch of work. Thanks for getting the PSK station going James. This year the BEARS operated a dedicated PSK station on 15M, 40M, and 20M. The station's antenna was a 100 foot dipole fed with 450 ohm ladder line. An antenna tuner was used to change bands, which was a very puzzling task until we realized that the antenna analyzer meter bounced crazily when the other BEARS stations were transmitting. The support for the antenna was new this year - three 37 foot tall double guyed masts, using eight "5 foot" steel TV mast sections for each mast. We were not able to practice raising the masts, however set up time was under an hour, needing only three people needed, though we had lots of supervision. A pulley was mounted at the top of each mast to raise and lower the antenna without having to take down the masts. Plans for next year have aready started to improve the station, antenna, and masts.

Satellite Station -
Bill Briles (W0OQC) and friend Greg Wycoff (N0ZHE), got all the points possible on satellite in about 3 hours.

GOTA Station and 6m Station -
Good Job to Jim Enix (KC0QIE), daughter Rachel, and Samantha Wing (KC0MTM) for manning the GOTA station. They were really hoping for some openings on 6 and 10m. The girls also were designated as club photographers.

Food

Don Urban (KB0BVX) put out the usual fine spread for field day eats and took care of us poor starving Hams. We were not starving after he got done with us. Thanks to Don Thomas (W0PEA), for breakfast on Sunday Morning (waffles). Our strategy for next year is less fiddling with antennas and get to the food earlier.

Speaking of my antennasI violated the Field day prime directive and brought an antenna that I had not tried. So! Two hours later and James' crimper I was on the air. I also think the antenna was too low, because I talked to every ham in OH, IL, And WI, but not many others. I may go back to a vertical for 40 next year. The 706 is a good FD radio, but needs a SSB filter to help it out.

Thanks to all others who helped out:
Thanks to Bob Bailey and family for putting up with us,
Jay and his Generator,
Terry Gattis on PSK and helping out with a myriad of other things,
Jeff Draughn and Lloyd Williams helped out where needed,
Randy Wing for totaling up the logs and submitting them.
And thanks to anyone else I missed.

- Dennis Gaskill -- KC0IFQ