07/04/2005 | W4WJF What do you do when the club you operated Field Day with in 2004, announces that for Field Day 2005 its not all about making contacts? This is after setting a club record in 2004 for the most contacts ever made?

Well, after scratching our heads, several local operators decided to put together a last minute "pirate" FD operation on a local hilltop. Operators were contacted, equipment was acquired, a site was selected, and a plan was formulated, all with less than two weeks notice. The plan came together very quickly and before we could blink, it was Field day.

The tent was assembled, laptops networked, generator prepped, and stations setup by noon, but the wire antennas proved to be biggest challenge. After several attempts the wire antennas were finally up, but after testing, we discovered a problem, we overcame those problems and were ready to get on the air. We operated as a 2A class operation with a GOTA and a VHF station. Since the youth element was a focus of this years Field Day, we used the callsign of a 17 year old extra class contester W4WJF.
We got on the air a few minutes early to secure a frequency and at 2PM local time we started calling CQ, with Phil K4ATM on one station, Josh W4WJF on the other HF station, we were making contacts.

We had many highlights, but the most notable were, 9 yr old Alona Swett, working the GOTA station, she probably made over 30 contacts with her Dad Roger W4SWT logging, and Catherine WB4CAT making her first SSB contacts on the GOTA station with supervision, and then jumping behind the mic and making contacts and logging by herself.
Everyone who came to this FD operation, with the exception of only 2 people, got on the air and made at least one HF contact.
The teamwork was incredible, the band conditions were good, the steaks were cooked just right(note for 2006, cutting your steak on a paper plate with a sharp knife causes leaks).Who would believe you can work many midwestern states and several countries on 6M SSB with your antenna less than six feet off the ground?

Did we accomplish all of the goals for this "pirate" or unaffliated FD operation? Oh yeah!

Did we make lots of on the air contacts ?
Oh yeah,on one station we had a rate of over 140 Q's per hour on 20M !

Did we introduce and expose SSB and contesting to hams that had only used FM before? Oh yeah!

Did we get get some youth involved?
9yr old Alona, and our 17 yr old extra class control operator, oh yeah!

Did we have fun?
Lets just say that everyone had so much fun, and kept asking when's the next contest, that our FD operation has grown into a club called the Dixie radio Pirates, and will be on the air in the CQ WW VHF contest in 2 weeks.

Thanks to all who worked us!!

73 arrrrrrrrrr! -- W4GRW