07/19/2005 | KB6EOC The Benicia Amateur Radio Club (BARC), in Benicia, CA, is partnered with the Benicia Fire Department and operate the Emergency Communications Center within the Emergency Operations Center.
This is the second year we have conducted Field Day as the EOC.
Our rig is a IC 706 , antenna tuner and for the first time a laptop computer with logging software all thanks to Ross, K6PMX, event chairman.

Field Day started out on a dubious note. When Ross, K6PMX , Russ, KG6SYK and Mike, K6MAH arrived to hoist the antenna they found the rope used to raise the antenna was separated. They immediately enlisted the help of the Benicia Fire Department which brought the hook and ladder engine to the scene. The firefighters stretched the ladder out to the top of the pole and rigged a new rope and the antenna was in position in time to go on the air.

We had contacts from New Hampshire to Florida and Hawaii to Alaska, British Columbia and Saskatchewan and everyhthing in between.

Several youngsters visited us and took turns making contacts under the watchful eye of Tom. KG6YVZ.

The newbies gained experience making contacts while the 'old timers' like Art, AB6HB, club president and Mike, K6MAH showed how it is done. You got to jump in there and make the QSO.

During the day we were visited by our EB Section Manager, Ti-Michelle, NJ6T and Ass't SM Bob, K6HEW. Bob has really spent a lot of time helping BARC.
Linda, KG6OQL took many excellent photos with her digital camera. Mike took the fire engine shots.
There was another activity going on at another location is town. An open house for Emergency Services which included Volunteer Police, Fire the Fire Department and CERT (we call it BERT) personnel. Also present were the two (2) Mobile Command motor homes from the Solano Couny Office of Emergency Services, headed by Kevin, N6QGV.
Many of the HAMs are also involved in the BERT program so they had two events to cover. This activity was spearheaded by ART, AB6HB who is BARC president and a Volunteer Police.

Next Field Day is going to be more of the same and we plan to have another rig on the air.
Mike's callsign was incorrectly written as WA6MAH. It should be K6MAH. ed. Went backed and edited so hope we got everything. ed. -- KG6SYN