06/28/2006 | KL7KC Finally - We were the ones that everyone was trying to get!

At a few minutes after 10am on Saturday 24th, the Arctic Amateur Radio Club (AARC) was on the air. For only the second time in the history of our club, Field Day festivities were held in Fairbanks Alaska and KL7 Kilo Charley was being repeated again and again into a 1A-Alaska station boasting a brand new Spider Beam and a SG-500 watt amplifier. And responses whew! Did they ever come back. They poured in by the hundreds. For everyone else, Alaska was suddenly a possibility. Pileup after pileup ensued, even on PSK31. And for us it was way too much fun.

With the 20 meter band wide open during the day, all our participants standing around the picnic tables were saying the same thing; Finally, were the ones everyone is trying to get. And we did our best too; to respond on voice, on CW, on PSK31, and even on satellite. This Field Day also shattered the old myth of Nobody can hear Alaska, were too far away. With the benefit of 24 hours of daylight, provided by Mother Nature, we operated all night here in Fairbanks and needed no additional lighting; no candles, no Coleman lanterns and no hanging incandescent bulbs. The exceptional generosity of two club members in particular; Alex (AL7EX) and Jim (KL7JM) and their respective donation of a brand new Spider Beam and a SGC-500 amplifier made a definitive difference between being heard and BEING HEARD.

Between the constant daylight, the stunning weather and the remarkable generosity of our club members, by far, this will be an AARC Field Day that will go down in the history of the club. I guarantee that KL7 Kilo Charley (KL7KC) will be back next Field Day. Were already making plans. -- KL1JP