Tag: field day

Another Boschveldt QRP Club Field Day is in the books. The weekend started out rainy, but the weather improved for the rest of the weekend. The inclement weather didn’t stop us from having a good time. 

As we’ve done for the past five years, we camped out on private property owned by a local businessman. There were only three of us this year: Ed K3YTR, Glen NK1N, and me. On the air, we operated in category 2A (battery) running QRP. We used our club callsign, W3BQC.

Given the lousy weather, I kept my antenna simple this year. I used a 29.5-foot vertical fed with my homebrew weather-resistant 9:1 unun. NK1N used an 85-foot inverted L, which performed very well for him. Once again, we used a battery operated Wi-Fi access point to network our logging laptops together. 

I primarily operated 40M CW, while Glen covered 20M and 80M. We both made contacts on 15M CW. Glen had a contact with a station in Croatia and one in Hawaii. I think the Hawaii contact was a Boschveldt QRP Field Day first. By Saturday night, the weather had improved enough for us to take a break and swap some tall tales around the campfire. 

The weekend was not without some equipment issues. Glen and I both had batteries fail. Fortunately, we had spares on hand, so our operations weren’t affected. K3YTR also had to spend some time troubleshooting his setup. I also had an issue with the Digirig Mobile interface that I planned to use to send a radiogram via Winlink (VARA-FM). However, Glen was able to successfully send the radiogram via HF.

On Sunday morning, we operated for a few hours before shutting down early to pack up. We had some rain and thunderstorms headed our way, so we wanted to pack up while everything was still dry. (The rain started about an hour after we left.) 

We ended up with 233 CW contacts. No records were broken, but the three of us had a great time.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Another fun Field Day with the Boschveldt QRP Club is in the books. As in recent years, we spent the weekend camping on private property as the guests of a gracious local business owner. We had four members in attendance this year: Ed K3YTR, Glen NK1N, Ed WA3WSJ, and me. 

When I arrived Friday afternoon, NK1N was already onsite. As I was setting up my tent, the others rolled in and got settled in for the weekend. Later, we headed out to a local restaurant for dinner and finished off the night around the campfire.

After breakfast, I set up my antenna and radio equipment. We had three HF stations this year, all running CW. I operated on 40 meters, NK1N covered 20 and 80 meters, while WA3WSJ took care of the higher bands. K3YTR operated phone on 6 and 2 meters. We operated in Category 3A, running QRP on battery power and using our club callsign, W3BQC. Our three HF stations all used inverted L antennas, our weapon of choice for Field Day. 

This year we tried networking our logging computers together. Glen set up a small battery-powered Wi-Fi access point and used his laptop as the server. It was a simple task to configure the N3FJP logging software on the other laptops, and the network worked great.

After a dinner of brats and hotdogs, we again convened around the campfire. Before turning in, Glen jumped on 80M and I got back on 40M to make a few more contacts. 

Glen was our most productive point generator this year. Besides making the most contacts, he also copied the Field Day bulletin, transmitted our radiogram to the Section manager, and filled in as the Boschveldt Safety Officer this year. 

After breakfast on Sunday morning, we got back on our radios for a few more hours before packing up. By mid-day, we had all cleared out and headed home.

Although we don’t run the most serious Field Day operation, we always have a good time getting together. Besides our annual winter outing, we talked about doing another camping trip sometime this summer. 

I hope everyone who took part had a fun and safe Field Day weekend.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Once again, our loosely organized group of QRPers got together for Field Day. We only get together a few times each year, so our Field Day tends to be a laid-back social affair.

This year marked our 5th year operating from the property of a local business owner. We certainly appreciate him allowing us to set up camp in his field again this year. We ran as category 4A EPA using the club’s callsign, W3BQC.

This year’s Boschveldt crew included: 

Ed WA3WSJ
Ed K3YTR
Glen NK1N
Ron WA8YIH and his son, Cole
John NU3E
Rob KE3TI
Craig WB3GCK

I spent most of the weekend hobbling around on a bum knee, so I didn’t get pictures of everyone there. WA3WSJ will likely post more on the Boschveldt QRP Club website. 

I operated on 40M only with a 53-ft inverted L. I gave my new K1EL WKmini CW interface its first real workout. I have to say it performed flawlessly for me. One of the highlights for me was working W1AW.

I think it’s safe to say that none of our group are hardcore contesters. We just enjoy camping together and playing some radio. I haven’t received everyone’s logs yet, but I’m sure we won’t be leading our category. Nonetheless, it was a good time. 

Weather-wise, it has a hot and humid weekend. We had some rain Saturday afternoon; thankfully, it didn’t last long. Overall, it was far from the worst weather we’ve endured for Field Day.

Our next major group outing will be in January 2022. We’re planning to have our annual Winter get-together at the Daniel Boone Homestead. 

I hope everyone had a successful and safe Field Day.

72, Craig WB3GCK

This year has presented some challenges, but the members of the Boschveldt QRP Club were up for those challenges. We adapted to the current situation and held our annual Field Day outing—with suitable precautions, of course.

We convened at the same location we’ve used for the past few years. A local businessman graciously allows us to camp on a section of his property for the weekend. We had the following members in attendance this year: Ed WA3WSJ, Glen NK1N, Ed K3YTR, Ron WA8YIH, John NU3E, and me. 

Now, here’s where things changed a bit. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented some guidelines:

• Tents had to be at least 10 feet apart—no problem, given the large field we were on.
• No central food preparation area. Each member was responsible for providing and cooking their food.
• No sharing of radio equipment
• Maintain social distancing, especially around the campfire.
• No outside visitors

This year we operated in the 4A Battery category—using QRP, of course. We ran 4 HF stations, plus a satellite station and a VHF/UHF station. 

As usual, I ran CW on 40M and 80M, with my tent serving as both my sleeping quarters and radio shack. I ran my KX3 into a 53 foot inverted L. I used a 17-AHr gel cell for my rig and a deep cycle battery to charge my laptop. 

Glen NK1N worked the satellites and had a slick setup for his Jeep. The Jeep also served as his sleeping quarters. There’s a lot of tree cover at this site, so Glen set up in an open spot near the entrance to the property. As a result, he had his best year ever from this site. 

Glen NK1N took a break from the satellites to tune into the W1AW digital broadcasts to copy the Field Day Bulletin. He also checked into the paNBEMS on Sunday morning to pass our Field Day radiogram to the EPA Section Manager. 

Not far from the satellite station, Ed K3YTR operated the VHF/UHF station from his car. Like last year, Ed slept in a slick, little teardrop trailer he rented for the weekend. 

Ron WA8YIH operated both digital modes and phone from his tent/sleeping quarters. He also used a KX3 with an inverted L. Ron supplied the firewood for our evening campfires, which is a traditional feature of a Boschveldt Field Day.

John NU3E has been a member of this group for a long time, but this was his first Field Day with us. John operated CW on 15M and 10M using a KX2 with a dipole. John used his backpacking tent for lodging. 

Ed WA3WSJ operated CW on 20M, using his KX2 and an inverted L. Ed spent the first night on a cot underneath a tarp. He also had a neat sleeping setup in his car. He used that on Saturday night, due to the weather forecast. 

Field Day for the Boschveldt QRP Club is by and large a social event; we aren’t in it for the score. Sure, we operate, but there are lots of breaks and plenty of socializing. We had a campfire each night and exercised our tradition of roasting marshmallow Peeps®. (If you haven’t tried roasting Peeps®, you haven’t lived!)

The initial weather forecast for Saturday looked dire. We were under a severe thunderstorm watch for Saturday afternoon and evening. Instead, we only had some light rain on Saturday morning. The rest of the weekend was dry and storm-free. 

Despite our social distancing protocols, we had a fun weekend. It sure was great to be out of our homes and camping with old friends again. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

The intrepid members of the Boschveldt QRP Club got together for another great Field Day. The weather for much of the weekend was rainy but that didn’t stop up us from having fun.

Like last year, we held our Field Day on a nice piece of privately owned property in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The Boschveldt members on hand this year were Ed K3YTR, Glen NK1N, Ron WA8YIH and WB3GCK. Although he didn’t camp overnight with us, Jerry WC8R was on-hand for the weekend.

We operated QRP in the 2A (battery) class this year, using our club callsign, W3BQC. On HF, WA8YIH worked SSB and digital, while I handled the CW chores. K3YTR worked 6M, 2M and 440 (with help from WC8R), while NK1N worked the satellites. Normally, Ed WA3WSJ participates but, unfortunately, he was under the weather.

After we arrived on Friday afternoon, we put up our tents and shelters, along with some of our antennas. Most of this work was done with some light rain and drizzle coming down. As is our custom, we headed out to a local restaurant to have dinner and do some catching up.

On Saturday morning, we attended to some last-minute equipment preparations. For the HF stations, WA8YIH and I kept things simple. We both used simple inverted L antennas fed through 9:1 UNUNs. K3YTR had a variety of antennas for VHF and UHF and NK1N had an elaborate system for tracking the satellites.

Our little group of QRPers tends to run a very laid-back Field Day. When the event got officially underway, we interspersed periods of operating with lots of socializing and eating. By Saturday evening, the lousy weather cleared out enough for us to do a campfire. Of course, there was more socializing and eating.

On Sunday, the weather finally cleared up and the sun came out. We also took advantage of openings on the 15M and 10M to make some more contacts towards the end of the event. We were happy to have a visit from Ed WA3WSJ. He felt well enough to come out to the site for a few hours. He even brought an assortment of sandwiches for lunch.

As is always the case, Field Day seems to be over far too soon. No records were broken this year but the Boschveldt QRP crew had a great time.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Once again, I joined my fellow Boschveldt QRP Club members for Field Day. We’re a loosely-organized group of QRPers who enjoy portable operating. Field Day is one of the few times each year that we get together, so it’s always good to see everyone and do some catching up. This year we held Field Day on a beautiful piece of land owned by a close family friend of one of our members. We were situated on top of a hill, so we had some good elevation, too.

Ed K3YTR, Glen NK1N and I arrived mid-afternoon on Friday and set up our tents. We were expecting some heavy rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy so we held off setting up our radio equipment. We were joined later that night by Ron WA8YIH.

We sat around chewing the fat until it started to rain around 10:30 PM. At that point, we retreated to our tents for the night to ride out the storm. It certainly was a rough night, with some of the heaviest rain I have ever experienced in a tent. My old tent made it through the night with only some slight leaks. WA8YIH’s canopy, unfortunately, was destroyed by the heavy rain. Other than that, we got through the night otherwise unscathed.

After breakfast on Saturday, we went about setting up our radio equipment. Ed WA3WSJ arrived mid-morning.

This year, we operating as Class 3A EPA, using our club callsign, W3BQC. We were all QRP on battery power. I operated CW while WA8YIH operated SSB, digital and a little CW. NK1N worked satellites using his new portable setup. K3YTR worked 2M and 440 SSB. WA3WSJ assisted with all the stations.

On HF, WA8YIH and I were both running KX3s and inverted L antennas fed through 9:1 ununs. Propagation seemed fair on Saturday but was much better on Sunday. Despite all the wet foliage around us, NK1N managed to make some decent satellite contacts. On Saturday night, I switched my station over to digital to copy the W1AW Field Day Bulletin on 80 meters.

Field Day with the Boschveldt QRP crew is always a somewhat laid-back affair. None of us are serious contesters, so there is always a lot of socializing going on during the weekend. During the evening, we assemble around the campfire to swap tall stories. We never rack up huge scores but we always have a lot of fun.

After a Sunday lunch of grilled Spam sandwiches, we started tearing down and packing up. We haven’t compiled our logs yet, so I don’t know what our final score is yet. I’m sure we didn’t set any records but, if they gave out bonus points for having fun, the Boschveldt crew would be at the top of our category.

For more (and much better) pictures of our Field Day, visit the Boschveldt QRP website.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Another Field Day is in the books.  This year, as in past years, I operated with the Boschveldt QRP Club.  The Boschveldt QRP Club is a small, informal group of QRPers who share a love of portable QRP operating.  Basically, we get together twice each year.  In January, we converge on a cabin in the Delaware Water Gap.  In June, of course, we get together for Field Day.

Our Field Day site was a group tenting site in French Creek State Park near Elverson, Pennsylvania.  Our Field Day crew consisted of Ed WA3WSJ, Glen NK1N, Ed K3YTR, Ron WA8YIH and me.  After arriving on Friday afternoon and setting up our tents, we headed into town for dinner.  After that, we set up a few antennas and it was soon time to get a campfire going.

After breakfast on Saturday, we finished setting up the radio equipment.  After a lunch of cheddar-stuffed bratwursts cooked over a fire, we drove over to visit with members of the Pottstown Amateur Radio Club (PARC) who were operating from another site in the park.  We got back to our site in time for the start of Field Day.

Once again, we operated class 4AB (QRP) using our club callsign, W3BQC.  I ran a CW station on 40 and 80 meters.  NK1N operated CW on 20 meters and SSB on 40 meters.  WA8YIH operated SSB on 20 meters and up, while WA3WSJ ran CW on 15 meters and up.  K3YTR operated 6 and 2 meters SSB.

Now I have to point out that the Boschveldt QRPers run a very informal Field Day.  In fact, we probably spend as much time socializing as we spend operating.  When the sun goes down, things come to a halt.  We gather around the campfire to relax and just enjoy being outdoors.  One of our traditions is roasting marshmallow Peeps® over the campfire.

This year we had a large group of Boy Scouts camped across the road from us.  A few of them stopped by Saturday night for a ham radio demonstration by WA8YIH.

Our logs haven’t been consolidated yet but I’m guessing we had something like 300 contacts between the five of us.  Although band conditions weren’t all that great, the weather was a lot better than the rain we had last year.

I always enjoy getting together with the Boschveldt guys for Field Day.  We’ve already started planning our January trip.

72, Craig WB3GCK