The Koolau Amateur Radio Club sure can pick a peaceful place for a Field Day site.

Mike AH7R logs as prospective ham Ron works the QSOs.

Meanwhile Sid AH6HH and Bev AH6NF wait their turn.

David KH6AW logs for Eran WH6R

Fred KH6BI explains the subtleties of a Polariod film pack battery based radio to Bev AH6NF.

While Sid AH6HH relaxes on a comfy chair.

---

KARC Field Day

by Mike Burger, AH7R

Thanks to Bev, AH6NF, for her timely professional help in formatting a
message, we were able to pass formal traffic for points.

This is the second year we have scored the FD message points. I pushed for
it last year and helped set up the idea of the SEC coming on the Hawaii
Afternoon Net to accept traffic. Warren was NCS on Saturday and it went
very very well.

Right after net, we got a fellow on CW who is very very good. He ran us up
some nice Q's on CW Saturday evening and night, it was a real joy to watch
him work and try to log for him.

We held two tours and lectures for the groups of Boy Scouts who moved in
to the immediately adjacent campground on Saturday. Greg worked to get
a story in advance in the local paper for more bonus points.

My vertical worked ok, but Warren's 10 meter ringo was a star performer
during the day on Saturday. 10 meters was beautifully open.

Walt's big triangle loop beam setup worked very well on 20 and 40. 20 meter
SSB was one continuous howl. At no time could we find a spot with
less than 6 to 8 stations calling CQ on top of each other, but we still
regularly worked stations in the mess, picking out the station calling us
by exact tone of voice in the SSB. We regularly worked the east coast
easier than the west coast. It is easier to talk to the front of beams
than to the back of them.

Ted showed up with his boxes and we passed out QSL cards. I even
caught a contact on six meters with Ted as he was mobile. Right at the
top of the hour, I switched to six meters on my little dipole, hopeful
since 10 was so strong. There was a MONSTER SSB signal!! blasting
out of the radio right on 50.110 Mhz. I nearly hurt myself grabbing
for knobs and almost missed the "YK" on the end of the callsign. I
thought we had a stupendous opening to California.

We had great food, survived the heavy wind gusts that kept attacking,
and though rain was heavy at intervals, overall we had less rain than
last year. Lots of folks showed up on Friday to help setup, and we
had a fine crowd stop by on Saturday.

We managed to get a number of people to operate who do not usually, and
some more to try logging, so it was a great club station event.

73, Mike

Last update June, 1999

Comments? Email: Jim WH6GS

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