Outing:VHF Field Day 2016

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Outing (to be) held from 00:00 on 2016/07/02 - 23:59 on 2016/07/03 in/on location to be confirmed

 

VHF National Field Day 2016

Anyone is welcome to join us, whether to spectate, operate the contest stations, or just to chat! Follow G3KMI on Twitter for updates.

The contest is from 1400 (UTC) on Saturday 2nd to 1400 (UTC) on Sunday 3rd. The following callsigns are planned:

• Both days: G3KMI/P on 2m (all the time), G3KMI/P on 70cm (with a break overnight)

Keep an eye on MET Office Forecast

See the contest rules.

See Lessons Learnt from last year.

Location

To be confirmed, likely location near Hannington. (Landowner permission for overnight stay pending)

Basingstoke train ticket is £14.60 from Southampton. Feel free to call Phil on 077 4333 6864, before heading to Basingstoke station, and we can organise someone to go and pick you up.

Bands

144 MHz (2m)

• Operating under the "Restricted" section under G3KMI/P both days, all the time.
• Using Noel's Landrover+Mast for station

Kit

• IC-7000 (SUWS)
• Voice Keyer setup?
• Power Supply?

432 MHz (70cm)

• Operating under the "???" section under G3KMI/P (Basingstoke ARC) both days, with a break over-night.

Kit

• ???
• 12V PSU ?
• 10m mast
• 70cm Beam + Coax
• Tent (TBC)

Who's bringing what

• Phil
  • Minifridge + PSU
  • Cooking stove
  • Gopro
  • Camera tripod
  • Pens and paper
  • Desk lamp
  • 1 table
  • 1 chair
  • 1 tent
  • 3G Router

• Cori
  • 1 Table
  • 1 Chair (maybe more)
  • 1 Tent (quite large)
  • SLR Camera
  • Portable Gas Stove + Fuel

.....

Last Year's Notes

Preparation

• Masts to be set up from 1pm on Friday afternoon. Radios and tents to be set up on Saturday morning.
• Familiarise new-comers with the SDV contest logger.
• Investigate SDV under Wine (Phil) - Works but clunky, suggest native/vm
• 3G Wifi + IRC
• Production of CQs for Voice Keyer.

Kit

Radio Kit

• FT920 (Phil)
• PC speakers for FT920 (Phil)
• Power supply for the FT920 (Tyler)
• Mains Extension leads (morse, Phil)
• RCD + Current meter (morse)

Group Kit

• Tables - more are better (morse has one, Phil has one)
• Chairs - more are better (morse has three, Tyler has one, Phil has one, Christian has one)
• 2 Operating tents (need to be able to stand up, morse has one)
• Sleeping Tent (Phil, Christian)
• Mosquito repellent (morse anti-mozzi candles)
• Laptops (EVERYONE)
• Logging software (sdv)
• Cameras (Phil, Tyler)
• Video camera, charger and tripod (Christian)
• GoPro (Phil) & mounts(?)
• Batteries and chargers for Cameras
• Steady Cam mount (built by Tyler)
• Multi battery charger (Tyler,Phil)
• G3KMI banners (Phil)
• Lighting - (morse has two LED desk lamps (mains+12v))

Food - (morse)

• Bread
• Bacon
• Sausages
• Burgers (+ buns?)
• Eggs
• Margarine
• Large pan
• Pesto
• Cheese to go with pesto
• Pasta
• Ketchup and Mayonnaise
• Lemonade/Cola
• Tea/Coffee
• Milk
• Sugar
• Cake
• LOTS of water

• Beer - BYOB

Menu:
  Lunch: Bacon Sandwiches
  Dinner: Pesto (bacon optional)
  Midnight snacks: Vintage Pot noodles
  Breakfast: Fry up (bacon, sausages, eggs)
  Lunch: Bacon Sandwiches

Individual Kit

• Waterproofs
• Boots
• Towel
• Sleeping bag if staying overnight
• Foam mats or camp-bed
• Mug and Cutlery
• Suncream - if it fails to be wet
• Change of clothes if it is very very wet.
• Petrol contribution - if you have an appropriate container.
• Mosquito repellent
• Headphones + adapters (Tyler has 2 adapters)
• Torches + batteries
• Laptop each?

Lessons Learnt from last year

• Henry should prepare, bring a sleeping bag... (this requires him owning one)
• Phil has hayfever

• The generator is quite loud - longer power cables to allow us to put it further away.
• packing the car took far too long - do it the night before
• antennas should be further away from each other - we should at least test the interference by deliberately transmitting at each other.

• it was hot, bring more water - freeze the water bottles
• bring cool bag, the fridge wasn't big enough for everything

• operating in a gazebo may be cooler than in tents - air flow.
• we should have more specific quantities of food (pasta:water)
• we need a measuring contraption for food (mass/volume)

• don't leave the back of Phil's car open - the battery goes flat
• remove the fuse from Phil's car's interior lights

• check PSUs don't drop too much voltage during transmit

• align the rotator arms with north
• mark north on the floor

• have a separate sleeping tent from any other storage

• bring a spade to move farming by-products

• hi-viz the tent guys (and masts) for moving around at night (glow sticks?)
• same goes for power cables