Table of Contents
Photos from KC3YSC, KC2TCH, N2FXO, K2GGE
And a few more by KC3YSC
Soapbox
Brrr. I got cold just looking at the photos. Thanks.
73
Ray WA2PYX
January 26, 2025: Happy Winter Field Day! The morning started off with a slight breeze and
much appreciated temperatures for January – about 41 degrees. Being Laura’s (29th) birthday (once again), we celebrated with a cake as we set up for Day 2 of Winter Field Day. We were able to operate in tents/overhangs, and, as the day progressed, devised ways to keep everything from blowing over (such as tethering the canopy legs to John’s (KD2AAR) truck.
We feasted on chili to keep our insides warm, and operated on multiple bands. Cushla, KD2TCH, with the help of Fran, (call sign), learned how to use a Nano VNA, and took copious notes. Overall, it was a day full of making contacts, learning, deepening friendships, and truly appreciating the lack of RAIN! A shout out to Charlie, N2CTW, Ben, AC2YD, and John, KD2AAR, for their never-ending invaluable help!
Cushla KD2TCH
WFD reminded me of what generations before us endured. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/morristown-winter-encampment “The extreme cold proved to be one of the army’s greatest trials during the winter at Morristown. Though Valley Forge is remembered for its harsh conditions, that winter in Morristown, Washington’s troops faced even bitterer cold than they had witnessed in Pennsylvania a few years before. Known as “the hard winter,” the season bridging the end of 1779 and early 1780 proved to be one of the coldest on record. Morristown received over 2o snowfalls during the Continental Army’s residence there, adding to the miserable conditions the troops faced in the wake of the shortages of food and supplies. In early January, there was a blizzard that lasted for two days, leaving 4 feet of snow in its wake. The temperature often remained below freezing, and snowdrifts piled up as soldiers struggled to keep warm with their scanty clothes and blankets. The challenges the freezing temperatures presented were only aggravated by the army’s serious lack of food and supplies. Shoes, shirts, and blankets were scarce, making conditions even more bleak as soldiers sought to fend off hunger and cold.”
KC3YSC John
Thanks Ben for the log submission! Thanks Charlie for organizing! It was a great event!
73, John NU3E
I just submitted the report to the WFD organizers … I received confirmation email, but it did not contain any details of the submission (mainly which multipliers did I check off) … so FYI, I checked off:
Operate away from home
Deploy multiple antennas
Send and receive at least one Winlink email (they did not ask for copy)
Copy the Winter Field Day Special Bulletin (I cut/pasted John’s copy)
Operate on at least six different bands
Use multiple modes
Operate six continuous hours during the event
— Ben, AC2YD —
Observations Saturday Night (Charlie N2CTW):
Drink PLENTY of water, your legs will thank you.
Get out of the chair regularly (leg cramp prevention)
Putting a canopy upwind of the tent worked well in preventing freezing wind gusts but didn’t totally help.
tent floor over tarp over icy asphalt can be slippery, even with a rug. I have more rugs, will bring.
Ben’s hang-gliding overalls looked cozy.
We need at least one more HF antenna up, given how we operate.
146.52 can talk as far as Morristown… maybe we get on it around Noon again.
Got a 446.00 contact, and more might be good using EdFong antenna.
Bob WA2BSP proposes to try contacting us on all bands from 440-160 on Sunday afternoon. Sounds like a good way to end our participation.
Birthdays Party Sunday afternoon…
Drink more water.
Portapotty is there.. not beautiful inside, but it works. Building was open.
6 meters worked, but nobody on… perhaps Sunday at 2…
you are welcome, dress warmly, bring a thermo-cup.
John WJ3P noted that Winter Field Day is a good training event for ARES!
… that’s it for 2025.