Field Day 2026

ARRL Field Day 2026 is Coming!!

David Sarnoff Radio Club Ham Radio Field Day exercise
2 PM Saturday, June 27 to 2PM Sunday, June 28, 2025

Our field is a stone parking lot at the top of a hill. We set up tents and park equipment, put up antennas and generators, and talk to other stations on Amateur Radio frequencies.

Setup will begin Saturday morning, with some site preparation on Friday Evening.
We have the park reservation and the porta-potty! Now, we plan operations!

Table of Contents

An Invitation for YOU

The David Sarnoff Radio Club has participated in ARRL Field Day for over 20 years (stats) and we consider it a part of our club preparedness training. It is also fun!
If you are a visitor of first-timer, this page is for you!
If you’d like to explore Amateur Radio as a hobby, please consider visiting the David Sarnoff Radio Club Field Day exercise, on the fourth weekend of June!
The goal is to quickly create a communications system in a field (or forest!) and use it to talk across New Jersey, across North America, and maybe across the World.
We will set up antennas, set up radios, set up a generator, set up tents and even a computer system to help us keep track of who our station talks with during the exercise.
We get “points” for every new radio conversation we make, so we talk to a lot of people.
We talk using microphones, we talk using Morse Code keys, and we talk using computer programs that make some very odd sounds.
Other specially constructed stations across North America will also talk to us so they can get points.
An organization, the American Radio Relay League, coordinates the event.

WHERE?

This satellite view of our operating position shows that it is on NJ Route 518, east of Rocky Hill, NJ at the top of the “rocky hill”
Our station location is on the north side of the road, that is, on the left as you go east from Rocky Hill.
The map on the other panel shows our location in relation to Kingston, NJ, Princeton and US Route 1 (north of Quaker Bridge Mall)

CLICK ON EITHER MAP TO ENLARGE IT
Map shows FD site north-east of Rocky Hill on Route 518
Map of Princeton area with site at top (north)

WHO:

FCC Licensed Amateur Radio Operators, trained to use radios at many different frequencies. Club members, family, friends, almost anyone who asks to help.

We welcome visitors during visitor hours, and are glad to explain the operations, and let you listen in to our contacts. Here’s one example of a very enthusiastic contact we made last year: LINK (a facebook link, but no login is required)

We also welcome licensed amateur radio operators to join our operations on either or both days. NEW HAMS especially are welcomed, and we invite them to operate a special “GET ON THE AIR” (GOTA) station. Contact us in advance and we’ll put you to work!

WHY:

For fun and learning and teaching and trying to talk with another station in Idaho or Hawaii or Alberta (or Atlantic City!)

OUR FIELD DAY GOALS:

  • Emergency Preparedness Communications Exercise
  • Getting new, inactive, and potential hams on the air
  • Presenting amateur radio to the public, especially those 18 and under
  • Demonstrating amateur radio’s emergency capabilities to emergency response organizations
  • Members making new friends within the club
  • Members exploring new ways to communicate via Amateur Radio
  • Eating lasagna, waffles, etc.
  • Having fun

Rough Schedule

  • Tuesday June 16: Club Meeting, (Red Cross, Alexander Road). After regular program present plans
  • Friday: Portajohn arrives
  • Friday 26th 4 PM: Setup- site preparation, clear land for tents.
  • Friday 26st: Those who can copy the ARRL Field Day Bulletin (100 points!) (full schedule to be published)
  • Saturday 27nd: 9-10 AM Set Up Team Arrive, set up stations. Begin charging solar batteries.
  • Possibly pause at noon for lunch
  • 1 PM Safety check
  • 2 PM Contest Begins. Solar power contacts take priority.
  • Guests are welcome during the contest
  • 6 PM Team Dinner,
  • All Night Coffee Pot/hot water
  • Sunday 28th: Early Morning propagation on VHF and 80M, Breakfast, Waffles (NU3E)
  • Guest hours are to be determined.
  • Sunday 28th: 2 PM contest ends, Team Eats Lunch, assembles logs, cleans site, goes home

Nitty Gritty (the fine print):

How to find us

The location does not have a consistent GPS street address, but you can find it on some mapping systems by entering Latitude and Longitude: Lat/Lon 40.403496, -74.613757
For example https://duckduckgo.com/?q=40.403496%2C+-74.613757&t=ffab&iaxm=maps
Although it has no building, the site seems to have a street address: “108 Georgetown-Franklin Tpke, Princeton, NJ 08540, United States” works with Google and Apple maps. It is located within Maidenhead Locator System grid square FN20qj.

N2RE Operational Details:

  • Our station operates transmitters with 100W or less, using our club callsign N2RE.
  • The site is just one mile north of the SNJ/NNJ ARRL Section line… so N2RE 5A NNJ.
  • 5A means we can have up to five stations on at any time (SSB, CW or Digital)
  • We selected Class 5A, meaning up to 5 HF (or higher) transmitters. We don’t expect to win the “class”, but we do expect that everyone will have a chance to try out radios and modes.
  • We can also have one “additional station” using VHF or UHF simplex FM/SSB/CW/Digital (6 M, 2 M , 70 CM…)
  • We will use and teach digital modes this year (FT8, PSK-31, VARA, etc.)
  • We can also have one Get On The Air– GOTA station for points and for new/renewed operators (see below)
  • Our operation uses entirely emergency power – generators & solar charged batteries
  • Porta-Potty (the location is rather isolated. Need we say more?)
  • Computer logging with N1MM+ Logger; training available on-site & possibly in advance
  • Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast are prepared operator meals, we even stop operating when the meal bell rings. Also, hydrate! Water, coffee, tea, soda!!

Get On The Air (GOTA) station for new hams

Field Day is all about learning new things and trying things out.

The ARRL Field Day rules (get PDFs) allow us to set up one “free” station so that Technicians, Novices and New Hams can operate a station of their own. The “GOTA Station” uses the same site as our regular club station but it has its own callsign and contacts made by it count 5 points per contact… that’s more than our regular station contacts.
The GOTA station is also a “GBOTA Station” for inactive hams to Get Back On The Air — see below
GOTA operators can use any band and mode when a properly licensed supervising Control Operator is with them. Other hams can participate as “Coaches” for GOTA operators, teaching them how to work a pile-up, understanding how contest contacts work, etc. But all contacts must be made by GOTA operators!

Here are some things adapted from the “GOTA FAQ” on the ARRL Field Day website:

Q. What is the GOTA station?
A. It is an opportunity for any Technician or Novice licensees, any newly
licensed amateur, and any other generally inactive licensees to get on the air. Also,
non-licensed persons can, with supervision, experience first-hand the fun of amateur radio, perhaps talking with another station across the state, the USA or the world.
Newly licensed means since the previous year’s Field Day

Q. I am an active Novice or Technician licensee. May I operate the GOTA station?
A. Yes. The GOTA station may be operated by any Novice or Technician
licensee. When a “GOTA COACH” is present, you can operate on any band segment and mode permitted to the control operator.

Q: I have a General Class License, but I haven’t been on the air in, like forever. Can I use the GOTA station to help me get my skills back?
A: YES!! Developing skills is what GOTA is all about! The generally inactive licensee provisions pertain to someone who holds a General or higher class license but has been inactive. The intent and the spirit of this station is to provide an opportunity for persons to gain on-the-air experience and progress to operating the regular club stations in the future.

So, if you are a Tech, you can operate the GOTA every year. If you upgraded to General, you have to be either long-term inactive or a “newly licensed” operator.

Our Field Day GOTA station may have several different antennas and different radios to learn to operate.

Bonuses We Will Try For in 2026

Part of the fun of ARRL Field Day is trying new things… the scoring provides bonuses for exploring: (text shortened see ARRL Rules)

  • 7.3.1. 100% Emergency Power: 100 points per transmitter classification if all contacts are made only using an emergency power source [500 POINTS!]
  • 7.3.2. Media Publicity: 100 bonus points for actual media publicity received (newspaper article, etc.)
  • 7.3.3. Public Location: 100 bonus points for physically locating the Field Day operation in a public place and actively welcoming the public.
  • Person(s) shall be available to greet the public and be identified by some sort of name badge.
  • 7.3.4. Public Information Table: 100 bonus points for a Public Information Table appropriate handouts and information available at the site.
  • 7.3.5. Message Origination to Section Manager: 100 bonus points for origination of a formal
  • message to the ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator standard NTS or ICS-213 format (or have the equivalent content) must leave or enter the Field Day operation via amateur radio RF.
  • 7.3.6. Message Handling: 10 points for each formal message originated, relayed, or received and delivered during the Field Day period, up to a maximum of 100 points (ten messages).
  • 7.3.7. Satellite QSO: 100 bonus points. If FM, limited to one (1) completed QSO on any single channel FM satellite.
  • 7.3.8. Alternate Power: 100 bonus points a minimum of five QSOs without using power from commercial mains or petroleum driven generator. This includes batteries charged by natural means (not dry cells).
  • 7.3.9. W1AW Bulletin: 100 bonus points
  • 7.3.10. Educational activity bonus: One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day operation includes a specific educational-related activity.
  • 7.3.11. Site Visitation by an elected governmental official: One (1) 100-point bonus
  • 7.3.12. Site Visitation by a representative of an agency: One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day site is visited by a representative of an agency served by ARES in your local community (American Red Cross, Salvation Army, local Emergency Management, law enforcement, etc.)
  • 7.3.13. GOTA Bonuses (see rules)
  • 7.3.14. Web submission: A 50-point bonus
  • 7.3.15. Field Day Youth Participation:. A 20-point bonus each participant age 18 or younger completes at least one QSO.
  • 7.3.16 Social Media: 100 points for promoting your Field Day activation to the general public via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc
  • 7.3.17 Safety Officer Bonus: A 100-point bonus (see rules)
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