With a little more than two months until Field Day, now is the time to start planning for your club Field Day if you haven't started yet. Here are some ideas for Field Day success:
Appoint a Field Day Coordinator. This person should be the point man (or woman) for all planning and operations. The Coordinator makes final decisions on matters and makes sure that no one is left out of the fun.
Pick a location that is a good compromise between good radio propagation and public access. Location is especially important if you intend on operating VHF or UHF, but also consider members who may not be able to access a remote site and the general public who may visit.
Plan your setup ahead of time. It’s a good idea for several club members to visit the site ahead of time and determine antenna placement, operator positions, etc.
Accommodate both the hardcore contesters and casual operators. This is often difficult to do, but a good Field Day Coordinator can schedule operators so the “high scoring” operators are on the right bands at the right time, while getting the casual operators or less experienced hams on slower bands so that everyone gets to operate.
Have a meeting before Field Day to demonstrate the equipment and software that will be used during the event. Conduct a brief discussion on setup and scoring, and do practice QSOs to get people familiar with the exchange and equipment. Have computers running the logging program that you have selected.
Grounding, grounding, grounding! Ground everything, including computers. This will prevent a lot of RFI problems.
Safety first! Instruct your operators on how to gas up generators and disconnect power systems. Provide hand and eye protection where needed and don’t forget about warning signage.
Planning food and sleeping quarters is just as important as antennas and rigs! People spend more time socializing and eating than operating at Field Day. Make sure you have good food and enough of it, and you’ll get more people to your event. Sleeping quarters are important for your overnight operators.
Don’t forget about new members or people who may be interested in your club who would like to stop by and operate. Appoint several personable members to be the “welcoming committee” for people who stop by and to assist newer, less experienced hams on how to operate.
“Ride shotgun” with other operators. Often there’s someone who doesn’t operate CW, but is interested in seeing how it’s done. Bring headphone Y adapters and let them listen in while you work CW. Some people may want to operate, but don’t want to run the logging computer. Team up and let them operate and you log.
Take pictures and post them on your club website and do a slide show at next year’s Field Day preparation meeting.
Signage. Have easy to read and eye-catching signage pointing to your Field Day location. Signs along the road should have no more than seven words.
Things you can’t forget or never seem to have enough of: first aid kit, extension cords, fans, headphones, audio adapters, pens and paper, rope, tools, chairs, and duct tape.
Reward your Field Day Coordinator after the event (and the cook, too!). Coordinating Field Day can often be a stressful and thankless job. Show your appreciation for a job well done.
Remember, Field Day is not just a contest, a social event, an emcomm exercise, a camp out, or a cookout. It's all of these and it's fun.