Field Day for Grimes County Amateur Radio Group – The Navasota Examiner

SHIRO — The Grimes County Amateur Radio Group (GCARG), call sign KG5PLK, participated in Field Day on the grounds of the Shiro Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) on Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24. 

In the U.S. and Canada, Field Day is always held on the fourth full weekend in June.  The event is an annual exercise held by amateur radio operators (hams).  In the past it has been the largest mass emergency preparedness exercise in the U.S.  Its purpose is to test and hone skills, equipment and emergency communication methods without relying on traditional infrastructure.  In an emergency, normal electricity, cell phone towers and commercial antennas may be unavailable.

Les Watson (KE5VPY) a volunteer fireman with SVFD, has participated in several Field Days.

“All contacts are logged and there are different ways to do it, online or paper; you get points for the number [of contacts], the distance, specialties such as Morse code, or digital modes,” said Watson. “We’re doing voice; some do low power, which is less than 5 watts; some see how low they can go, sometimes under 1 watt. 

“The low power contacts are usually done using Morse code because you can [understand] the contact [if there is static] better than you can understand voice.” 

Ham licenses are issued by the FCC and it is the FCC’s rules that hams follow. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules say that you should run with the minimum amount of power necessary for the contact.

Watson said, “Today, we’re trying to see how far we can get, who we can reach so we’ll be running 100 watts.” 

Generators, batteries, solar power, any technology can be used on Field Day.  Purchased or handmade antennas can be setup in the field, in truck beds, in trees or any place necessary for a good signal.  Mike Silcox (KG5FAB) and Watson worked with wire to create a dipole, center-fed antenna that would work on the 40-meter frequencies.  The antenna could be hung from a tree or any suitable structure.  Christopher Whitehead (KE5KTV), Dominick Adamo (KG5JRA), GCARG Vice President Charles Jones (W5CWJ) and Steve Austin (W5SGA) setup a dual-band antenna in the bed of a pickup truck.  A dual-band antenna is one that works on 2-meter and 70-centimeter frequencies.

GCARG also experimented with digital mobile radio (DMR).  DMR converts your voice into a digital signal that uses radio frequencies via the internet.  Even if normal internet services were down in the area, with DMR it would still be possible to have an internet connection with other DMR radios and DMR repeaters.  Whitehead brought his laptop computer and equipment and was experimenting with the mode.  His setup turned his cell phone into a DMR router, which could then be use by a DMR radio.

GCARG President Larry Smith (W5LAS) brought his 100-watt solar panel. 

“I can hook that up to a battery, then inverter and run my equipment from there,” said Smith. “I’ll use a solar charge converter and experiment.” 

An inverter takes DC, direct current, power and changes

Read the full article at http://www.navasotaexaminer.com/news/article_6a4a683c-799d-11e8-b7f7-8f328e91c5cc.html. STRAY SIGNALS does not claim ownership of the article.

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