There are several special amateur radio initiatives planned in Ventura County during Field Day 2020, June 27-28th. The COVID-19 crisis makes us unable to gather in large groups as we have in the past. We are attempting to recapture some of the camaraderie and fellowship among hams in other ways by making the following options available for those who choose to participate in them. Nothing here is compulsory. The idea is to have some fun. Feel free to participate in whatever interests you.
1. Repeater Initiative, Zak Cohen-N6PK: Zak will request that the county’s repeaters to be linked for the duration of Field Day. He will also assign monitors to keep an ear on the repeaters to answer questions and respond to complaints or comments.
- The linked repeaters all have a negative offset and PL of 127.3.
- Bozo (Rasnow Peak): 147.885 MHz
- Chatsworth Peak: 145.240 MHz
- Sulphur Mountain: 145.200 MHz
For more info, or to volunteer to monitor the repeaters, contact Zak at N6PK@arrl.net
2. “Agony Aunts” Initiative: Via Zoom, every Wednesday until Field Day at 3:00 PM, starting May 27th. Andy Moorwood- K3CAQ will recruit a panel of radio experts to answer Field Day questions in weekly Zoom sessions.
Andy and the Elmers (the “Agony Aunts”) will solicit radio and Field Day questions from members and address a selection of the questions during the session. Links to the “Agony Aunts” sessions are posted on the CVARC website. The Agony Aunts will appear in the currently ongoing, 3:00 P.M. Wednesday Zoom sessions hosted by Brad Ormsby-W6VO.
3. Zoom Initiative, Brad Ormsby-W6VO: Brad will open a 24-hour Zoom session that will remain open for the duration of Field Day. Members are free to drop-in anytime during the event, but three scheduled meetings, will be held in the room at:
- 10:00 AM Saturday (6/27) one hour before the start of FD
- 7:00 PM Saturday for a social hour
- 11:00 AM Sunday (6/28) at the close of FD to discuss results
Link to the 24- hour Zoom Initiative:
Meeting ID: 961 6966 2509 No Password.
4. Real-Time Score Reporting Initiative, Stu Sheldon-AG6AG: Hams using logging software may opt to point their software to https://contestonlinescore.com/ to report their Field Day QSO’s as they make them. You’ll see your own progress and be able to monitor progress of others in the county in “near-real-time.” Stu has posted five videos on Field Day prep, including how to set up this real-time reporting and how to monitor progress of ourselves and our colleagues. Find Stu’s videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvg1CrZfziQsTmKoUS3yyJtTCeq5BRbgu
5. Technician Operator Initiative, Stu Sheldon-AG6AG and Pete Heins-N6ZE: To promote the participation of those holding Technician-level privileges, Stu and Pete will recruit experienced operators to monitor VHF simplex frequencies and encourage Technicians to make Field Day QSO’s with them. Stu and Pete suggest the National Simplex Frequency: 146.520 MHz, among others. If you are a Technician-level licensee and even if you have only a hand-held radio, get on the air and call CQ! We will be waiting to hear from you!
6. Post Field Day Data Collection: Martin Hickey-AJ6CL plans to distribute a simple survey to operators in the various clubs across the county to collect final numbers of QSO’s made by members for publication on the CVARC website in order to highlight the accomplishments of hams in Ventura County. This will be an easy survey and is independent of the scores that members will submit to the ARRL as official Field Day entries.
Remember, all these initiatives are being made available for you to enjoy at your own discretion. Nothing here is mandatory. Feel free to participate in all, some, or none as you wish. Have a good Field Day. Stay safe and have fun!
73,
Martin-AJ6CL