Am I ready for Field Day? Nooooo! For the uninitiated, Field Day is a national (and partly international) radio event. It is part disaster preparedness and part contest. Radio groups and individuals all over the nation throw up antennas in fields and yards, then spend the next 24 hours making as many contacts as possible via HF (high frequency, hence long distance) radio for 24 hours. I leave the antenna erection to the guys in the club. My job is to coordinate the food. We eat pretty well!
My first couple of Field Days after becoming a ham operator, I was a bit shy about contesting. Then I got my General license, and the lid came off! I learned good contesting techniques, and my contesting buddy and I would take a shift on the radio from midnight until we dropped from fatigue. My buddy, Kathy Gwaltney, died of lung cancer almost a year ago, and things haven't been quite the same. She came to FD last year with an oxygen tank, but didn't quite have the strength to get on the radio. I miss her!
Since I still have things to do before I am ready to depart for the FD site in Avon, IN, I need to cut this short. I'll come home on Sunday afternoon and flop on the couch for awhile. That's just how it is!
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