Field Day 2010

Amateur Radio Field Day is over for another year, and it has to go down as one of the hottest, ever! No rain, however...until late in the day on Sunday when the event was over.

This year, our club kind of scaled down. Some of our stalwarts were to be absent for one reason or another. We operated ONE radio, but kept it continually busy, thanks to 4-5 operators who stuck with it. Our goal was to make 200 contacts. We fell short of that, probably due to a battery failure early in the game, and two blown fuses later on. I, personally, only made 5 contacts on 15 meters...but that's more than I've done since my contesting buddy died a few years ago. It felt good to be back at the mic again!

The heat got to me. In the past, I would provide the food, then would stick around to contest late at night when others went home for a break. I'm older now and don't do as well in 94-degree temps with high humidity. I was happy with MOST of the food this year, but will plan something a little different for next year if God allows me the chance. When I left the FD site last night, I had a red face and was drenched in sweat. I had to come home and cool off before I could even shower and go to bed. Same thing over again today, although it was not QUITE as hot.

My kitchen is still a disaster from FD cooking. Tomorrow, I will start the quest to get ready for the California trip after the Fourth with my grandchildren. June is basically over. Where does the time go??