It's that time of year again - when, in remote green pastures one can find, during a certain weekend in June, antennas, towers and RVs sprouting up where none had been before: It's Field Day!
ARRL Field Day is the time during which amateurs in North America drag their gear out into the fields and set up antennas to practice doing the very thing for which many amateurs get licensed: Emergency Communications! This annual event - which occurs during the fourth weekend of June (which will be June 25 and 26 in 2022) is being conducted by UARC in the same place as it has been for the past years: The meadow near-ish the Payson Lakes campground in Payson Canyon which (as you might guess is above Payson.
Where is it, and how do I get there?
We will be operating from a clearing on the Nebo Scenic Loop Road, just a half mile south of the Payson Lakes campground entrance (not the picnic area).
Here is how to reach UARC's Field Day site:
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- Starting from the Salt Lake Valley, go south on I-15 to the first Payson exit, exit 250. Take the exit.
- Go left at the end of the exit ramp which should put you on Main Street (aka SR-115). (You are really going south at this point although it may seem like east.)
- Turn left on 100 North, aka SR-198.
- Turn right on 600 East, also called "Peteetneet Boulevard." This turn is at the top of a hill at a picturesque old school. Be careful to observe the speed limit!
- Follow 600 East until it takes you to the mouth of Payson Canyon. At this point note your odometer reading or reset your trip odometer.
- Watch for landmarks at these approximate mileages from the canyon mouth:
- 11.1: Payson Lakes Day-use area on the right.
- 11.7: Payson Lakes Campground. turnoff on the right.
- 12.3 Guard station turnoff on the right.
- At the guard station turnoff on the right, don't take the right turn, but instead turn left onto a dirt road. Within a few hundred yards you will see the camp area.
- According to Google Earth, the coordinates at the UARC Field Day site are: 39° 55' 31.11" N., 111° 37' 53.06" W
There is usually a sign along the road indicating where to turn - and if you pass a large, yellow "push pin" (like the one that you see on Google Maps) then you are in the right place: Following the road will lead to an open meadow, and depending on when you arrive you should see an assemblage of trailers - possibly including some with towers on them.
The first of the folks will be arriving sometime on Tuesday the 21st, but the gathering will begin in earnest starting on Thursday the 23rd, at which time the plans are to bring up UARC's larger antenna trailers. It is on this day that set-up can actually begin and from then through Saturday we'll be getting things set up gradually: If you will be up there on Thursday or Friday, we would be happy to get any help that you can provide!
When does Field Day start?
In this time zone, Field Day starts at 12:00 Noon on Saturday the 25th and we continue until noon on Sunday, operating all night. Even if you can't stay overnight, you are more than welcome to drop by to operate, view the scenery, escape the heat, or whatever.
What to expect if I stay up there.
You are welcome to camp (or "glamp", as is your pleasure) on site - but keep in mind that you will be "dry camping" in that there will be no hook-ups: You should bring enough water for your needs. The club will provide porta-potties (which should arrive by Wednesday) and once the main generator is set up (possibly on Thursday evening - but certainly by Friday) you are welcome to plug into it, provided that you aren't planning to run anything like electric space heaters!
While it may reach well over 100F in the valley during the day, it typically stays below the 80s at that altitude (about 8200 feet) and at night it can dip into the 30s, so be prepared for late autumn weather when you show up - and if you are bringing a trailer, make sure that your heater works and that your propane tanks are adequately topped off.
If you are tent camping, most of the above applies: Be prepared for cool weather.
As with any camping outing, you should be prepared to be fully self-sufficient in terms of food, water, clothing and sleeping arrangements. It's worth noting that if you do need supplies, Payson is an approximately 30 minute trip down-canyon to the grocery store.
What else should I bring?
The club will supply the antennas, power and radios - but if you really want to bring your own radio when you operate, feel free to do so - but keep the following in mind:
- Make sure that you don't mind other people touching your radio: It's camping, after all, and there's likely to be dust and whatnot!
- Not all radios "play nice" with nearby transmitters. Some radios' receivers may overload if there is a transmitter on any band operating nearby while some other may be happy if the other transmitters are on different bands, but be totally overloaded if another one is on the same band.
- The club uses older Kenwod TS-450s which are known to do "OK" under these conditions - but we have run across some other radios that will not operate at all well under such conditions.
- In other words, please don't be offended if it's discovered that your radio doesn't work well in an environment with multiple transmitters.
- Actually, that would be a very good thing to know as this may be the sort of thing that can happen in an emergency - and having access to people who know how this problem might be solved (perhaps with filters) is one of the reasons why we do Field Day!
- If you happen to have a "portable" antenna like a Hex Beam and wish to bring it, by all means do so - but please coordinate its set up (location, configuration) with others on site to maximize compatibility and minimize the possibility of interfrence with other stations.
Please join us for the Field Day UARC meeting on June 9 on the UARC YouTube channel (or watch it afterwards).
We hope to see you there!
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