It's getting to be 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: Operating in the field as one would for Emergency Communications! This annual event - which occurs during the fourth full weekend of June (which will be June 22 and 23 in 2024) 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 along the Mount Nebo Scenic Loop.
If you plan to come to UARC's field day, consider letting us know on the UARC Field Day Sign-up sheet.. If you don't wish to add your name to this list, don't worry - we'll be happy to see you that weekend!
Where is it, and how do I get there?
In 2024 we'll be returning to the site used in previous years and 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 turn left onto a dirt road where you will see the giant "push pin" (see photo). 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
- In decimal degrees: 39.925308° N. 111.631406° W. .
- In decimal minutes: 39° 55.5185' N. 111° 37.884333' W.
- If you use the app What Three Words, the left turn (if you are heading south/uphill) is at "SUCCESS.HELPER.RESPECTING". In the meadow north of where you turned off the main road you'll find the crowd of UARC folks at "PLASTER.LAPTOP.PADDING"
There is usually a sign placed by UARC 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.
Do I need to have a General class license - or any license at all to operate?
The quick answer is NO. Operations during Field Day will be under UARC's call, W7SP. Since there will be a "control operator" on site at all times, ANYONE may operate - whether you have a license or not.
If you have never operated HF - or even talked on the radio before - consider this a really good reason to show up and dip your toe in world of HF operation.
When should I show up?
The first of the folks will be arriving sometime on Tuesday the 18th, but the gathering will begin in earnest starting on Thursday the 20th, at which time the plans are to bring up UARC's larger antenna trailers. It is on this day (Thursday) 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!
Having said that, many people show up Friday and Saturday as well based on their schedule and when they can get away - and we'll be happy to see you whenever you can show up!
See below if you aren't planning to camp and/or can make it for only part of the day.
When does Field Day start?
In this time zone, Field Day starts at 12:00 Noon on Saturday the 22nd 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.
If you can't stay overnight, make it a day trip!
While we encourage you to be adventuresome and camp overnight (see details below) we understand that this isn't for everyone. If you can only make it for the day - or part of the day - here are a few options:
- Get there bright and early on Saturday. We can always use help in the final set-up! Once noon rolls around you can relax by jumping into the fray and operate if you like!
- Saunter up for the afternoon. There will be dinner served on-site at approximately 6 PM with the club providing the main meat dishes and participants filling out the rest of the pot luck. While we encourage you to operate while you are there, we'll be happy if you just drop by and visit for a while!
- Come up Sunday and help us take things down after Field Day ends. When Field Day ends, a lot of us are tired and would welcome any help you can provide in breaking things back down and putting things away!
What to expect if I stay up there.
May I bring my own radio?
- 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 other nearby transmitters. Some radios' receivers (many direct-sampling SDR units like the Icom IC-7300) are very likely to 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 transmitter 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.
- It would be a very good thing to know if your radio can't coexist with other nearby transmitters as this may be the sort of thing that can happen in an emergency - and having access to people who know how to identify problems and perhaps mitigate them 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 feel free to do so - but please note this in the sign-up sheet (see the link below), and coordinate its set up (location, configuration) with others on site to maximize compatibility and minimize the possibility of interfrence with other stations.
- Please DO NOT do your "own" Field Day operation on or near the UARC Field Day site. UARC's Field Day operations are carefully coordinated to minimize interference between our own transmitters - and having additional transmitters on or very near the site will most certainly cause mutual interference, so feel free to join UARC's activities and use the stations that will already be set up and get even more points for the club!
If you plan to come to UARC's field day consider letting us know on the UARC Field Day Sign-up sheet.. If you don't wish to add your name to this list just yet, don't worry - we'll be happy to see you that weekend!
Please join us for the Field Day UARC meeting on June 13 in person - or on the UARC YouTube channel (or watch it afterwards).
We hope to see you there!
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