On the weekend of January 29-30, 2022, members of the ACARA met at the Jim Crouse Memorial Radio Station in the Red Cross of Southeastern Ohio to participate in the annual Winter Field Day (https://www.winterfieldday.com/) event in class “1H” (one transmitter, “home”). (While no one actually lives at the Red Cross of Southeastern Ohio chapterhouse, it meets the event’s definition of a “home” since it includes a permanent amateur radio station.)
Operating under the club callsign W8UKE, ACARA members Nick Arnold, KD8FKB; Eric McFadden, WD8RIF; Miles McFadden, KD8KNC; Paul Schulz, WD8SCV; and Jeff Slattery, N8SUZ, operated the station for six hours on Saturday and five hours on Sunday and succeeded in making 301 QSOs using CW and SSB, on the 80/75, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands:
Nick Arnold, KD8FKB: 13 QSOs SSB
Eric McFadden, WD8RIF: 242 QSOs CW
Miles McFadden, KD8KNC: 5 QSOs SSB
Paul Schulz, WD8SCV: 6 QSOs SSB
Jeff Slattery, N8SUZ: 35 QSOs SSB
The operation used the station’s Elecraft K3 transceiver set at 100-watts output, a 40-meter End-Fed Zepp antenna, and a Hustler 5-BTV vertical antenna. Paul Schulz provided an LDG antenna tuner and Eric McFadden provided the logging PC. Paul had hoped to make some JS8Call digital-mode QSOs using his own ICOM IC-705 transceiver but a computer issue prevented him from succeeding.
The station transceiver was powered by Bioenno LiFePO4 batteries provided by Jeff Slattery and Eric McFadden, earning the club a 500-point “Emergency Power” bonus, providing for a total calculated score of 8,102 points.
Nick Arnold brought his grill and provided an excellent dinner of burgers and hotdogs on Saturday evening.
Alas, the author neglected to make any photographs of the operation. Nevertheless, it seemed a good time was had by all participants.
Eric McFadden, WD8RIF
President, Athens County Amateur Radio Association