Jason, my preference would be to cover the entire event through its termination on Sunday. In the past I have had very very productive runs early Sunday morning on 40M as stations are firing up and new operators rejoin The Fray. That said, I do understand the logistical difficulties and extra expense of 2 days Park rental versus one, and we MUST have enough commitment for 3-4 people to man/operate the site overnight. I am a bit concerned that if we announce Field Day as a Saturday only event, we will lose a lot of interest amongst amateurs who may decide to do something else that weekend, or stay home and run the entire 24hr Field Day out of their shacks. There's also some more discussion we need to have about the Food Arrangements whether or not we need a field kitchen, who can bring water etc etc. If we are going to a park without full facilities, it would help immensely if someone with a travel trailer(s) or RV can provide a base of operations. Then as you say, we can supplement with tents and such for those people willing to stay overnight at the site. In the past, most of us Field Day diehards worked the radios up till about midnight, then went to sleep in our tents, got up first light at 5:30 or 6:00 A.M., and went back to work on the radios. Also, some quiet discussions are needed on security arrangements, should we stay in a public park. I also wonder how much lighting, if any, this park has at night. I will probably check this out next week. Was The Eagles site a no-go?
Bill, If there are people willing to spend the night, operate, etc. then I have no problem with it. Historically, that hasn't seem very popular. However the feedback so far is that people want it all night so I'm good with that. Regarding the Eagles, there's two issues there. One is during the summer they have bands and outdoor parties every weekend. So using anything of the Eagles facility itself is probably a no-go. We might be able to get the pavilion maybe. The building itself and the parking lout wouldn't be usable. I'm also not sure the Eagles as an organization would be comfortable with us being there overnight. It's a great place to have our meetings and dinners, but they aren't very flexible on anything else due to the liquor and gambling licenses. The rental cost for the Eagles is also pretty steep for long-term events. The other issue is that field behind the eagles has alternatively been farmed and unmaintained. It would not be an easy setup out there either. Jason ________________________________ From: Bill Storr <n8ltr55@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2024 9:51 AM To: Field Day Technologies Discussion <fd-tech@w8wky.org>; Jason McCormick <jason@mfamily.org> Subject: Field Day Jason, my preference would be to cover the entire event through its termination on Sunday. In the past I have had very very productive runs early Sunday morning on 40M as stations are firing up and new operators rejoin The Fray. That said, I do understand the logistical difficulties and extra expense of 2 days Park rental versus one, and we MUST have enough commitment for 3-4 people to man/operate the site overnight. I am a bit concerned that if we announce Field Day as a Saturday only event, we will lose a lot of interest amongst amateurs who may decide to do something else that weekend, or stay home and run the entire 24hr Field Day out of their shacks. There's also some more discussion we need to have about the Food Arrangements whether or not we need a field kitchen, who can bring water etc etc. If we are going to a park without full facilities, it would help immensely if someone with a travel trailer(s) or RV can provide a base of operations. Then as you say, we can supplement with tents and such for those people willing to stay overnight at the site. In the past, most of us Field Day diehards worked the radios up till about midnight, then went to sleep in our tents, got up first light at 5:30 or 6:00 A.M., and went back to work on the radios. Also, some quiet discussions are needed on security arrangements, should we stay in a public park. I also wonder how much lighting, if any, this park has at night. I will probably check this out next week. Was The Eagles site a no-go?
participants (2)
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Bill Storr -
Jason McCormick