As a ham radio enthusiast, I always look forward to field day—it’s such a fun time to get out and enjoy a hobby I love.
It’s a gathering where fellow radio operators come together to chat, both locally and across the country. It’s about seeing who can reach the farthest station during the contest or sharing those exciting moments trying to make that one connection. But, beyond that, field day is really about emergency communications. During the event, we practice exchanging small, coded messages—kind of like passing radiograms—especially when the radio bands are acting up. When conditions are tough, you have to get creative to send messages across thousands of miles.
Map show contacts across 10 meters, 15 meters, 20 meters, and 40 meters bands.
This year, with January bringing some minor geomagnetic storms and potential radio blackouts, everyone wondered how it would turn out. Some folks mentioned how cool it was to see the Northern Lights caused by space weather. Despite the uncertainties, six radio operators from our Clatsop County AuxComm group decided to meet up and give what some are calling their first-ever winter field day a shot. Over the two days, we took turns operating the HF radios at the Clatsop County EOC, getting used to the fast pace and sometimes barely audible signals—all just to pass messages and calls across the airwaves.
Kelly Larkins (N7IXI), Steve Larkins (N7JED), and D.B. Lewis (KC7CYH)
D.B. Lewis (KF7CYH) and Samual Cox (KK7ZXK). Not photographed was Su Coddington (KJ7JXK)
I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did. I loved sharpening my radio skills, catching up with friends, and trying to make contacts with fellow ham operators out in the field.
And how did we do? Using simple voice contacts, our team finished with a 207th place in the indoor category I think we did great. We made 67 contacts, ending with a score of 198. Now, I’m really looking forward to the next field day in June!
