What is field day?
It's a contest like no other. The idea behind field day is to test your ability to set up and operate a station competitively under non-ideal conditions. This means no commercial facilities like buildings or power. Stations operate on all bands from UHF through HF with the exception of the WARC bands (30, 17 and 12 meters) and on all modes, phone, cw and digital. The spirit of field day combines a weekend of camping with intense radio operating. Some consider field day the premier operating event of the year - the most fun you can have without breaking the law!

Who sponsors field day?
Field day is organized and sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, the national membership association for Amateur Radio operators.

When is field day and how long does it last?
Field day is always the fourth full weekend in June. This year (2001) it's Saturday June 23d and Sunday June 24th. The operating starts on Saturday at 1800 UTC for everyone (2PM EDT) and runs 24 hours. The rules allow stations 24 hours before the event to begin setting up so the fun starts on Friday 2PM EDT.

How are points made?
The main goal is to make as many contacts as possible. So that an individual isn't up against a large club operation, there are different entry categories. There are categories or classes for clubs, individuals, mobile operation and even operating at home. No mater how you want to participate, there's a category for you. The rules favor HF operating but there is plenty of activity on the VHF and UHF bands. Contacts through repeaters are not allowed. Points are awarded based on the number of contacts, the mode of operation and power level. Quality operating skills with emphasis on persistence and patients are the keys to success. For a successful contact, stations exchange their operating class and ARRL section. See the ARRL rules for full details.

What are bonus points?
Besides making points on contacts, participants can earn additional points in a variety of bonus categories. This year 1200 points plus 100 points per transmitter on emergency power is possible. A 5 transmitter operation, if it took advantage of all the possible bonus categories, could earn 1700 bonus points. The ARRL has placed a strong emphasis on publicity by providing an opportunity to earn up to 400 of the bonus points in 4 different publicity oriented categories. There are also bonus points for satellite contacts, powering a station from unconventional power sources (like wind or solar power), traffic handling and more.

Where is field day?
Most groups conduct their operations in the classic tradition in the field. Many operators, however, operate from their homes or vehicles. RARS will once again conduct operations from the Carroll site and possibly at a second more public location at the grounds of the State capitol.

How popular is it?
Field day is one of the most popular contests, attracting many thousands of operators. The bands are very crowded on field day weekend!

Who participates?
All US and Canadian hams can compete for points. Contacts can be made with any station anywhere in the world but the vast majority of contacts are made within the US and Canada.

Isn't a lot of operating experience necessary?
No! If you're a new ham and have never operated on HF, field day is a wonderful opportunity to get some mic or key time. Many new hams have had their first taste of field day at a RARS operation. Even members of the general public have made contacts at RARS field day operations.

What is RARS' involvement with field day?
RARS has a tradition of going out for field day in a big way. On at least 3 occasions in recent years our club has taken top honors in its class and on at least one occasion placed in the top ten for total points regardless of class. What is perhaps most remarkable is that while we have been very competitive, many new, inexperienced hams have participated with us for their first field day. We have operated at a variety of sites including Umstead State Park near RDU and most recently on the property of Jim and Beth Carroll near Apex. RARS has also fielded simultaneous operations in past years.

How does RARS organized its field day operations?
RARS field day activities are guided by a field day chairman and band captains. The chairman has overall responsibility for securing a site, Port-a-John facilities, band captain recruitment and with the band captains, the layout of the site. In its budget RARS allocates about $400 each year for field day expenses. This money is used to reimburse operators for the cost of generator gasoline, to rent the Port-a-Johns, to pay any fees associated with the site (there were such expenses when we operated from Umstead Park) and to pay for food and refreshments when someone volunteered to organize a Saturday evening meal for all the participants.

What are band captains and what do they do?
A band captain is the person who recruits a team of operators and helpers and with them, plans and organizes the operation of one or more field day stations. A band captain is responsible for making sure the station is properly equipped and manned, that it is operated according to the field day rules, that the log is maintained and that people are recruited to help set up, operate and take down the station and antennas. The principle job of the band captain is to organize. You don't need to have years of ham or field day experience but sometime in your ham career you should have a couple of field days as an active participant in a group operation. If you can organize, recruit and delegate and are willing to learn, you have what it takes. Successful band captains recruit and delegate - they don't do it alone and they certainly don't own all the equipment.

How do I participate?
If you would like to operate, help set up or take down a station contact the band captain of your choice. If you are interested in serving as a band captain or working for any of the bonus points, contact the chairman. Don't misunderstand, field day participation is not by invitation only! It's just helpful to the organizers for planning purposes to know how many folks to expect for different activities. The goal is to involve as many RARS members as possible.

Where can I get more information?
The ARRL field day link http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd is the place to go for a copy of the rules and general field day information. Of course, for RARS it's the field day link at http://www.rars.org and by all means contact the chairman or any of the band captains for help with your questions.

What's the cure for field day fever?
There's only one cure. I'll see you at field day!