NJ2X

Its that time of year again folks - ARRL Field Day is here June 23-24, 2012!

Field Day is a contest, an emergency preparedness exercise, a public relations demonstration, a great event for clubs, and a great way to get on the air and have some fun.  The spirit of Field Day is to operate away from the shack, commercial power, under field conditions for 24 hours in June.

The objective is to work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12-meter bands) and to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions.   Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within IARU Region 2.  DX stations residing in other regions may be contacted for credit, but are not eligible to submit entries.    

Checkout the ARRL Field Day website for complete details.  Don't forget the sun screen, bug spray, and plenty of snacks and water.

Hope to hear you all on the air.

NJ2X



Be…

NASA maintains a cumulative visualization of global lightning strikes from January 1998 to present day from the NASA/MSFC Lightning Imaging Sensor.  This is a fascinating work and is perhaps compelling enough to motivate a few hams (especially those living in the high strike zones) to improve their station's grounding and lightning protection.



By Michael Maher (NJ2X)

Kids Day is an on-air event to encourage young people (licensed or not) to have fun with Amateur Radio. It is designed to give on-the-air experience to youngsters and hopefully foster interest in getting a license of their own. It is also intended to give older hams a chance to share their station and love for Amateur Radio with their children.

The traditional exchange for kids day is: name, age, location, and favorite color. Be sure to work the same station again if an operator has changed.  To draw attention, call “CQ Kids Day.”

Saturday, June 16, 2012 Kids Day always runs from 1800 UTC through 2359 UTC. Operate as much or as little as you like.

We have enjoyed operating on kids day in year's past.  It has always been a lot of fun.  99% of the contacts have been very positive.  The best contacts have been with hams who are patient and encouraging to the youngsters (a.k.a Potential Future Hams).

We have encountered one or two not-so-patient and not-so-encouraging contacts.  These…

For New Jersey area hams, the Raritan Valley Radio Club Hamfest is on June 16, 2012.  Hope to see you all there.