Ham Radio's Annual National Contest - Field Day!

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By Jon Kreski

Once each year thousands and thousands of ham radio operators participate in what some consider to be an annual contest - Field Day. Field Day has a more serious side to it than being just a contest however. I call it a contest because the national organization of ham radio, the American Radio Relay League does actually keep scores for each ham radio station that participates in Field Day. While most hams do want to get their score as high as possible during Field Day the objective is to practice and refine communications skills "in the field".

Many ham radio operators have sophisticated home base stations with large antenna towers and high gain beam antennas. The main objective of Field Day is designed for the portable ham radio operator. The objective is to demonstrate and refine the ability to communicate "in the field".

Once each year thousands and thousands of amateur radio operators participate in what some consider to be an annual contest - Field Day. Field Day has a more serious side to it than being just a contest however. I call it a contest because the national organization of amateur radio, the American Radio Relay League does actually keep scores for each ham radio station that participates in Field Day. While most hams do want to get their score as high as possible during Field Day the objective is to practice and refine communications skills "in the field".

Many amateur radio operators have sophisticated home base stations with large antenna towers and high gain beam antennas. For Field Day those hams are not allowed to use that equipment. Field Day is designed for the portable amateur radio operator. The objective is to demonstrate and practice the ability to transport, assemble and operate their equipment in the field. There are strict rules preventing the use of permanent structures.

Field Day's benefit becomes crystal clear when you consider that many ham radio operators freely provide high quality portable radio communications in disaster situations. Hurricane season is prime time for such communications. Tornado outbreaks also are a time when such communications capabilities become very valuable. The ability to transport and quickly assemble a high quality amateur radio stations and operate it under stress for an extended period of time is exactly what is tested at Field Day. The scores that are obtained in the contest are roughly indicative of the performance described above.

Is Field Day all work and no play? Usually not! Hams can do Field Day alone. Large numbers of ham amateur radio operators participate as a group. In Appleton Wisconsin and in Green Bay Wisconsin the local ham radio clubs host group events. In each event there is some form of shelter provided. Different members bring their ham radios of various types, computers for digital mode communications, antennas and of course food and drinks. Events such as these are a great time for amateur radio operators to get to know each other and trade stories of rare radio contacts and operating experiences.

Field Day contest points are scored by contacting other ham radio stations. The person or group that makes the most contacts on the most frequencies typically wins the contest. The results of the contest are published in QST which is the monthly magazine of the national organization for amateur radio operators. Being published in a monthly magazine provides bragging rights for those that win the contest.

While winning the contest is a fun achievement it proves that the amateur radio operator that won the contest is quite skilled at making a large amount of contacts over a 24 hour time period. Information must also be exchanged and then accurately reported by both radio operators for the points to be scored. This represents the ability to exchange large volumes of information in a high stress event like a disaster. Tune your radio to the ham radio bands on Field Day each year and find out just how many people participate in this event. To find the specific day of the event or to find an event near you that is open to the public search Google or other search engine for "field day open to public" without the quotes. I know that the amateur radio clubs in Green Bay Wisconsin and Appleton Wisconsin would love to have visitors!

Jon Kreski, otherwise known as AB9NN (FCC Amateur Radio call sign) is an Extra class ham radio license holder. This is the highest level license available. Jon is a member of A.R.E.S. (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) and is qualified and authorized to participate in giving ham radio FCC license exams. Jon is also a severe storm spotter - trained by the National Weather Service. Jon works with SkyWarn, a national storm spotter group, to work in a many-to-many ham radio storm spotting network. Jon also provides free ham radio communications support to served agencies and serves as a volunteer to local marathons and races. Jon lives in the Appleton / Green Bay Wisconsin area and operates on HF mobile as well as on the local 2 meter repeaters. Jon uses e-QSL and LOTW.

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Walkie-Talkie Base Station Types - Know Your Facts Before Getting One

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 By Thomas Hue

No, we are not talking about playing with the company equipment at work but about the different types and features of the many kinds of 2 way radio base station units that are on the market today. Some of these types are designed for playtime and enjoyment for both adults and children alike. Your child's next birthday party, special event or just playing on a Saturday afternoon can be the perfect occasion to get outside and make the best use of it. With a 2 way radio station control set and several radio sets on hand, you can play the day away with agents or spies in the field and the commander in chief back at base.

Types and Make

Usually a 2 way radio base station can easily support spy type walkie-talkies and three way communications. When it comes to electronic toys for kids, a 2 way radio base station is a fun way to get kids away from the television and out into the fresh air to exercise and play. Many of these bases have a reach of more than 200 feet so that your boy or girl can actually go to a hiding place before communicating their responsive "10-4" or "Roger that". Whether the objective is to send messages in Morse code, make up your own code or just to talk over the distance, you will have hours of fun with a 2 way radio base station.

Those who are looking for a real walkie-talkie station control set that offers functionality similar to that of children's play set will find that there are a lot of choices on the market today. Many of these fully functional stations offer emergency power crank, two way radio technology, rechargeable battery, 22-channel options and much more at a price that is affordable. Big names like Motorola and Clear-Com offer 2 way radio base station units with 4 watts and heavy duty built that stands up to use in rugged locations like construction sites.

Built-in Capabilities

There are many types of rechargeable walkie-talkie station control set units that have a built-in battery and provide as long as 36 hours of use on a single charge. Features such as easy interconnect, compatible with other walkie-talkies in addition to those that come with the base, multi-color LED audio level indicator, fit anywhere footprint and many other functions. Many of these walkie-talkie base stations offer a stand-alone interface that works with both walkie-talkies and 2-way radios.

Purposes and Objective

Whether you want to extend your intercom system for an indoor event in a large facility or you want to take communication to the next level at an outdoor venue, you can achieve your objectives with a walkie-talkie base station that offers audio connection, push to talk transmitting and much more. Many of these types of stations are priced to fit your budget and value packed for the sticker price. Superior audio quality and compatibility with repeaters are also a part of what you can get with the right walkie-talkie base station selection.

Getting a good set of walkie-talkie base station is crucial if you are planning for events that require lots of communication. Check out this site at  Radio Antennas {http://buycomputerandprinters.blogspot.com/2012/06/why-use-compatible-laser-toner.html }should you need more useful information and reviews prior to getting a set that suits your need.

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Car Internal Antenna - Understanding How a Car Antenna Works

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By Ilse Hagen

A car antenna is designed to receive broadcast signals coming from transmitters located in close proximity to the car. It decodes these signals and turns them into sounds and images for radio and television. There are also types of antennas that work as secondary receivers to enhance the function of a car's pre-installed antenna. There are two types of car antennas: the external antenna and the car internal antenna.

External antennas, as the name implies, are installed on the outer part of the car - for instance, on the hood, the rear or the roof of the car. They are mounted on telescoping fiberglass or a metal pole that is attached to a stationary base. Many external antennas are omni-directional but they can also be tilted in the general direction of a radio signal to obtain better reception.

But if you don't want to have a pole sticking out of your car, you might as well get a car internal antenna. This is a type of antenna that you can install on the trunk, the deck inside the vehicle or the windshield. Some models these days can also power other devices such as mobile phones but there are products that are specifically made only for radios or car TV sets. There are also internal car antennas that can amplify low frequency gadgets to improve reception. Some people take to installing several internal antennas to achieve better reception for their devices.

There are several things that you need to consider when shopping for the right antenna. Many people opt to buy car internal antenna simply because it doesn't affect the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle. But more than aesthetics, consider getting an antenna that can support several frequency bands and one that can get consistently strong reception.

Important buying tips

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Antenna - How One Works

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By Michael Russell
It's probably not something many people are interested in unless they're some kind of an electrical engineer or just bored, but understanding how an antenna works can be useful when the one on your TV or radio goes south on you and the reason is beyond your comprehension.
Trying to explain how an antenna works in simple English is not an easy task as there are a lot of technical specifications that need to be explained. But a general understanding is possible without getting into tech speak that would make Einstein cringe.


In order for an antenna to work it has to radiate. Your antenna, whether TV or radio has what is called free electrons running through it. It is these free electrons that vibrate. The question becomes, how do these free electrons vibrate and what causes them to vibrate?
Well, in real life it takes an electric field to move an electron. If you take an isolated straight dipole, the power comes from the combined fields of all the charged particles, both positive and negative, in the antenna. We'll call this field the antenna's coulomb field.


In addition to this field, the antenna exhibits a magnetic field that is the sum of the magnetic fields of all the free moving electrons. The antenna also has a dynamic electric field that is the vector sum of the dynamic electric fields of all the free electrons. What we can do is separate the electric field of the antenna at any point in space into two components. One of the components will be in phase with the total magnetic field and the other will be 90 degrees out of phase. The in-phase component is the radiation field of the antenna and the out of phase component is the induction field. At the antenna, both fields are parallel to the metal surface.


What happens is that the coulomb field and the induction field fall off much more quickly than the radiation field as the distance increases from the antenna. When you reach distances greater than a few wavelengths from the antenna, you have what is called the antenna's far field. This field is pure radiation. As you get closer to the antenna you have what is called the antenna's near field. This field is a mixture of radiation, coulomb, and induction fields. Still with us? Great, we're getting to the good part.


What ultimately happens with all these fields that makes it so that your TV or radio picks up signals through your antenna is this. The free electrons moving through your antenna are moving at their maximum speed. The right hand half of your antenna accumulates electrons. The left hand half of your antenna is where the electrons depart and leave an excess of charged ions. The coulomb field produces an imbalance and opposes the electrons' rightward motion.


 The electrons then stop, coast for a bit and then head back towards the left. After they reach maximum speed they then stop and process is repeated, now heading back to the right. The result is a vibration of free electrons that heats the metal and in turn generates electromagnetic waves.
And that, in as simple English as possible, is how your antenna works.


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