Field Day 2023
The biggest and most exciting day of the year for Ham Radio is coming soon: Field Day 2023!
Field Day is our biggest event of the year, and a great chance to get out and practice Ham Radio hands-on. It’s a fun outdoor-and-indoor activity for Hams of all skill levels; there’s always plenty to be done and lots to learn! Getting to see friends, old and new, and work the airwaves is truly enjoyable. Many hands are needed, for all activities!
During Field Day, we setup all the radios, antennas and related equipment to operate “in the field” for a full 24 hours.
Whether you’re a brand-new Ham, one that’s been around for decades, or not a Ham at all, come out and join us. If you’re not a Ham, there will even be a Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) station for you to try your hand on the radio!
So, come out and join us at the Red Cross of Austin, 2218 Pershing Drive, Austin; this is just east of I-35 and just south of the Mueller development. NOTE: Actual Parking Lot Entrance to the Red Cross is on E.M. Franklin Avenue.
We’ll be there from 9 a.m. Saturday June 24th through mid-afternoon Sunday June 25th. The first few hours on Saturday are for setup of antennas, radios and equipment, and the final few hours on Sunday are for equipment teardown.
Actual on-the-air radio operating time will be from from Saturday, June 24 1800 UTC (1 p.m. Central Daylight Time) through Sunday June 25 1800 UTC (1 p.m. Central Daylight Time) — a full 24 hours!
Please contact us at FieldDay@austinhams.org for more info, and check-out the national organization, ARRL.org/field-day for more general information about Field Day.
Almost as important as Field Day itself is the food! Be sure to be there at meal times and don’t miss out!
- Saturday Lunch: Pizza
- Saturday Dinner: BBQ
- Sunday Breakfast: Tacos
Three Captains
For organizational purposes on the grounds of the Red Cross there are three Captains, each responsible for both a geographic area as well as for all radios, antennas and ancillary equipment associated with those areas.
We have access to Building A (Radio Room), Building B (Classrooms A & B) and the parking lot. Our Emergency Communications (EMCOMM) trailer will be in the Red Cross parking lot.
This year there are three Captains:
• Robert “Rex” Schiller, K8REX, in the EMCOMM trailer for High Frequency (HF). Contact: K8REX@arrl.net [[at]] arrl.net
• Lew Thompson, W5IFQ, in Building B, for Continuous Wave (CW), i.e. Morse Code and HF. Contact: W5IFQ [[at]] att.net
• Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW, for HF and Digital, Building A. Contact: N5MNW [[at]] arrl.net
For more detail about what’s planned for Field Day, please check the Field Day 2023 planning documents created by the various Captains of the AARC Field Day team, as presented to the club membership at our June 6, 2023 meeting: