FIELD DAY 2016 @ KA2BEO

My 23rd consecutive Field Day was warm and sunny, so I set up outdoors and operated for about 9 hours total out of the 24-hour event. For the second year, the station consisted of an Icom (IC-706MkIIg) 100-watt transceiver that was powered by commercial AC (operating class D). The 40-meter antenna was an MFJ (MFJ-17758) 85-foot long dipole, situated about 16 feet high, and the 20-meter antenna was an 18.5-foot long dipole that I made out of two Slinky Jr. toys. I call it the TinyTenna, and my plans to build one are on the web (http://www.natradioco.com/TinyTenna_RLD.pdf). Because my coaxial feedline was short, I hung the antenna only about 10 feet high. Even at this low height, the small 20m radiator seemed to be effective. I operated using both CW (Morse code) and SSB (single-sideband) communications again this year, and worked all corners of the country, which also included Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Seen in the photo, a water lily bloomed in our garden just for the event. This Field Day resulted in a nice relaxing time with no pressure to compete for a high score. Walter (KD2EWL) and I even took a two-hour break in the swimming pool to cool off! Until next time, 73 de Rob, KA2BEO.