Fifth Annual Experimental MF/LF Outreach and Demonstration Set for Field Day Weekend
Again this year, several radio amateurs who also hold FCC Part 5
Experimental licenses for 630 and 2,200 meters will transmit Field Day
greetings throughout Field Day weekend, June 24-25.
“This event has been organized for the fifth consecutive year to promote
awareness of the new MF and LF amateur allocations ahead of the opening
of the bands to hams in the US,” John Langridge, KB5NJD/WB2XIQ, told
ARRL. “It’s an opportunity where hams and ham gear come together for a
fun weekend, and we hope to add yet another layer to the mix.”
Participating stations will be on from throughout the US, including Alaska. Additional details and operational status will be posted as they become available.
Langridge encouraged Field Day stations to use HF rigs that include
general coverage receivers capable of listening below 500 kHz, coupled
to “whatever antennas they might have on site to listen for these
stations and others.” He said HF dipoles and verticals are probably
best, with any antenna tuners placed in bypass mode.
“Let’s face it: It’s summer, and noise is high, so some groups will have
more success than others, particularly on skywave paths at night when
the noise level increases tremendously,” Langridge said, “but we have
found that the exposure to these bands through this event has been quite
high in previous years.”
“I hope there are a lot of impromptu attempts to copy these stations,”
Langridge said. “It’s a very good engineering exercise for those who
like to build antennas on the fly to increase their signal-to-noise
ratio.”
Reports are requested and may be sent to respective station operators,
but stations are also encouraged to enter reports on the online QSO/Reception Report Form
for the ARRL 600 Meter Experimental Group, WD2XSH. They also can earn
Field Day points by sending NTS traffic to ARRL (225 Main St.,
Newington, CT 06111; 860-594-0200) indicating which stations were heard.
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