It doesn't seem that the League is gaining public relation points with Field Day this year. The PSC has voted not to change the rules. Staff has put out information: “Due to the unique situation presented this year, this can be an opportunity for you, your club, and/or group to try something new,” ARRL Contest Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, said. “Field Day isn’t about doing things the same way year after year. Use this year to develop and employ a new approach that is in line with the current circumstances.” It doesn't appear there is any defined way to report "something new" or to show how it will be reported in QST or on the ARRL web-site. Will the "something new" be listed only on a hard-to-detect web page? I suggest that the League put out a detailed list of the "something new" possibilities, explain how to report the activity to the League, and indicate how it will be published. For example, here are a couple of possibilities: ------------------- Distributed Operation - To permit social distancing, a club may operate a number of stations at different locations using the same callsign. This type of operation would not pass the 1000-foot circle rule, but is certainly "something new." The group of stations should should compute a score as if they are together, but indicate their distributed status. For example, if there are three stations at three locations, all using emergency power, they should enter as 3A, with a note about being distributed. If the stations are linked through the Internet, they should note that as well. They will be listed as as either 3A-D or 3A-I in the final results in QST. Individual Station Operation - If the club decides to have all members make contacts from their own home stations, each member should submit an entry as either 1A, 1B, 1C, or 1E, as appropriate, determined by their power source. All individual club members' scores will be listed in the appropriate category. The club can also submit a group entry indicating that their members participated individually, and the club name and club callsign will be listed in a new category, Suspended-Operation entries. Others - There are other possibilities that should be listed. If staff needs help, ask the CAC, even if Field Day is not a contest. ---------------------------- The examples above are only suggestions. I do not set policy. I do hope that we make a better effort at communicating what is happening with Field Day to our members. For an example of member comment, the following exchange was recently on the Southern California Contest Club reflector. I particularly don't like it when a leader of the largest Field Day in the Southwestern Division suggests sponsoring an alternative. I have also had other communication, and suspect most of you have as well. I do not know how to respond. 73, Dick, N6AA [SCCC] Would SCCC like to sponsor an alternative contest to Field Day? Seems to me that Field Day is going to be a big flop this year, with the ARRL not bending on the rules. How can we turn around this situation so that some fun operating event could be done here locally, while preserving the outdoor aspect of FD and the FD exchange. How about some competition between clubs? Think of alternative scoring systems, like the percentage of a club roster that gets on the air to make contacts? Some kind of event to get new Technicians to take their handhelds to the nearest hilltop to make some simplex QSOs? Just thinking out loud here. 73, Tim N6GP Hi Tim, I've been pondering the FD issue, too.We, the W6KA (Pasadena) leadership, have more or less resigned ourselves to the idea that it will be inappropriate for us to gather in person for FD. Instead we will encourage each member to be safer-at-home making valid FD exchanges using their own calls.Participation in our event will NOT require following all of ARRL's rules - just enough so the contacts make sense. We will encourage entries or check logs as appropriate. Marty's success getting ARES and ACS members to participate in the recent 70 cm Sprint gives me hope that VHF can reclaim its respect in FD. [We used to get about the same scores from the cw station, the ssb station, and the vhf station.] I hope attractive advertising, frivolous prizes, and peer pressure will encourage participation. Perhaps the club will accept my proposal to call our event HAPPY Field Day, the *H*ouse *A*rrest *P*arty, *P*ortable in the *Y*ard. Also just thinking out loud here, but looking to be a little silly. 73 Paul | | B Anderson bryce2001@gmail.com via contesting.com | | Sun, Apr 26, 3:08 PM (20 hours ago) | | | | | to Jess, N6LL, SCCC | | Glad to know others have been wondering about FD this year I like the suggestions 10 years ago, when we were just starting out, we made LOTS of contacts on UHF/VHF. In recent years the lack of contacts on UHF/VHF have caused us to question the effort vs the reward in that segment. Bryce K6TI | | Dave Hachadorian k6ll.dave@gmail.com via contesting.com | | Sun, Apr 26, 4:01 PM (19 hours ago) | | | | | to Reflector, reflector | | W6RW, N7TY and myself have been operating from my station for the past few years as a home station on emergency power, operating one radio in shifts. It will be the same this year, except that W6RW and N7TY will be operating the station remotely, and I will be operating in person. It's a simple remote setup, using Teamviewer to control N1MM Logger, and Skype for 2-way audio. It was a snap to set up, and worked right out of the box. We tested it for a short time in the Florida QSO Party this weekend, and it worked great. Dave Hachadorian, K6LL Yuma, AZ