ARRL Field Day with the Chicago FM Club
June 29, 2009
The weather was quite warm and sunny, but not as hot and humid as the prior days before the event. Stan (NK9A), Bob (KB9SAR) & Tina (KC9CMO) headed over to Tim’s WD9DZV home to pick up the club beam antennas at 9 a.m. We got the Tri-band beam for 10-12-15 meters along with the 40 meter beam, mast, rotor, & miscellaneous equipment. We loaded it onto the trucks roof rack, and away went to our Field day location in River Grove !!. Upon our arrival we had a crew of club members at the gazebo that were there early and got to work immediately. Talk’n about team work, the crew had everything set up in as little as 2 hours !! BIG Thank You goes to NK9A , N9LXF, N9LEN, KB9YEK, KC9CMO, WA9FTS , KB9AJM , W9XB , & KB9SAR.
Stan (NK9A) strung up a new homemade Dipole antenna from tree to tree for 80 meters and Bob (KB9SAR) set up a 2m and 440 station for the Talk-in on CFMC.
Shortly before the 1 pm radio start time, out came the BBQ Grill, and we started cooking. Thanks to the club, and a few others who brought food to cook. Our menu items were..... Polish sausage, hamburgers, hotdogs, Chips , Pop, and other sides to go with it, including Juicy Steaks & Kielbasa. Thanks to Stan (NK9A) “szwagier” for being the Chef !!!
Some of us were surprised by our club members who live very far on the south-side of Chicago, and Southwest Suburbs, who came to the event with their own radio equipment, deep cycle batteries, antenna’s , a generator, and assisted in the Field Day exercise. In addition they stayed up All night long and kept the contacts going. Hats off to Calvin W9BBQ, KB9QLP , KA9EPL , KC9HRC , KB9AJM , you guys Rock !!!!!
The static crashes, pile up’s, and CQ’s were occurring; the operators were getting busy racking up the points, contacts, then logging the info to the computer. There was some rain & lightning that lasted an hour, but these guys and gals continued to plug away. Thanks to the following operators that took turns being on the radio for this event and relieving one another for breaks N9LXF, N9LEN , KB9YEK, KC9CMO, KB9QLP , KA9EPL , W9BBQ , NK9A, W9XB, KC9HRC , K9VO , N9CBE , & WA9AYQ.
Special Thanks to The Village of River Grove Public Works and Park District for letting us use the Gazebo and there grounds.
Additional Thanks also go out to Pioneer Press for being their to interview us. Photos and an article will be published in the newspaper about our club and the Field Day event shortly.
To all the rest of the people / members who stopped by and supported our event….
Thank You for being their !!!
Stan (NK9A) Field Day Chairman
Bob (KB9SAR) His “Grunt” Assistant
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On June 27th Saturday, The Chicago FM Club Communicates With Stations From All Across North America, And Several Places Around The World For 24 Hours.
We Take Our Rigs And Antennas To
Our Field Day Location At Grand Ave And River Rd In The Town Of River Grove, Illinois, And Operate Away From The Many Comforts Of Home. This is Field Day !!, The Largest On-Air Operating Activity In The World. Come Experience It With The Chicago FM Club !!!
Field Day Can Be Approached in A
Variety Of Ways : Emergency Preparedness,
Public Service And Outreach, Or Simply A
Fun Activity With CFMC. Field Day
Is “ Not “ a contest; No Plaques Or Certificates
Are Awarded, And No Winners Are Recognized.
However, Many Operators And Other Clubs
Treat It As One.
Field Day Provides A Great Learning
Experience For The Budding Contester. Get
Hands-On Experience With Setting Up An
Effective HF And VHF Station Under Less
Than Ideal Circumstances. The Difficulties
All Stations Experience On Field Day (And
Learning How To Overcome Them) Will Teach A
Valuable Lessons For Any Amateur, Including
Contesters. Weather You Are New To The Hobby Or An Old Timer, Stop By And Visit Us !!
CFMC Is Always On The
Lookout For New Talent. After All, A Person
Who Enjoys Working Stations In A Rapid-Fire
Succession While Still Maintaining Their Composure Is A Highly-Sought-After Commodity.
Come On Out And Participate
In Field Day With CFMC And Make An Effort And Promote
Contest-Style Operating. We Will Have Some
Literature About Our Club And
Take The Time To Talk To Those Who Express
Interest In The Event And The Hobby And Give You The Hands On Experience.
Field Day Is, Above All Else, About Having
Fun! If Your Idea Of Having Fun Is To Treat
It Like A Contest, Then Take The Next Step And
Use It To Refine Your Skills Or Find Others Who
Share Your Passion For Radio Sport. You Are Encouraged To Come By And Get Involved. The Location For Our Site Is In River Grove Ilinois, On The South East Corner Off Of Grand And River Road, 100 Yards To The South East. Talk-In Will Be On 146.760 p.l. 107.2 For Directions, Or You Can Call Me 847-652-3669. See Ya There !! ~ Bob KB9SAR ~
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Field Day Pictures
Submitted by
Ken KA9TRG
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Field Day Pictures
Submitted by
George W9GFH
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Created on: July 3rd, 2008
Modified on: June 21st, 2009
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