Field Day 2021

Field day this year is on June 26-27.  This year’s rules can be found at http://www.arrl.org/field-day#rules. Or you can download the 2021 FD Packet at this link:
https://tinyurl.com/dva2jrn8  Both of these links will provide everything you need to know about Field Day 2021.   

What is Field Day you say?  

Field Day is: "The single most popular on-the-air event". Approximately 35,000 hams across the US and Canada partipicpate.  It is held annually on the 4th Weekend in June.  For 2021 that will be June 26th and 27th.  The event starts at 1:00pm CDT on Saturday afternoon and runs until 1:00pm CDT on Sunday afternoon.  It can be a lot of different things  depending on the groups and individuals who are particpiating.  But the original idea (and its still part of the spirit of the event) is to set up your equipment away from your comfortable home station and already installed antennas, and set up a station or many stations in the field. This would demonstrate our ability to communication in an emergency.  Over the years it has become a social event, contest, picnic, and a public relations affair. 

Clubs, like the Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club, often have equipment like beam antennas, dipoles, towers, generators and lots that they use to set up a multi band multi operate event in a park. Everyone would be invited to stop by, get on the air for a while, learn about amateur radio, eat, socialize and generally just have fun.   This type of operation (3 or more hams setting up away from home) was given a designation of "A" or Alpha.  Usually AARC would put 5 to 8 stations on the air at the same time.  Meaning that K0USA had a Designator of 5A or 8A - the number being the number of stations that could get on the air simultaneously.  Every station on site using the same callsign.  With the late removal of the 2021 masking and gathering restrictions within Omaha, the AARC was not able to obtain permission to use one of the many parks as we have done in the past. 

The contest aspect is a bit more than just how many stations you work, but bonus points are given for using emergency power, setting up in public locations, making a contact through a satellite, copying a special message, sending messages from your field day site to the ARRL Section Manager.     

Since Field Day was always about being away from home, stations working from home could participate but were restricted to not being able to work each other for "points".  But the ARRL has changed those rules for this year.   Hams working from home using commercial power sources are given the designator "D"  Usually its a single station so 1D.   Again in 2021  "Deltas" can work "Deltas" for points![For 2021 they are limited on power however.]   Use your home station, or setup in the back yard even call call CQ Field Day on 2m FM simplex!  You might find a LOT of those out there this year.  Or if you have a generator or battery capacity, you can still work from home and be an"E" or "Echo" Station.   

The ARRL has also recognized that Field Day is in a club's blood.  Normally club names are only published for class A and Class F entries - but again in 2021 participants in ANY class can submit their results for the club..   So if DogPatch ARc members Daisy May KZ0XYL and  KZ0LIL Abner both participate in Field Day 2021 - Abner from his Class D home station and Daisy May from her car as a Class C Mobile station,   When they upload their logs, they can both include their radio radio club name.  Their scores will be included in the in the combined score for Dogpatch ARC.  

 The League has made it easy to do.  You upload your log here: https://field-day.arrl.org/fdentry.php and chose "Ak Sar Ben ARC" from the drop down.   

There are  plans underway [again] for KØUSA to be operated as a 2E or 3E.   So KØUSA will still be a presense during Field Day!  But YOU can still do field day.  

Also email or mail your log to our club secretary Brian Sohl KE0GKB at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..   We plan on having certificates and awards for club members who upload or submit their log with the club designation as Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club.  This year only we will also have certficiates and maybe some prizes  and your accomplishments will be recognized in a future issue of HamHum!!