Who would have thought that the year is almost half over and the time for preparing for our favorite outdoor activity is Field Day 2001?  I am very happy with the response from the membership in their sign-ups for this years field day.  As your Operations Chairman this year I hope we can also schedule a few other events that are more in the "contest" arena than Field Day.  I will add more to that on that in upcoming newsletters.

This year's Field Day will again be held up on the Byrd properties, but our 1000 foot area has been cut back to a bit smaller working space.  The lot that was under construction has been progressing along this year, so that section of land needs to be avoided.  I will be presenting the map and suggested location of each of the eleven or more stations at the club meeting.  This is the preparation to allow each of the Band Captains an opportunity to relate their site and operator needs.  So be sure to attend the

If you cannot attend the June 14^th meeting and you want to participate in CVARC FD 2001, then you can meet with those on Saturday June 16^th at the Conejo Creek Park, next to the Library around 11:30 am.  The purpose at this meeting is to work out details of equipment usage and pickup.  It is best to get what you need early, as the following weekend would be the event.  So make sure that coax is good, antenna not shorted, extra nuts and bolts for that mast and the battery and rig are in top operating shape.

It would be very hard to make a check list that would suit the needs of everyone, so be sure you have made a list and packed away the items you will require to "survive" a 24 hour ordeal.  I hope with the help we have this year the shift schedules will provide better operating time.  If the schedules are not going to be used or committed too, then the burden of operation falls back on the shoulders of those who still want to operate.

That brings me to the subject of operation.  Each of you and many other non -CVARC hams have always been invited to attend to our FD operations and assist in the exercise.  There are just a few very important, of the many important items, which should be considered.  The first is common courtesy is on the air procedures.  The airwaves will be crowed (jammed) and it is not uncommon for "many" signals to be on the same frequency.  This should not be a deterrent to operating.  If the stronger signal is calling CQ and you send your call out to them and they do not answer the first time, do not be discouraged as your 5 watts is competing with many stronger signals than your own.  Your only "help" is in the "skip" which puts your signal strength above those trying to work the station.  So try a few times and then move on to another station.

At times the station you are working does not "copy" your exchange.  The exchange might be as follows:  W1AW  From AA6CV, you are 11 A, Santa Barbara ( in cw this is W1AW de AA6CV 11A SB).  Saying the letters phonetically for SSB is a challenge for both parties when the airwaves are busy.  A full exchange is the second courtesy item to remember.  It is not fair nor does it count to assume the station has your "message."  This is a time to practice using "copy" in SSB and qsl in cw.  Many times we get caught up in the accumulation of call signs and forget that this is the opportunity for message exchange than "call sign collecting."   The use of 73 and best of luck, have a nice day, thank you, etc., and are phrases, which are not out of line to pass on.  This is better understood when a station is picking up your 5 watts and they ask you to repeat several times and you think they must be using a coat hanger for an antenna.  Be patient as this event is not to make you horse from "yelling" into the microphone or become a cw vegetable at the key.

The following are the presently "known" Band Chairman that should be contacted if you can provide help during this activity.  This year I would hope the helpers could "rotate" among the various stations in order to experience what each of those station operations are like.  Nothing like a good relief operator and an opportunity for a "potty break!"

Hope to see and spend time with you all this year for FD 2001.  Remember the Saturday night dinner is about 10 bucks of delicious BBQ Tri Tip and chicken like last year.  Check with Jonathan, KC6QOQ, the Social Chairman as to payment for the dinner.

I have attempted to call all the members or leave a message.  If you have not been called my apologies and please let any one of the Band Chairmen know your willingness to participate.  I have a list of those who signed up with Band Captains and they will be presented at the meeting.

Band Allocation and Chairmen:  Assigned helpers will be listed at the meeting.
6M - Roy, KE6UMW
2M - Marco, KC6WQR
10M - Terry, K7FE
15M SSB- Ted, KG6AJH
15M CW - Don, K6CAB
20M SSB- Ken, KJ6RZ
20M CW -Greg, K7SDW
40M SSB -Karl, KE6WVZ
40M CW - Fred, KI6YN
75 M SSB - Open
80 M CW - Open
160 M - Open
Digital Stn 1 - Roger, N6WNE
Digital Stn 2 - Szilard, KF6RYV
Novice - Open

The following are willing to help out:
N6BED - Bill
W6SGT - James
W0UFC - Tom : Will help supply equipment needs
KB6WIP - Ted

73 de Greg, Operational Chairman.

7:00 PM - 7:30 PM  VOICE 147.93-  pl 127.3 WB6WEY AREA 1
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM  VOICE 147.15+  pl 127.3 WB6ZTQ AREA 3
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM  VOICE 146.97-   pl 127.3 WB6YQN AREA 4
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM  VOICE 145.40-    no pl     N6FL        AREA 5
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM  VOICE 147.975- pl 127.3 N6AHI     AREA  6
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM  VOICE 146.985- pl 127.3 WB6ZTX AREA 7
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM  VOICE   145.28-   pl 100    WB2WIK AREA 8

The net control task for this recent bike event seemed to go much easier for me than the S.E.T. event I ran net control for in October.
   The Tactical Position Assignments, Operating Frequencies and rest stop sight maps were passed out by Greg Lane and myself, at the breakfast meeting at the Denny's Restaurant in Newbury Park.
   After the Radio group left the Restaurant we convened at the Conexant starting point from which the rest stop operators and the Communications Van were dispatched to their respective positions to set up and get ready for the start of the day's events.
   Roger Loiler, N6WNE drove the Comm Van up to Byrd Hill to take advantage of the altitude and assist in the APERS tracking of the SAG Wagons along the coarse.
   Frank, KI6OQ Went off to Rest stop # 1 at Oak Park High School.
   Rick, N6JJL and Belinda Poole, KG6FUO, went to Rest Stop # 2 at Cornell and Mulholland.
   Vern, W6NCT went to Rest Stop # 4 at Westlake and Potrero.
   George, KN6LA Went to Rest Stop # 5 at Pleasant Valley and Santa Rosa Road in Camarillo.
   Larry, AD6QJ Arrived later and used his Motorcycle with his 440 radio to cruse along the path between Potrero and Santa Rosa Road to spot potential problems.
   Don, K6CAB and Alberta Munding, KA6WKR went to Rest Stop # 6 at Poindexter Park.
   Leon, N6VCL was operating from SAG # 1. (APERS ID K7SDW-15)
   Jonathan, KE6QOQ was operating from SAG # 2. (APERS ID K7SDW-12)
   Szilard, KF6RYV was operating from SAG # 3. (APERS ID K7SDW-9)
   John, KF6CHT was operating from SAG # 4. (APERS ID N6WNE-9)
   Greg Lane, K7SDW worked around the Start/Finish point and along the  beginning of the routes to assist in setting up the APERS Equipment in the SAG wagons. And acted as a runner to deliver radio gear to the Comm Van on the hill, after we experienced trouble with the APERS Tracker Roger was running.
   The only difficulty I experienced was with the fact that there were not enough maps left over for me to use at my net control position.
   I was not always able to follow the various routes from only the route street list sheets. There were too many overlapping streets between the many events to follow easily.
   For the most part communications between the various stations and SAG wagons involved in the event went very smoothly, and as a directed net, most of the stations requested permission to communicate with me or go direct with one another.
   Being slightly short handed at our location, my efforts to attempt to man two frequencies at the same time caused some confusion, and delayed some communication between the start/finish point and one of the rest stops, which, at one point, needed a specific piece of tire repair or inflating adapter. A second operator to handle the 440 communications position and read the route sheets would have been a big help.
   Our radio location on top of Byrd's hill was a good one for communications and APERS, but not very convenient for ease of contact with the start/finish point. If we had been using  simplex only for communications, we could have used the hill to great advantage, but  we were using the 147.885 and the 446.880 repeaters which all the rest stops and sags could reach anyway.
   There were only 3 downed riders reported, 2 required transportation to medical facilities the third was able to continue on unaided. Also, later in the event a male rider reported that his female companion had become separated from him at a rest stop. After a while the missing woman showed up at the Start/Finish line.
   The SAG wagons transported approximately 8 Bikers back to the Start/Finish point during the day, and Sag # 3 followed the final 6 riders who chose to finish the long coarse at the end of the events.
   All in all it was a fairly quiet event. As always there are busy time and fairly quiet times. The event was quite well planned and executed. The rest stops were pretty well stocked with provisions and well staffed, and the SAG Wagons were more than sufficient to handle the situations that occurred.
   73, Roy Deschene KE6UMW