What is Winter Field Day?

Winter Field Day is an exciting annual event for amateur radio enthusiasts, taking place on the last full weekend of January. The event is organized by the Winter Field Day Association which strongly believes that ham radio operators should practice portable emergency communications in winter environments. KARS will be participating in the event this year with plans to operate over the entire contest period.

Rules

The official rules are posted at 2025-rules.pdf Our current plan is to operate as an M4 location (Mobile/4 operator). To achieve the most multipliers we will be operating on 70cm, 2m, 6m, 10m, 20m, and 40m. This means we will need volunteers for the duration of the event to ensure we maintain an operator on each of the 4 radios that will be set up. Note that there is a rule that prohibits multiple transmitters on the same band at the same time, so each operator station will be dedicated to a single band. The exception will be the mobile unit which will float between 70cm, 2m and 6m. There are rules on modes as well that eliminate FT4/FT8 use. This means we will need operators for phone (SSB/AM/FM/DMR/C4FM), CW, and other digital modes such as s PSK, RTTY, Olivia, Packet, SSTV, ATV, JS8Call. The 15m band is an alternative band option that we may be able squeeze in if we get enough volunteer support.

Objectives

Multipliers are awarded when specific objectives have been met. We are targeting the following objectives:

• OMx1 - Operate 100% on alternative power (Generators, battery and solar are planned)
• OMx3 - Operate away from home (We will be at the Agricultural Museum)
• OMx1 - Deploy multiple antennas (We will have one for each radio/band)
• OMx2 - Make an FM satellite contact (Jerry (N5SGM))
• OMx3 - Make a SSB or CW satellite contact (Jerry (N5SGM))
• OMx1 - Send and receive at least one Winlink email (Jerry (W5MIG))
• OMx1 - Copy the Winter Field Day Special Bulletin (Time/Mode will be provided later)
• OMx6 - Operate on at least 6 bands (We will be on 70cm/2m/6m/10m/20m/40m)
• OMx2 - Use multiple modes
• OMx2 - Operate six continuous hours during the event

Equipment Needed

Volunteers Needed

In order to have a successfull event, we will need volunteers for the following roles/times:

The event ends at 4pm. Volunteers in this group will assist breaking down antennas/radio stations and ensuring we leave the facility in better shape than we found it.