Subj : Re: Field Day 2026
To   : All
From : Rug Rat
Date : Tue Jun 30 2026 09:43 pm

 Finnaly got the logs compiled!  I know 3 days later seems a bit strange.  
The delay was partially due to lazyness (Though not quite as lazy as my first 
FD attempt, where I did not submit at all!) and partially for needing to 
mentally step back and take a break from anything related to Field Day for a 
bit.

As promissed here is my submission summary.

Call Used: KF6HDJ    GOTA Station Call: (NONE)    ARRL/RAC Section: NFL    
Class: 1D

Participants: 1    Club/Group Name: (none)

Power Source(s): Commercial

Power Multiplier: 2X

Preliminary Total Score: 740 - (Additional 300 points pending bonus 
documentation)

Bonus Points:
  Formal message to ARRL SM/SEC                  100 - Pending documentation
  W1AW Field Day message                          100 - Pending documentation
  Formal messages handled (10 x 10, max of 100)  100 - Pending documentation
  Entry submitted via web                          50
Total bonus points                                350

Score Summary: (Pending Cabrillo log/dupe sheet)
                  CW  Digital  Phone  Total
  Total QSOs      0    145      55
Total Points      0    290      55    345  Claimed Score = (QSO points x power 
mult) = 690

Submitted by: Brent P. Hendricks, KF6HDJ  brent_hendricks@yahoo.com

Band/Mode QSO Breakdown:
              CW          Digital      Phone
            QSOs Pwr(W)  QSOs Pwr(W)  QSOs Pwr(W)
      160m                                     
      80m                                     
      40m                  3  100             
      20m                142  100      43  100
      15m                 10  100
      10m                               2  100
       6m                                     
       2m                                     
      222                                     
      432                                     
    Other                                     
Satellite                                     
      GOTA                                     
    TOTAL    0            145              55

So, where do I think I cam make improvements for Winter Field Day (If I choose 
to participate.  I kind of had a falling out with the organizers over a rule I 
think is poorly written and their response to me mentioning it.).

While my vertical works well for the high bands, it SUCKS on 40/80 (Local.  DX 
it works like magic.). I need to get an additional antenna, either a dipole I 
can at least put along my fence line, or a rotatable dipole made out of HAM 
sticks.  It may not be the greatest, but it will at least be something to 
mitigate the poor performance on the lower bands.

I really wish the ARRL would not allow FT4/FT8 for Field Day. I know this would 
piss a lot of people off, but while the mode is suitable for Field Day, it is 
completely useless to send traffic in an actual Emergency other than a digital 
propagation test/meter.  This is supposedly a Emcomm excercise and not a 
contest.  There are modes that work similarly that can be used in an actual 
emergency such as JS8CALL.  I know this sounds hypocritical since the majority 
of my QSOs this year was logged with FT4/8, but one must do what one must do!

73

 Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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