MicroHAMS and Icom will be joining Redmond ARES and Redmond Top Key Contest Club for a joint-Field Day event at Farrel-McWhiter Park in Redmond off Avondale Road and Novelty Hill Road.  Setup will be Friday, June 25 and the contest runs from 11:00am Saturday, June 26 until 11:00am Sunday, June 27.  Hams and non-hams are welcome to come see and participate in this nationwide emergency communications exercise.  The group will monitor the Redmond ARES repeater at 443.325+ / 103.5T (or simplex on the output for local comms) for those who need more information.  We'll be operating the following modes - SSB, CW, PSK31 and satellites.

The goal of the 2010 Field Day effort is to run 3A.  That means 3 HF stations, a VHF/UHF station and a GOTA (Get on the Air) station.  The HF stations will be two on SSB and one on CW.  Additionally a Satellite station is planned.

For 2010 the Field Day site will be at Farrel-McWhiter Park. This location is surrounded by TALL trees to support many wire antennas and offers plenty of parking. Redmond ARES claims to have excellent archers and knows all the best trees to hang wires in.

Naturally we haven't forgotten the most important aspect of Field Day - the food. Redmond City Councilman David Carson is returning as our lunch BBQ chef (and now elected official). David Jenni will start cooking pork at 2am Saturday to provide the pulled pork sandwiches for dinner Saturday evening and JeanAnn will be making Beef Marsala for Sunday breakfast to fortify those helping tear-down. The entire menu sounds delicious so be sure to stick around for a great meal. The prices haven't been set yet but should be between $15-$25 for the entire weekend.

We will still be looking for a few items this year.  These include:  communications headphones, coolers, heaters (electric or propane), extension cords and chairs. Please take a look at our Inventory List to see if there is something you can provide. We will be updating this list as things come up so please check back.

We also plan to host a VE testing session at 3:00pm Saturday for anyone interested in testing for their radio license or upgrading. If you plan on testing, don't forget the $15 test fee, photo ID and a copy of your existing license (if upgrading). We should finish in time for dinner so bring a few extra dollars and stay for dinner.

Field Day event rules can be found on the ARRL web site.  For more information about the MicroHAMS/Icom Field Day event, check out our Field Day Planning Yahoo Group. Also be sure to join our Facebook Event and invite your friends. 

The Farrel-McWhirter site is not difficult to find. From Hwy 520 continue east to the end and then straight north on Avondale Road. Take the right turn on Novely Hill Road, then left on Redmond Road and continue less than 1/2 mile to the park entrance on the left. The park is large and we will be using most of it to provide the best separation. We will also be monitoring 146.580 simplex for directions or last minute store stops. Click on the map below for a larger image.

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