KE7KUS
11-12-2011, 02:05 PM
The results from 2011 ARRL Field Day are in! Some results are listed in the December issue of QST. There you can find W7AZO listed on page 74 under the 1A results listings. Given the amount of preparation for this year's event, our results were significantly improved from the previous years. Here's a brief run-down of the numbers:
This year, W7AZO competed in the 1A Class (Club portable station operating 1 radio with 3 or more operators). This was a change from past years where we competed in the 2A Class. The thought process behind that was to use one radio consistently, rather than have two radios which only got used partially over the event. The strategy appeared to pay off quite nicely, as there were 149 1A Class entries this year, compared to 387 2A Class entries. By maximizing the usage of our one official radio (and the free VHF 6m station) we were able to significantly improve our standing over past years.
As mentioned above, this year there were 149 entries in the 1A Class. Of the 149 entries, W7AZO placed just outside of the top 1/3rd...56th overall with 1818 points and 402 contacts. The top-scoring 1A team was K6AM, SPAWAR in the San Diego Section with a score of 11,134 and 3610 contacts (apparently it's good to have a Field Day station beside salt water.) The second highest scoring 1A team was K5WA in the South Texas division with 7,438 points and 1894 contacts (also good to be by salt water.)
There were three entries from ARRL's Arizona Section for Field Day, of which W7AZO placed first. The second-highest scoring team in Arizona Section was NS7F, the Harry Potter ARC with 890 points and 86 contacts. WB6RER, the Hualapai ARC rounded out the Arizona Section entries with a third-place score of 640 points and 145 contacts. Given the fact that terrain & ground conditions for portable operations are a significant contributor to station performance, comparing W7AZO scores to other desert stations gives a better idea of how we did to comparable stations. Looking at the seven total entries for NM, UT, NV, and AZ, W7AZO placed second only to W5MPZ, the Sandia National Laboratories ARC (Score 2206, 618 contacts).
One of the most interesting statistics to me was the statistic for number of participants at the Field Day site. Of all 1A stations in Field Day this year, only two other stations in America had more participants at their Field Day site. KE5FSY, the Arkansas Diamond group had 50 participants at their site (Score 564, 32 contacts). W5DDL, the Acadiana ARA, had 47 participants at their Field Day event (Score 2028, 440 contacts). W7AZO tied for third (40 participants) with VE2UMS, the Union Metropolitain des San-filistes de Montreal (Score 4218, 1185 contacts).
Virgil and I have already talked about planning for next year's event. Despite our solid showing in 2011, we left a significant number of points on the table by not passing NTS formal message traffic, nor did we make a successful satellite contact this year. As we prep for this coming year's Field Day, keep those areas in the back of your mind, as we'll look to put 4x4Ham even further towards the top of the list in 2012. Thanks to everyone who came out in 2011 and look forward to seeing you back for next year!
73,
Kurt
KE7KUS
This year, W7AZO competed in the 1A Class (Club portable station operating 1 radio with 3 or more operators). This was a change from past years where we competed in the 2A Class. The thought process behind that was to use one radio consistently, rather than have two radios which only got used partially over the event. The strategy appeared to pay off quite nicely, as there were 149 1A Class entries this year, compared to 387 2A Class entries. By maximizing the usage of our one official radio (and the free VHF 6m station) we were able to significantly improve our standing over past years.
As mentioned above, this year there were 149 entries in the 1A Class. Of the 149 entries, W7AZO placed just outside of the top 1/3rd...56th overall with 1818 points and 402 contacts. The top-scoring 1A team was K6AM, SPAWAR in the San Diego Section with a score of 11,134 and 3610 contacts (apparently it's good to have a Field Day station beside salt water.) The second highest scoring 1A team was K5WA in the South Texas division with 7,438 points and 1894 contacts (also good to be by salt water.)
There were three entries from ARRL's Arizona Section for Field Day, of which W7AZO placed first. The second-highest scoring team in Arizona Section was NS7F, the Harry Potter ARC with 890 points and 86 contacts. WB6RER, the Hualapai ARC rounded out the Arizona Section entries with a third-place score of 640 points and 145 contacts. Given the fact that terrain & ground conditions for portable operations are a significant contributor to station performance, comparing W7AZO scores to other desert stations gives a better idea of how we did to comparable stations. Looking at the seven total entries for NM, UT, NV, and AZ, W7AZO placed second only to W5MPZ, the Sandia National Laboratories ARC (Score 2206, 618 contacts).
One of the most interesting statistics to me was the statistic for number of participants at the Field Day site. Of all 1A stations in Field Day this year, only two other stations in America had more participants at their Field Day site. KE5FSY, the Arkansas Diamond group had 50 participants at their site (Score 564, 32 contacts). W5DDL, the Acadiana ARA, had 47 participants at their Field Day event (Score 2028, 440 contacts). W7AZO tied for third (40 participants) with VE2UMS, the Union Metropolitain des San-filistes de Montreal (Score 4218, 1185 contacts).
Virgil and I have already talked about planning for next year's event. Despite our solid showing in 2011, we left a significant number of points on the table by not passing NTS formal message traffic, nor did we make a successful satellite contact this year. As we prep for this coming year's Field Day, keep those areas in the back of your mind, as we'll look to put 4x4Ham even further towards the top of the list in 2012. Thanks to everyone who came out in 2011 and look forward to seeing you back for next year!
73,
Kurt
KE7KUS