Field Day 2011
We will start planning field day as we get closer.  Mark your calendar that its the last weekend of June!

Field Day is a great opportunity to meet your fellow Northern California Cactus Radio club members, get in some operating time, have a fun campout and play radio!  Our Field Day event is open to everyone!  You don’t have to be a Cactus member to come out and have fun.  Invite your friends and family (if they can stand all the radios and antennas!) to come along.  Field Day gives you a chance to operate various modes and types of equipment, practice putting an emergency communications station on the air and have fun.
Field Day is the last weekend in June.  Our site is the overflow parking lot just below the ranger station at Henry Coe State Park just east of Morgan Hill

What is Field Day?
The goal is to work as many stations as possible on any or all amateur bands (excluding the 30, 17, and 12-Meter bands) and, in doing so, to learn to operate in abnormal situations under less-than-optimum conditions. A premium is placed on skills and equipment developed to meet the challenge of emergency preparedness and to acquaint the public with the capabilities of Amateur Radio.

The Field Day Sites...
We generally operate at either Henry Coe State Park or at the Mockingbird enterence to Almaden Quicksilver Park.
Henry Coe Details... Our Field Day site is the overflow parking lot just below the ranger station at Henry Coe State park.  This is a large, level, gravel covered area about 150’ x 80’ and sits at about 1800’ elevation.  We have a clear view north toward the Santa Clara valley, directly west across Morgan Hill and south.  The view to the east is obstructed by a hill.  This site should work well for HF and VHF/UHF as well.   There is little to no shade.
What callsign will we use?  K6SRA of course!
Talk-in frequency:  Coordinate talk-in on Black 2, 443.225 PL 100.0.
Directions: Head to the Park Visitor Center...

What should I bring if I am coming for the day?
 Drinks (water, soda, juice)
 Ice
 Snacks / real food depending on your length of stay
 Lawn chairs (or you sit on the ground)
 Lots of water
 Sunscreen, hat
 Cool clothing / hat (this is the end of June!)

What else should I bring if I am camping overnight?
 Shelter (tent, camper, whatever)
 Sleeping bag, pad, (air matress is nice) you will be on fairly hard ground.
 Food for each meal
 Drinks, ice chest, ICE
 BBQ grill or other means of heating your chow
 Warm clothing for the evening
 Shade – portable sun shades are great

Can I bring and operate my own equipment?
Per the ARRL Field Day rules, we will be operating in a specific class based on the number of transmitters, frequency bands and power source.   However, besides operating the contest from the official SRA club stations, Field Day is a good opportunity for you to dust off that old deep-cycle battery, bring your new antenna, wire up that QRP rig or throw that nice new satellite station in the truck!  It would also be fun to bring your latest project you built to share with the rest of us!  Just, no generators, please.
Of course, bring your handy-talkie for comms at the site and talk-in.

What else can I do there?   What about the rest of  the family?
The whole family is welcome.  Henry Coe State Park is huge!  About 80,000 acres and there are very nice hiking trails close to the Field Day site.  Bring a water bottle, sun screen and a hat.
Check out more park info at http://www.coepark.org

For pictures of past Field Day events, click here.

Further reading...
ARRL Field Day info