2025 Amateur Radio Field Day Preparations
The next Field Day will be held 2025-06-28T10:00/2026-06-29T13:00. We will be using the field behind the Metchosin Municipal Hall again.
The red star is our set up location. The green arrow points to the washrooms and the yellow arrow points to the parking lot.
Parking
Although you can drive up close to the set up position to unload gear, it is required that you park your vehicle in the nearby regular paved lot adjacent to the Metchosin City Hall. Residents who live down the gravel road require that fire vehicle access not crowd the sides of the road. There will be a cricket match held on the Saturday and the players also need equipment drop off access from the same drive up position.
Organizing Committee
The organizing committee for 2025 is Jim Byers, VE7KAJ, and Hans-Peter Oeste, VE7OES. Every club member is highly encouraged to volunteer to lead or assist.
Radio Equipment
Most of the equipment is carefully stored away well organized at Frank Andersen’s, VE7GCO/VA7FA, place. If anyone has substantial (approximately a storage shed) space available and would like to become the storage manager for this equipment, that would be most welcome.
Each year we set up at least two stations: SSB and CW. These will be privately owned IC-7300 radios generously lent by WARA members. Electrical power will come from two or three portable generators. Some years we set up a Get On The Air (GOTA) station for the general public and recent students to use. We didn’t have one in 2024 for lack of volunteers to operate it. If you would like our club to have a GOTA station in 2025, please volunteer to help set up and operate it.
Food
Our club’s long standing tradition is to meet at the Appletree restaurant at 08:00 for breakfast on Saturday to start off the day. Upon completion, the team drives to the Field Day site and begins the set up.
Early in the afternoon a large lunch is served. We used to serve barbecued hamburgers at Heritage Acres, but there is no ready running hot water to wash up with near Metchosin City Hall. The easiest meal to serve at this location is pizza, cold drinks plus chips and a dessert such as chocolate chip cookies. Other ideas and help would be most welcome.
Overnight
Overnight operations are encouraged. Most people depart late in the evening, but we still require volunteers to maintain the security of the equipment. You can either sleep in a tent set up on the grass nearby or in your own camper vehicle.
Clean Up
Assistance in striking down the gear on Sunday, around noon, and carefully loading it in the vehicles is very much required and greatly appreciated.
Previous years
Reports and pictures for previous years can be found at: https://www.ve7vic.ca/field-day/
Three part detailed instructions for Field Day from 2017 (still valid!):
- Field Day General Introduction
- Field Day Operating Introduction
- Field Day versus Contesting versus Emergency communication skills
Contact
Contact our Field Day team by email at fielddayhelp@ve7vic.ca