ARRL Field Day 1999 in NLI
1999 ARRL Field Day Results for NLI - from   December 1999 QST

NYC/LI Section Manager Field Day Report
by George Tranos, N2GA

Field Day weekend started for me at 8:30 am, Friday, June 25, 1999 when Eddie KC2AYC picked me up and drove me to Melville.  There I picked up a rental truck for use in my home club's Field Day setup.  The remainder of Friday was spent transporting Field Day inventory to LIMARC's Field Day site in North Bellmore and helping with the setup of their 4A operation.

I began my visits to other Field Day sites on Saturday.  Assistant Section Manager and Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Carrubba KA2D and I drove together to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn for the start of our tour.  There were two clubs who set up there in different spots.

The first club we visited was the Ebonaire Amateur Radio Club with Don Taylor N2HIT as President.  Dave Nichols AA2HK was their Field Day coordinator and graciously introduced us to his club members and showed us around the site.  They had begin the erection of tents to be used for stations in their 7A operation.  Callsign used was K2EAR.  Antennas would be mostly dipoles with a new for this year 20 meter Yagi.   Operation was planned on HF plus 2 and 6 meters.  Joining me here were District Emergency Coordinator for Nassau County George Gluck WA2WKV, Assistant Section Manager for NYC Rob Todaro N1XL and Past Hudson Division Director Richard Sandell WK6R.   [Click here to view photo]

The second club at Floyd Bennett Field was the Kings County Radio Club with Tony Catalano WW2W as the President.  Rob Robinson KB2PSM was their Field Day chairman and showed us their operating location inside the tower building at the Ryan Visitor Center.   This building used to be used for air traffic control at the field and they had a nice size room where they were planning to run 6A with the callsign W2RAK.  All antennas were going to be dipoles set up on the roof of the building with the coax running down the side and into the room.  Phyllis Napolitano KC2DKD showed us pictures of KCRC members from their Spring QRP camping trip to Fahnstock State Park in Carmel, NY.   New for KCRC this year at Field Day was running the digital mode PSK31. 
Approximately 40 people were expected. [Click here to view photo]

After leaving Floyd Bennett, we drove to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn where the Kings County Repeater Association held its field day at a beautiful spot overlooking Gravesend bay and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.  We spoke to KCRA President Don Lasala W2DON and Vice President Ed Madison W2SN.  KCRA was planning a 5A operation using the callsign WA2ZWP using all dipoles which they were setting up in the trees as we visited. [Click here to view photo]

Leaving Brooklyn, we visited our fourth club in Queens, the Hall of Science Amateur Radio Club with Andrew Borrok N2TZX, President.  Steve Greenbaum WB2KDG and Jeff Schneller N2HPO showed us around the location behind the Hall of Science in the playground area.  A communications van was set up running 2 meters.  Verticals and dipoles were used for HF and 6 meters.  New this year for HOSARC was a QRP station.  The club was planning a 4A operation using the club callsign WB2JSM.  Rob N1XL and Richard WK6R left me at this point to return back to LIMARC for the opening there.  Tom KA2D and George WA2WKV continued on with me as we headed east into Nassau County with its attendant beach traffic. [Click here to view photo]

We arrived at Nassau Amateur Radio Club in Eisenhower Park in East Meadow about 15 minutes before the scheduled 2 pm start of operations.  There we meet with NARC President John Regan KF2RR and Vice President Mike Cozma WY2U.  NARC had a truly unique setup with inverted Vee beams for all of their 4A stations.  Mike pointed out their phased 2 element arrays for 15, 20 and 80 meters all intermixed into one antenna!  They were also running a three element wire beam fixed west for 40 meters.  At total of 40 people were expected and NARC would be using the callsign K2VN.  After the 2 pm start, we wished them well and were on our way to our next stop.
[Click here to view photo]

Our sixth stop of the day was in North Bellmore at LIMARC's 4A operation.  Here we met with Rob Todaro N1XL, LIMARC President.  Don Kane WB2BEZ showed us around their impressive operation using 3 separate 40 foot towers, all with Yagis.  Their 20 meter monobander for 20 phone had the American Flag flying at the top of the mast with an ARRL banner hung on the boom rope of the 40 meter inverted Vee 2 element beam strung between the 20 and 15 meter towers.  Additional 2 element wire beams were used for 75 meter phone and 80 CW set up using military tripods.  An interesting triangle shaped wire beam was used at 40 meter CW which was really 3 two element beams with a bent reflector.  It was switchable in three directions using a coax switch.  LIMARC used the callsign W2VL.   Nassau County Executive Tom Gullota visited the site along with Hempstead Town Councilwoman Linda Reed.  I took the opportunity here to make about 50 CW contacts at the 20 meter CW station and we also had a late lunch here.
[Click here to view photo]

Our seventh stop was at Wantagh Amateur Radio Club in Wantagh Park in a nice seaside setting near the town marina.  A lovely view of the water and cooling sea breezes helped keep the 90 degree temperatures feeling more comfortable.  Here we met with Wantagh President Sid Wolin K2LJH and Field Day chairman Peter Forloff W2SUM.  In a classic use of an extension ladder, Wantagh erected a triband Yagi and guyed the ladder with ropes!  Slopers and folded dipoles completed the antenna array of their 2A operation.  Wantagh used the callsign W2VA.  George WA2WKV left Tom KA2D and I to continue on and complete the remainder of our trip ourselves.
[Click here to view photo]

Our eighth stop was at Larkfield Amateur Radio Club where we meet President Stan Coffield N2NKI and Field Day chairman Charles Hartley N2JIY.  Larkfield had an impressive 3A operation in West Hills Park in Huntington using callsign WA2PNU.  In addition to HF with a Yagi and high dipole, Larkfield had a unique satellite station with computer controller transceiver and antenna array!  Ken N2WWD showed Tom and I a satellite contact with a station in Austria on AO-10.  The receive frequency was held constant and the transmit frequency was automatically changed by the computer to compensate for Doppler shift.  It was weird to seen Ken operate full duplex hearing his own CQ call come back to him slightly delayed!  Larkfield also was running RTTY and we got a chance to see a couple of RTTY contacts.  All stations were using computer logging.
[Click here to view photo]

Our ninth and last stop of the day was at the American Red Cross Emergency Communications Service site at the Eaton's Neck Coast Guard Station.  We met with ARCECS President George Sau WB2ZTH and Field Day Coordinator Lenny Smith N2LDV.  Stu N2AUK was busy barbequing steak and shrimp for the crowd.  Some young Red Cross volunteers were there at the site to help out.  Here we found both the most beautiful Field Day site we would come across, overlooking the Long Island Sound, and the largest Yagi antenna we found, a TH6 with a 24 foot boom!  There was also a smaller 3 element Yagi.  25 club members were expected with 20 other visitors.  ARCECS used the callsign WB2QBP for their 2A operation.  Since it was still relatively early, around 7 pm, Tom and I decided to stay and operate some.  ARCECS was shy of CW operators, so I offered to work some 20 meter CW using the TH6.  I talked an old time military CW operator, Len, into joining me and he helped me log.  Tom KA2D performed the computer logging.  Since the club didn't even seem to have a key, I borrowed the small iambic paddle which I use to work HF mobile CW in my car so I could get on the air.  I sat down, found a clear frequency, and started calling CQ.  Less than an hour later, I stopped.  80 QSO's were in the log and Tom, Len and I had a lot of fun!  George and Stu thanked us for the contacts with a good dinner consisting of steak, corn and potatoes!  Tom and I then drove home ending our first day. [Click here to view photo]

Sunday morning started early as I picked Tom up in North Babylon and drove to Holbrook where we picked up Steve Fook K2EJ, the Affiliated Club Coordinator for NLI.  The three of us then drove out to Southhold, working some 20 meter phone along the way from the car.  We made it to my tenth stop at 8:10 am, the Peconic Amateur Radio Club with Roberta Keis N2RBU, President. Peconic's site was the Horton's Point lighthouse, with a beautiful view of Long Island Sound through the fog.  Don N2QHV, the Field Day chairman showed us around their 3A operation using the callsign W2AMC.  Peconic has a unique way of installing their Yagi antennas using a block and tackle on a pivoting mast.   Attached to the mast on a right angle is a smaller mast which is used as a lever with the block and tackle to raise the mast!  In this way they are able to put an antenna 50 feet in the air with a minimum number of people!   There was also a long wire for 40 meters which was tuned by an automatic antenna tuner which had a remote control in a military enclosure with the actual tuner at the base of the wire.   Peconic also was running 6 meters with veteran Ken Neubeck at the helm.   Cooperating with Peconic was part of the SIARA group from Staten Island with their emergency communications van.  Here I met Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon N2FF and after a hearty breakfast of bagels and green eggs we headed off.  [Click here to view photo]

My eleventh stop was at theinaugural Field Day of the Mid Island Amateur Radio Club with Mike Christopher KG2M, President.  It was located in Yaphank at a park by a lake.  It was an idyllic setting under the trees overlooking the lake.  Mid Island was using 4 dipoles, a windom and vertical in their 3A operation using club callsign NY2MI.  Pat McGrane K2ISS was Field Day chairman and showed us around the site.  Mid Island also had a novice station with callsign KC2CGX and VHF and satellite.  Joining the ARRL caravan here was Len Battista W2FX, Assistant Section Manager for Suffolk. [Click here to view photo]

Just up the road about 5 miles was our twelfth stop, the Radio Central Amateur Radio Club, with Neil Heft KC2KY as President.  We were met by Emil KD1F.  RCARC set up again this year at the old RCA transmitter site in Rocky Point.  A central tent was used for their 2A operation using club
callsign W2RC.  There was a VHF and Novice station.  Antennas were a Yagi and dipoles.  35 people were expected over the course of the weekend.  [Click here to view photo]

Our thirteenth stop was in Sayville at a joint Field Day held with the Grumman and Suffolk County Radio Clubs.  Grumman President Pat Masterson KE2LJ, Vice President Gordon Sammis KB2UB and Suffolk County RC President Bill Huber KB2RED met with us and showed us around the site.  In addition to dipoles, a 20 meter rotable dipole using twin hamsticks was used.  Grumman's
club callsign WA2LQO was used for this joint 5A operation.  Steve Fook K2EJ left the tour here.
[Click here to view photo]

Our fourteenth stop was the ISLIP ARES group at town hall in East Islip.  Bob Hejl W2IK was the Field Day chairman.  We met with Paul Beeman W2PB the Emergency Coordinator for the town of Islip.  Paul showed us around the 2A operation where they were using the callsign W2TOI.  Dipoles and verticals were used along with a 3 element 6 meter Yagi.  A total of 19 people had attended.  Len Battista W2FX left our caravan here.  [Click here to view photo]

Our fifteenth (and last) stop was the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club in North Lindenhurst.  Here we met GSBARC President Phil Lewis N2MUN and VP and Field Day chairman Dave Wandell N2UHR.  GSBARC had about 60 people at their 5A operation using club callsign W2GSB.  Two yagis and 5 dipoles were used.    Novice station KB2ZGS was using a vertical.   Babylon Town Supervisor Richard Schaffer visited the site.  [Click here to view photo]

Field Day did not end there for us!  Tom and I continued on to our respective home clubs for breakdown!  Tom and I had a great time visiting with all of the clubs, talking to the participants and doing a little operating.  It was an honor and privilege to be able to represent the American Radio Relay League during this emergency preparedness exercise!  I learned that amateurs are innovative in their approaches to Field Day, skilled operators and enthusiastic volunteers!  Each club should be proud of their Field Day operation.  After all of these visits, I am confident that should an actual emergency in our section arise, we will be prepared to deal with it.   Congratulations on a successful Field Day! 

73, George
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George Tranos N2GA
ARRL Section Manager NYC/LI