This Saturday, Zach and I made the scene at the Rotterdam Kiwanis Park in lovely Rotterdam Junction, New York for the annual Amateur Radio Field Day. The Schenectady Museum Amateur Radio Association (SMARA) had established an in-the-field multi-operator ham station which ran entirely on emergency backup power, in this case, a basic every day gasoline-driven generator. Among those on hand were: Tony W2BEJ, Chris (Crush/Crash) W2CCR, Dan KC2VEX and Tim W2QAC. There were many others participating but I was not able to secure their names or call signs. Several vertical antennas along with a wire dipole were raised and while we were on site, a multi-band Yagi antenna was being constructed. Computers were linked via a wireless router.
. The weather initially left a lot to be desired as it poured big time but eventually the clouds and precip gave way to a sunnier sky. Herewith a handful of still shots take at the 2011 Amateur Radio Field Day with all the guys and gals at the Schenectady Museum Amateur Radio Association.
. 1) Heavy rains have brought the
Mohawk River to uncomfortably high levels but the guys and gals at
SMARA forge on with
Field Day 2011!
2) Just below Tim W2QAC and a fellow ham scrutinize one of the station setups at
Rotterdam Kiwanis Park operating under the club call sign W2IR!
2) Just below Tim W2QAC and a fellow ham scrutinize one of the station setups at Rotterdam Kiwanis Park operating under the club call sign W2IR!
3) Chris W2CCR works the PSK31 position, having just worked W1AW, the amateur radio station of the American Radio Relay League, on 40 meters!
4) This tent houses the SMARA GOTA (Get On The Air) station for interested visitors who might have an interest in becoming an amateur radio operator!
5) While the Quiet Tim W2QAC works Field Day on 7 MHz, My Number One And Only Son Zach KC2VWY works Link and The Legend Of Zelda on one of those amazing Nintendo 3DS devices!
7) I came across a cornerstone for the Rotterdam Kiwanis Park with a date of 1939 on the face plate. The shoes are mine!
2) Here, the same cryptic number-letter code is still visible in the bright afternoon sun.
3) In the shot below is something not seen during our winter visit. What appears to be a kind of skylight is located at the rear base of the street tunnel entrance. The glass is of a heavy translucent block design, meant to allow light but no detail in either direction.
4) There is a thin metal pipe that extends from the base of the street tunnel which may been installed to vent any gases that might accrue in the space below the structure.
5) My Number One And Only Son Zach was able to peer under a plywood panel covering the entrance and see a tire just inside. He also discovered that the passageway below the structure was filled with water by dropping rocks through the damaged skylight.
