Field Day Saturday Pre-Contest

8:00 AM
Field Day volunteers have started to arrive, and split into their respective groups.  The first group gathers the antennes and feed line and transports them to their Field Day locations.  A second begins to transport tables, chairs, fans, and electrical cables to the vairous shelters.  A third group makes sure that transceivers, antenna tuners, lightning arresters, headphones, keys, microphones, SignaLinks and such get deliverd to the proper shelfters and are properly assembled into usable stations.  A fourth group brings out the logging computers, putting each into a cardboard box to reduce glare. And the final group begins the process of setting the club house up for lunch. 

9:00 AM
The first antennas should now be going up somewhere on the grounds of the DFRC.  Tables and chairs should be in place, and the various pieces of station equipment should have started making their way to the various shelters, along with the logging computers.  And furniture moving should be underway in the club house.  With luck we will have motorized transportation for most of these functions.  

10:00 AM
UHF and VHF antennas should start going up.  Several antennas should be in place by now, with feed lines connected and run to the appropriate shelters.  Most of the electronic equipment should be inside the shelters by now, including the logging computers.  Someone should be laying out a compass on the ground for the Satellite station's later use.  The generator or generators should be in place by now, and power should be operational within the hour.

11:00 AM
With power now on, the logging operation should be up and runnning, and properly wirelessly linked to the network server in the club house.  It should be tested and ready to go by noon.  Similarly the last of the antennas should be going up, and the transceivers should be operational at most locations.  Lunch is all but ready now. 

12:00 PM
Everyone drops what they are doing, and heads for the club house for lunch.  During the meal the Field Day Chairman has on last chance to rally the troops.  After lunch, any last minute problems should be taken care of.  The welcome center should be set up.  There are always a few last minute things that need attending to, including placement of control operator, and the visitor login sheets.  Also a variety of signs for safefty and operational purposes should go into place now. 

1:00 PM
Its time to test everything.  Stations ready to go should make a contact or two, just to be sure it works.  Any station not ready gets made ready.  The generator tank(s) are topped off.  Hopefully a few fresh volunteers have showed up to help operate stations.  Those who have been there for five hours already can use the rest.  Right before noon, the master contest log is cleared.  Operators and loggers sit down and get ready.  Everything is set. 

2:00 PM
A boat horn is sounded to start the event.  For the next 24 hours, it's Field Day!

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