The ARRL describes Field Day as bringing together “public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event.” The EAWA members and friends did that and more in challenging weather conditions. Our success on Field Day was a combination of planning, the kind-hearted sharing of shelters and equipment from local hams, the help of all those who supported the operations with food and fuel of all sorts, and the sharing of operating time such that all who wanted to get on the air in any capacity had time to do so.
The photos in this piece were taken by several people – THANK YOU! We usually list the name and call sign of everyone in a photo, but in this case there’s a good chance someone would be left out as many EAWA members and friends were involved (whether pictured or standing just out of camera view).
On Friday, June 27, we spent the afternoon surveying the site at Trenton Elementary School, inventorying all the equipment boxes, and setting up shelters and antennas. We were thankful for the good weather … we knew the forecast for Saturday was less than ideal.
The event began with a pep talk from our Maine ARRL Section Manager, Phil N1EP, and a quick round of “how are you doing” conversations. Then it was time to get to work. Much of Friday was spent setting up the Phone tent (top left), the hex beam antenna for the Phone station (top right), the CrankIR antenna for the CW station (bottom left) and the satellite antenna (bottom right). Not shown are atennas for the Digital station, the Get-On-The-Air station, and a second antenna for the Phone station.Saturday morning activities included final checks of the antennas, setup the Get-On-The-Air station (tent and canopy), and hanging the welcome sign. Saturday also brought rain … lots of rain.Prior to the operating start-time (2pm), we listened to a briefing from our Safety Officer, Barbara KC1SSY, had lunch, provided by Bernie KI4VCR, and enjoyed an educational, interactive presentation from our club president, John KQ1P. We also gathered up the materials to give to visitors.Our Field Day Captain, Jeff KA1DBE, built a LAN for logging QSOs. It was great to see who was operating at each station, what band they were on, and how many QSOs each station had completed.
There were many photos taken during the non-operating times. Once the event started however, it was all hands on the radios and not on cameras! Even though it rained much of the time, we had several visitors from the public stop by to learn more about amateur radio. We also had visits from many EAWA members and friends.
The Get-On-The-Air station, organized and run by Captain Joan W1DLC, was visited by several new hams and interested people from the public. Matt KC1VLH (pictured) and Matt KC1WYF spent many hours learning and practicing phone QSOs.The Phone (SSB) station was a busy place! The Captain, Bob AB1EP (top right), helped organize, set up, and get operations started. Mark W1ABY and Mel W1MEB spent many hours there, along with Marion W1GRL. Other EAWA members took turns working SSB as well.The Digital and Satellite Station, led by Captain Jeff KA1DBE (top left), was also busy. Bill KC2NMK and Barbara KC1SSY, along with some guests, kept the digital QSOs flowing. Jeff kept up with satellite passes, ARRL messages, networking, and filling-in as needed.The most modest (in terms of photos) and most productive station, the CW station, was led by Captain Rob W8HAP (top photos). Two members of the group of CW operators, Stan W1BOY and Howard K2AAU (bottom left), were on board for the entire experience.
Sunday, June 28, brought dryer weather conditions, sleepy eyes, the last big push for QSOs, and the site clean-up. Most people stayed the full 30+ hours, napping in their car or the elementary school gym when needed.
Sunday daybreak brought a wonderful, warm breakfast cooked by Matt KC1VLH. We continued to operate until noon, and then it was time to break everything down, pack up, and clean up the site.
Was it a perfect Field Day experience? Yes! In its own rustic, home-grown way, it was perfect. We made several new friends, met new hams and possibly recruited some folks to join the club, and best of all, we may have introduced ham radio to some who will follow up and get their license. We further solidified the bonds in our radio community by working together, sharing food and radio time, trouble-shooting, and managing to keep each other awake for hours to make sure the radios were active as much as possible. We left the grounds better than we found them, and left the event with pride and sense of accomplishment. Yes, it was perfect. And Field Day 2026 will be perfect too. Written by Marion, W1GRL
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