Summer Field Day 2023 by K4SBE
- 26 June 2023
The West Georgia Amateur Radio Society (WGARS) held its 2023 Summer Field Day this weekend at the Little Tallapoosa Park, off highway 113, Carrollton, Georgia. 
Field Day is amateur radio’s open house! Every June, more than 40,000 Amateur Radio Operators throughout North America set-up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate amateur radio’s science, skill and service to communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in amateur radio.
At 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, June 24, 2023, WGARS arrived at the park. The Experienced Amateur Radio Operators began directing set-up of all stations, with the assistanceof the entire Club. Field Day is a twenty-four hour event, running from 2:00 p.m., Saturday to 2:00 p.m. Sunday. The Club set-up and manned five (5) regular stations, one (1) GOTA (Get On The Air) station, four (4) station tents, and the following equipment: (2) ICOM 718, ICOM 7300, Yaesu FT991A and Kenwood TS480HX.
The Club used homemade air cannons to launch several antenna lines in trees for support. Many air cannons can reach over 100 ft (30m). This allowed the Club to 
launch antennas high up in the trees, giving them the best possible reception. The park’s tree lined canopy was the perfect.
Once the WGARS Club had all of the antennas and equipment set up, they were equipped to operate using Digital, Voice and CW (Morse Code) on bands 10m, 15m, 20m, 40m, 80m HF, and 100 watts on battery. 
The Team’s goal was to make as many contacts as possible on the designated bands, learn to operate in abnormal conditions, learn as much as possible about Amateur Radio and to make sure everyone had a great time.
With an abundance of experience in the WAGRS Club, Brian KM4UPX, gave an excellent educational session on Tuning Antennas using a “NanoVNA-H4”. The entire event had great participation, with Amateur Radio Operators coming from Alabama, Ohio, Missouri, and, of course, Georgia. There were also several non-licensed hopefuls experiencing the airways for the first time.
Later Saturday evening, to fend off mosquitoes and the evening’s cool air, the Club built a large campfire and provided sustenance. The Club Members came prepared with campers, tents and the necessary gear to endure 24 hours at their stations. Radio Operators pushed through making contacts the entire 24 hours. Paige KN4GHU is one of our youngest and most talented Amateur Radio Operators. KN4GHU, along 
with an eager non-licensed participant watching, made contact with NASA’s Johnson Space Center during the night. Oh, my goodness! What a thrill that was for KN4GHU, who manned her station until around 2:30 a.m and returned to her station again around 7:00 a.m. Scott, KK4Z, manned his station until 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning in his fully equipped Inteck Flyer Camper. Brian WX4BK picked up his mic in the wee hours of early Sunday morning to keep the Club on the air. All Radio Operators were back manning their stations by 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning. By the end of this event, despite Solar Storms, Atmospheric and Proximal interference Noise, the WGARS Club made over 600 contacts throughout the United States, Canada, Spain, and Italy. What a great 24 hours!
Field Day! It is about the experience!
If you would like to view some videos of field day, there are several snippets available at facebook.com/wgars and also on youtube at KK4Z.
West Georgia Amateur Radio Society would like to thank the following:
• Tim Padgett, Carroll County Emergency Management
• Little Tallapoosa Park, Carroll County, Georgia
• Everyone that Participated in 2023 Field Day
K4SBE
73
