ARRL Field Day

ARRL 2025 Field Day with TCARA

📻 What to Know

• We'll be operating under the club call sign AF2A, likely as a 4A station.

• Three computers will be available for logging.

• If you're bringing your own laptop:

  • Download the latest version of N3FJP’s ARRL Field Day Contest Log.

  • Make sure your device has a RJ45 LAN adapter if it doesn’t have a wired Ethernet port.

  • You can activate the logging software with the same password as last year — reach out if you need it. You can do all of the setup without the password.

• We’ll have a dish-to-pass dinner Saturday at 6 PM — please bring a dish to share and your own place settings.

• If you plan to use generator power, please bring gas to contribute.

• Stay tuned to the Tompkins County Amateur Radio Association Facebook page for updates.

• Spread the word! We love visitors and we love to talk about our amazing hobby. We can help you learn about getting your license and give advice on gear. There will be an incredible amount of gear to see here and it’s fun to see how we all do the same thing differently.

🔧 Early Setup

We have had some questions on why we start setup on Friday and sacrifice operating time. There is an incredible amount of work that goes into setup that our Summer Field Day committee plans and executes. We need that time to get our Campers moved in, porta potty placed, antenna farm planted and everything else that goes into our live feed network. In the past everyone is pretty well wore out and picking up around noon time on Sunday anyways. 

• The rules allow a maximum of 24 cumulative hours for setup, starting any time after 8:00 PM Thursday (0000 UTC Friday).

• Starting setup at 2:00 PM Friday uses part of that 24-hour window but does not affect your operating hours directly.

⏱️ Operating Timing

We have an awesome network system that allows real-time messaging, band plan coordination and live scorekeeping including a map of our contacts.

• Operating begins at 2:00 PM Saturday (local time), no contacts before 2 PM.

• Runs for up to 24 consecutive hours.

• Ends Sunday at 2:00 PM.

🧑‍🔧 Volunteers NEEDED!

In addition to getting the radio equipment and technology setup before the event, we need the following volunteers:

• Someone to look at the Get On The Air GOTA requirements and help us run that station to get those points. The information is in this packet:  ARRL GOTA Station FAQ [pdf]

• Someone to be our Safety Officer so we can submit that paperwork and get those points. The info is in this form: ARRL Safety Officer Checklist [pdf]

🔜 Looking Ahead to the Event

• Gear! You don’t have to bring gear. We will have plenty of operating stations for you to come get on the air and help our crew log some contacts. Come see us!

• Our CW crew will be there and if you have ever wanted to learn about Morse Code, this is a great time to do it. These operators and incredibly talented, helpful and love to teach this part of our amazing hobby.

• We've had a few folks ask about running FT8 this year — and yes, absolutely! It’s a great mode for easy contacts and scoring points, so bring your gear and let’s make it happen.

• We have a great crew to help get your antenna in the air if you don’t want to use one of ours. If you plan to run your own antenna please coordinate with Jamie during setup on Friday so that interference issues can be assessed as everything is going up.

• We will try for our International Space Station contacts again this year. We have gotten these the last few years and thanks to AD2DD our team is now even more proficient.

• You can camp! Many of us will have our campers, some will be in tents and some of the diehards will catch some Z’s in their car at this continuous operation event. This beautiful location affords plenty of room to camp out and spend the whole weekend with us.

• We can help you learn about getting your license and give advice on gear. There will be an incredible amount of gear to see here and it’s fun to see how we all do the same thing differently.

• While we’re always proud of a good score, it’s the time we spend together that makes Field Day something we all look forward to. Whether you’re logging contacts, cooking dinner, or just hanging out under the stars — this event is about all of us.