How many people out there participate in Winter Field Day?

I have only had the opportunity to work WFD 2024 due to being out of the country and inactive for 14 years. I had fun, and I think it is a great idea. However the group that runs it does seem to be a bit full of themselves.

The amount of effort that is wasted screaming that IT IS NOT A CONTEST is a bit stupid. Call it what you want, but like sailing *Any time you see another boat in front of you, you're racing!* Get a bunch of hams and tell them to make as many contacts in a specified amount of times, you have a contest on your hands.

Some of their rules are a bit daft, such as this years NEW multiplier. " Operate six continuous hours during the event: Emergencies may last days or even weeks. You may be expected to man a radio station between 4-12 hours if you are operating alone or in shifts. Can you sit and operate for extended periods of time with enough backup power? This does not necessarily mean you are making contacts the whole time, but you are in front of the radio, monitoring, and ready to pick up a microphone if you are called. OM x2"

Come on.. I am in my 50s, I can't sleep through an 8 hour strech without getting up and going to the bathroom! Does that mean I lose the multipler? When asked for clarification, not was really given...

Had another guy suggest that they make the exchange more geared to an actual EMCOM excercise. We have X beds full, X beds available, need food for X. While that might work for small scale localized EMCOM drill, could you imagine the non WARC bands filled with such traffic?

Not to mention one of the main points of field day is to entice people to get out and operate, that normally would not operate a contest while learning new modes and skills. How much of a turn off do you think it will be for new or non really active operators if they have to send long formal messages?

How would you incorporate that into FT8/FT4?

I think ARRL Field Day does a good job of introducing you to formal traffic by giving you multiplers for sending properlly formatted NTS traffic through WINLINK or a traffic net. I had a blast getting that multipler during the ARRL Field Day, and enjoyed hearing from my friends/family that the messages were recieved.

When I replied to them, that if I had to submit proof of 6 hours of continuous monitoring my station, they would be getting pictures of the bottles, and that the rules should follow the format of other contests, IE.. You must work X hours, allowing for Y breaks not to exceed Z and clearly visable in the log. Otherwise I will just check the multipler and move on.

They basically told me they have the right to ban people who they suspect of cheating.

Great, BAN ME! You are not the only contest on the block. If you want to play word games, I have a pocket full of quarters.

I was then banned from the FB group.

Seems to me, that this is another GREAT amateur radio idea that gets ruined because the organizers get too big for their britches! Sad.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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Hi,
Mainly I have done WFD from my home the last 3 years or so.
This year I decided to setup a blind guys group and operate in a small distributed team of 4 or 5 ops.
For my part I probably made 50 / 60 contacts or so.
If your are interested in stats of the ops try KF4YEY, W4CI and AD9CA.
I am probably missing a call sign or two.
If I can remember the team name we used I'll send it along after taking a look at the standings to see how we did.

Tom
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Hi all,

Just wondering how many folks participate in Winter Field Day? (winterfieldday.org) I know up in our colder climate in Minnesota we enjoy the extra challenge of cold weather operation.

What you're setups like?

Best of luck! 73

-m
KB0TNG

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Re: Winter Field Day
By: Matt Jurcich to All on Fri Jan 09 2026 21:02:30

Hi all,

Just wondering how many folks participate in Winter Field Day? (winterfieldday.org) I know up in our colder climate in Minnesota we enjoy the extra challenge of cold weather operation.

Not really sure what I'll be doing this yearas I don't have the rig I had last year.

What you're setups like?

Most times I go out into the field with a local club, but the guy I go with is unable to go this year and not having him with me would make this much less fun if I do go.

Tom
KF4YEY
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Hi everyone,

Are any of you planning to participate in Winter Field Day?

73,
Sean KS4TD

... Opportunity always knocks at my door... then runs away.
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I will be working it from home.

I have to, I have to see if one of the organisers will actually DSQ me, when I got in a "pissing" contest over one of their bonus points being poorly worded.

"Operate six continuous hours during the event: Emergencies may last days or even weeks. You may be expected to man a radio station between 4-12 hours if you are operating alone or in shifts. Can you sit and operate for extended periods of time with enough backup power? This does not necessarily mean you are making contacts the whole time, but you are in front of the radio, monitoring and ready to pick up a microphone
if you are called. OM x2"

So, in order for me to claim this, I have to hold my bladder for 6 hours, or claim to take an HT into bathroom, and be ready to grab it mid piss if someone calls CQ on my frequency? How about makig this a bit more sensible, like breaks can be no longer than x minutes as indicated in the log? Like other contests do for single op entries.

I guess I will have to submit pictures of the piss jugs....

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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Re: Re: Winter Field Day
By: Rug Rat to Sean Dennis on Mon Jan 12 2026 20:38:44

...claim to take an HT into bathroom, and be ready to grab it mid piss if someone calls CQ on my frequency?

Any way to make your HT VOX-enabled?
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On Mon 12-Jan-2026 11:27p, Mortar M.@1:124/5016.0 said to Rug Rat:

Any way to make your HT VOX-enabled?

Possibly, but I refuse to take a radio into the bathroom with me!

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Re: Re: Winter Field Day
By: Rug Rat to Mortar M. on Tue Jan 13 2026 12:37:10

Possibly, but I refuse to take a radio into the bathroom with me!

Heh, don't blame you. I cringe a bit when I see...well, hear...people in public restroom yakking on their phone while doing their business. That's just tacky. Worse, they often have their speakers on so I have to hear both sides of the conversation, not to mention the person on the other end has to hear whatever's going on in the john. No class, low-brow people.
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On 09 Jan 2026, Matt Jurcich said the following...

Just wondering how many folks participate in Winter Field Day?

Northwest Ohio here. Our club organizes for the event every year, and we run both sheltered (with portable heat and battery power) as well as out in the open, depending on what each participant is interested in.

We've historically had pretty good turnout: about a dozen operators (and a few visitors) along with wives bringing food to make it well worth our while.

We're definitely ready for another cold winter day with good, hot food!

73!
Randall
WZ8Q

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On 12 Jan 2026, Rug Rat said the following...

I guess I will have to submit pictures of the piss jugs....

Let me know before you send out the QSL cards for that event. :)

73,
Randall
WZ8Q

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Hello Matt!

09 Jan 26 21:02, you wrote to all:

Just wondering how many folks participate in Winter Field Day? (winterfieldday.org) I know up in our colder climate in Minnesota we enjoy the extra challenge of cold weather operation.

I plan to join the local club at their Winter Field Day. My actual participation may depend on the weather (It hasn't snowed here since January 25, 1999). I am hoping it is dry. It was sunny and 60F degrees today after the morning Tule Fog burned off.

I may take our travel trailer to the event so I can set up a packet station and send messages to the State OES. I may also make attempt some data modes; Winlink over VARA HF and/or via my packet BBS atop a +7500' ASL mountain. However, if I haven't made all the preparations before this weekend event, I will have to stay home as we are traveling with the trailer a couple of days after the event and the missus says the trip is more important.

I haven't decided which radio to take: my Yaesu FT-991A, my Icom IC-7100, or a Yaesu FT-857D for the packet stuff. (I am using a FT-857D for the W6RAY-10 Winlink Gateway as part of one of the packet BBSes) The easiest will be the FT-991A since it's the easiest for me to connect to my computer, whether it be a Windows 11 laptop or a raspberry pi, one of which I have Craig's KM6LYW DigiPi installed.

For antennas: I have a few different wire antennas as well as a DX Commander Classic. I plan to add the Classic to my home station as I have had good luck with DX in the past. It is not currently up at the moment due to some anticipated work being done in the back yard.

The club has a crank-up tower mounted to a trailer and a tri-band 3-element yagi antenna along with a couple of wire antennas. I was trying to find some photos on the Club's web site of the tower in use, but they seem to not be available. We also have use of two Icom IC-7300 radios for the event. We use a local farm's "Pumpkin Patch" where they have a corn maze and a pumpkin patch during October on the southern edge of the city. It is the same location we have our Field Day in June (2024 and 2025 the temperatures was well over 100F).

We usually run (in the summer) 3A SJV (San Joaquin Valley) and I sure it will be similar this month. The Club's call is WA6BAI, The Tulare County Amateur Radio Club (A 501(c)3
group)

I could go on, but it's getting late and I am likely boring you.

73 de Ray
Visalia, CA DM06ii
W6RAY/WRKZ506

If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body,
then only left-handed people are in their right mind.

... Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6!
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Hello Sean!

10 Jan 26 22:24, you wrote to all:

Are any of you planning to participate in Winter Field Day?

See my reply to Matt, who asked the same question...

73 de Ray
Visalia, CA DM06ii
W6RAY/WRKZ506



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Re: Re: Winter Field Day
By: Ray Quinn to Matt Jurcich on Mon Jan 12 2026 20:19:36

I could go on, but it's getting late and I am likely boring you.

Hams are gear heads. What could be better? :)
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Heh, don't blame you. I cringe a bit when I see...well, hear...people in public restroom yakking on their phone while doing their business. That's ju tacky. Worse, they often have their speakers on so I have to hear both sides of the conversation, not to mention the person on the other end has to hear whatever's going on in the john. No class, low-brow people.

Makes me uneasy also. Always made me want to do some extra flushing so
the person on the other end knew where their spouse/SO/subordinate was
calling them from.

---
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LOL. just start yelling, "WHO DOES NUMBER 2 WORK FOR!!!"

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Re: Re: Winter Field Day
By: MIKE POWELL to MORTAR M. on Wed Jan 14 2026 08:56:00

Always made me want to do some extra flushing so the person on the other end knew where their spouse/SO/subordinate was calling them from.

Heh, I do that too, but It's probably a moot action. Given the accustics, the call-ee hears that tinkling sound and'll know exactly where he's at.
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Winter Field Day will be taking place this weekend.

I am seriously considering giving this year a pass, considing my dislike of the WFD committee and with the current HF conditions. Unless they clear up on Saturday I think I will be firing up Flight Simulator...

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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Just wondering how many folks participate in Winter Field Day?

With Winter Storm Fern blasting the region, I doubt many in Arkansas
took part.

I was doing stuff with The Weather Watch Net and Arkansas Skywarn
for 16 hours over 2 days.

Daryl, N5VLZ

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Sean,

Are any of you planning to participate in Winter Field Day?

Not with Winter Storm Fern blasting through here.

Daryl, N5VLZ

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Possibly, but I refuse to take a radio into the bathroom with
me!

My late XYL asked if she should move the computer and ham radio
stuff into the bathroom, as I seemed to spend so much time in there.

Daryl, N5VLZ

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Re: Re: Winter Field Day
By: Daryl Stout to Rug Rat on Tue Jan 27 2026 22:11:57

My late XYL asked if she should move the computer and ham radio stuff into the bathroom, as I seemed to spend so much time in there.

I think the resulting QRM would've been a bit distracting. ;)
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On Tue 27-Jan-2026 10:11p, Daryl Stout@1:19/33.0 said to Matt Jurcich:

Just wondering how many folks participate in Winter Field Day?

With Winter Storm Fern blasting the region, I doubt many in Arkansas
took part.

I didn't think year because of the poor solar conditions.. (Though it turned out the conditions might have actually been good.).

In the end though it might have been a good call, as we had a huge straight wind gust come through that potentially would have dammaged the antennas had they have been up...

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