Summer Field Day
Summer Field Day is an annual amateur radio exercise, sponsored by the ARRL, encouraging emergency communications preparedness among amateur radio operators. In Canada, it is sponsored by RAC and is the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the country and our club's largest annual "on the air" event.
Since the first Field Day in 1933, radio amateurs throughout North America have practiced the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment in environments ranging from operations under tents in remote areas to operations inside Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs).
Operations using emergency and alternative power sources are highly encouraged, since electricity and other public infrastructures are often among the first to fail during a natural disaster or severe weather.
To determine the effectiveness of the exercise and of each participant's operations, there is an integrated contesting component, and YRARC also engages in concurrent leisure activities (camping out, cookouts, etc.). Operations run continuously for twenty-four hours, providing all operators with a chance to try out the various stations running at the site. The club also takes advantage of the extra points for experimenting with unusual modes, making contacts via satellite, and involving youth in the activity.
Summer Field Day takes place at:
4812 Vandorf Sideroad, Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON L4A 7X5
Steve VE3UT
Winter Field Day
York Region Amateur Radio Club - Winter Field Day 2021
For this year only, there will be no “in the field” gathering because of the pandemic. In its place, we will be holding a “virtual” Field Day. The WFD team has released special rules allowing us to operate our virtual FD in the following manner:
• individual club members will operate from home using your own call sign
• you will be class 1H (using existing home station antennas and hydro), Use "I" for Inside and "O" for outside
Please refer to the Winter Field Day site for further updates at https://www.winterfieldday.com/ also, the detailed rules including WFD2021 updates are in this PDF
• your section (for most members) will be GTA
• When you submit your results type "York Region Amateur Radio Club". The WFD team will publish results for each individual callsign AND a total for our club from all entries showing our club name.
• For those not familiar with the rules, repeaters and internet-based communications such as IRLP, Echolink, Wires-X, Brandmeister, Dstar reflectors, etc. are NOT allowed! Simplex FM is permitted.
• Please remember when switching bands or modes to change this in your logging program so you are correctly logging. You will be required to list your QSO’s by band and mode in the submission.
• All stations, please run no more than 100 watts. This gives us a better power multiplier than high power.
• NO spotting allowed, which means no emailing, phoning, texting, online communications, etc., to tell other members to work them or for similar communications.
• Winter Field Day starts at 2:00 pm on January 30th and ends at 2:00 pm on January 31st for the full 24 hours.
You may operate as little or as much as you wish during that time.
If you have any questions, please contact Steve VE3UT or David VA3DCY, the club’s Field Day Directors
THANK YOU AND 73
Steve VE3UT
Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) is a dedicated group of Amateur Radio Operators who believe that emergency communications in a winter environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that is done
each summer but with some additional unique operational concerns.
We believe as do those entities of ARRL/RAC Organizations like ARES that maintaining your operational skills should not be limited to fair weather scenarios. The addition of Winter Field Day will enhance those already important skills of those who generously volunteer their time and equipment to these organizations. This is why WFD is open to all licensed amateur radio operators worldwide.
Disasters are unpredictable by nature and can strike when you least expect them. WFDA's goal is to help enhance your skills and prepare you for all environmental conditions found in Canada and USA during the winter. Preparedness is the key to a professional and timely response during any event and this is what local and provincial authorities are expecting when they reach out to the emergency service groups that offer their services.
If you are serious about emergency communications as we are, we welcome you to join us for our yearly event. We are sure you will find this event a pleasant change and challenge to that of a normal summer time field day.
Winter Field Day 2020 will be located at:
80 Bales Drive E, East Gwillimbury, Ontario.
Steve VE3UT
Winter Field Day Scores
2020: 4812 VANDORF RD, WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE
Here’s our results for WFD 2020
TOTAL CLAIMED SCORE is 11,776
THIS IS OUR BEST WFD SCORE EVER!
Historical Comparison:
2019 = 8790 claimed (8465 awarded)
2018 = 10690 claimed (10,222 awarded)
2017 = 4300 claimed (6348 awarded)
2016 = no participation this year
2015 = not available (our first WFD)
Winter Field Day Scores
2018: 4812 VANDORF RD, WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE
QSO count
143 PHONE
94 DIGITAL
2 CW
7 MULTIPLIERS
2 POWER CATEGORY
6000 BONUS POINTS
10690 CLAIMED SCORE
10222 CALCULATED SCORE
2017: 4812 VANDORF RD, WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE
QSO count
60 PHONE
45 DIGITAL
2 CW
6 MULTIPLIERS
2 POWER CATEGORY
4500 BONUS POINTS
6348 SCORE
York Region EMCOMM perspective
York Region has an annual check on perspective hazards which covers items like wildfires, drinking water emergencies and terrorism. This checklist is called the H.I.R.A. (Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment).
The H.I.R.A. for York Region identifies several weather based hazards, including Ice Storm and Severe Snow Storm / Blizzards for the Winter and Extreme Heat and Tornadoes / Windstorms for the Summer.
Testing our EMCOMM capabilities in York Region in all seasons is of high importance.
Mike VA3MCT
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