a big Field Day weekend at "Hams on the Hill" Field Day
The first of many Las Vegas area amateur radio operators began arriving at the Mt. Charleston Field Day site at 4:30 AM on Friday morning.
Three days of non-stop radio excitement and outdoor activities soon followed. Campers and their pets arrived throughout the day Friday and a sizeable crowd was on hand for a tasty fried chicken dinner that evening.
A spectacular sunrise and a huge Lumberjack breakfast got Saturday off to a big start. Families began arriving and the site was soon swarming with kids and teens.
Everyone, young and old alike, began erecting antennas and stringing cables for the Ten Alpha class station N7V. Elsewhere in the mix, an early morning satellite pass found not only one, but two stations set up on the tarmac in the parking area tracking space QSO's.
Telescopes were set up to permit viewing the sunspots and solar storms and to view a rare lunar event.
Jack Meiner-KE7CGL and wife Mary-KE7HKL set up a full field kitchen complete with deep griddles, deep fryers, and oven which was in operation all weekend. A bar-b-que lunch of burgers, hot dogs, and side dishes wiped out the noon-time hunger of the workers.
A pack of k-9's was on hand for petting, chasing sticks, and herding the many wild Nevada mustangs that wandered through the site at will. Field Day mascot Homer Ham-K7HWG was on hand to oversee the activities and spent much of his week-end getting hugs from pretty young girls.
The Saturday evening Spaghetti Dinner was once again a big hit. Free raffle prizes were drawn with two dual-band radios being awarded. The first to 11 year old Jonathan Reed and the second to first time Field Day participant Darrell Guernier-KE7BYM. Incidentally, Darrell was accompanied by his wife Vicky-KE7PUW and their two sons, both brand new hams, Andre-KG7DGZ and Dante KG7DYP.
An after dinner treat of dutch oven peach and apple cobblers, prepared by Jack and Mary Meiner lured many attendees to sit and tell radio stories into the night. With a large population of newly minted and future hams in attendance, much time was devoted to monitoring and Elmering activities.
After mid-night operations consisted of Bridget-KF7RHB on digital and John-N7UR on phone into the wee hours of the morning until the temperature, which had fallen to 40 degrees and the wind which was gusting, chased them off of the air until 5:00 AM.
Another huge breakfast for the campers then a final sprint for points before time to tear down.