#WFD
Winter Field Day (WFD) 2024 Results
W0MOC Report on Winter Field Day (WFD) 2024
For the 2024 Winter Field Day event, the Missouri Outdoor Club has again chosen to take the operation on the road. During the weekend of January 26-28, 2024, members of the Missouri Outdoor Club descended up Whetstone Creek Conservation Area near Williamsburg, Missouri.
This year, due to some unforeseen, and unfortunate, turn of events, the crew was the smallest it has ever been. Despite this, however, the Missouri Outdoor Club ultimately was less than one hundred contacts short of our all-time high score!
This was accomplished by the outstanding performance of our intrepid band of operators, and years of experience with operating off grid, remote, and with limited resources.
Of course, a lot comes into play with that experience including the club’s constant activations with the Parks on the Air program, various Emergency Communications events, and various equipment experimentations conducted by the ever-learning members of the club.
Last year, our crew set a new goal, which was to conduct a satellite QSO before the end of the event, which was accomplished by KC0ECQ mere minutes before the end of the event in a photo finish.
One operator brought his son, who does not yet have a license, to operate and enjoy our great hobby. He made several contacts, and reports are he’s now ready to get his license!
In a odd turn of events, our operators came across a lost dog who became separated from his family while they were out antler shed hunting. Luckily, they were able to reach the family and reunite them with their four-legged-friend.
This year, the crew decided to go off grid in a new way – a battery power generator constructed by new member, and first time Winter Field Day participant, KF0LMH. While eventually a gas-powered generator had to be deployed, a lot of great data was garnered to continuously charge and operate off of the battery generator in version two, which is bound to be more impressive than the first.
The Missouri Outdoor Club finished with 1100 QSOs, which while short of our goal to beat last year, is more than impressive.
Equipment used to complete this feet were a DX Commander vertical, a 160M end fed half wave dipole, an Icom IC-7410, and a Yaesu FT-450D – a much more modest setup than previous years.
All of that being said, Winter Field Day, for us, isn’t just about radio. Friday night is spent establishing camp, but per the rules we do not set up the radio equipment. Instead, Friday night is the club social event of the year with good company, good food, and good spirits.
We look forward to 2024 and what it brings for amateur radio, our club, and in our general lives.
As always, the club looks forward to next Winter Field Day, and we’re sure we will continue to improve our setup.