For Winter Field Day we setup at Perry State Park, vicinity of Catfish Alley – https://ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Perry/Perry-Gallery/Catfish-Alley-Primitive-Campground

Got the M35a2 serviced at Valley Truck & Trailer – Truck Repair Shop in Valley Falls (business.site) – and they did a fantastic job getting old rubber items such as coolant hoses, belts, and other seals changed just in time to get us in the field. Everything was soggy from ice melting and rain the previous day, so getting fires started was a challenge. The coal stove never got hot enough to light properly but fortunately we had a Mr Heater propane stove that worked very well.

We made a large handful of contacts, but not a huge number, our focus was working out tech issues and showing the people new to amateur radio the basic procedures. Also, we just had a ton of fun just camping and made a relaxing weekend of it. I am very happy with the setup, getting on the air didn’t take much time at all and we didn’t have the problem of hauling heavy items to the tent to operate.

Our setup was an IC7300, with IC7200 in reserve, next go around we will get both radios going one digital and the other voice. Bearcat 996XT to monitor the local activity, and an IC880H for VHF. Antennas were discone and VHF on masts, and Shark hamsticks for HF. The hamsticks perform very well, and we are assuming the massive ground plane of the truck is helping, I really need to test this vs the other antennas I have to see how well they really do in a comparison.

One of the people that joined us brought a photography drone and it took the neat overhead orbital.