Field Day 2020 was unlike any field day we’ve seen in a long time. With the COVID-19 pandemic creating a major health concern for club members, we took action and decided to experience Field Day in a new way. All participating members operated from their home QTH using their own equipment. We were still able to achieve some bonus points by having officials visit club member’s communications trailer. We used a networked system of computers running N1MM Logging software and decided on the category “7D”. How were we able to use the class, Delta? The ARRL passed a waiver for FD2020 that allowed Class D stations to contact other D stations. Something that was not allowed in previous years. With our new website serving as a backbone for the coordination for the operation, providing real time information and a VPN system provided by a club member for real time logging across sites, we were able to have seven simultaneous stations on the air in the South Jersey area, safely.
In the end, we scored 7,294 points with 1,773 QSO’s. We had 15 participants and submitted as 7D.
We had an aggregate score of 9,989 with 11 entries.
While we were not ranked by the ARRL for our unorthodox strategies, we proved that the South Jersey Radio Association is able to come together (from apart) and communicate during a national health emergency.
Thank you to all members who participated and congratulations.