2021 Jamestown Event Wrap-Up

While COVID-19 is still an issue for much of the country, WAARC was able to hold it’s annual Jamestown Landing Day special event out on Jamestown Island this year on Saturday, May 8. With many club members now vaccinated and restrictions easing, there were many club members eager to set up the station and get on the air.

While it was rather windy and somewhat cool, the weather was pretty good. Setup went rather smoothly despite the gale-force winds. Some of the newer members were rather impressed with how well an antenna launcher works to pull lines through the trees.

While the weather was rather enjoyable, the band conditions left a little to be desired. For several weeks the solar flux index has been rather low, and conditions were not much better for this event. We made a total of 68 contacts, all on 40 meters. There was also a somewhat high noise level, which was unusual for operating at Jamestown.

One of the club’s biggest goals has been to get our newer members on the air. We did manage to get at least one newer club member some operating time. Solana N4SOL spent some time operating and was able to make 16 contacts. The club would like to thank Will K4MI and Ed K1NUH for their mentoring of Solana while she was operating.

Something else that the club has been working on lately is satellite communications. Chuck AI4WU brought out a 2m/70cm handheld yogi and a home brew az-el antenna rotator controlled with a raspberry pi computer. We tried to make a satellite contact however there were no workable passes of any amateur satellites while we were on the island. However, the antenna rotator definitely seemed capable of making contacts. Look for more satellite contact opportunities in the future.

The club would also like to thank Cynthia K4CEF, our special events coordinator, for her time and efforts for putting together this special event. She has done a great job getting people to volunteer and put together a great event.