Spring cleaning season is almost over. Or, at least, it’s upon me. Actually, the urge to clean and organize the shack starts about a week before Near-Fest, and begins with an uncontrollable urge to go through the radio shack, selecting items that I could do without and putting them in boxes. In my more organized moments, I may even put little price tags on some of them. Then the whole lot gets packed into the wagon and hauled up to Deerfield in the hopes that it will return in the form of crisply detailed portraits of dead historical figures. Do you have any favorites? I’m particularly fond of Benjamin Franklin and US Grant, though I’ll settle for Andrew Jackson, or even Alexander Hamilton, or ole George Washington.
What usually happens, however, is that I return with not enough engraved pictures, and more junk than I left with. I’m glad to say this year was a pleasant exception, but the exception really just proves the rule. All this leads to some soul searching as I try to figure out how to stuff all the new junk in the holes left by the old junk.
That brings me in a round about way to Field Day. Field Day is truly multifaceted. It’s an emergency preparedness exercise. It’s a thinly disguised summer solstice celebration. It’s a public relations opportunity. It’s a social occasion. And, it’s a second chance to go through all your radio stuff and clean things up. I count on Field Day as motivation to start the generator and make sure it still works. I count on it to relocate the box of band filters. I count on it as an opportunity to find all my electronics tools and get them back in their toolbox, so I can bring them along to the event. It’s an annual check of the emergency “jump kit.” You never know – one of these years we’ll have a real emergency, and it’s a whole lot easier to find all the things you need and get them working when the lights are on and there’s hot coffee in the pot.
So, to this year’s Field Day. It’s on Saturday and Sunday, June 28 and 29 this year. We’re having a social, low key event this year, with emphasis on good food, comfortable surroundings (ie., a screen porch with no bugs and a real bathroom), and a 2A effort. It’s happening at NK1A’s house, 65 Littleton Rd. (rt. 110), just outside of Chelmsford center. It’s located on a main but not too busy road, where people can see us. There should be plenty of parking. Nan, NK1A, is taking care of the food, and it promises to be several notches above the usual Field Day fare.
Our next meeting is Wednesday, June 4, at 7PM at my place, 85 High St., Chelmsford. The topic will be Field Day, of course. Please come and give us your $0.02.
73,
Mike Raisbeck K1TWF
BARS President
