Penn Wireless Association · ARRL Field Day 2026

Safety Briefing

Tyler State Park · Upper Plantation Pavilion
June 27–28, 2026 · Everyone goes home the way they arrived. · 73
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2 MIN
Welcome

Why This Briefing Matters

  • Most Field Day injuries are preventable — falls, heat, and electrical top the list.
  • Field Day is an emergency-preparedness exercise. Operating safely is part of the exercise.
  • Watch out for yourself and the operator next to you.
Goal: everyone goes home in the same condition they arrived.
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2 MIN
Know Your Surroundings

Site Overview

  • Site overview map shown here — operating positions, generator spots, first aid, parking.
  • Nearest hospital: St. Mary Medical Center, Langhorne — about 15 minutes out.
  • Know who the safety officer is this weekend — all hazards and incidents go to them.
When in doubt about anything on site, ask before you act.
Upper Plantation Pavilion site overview — station positions, antennas, and parking
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2 MIN
Operations

Logging: Get It Right

  • We're logging with N3FJP on a central network — every station logs into the same system.
  • Our exchange: 5A EPA. You must collect the same exchange AND callsign from every contact.
  • Your logs MUST be accurate. A busted call or exchange is a lost contact.
  • Not comfortable logging while operating? Find a logging partner NOW — do not wait until Field Day.
CALL CLASS SEC W3SK 5A EPA K3PJH 3A MDC N3HTZ 1E EPA 5A EPA
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3 MIN
Setup Philosophy

Antennas: One-Person By Design

  • This year's requirement: every station deployable by one person.
  • Help is welcome — but setups should be simple, portable, and low-risk by design.
  • If it feels like a two-person job, it's the wrong setup. Ask before muscling it.
  • Guy lines & feedlines are trip hazards: flag them and route them off walkways.
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3 MIN
Radio Frequency

RF Exposure & Radio Safety

  • Keep people clear of antennas at Field Day power levels — know your RF exposure distance.
  • Never touch antennas or feedpoints while transmitting.
  • Coax connectors can cause RF burns at higher power — key down only when connections are made up.
  • Announce before you transmit if anyone is working near your antenna.
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3 MIN
Power

Generator Safety

  • Fire extinguisher within reach of every generator. No extinguisher, no generator.
  • Place small inverters downwind, away from tents — carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless.
  • Fueling: engine off, let it cool, no smoking, fuel cans stored away from the unit.
  • Cable runs covered, flagged, and off walkways.
Wet-weather shutdown call belongs to the safety officer.
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4 MIN
Health

Heat Illness: Know the Signs

  • Late-June heat index here can top 95°F.
  • Heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea → shade, water, cool down.
  • Heat stroke: hot dry skin, confusion, no sweating → call 911. This is an emergency.
  • Over 60? Thirst signals weaken and bodies adapt to heat more slowly. Don't trust "I feel fine."
Buddy system: check on each other every hour.
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3 MIN
Health

Hydration Requirements

  • Mandatory: bring at least one gallon of drinking water per operator.
  • Drink on a schedule, not thirst. Electrolytes for long shifts.
  • Go easy on caffeine — it works against you in the heat.
  • Diuretics, beta-blockers, and BP meds affect heat tolerance. Know your own situation.
No alcohol — prohibited in the state park. No exceptions.
1 GAL MINIMUM
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2 MIN
Health

Sun Protection

  • SPF 30 or higher — reapply every 2 hours, more if you're sweating.
  • Wide-brim hats and light long sleeves beat sunscreen alone.
  • Rotate operating positions through shade — don't park yourself in full sun all afternoon.
  • Setup and teardown crews: yes, that includes you.
SPF 30+
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4 MIN
⚠ Bad Year — Take It Seriously

Ticks

  • Tick activity is heavy this season — Lyme disease is endemic in Bucks County.
  • Prevent: permethrin-treated clothing, DEET on skin, pants tucked into socks, light colors.
  • Check: midday and before leaving — behind knees, waistband, hairline.
  • Found one attached? Fine-tip tweezers, slow straight pull, note the date, watch for rash or fever.
  • Also out there: poison ivy (leaves of three), roots & uneven ground, thunderstorms → stop operating, get to vehicles.
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3 MIN
Park Rules

Out by Sunset · Overnight Ops

  • Not signed up for overnight? You must be out of the park by sunset (~8:30 PM in late June).
  • Plan your teardown or handoff — don't start a long run at 8:00.
  • Overnight crew: stick to the shift schedule, nap when you can, headlamps on marked paths.
  • Fatigue is real: the most dangerous part of Field Day is driving home tired.
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3 MIN
Emergency Procedures & Recap

If Something Goes Wrong

  • Know the first aid kit & AED locations and who's trained.
  • Know the site's 911 address / GPS coordinates — posted at the food tent.
  • Every incident, even small, gets reported to the safety officer.
Questions? Ask now — not at 2 AM on 40 meters. 73!

Gallon of water, minimum

Extinguisher at every generator

Tick checks — every day

Out by sunset — unless on the overnight list

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Part Two

How We're Operating

W3SK · Class 5A · Eastern Pennsylvania
One club call. Six stations. One score.
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2 MIN
The Plan

Our Entry: W3SK · 5A EPA

  • We operate as one club station — W3SK — not your personal callsign.
  • Class 5A: five simultaneous transmitters, club portable, 100% emergency power.
  • EPA = Eastern Pennsylvania, our ARRL section.
  • Every QSO from every station rolls into one combined club score.
On the air you are "W3SK, 5A Echo-Papa-Alpha."
W3SK 5A EPA
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2 MIN
Schedule

The Field Day Clock

  • Contest window: 2:00 PM Saturday → 4:59 PM Sunday (1800Z–2059Z).
  • Because we set up before the bell, we operate a maximum of 24 of the 27 hours.
  • Overnight crew keeps W3SK on the air. Day crew: out by sunset, back Sunday morning.
  • Teardown Sunday afternoon — everyone helps before anyone leaves.
24 OF 27 HOURS
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2 MIN
Who's Where

The Station Lineup

  • Five HF transmitters: K0CJH · K3PJH · KU3TEK · N3JAM · N3FEL — plus GOTA-1 by the pavilion.
  • Band and mode assignments are already set — each station has its plan. Stick to it.
  • See the site overview map (Slide 3) for antenna runs and station positions.
  • Need to deviate from the band plan? Check with K0CJH first — don't freelance.
K0CJH K3PJH KU3TEK N3JAM N3FEL GOTA
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3 MIN
On the Air

Making Contacts

  • You give: "W3SK, 5A Echo-Papa-Alpha." You get: their callsign, class, and section — log all three.
  • Stations count once per band, per mode. N3FJP flags dupes across our whole network.
  • No repeater contacts — simplex only on VHF/UHF.
  • Didn't copy it clean? Ask for a repeat. A guessed exchange is a busted QSO.
If it's not in the log correctly, it never happened.
W3SK 5A EPA K2ABC 2A NNJ
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1 MIN
Talk-Around

On-Site Communications

  • Site coordination is on HTs: 146.790 MHz simplex.
  • Keep it for logistics — safety and "need help" calls take priority over everything.
  • Don't tie up the operating stations to find out what's for lunch.
Program 146.790 simplex into your HT before Field Day.
146.790
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2 MIN
Free Points

Bonus Points We're Chasing

  • 100% emergency power — already baked into our setup. Keep it that way.
  • Safety officer — this very briefing is part of earning it.
  • GOTA station, public info table, media publicity, social media — talk to visitors, point them to the table.
  • Message to the Section Manager + NTS traffic — handled by our message-origination crew.
A curious visitor at the info table is worth points — and maybe a new member.
BONUS
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1 MIN
Everyone On the Air

GOTA & Send-Off

  • GOTA-1 is for new licensees, long-inactive hams, and unlicensed guests under a control operator.
  • Bring your family and friends — their contacts count and the hook gets set.
  • The recipe for the weekend: hydrate, log accurately, check for ticks, have fun.
See you June 27. 73 de W3SK!
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