June 27, 28 & 29 2008 (Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday) This is our main information page for Field Day. Most years we maintain two Field Day sites, one for those with competitive desires and another more casual location that we fondly refer to as the "Aloha" site...

Click Here for pix from our 2007 Field Day operation!

Click Here for the ARRL's info and rules for Field Day 2008...

Ham Radio "Field Day" Defined:

1994 - CQC's first Field Day!

Each year, at the end of June, Amateur Radio "Ham" operators throughout North America put their technical and emergency communications skills to the test over the "Field Day" weekend. Hams use this annual radio exercise to test the ability of both themselves and their equipment - All to ensure they'll be ready to volunteer their communications assistance during times of disaster and other emergencies. The American Radio Relay League sponsors the annual Field Day event and invites all amateur radio operators to join the fun. Yes, fun(!) is the operative word here - Hams enjoy the Field Day experience on a number of levels that include camping, tinkering with portable equipment, installing temporary antenna "farms," adjusting solar panels or just enjoying the social interaction with friends, family and fellow Hams! The Colorado QRP Club hopes you'll join us during this year's Field Day event! If you can't be here, in Colorful Colorado, then we hope to work you on all the bands throughout the weekend-long contest!

CQC's "Competitive" Field Day site (Serious Stuff!) Al Dawkins, KØFRP (alk0frp@comcast.net) and Paul Beckett, KF7MD (kf7md@aol.com) are our Competitive site Co-Chairs and Rampart Range Gurus!

WHO:
The Colorado QRP Club and most of this Hemisphere's active amateurs!!

WHAT:
Our 2008 "Competitive" Field Day effort will take place along the
Rampart Range, just southwest of Denver, in the foothills of the
Colorado Rockies. We're "narrowing-in" on one of two possible sites
but won't know we've got one until we're "first-come, first-served"
sometime on Friday afternoon...

WHEN:
Friday-Saturday-Sunday June 27, 28 & 29, 2008.
Set-up begins Noon Friday June 22rd. Field Day Event: Noon Saturday to Noon Sunday.
Tear-down Sunday afternoon.

WHERE:
Rampart Range Road near Sedalia, Colorado (About 40 miles southwest of Denver)
Located on huge ridge, at 8,000 feet elevation, in the Pike National Forest
Clear views in almost every direction with great 2 meter line-of-site into Denver

Click on this photo for a larger view

Maps to Rampart Range: Denver to Sedalia Sedalia to Rampart Road Rampart Road to Devil's Head (If you reach Devil's Head, coming from Denver, you've gone too far!) Vince (KIØRB) flew over the site, on June 19th, (2006) and described the directions like this: "The CQC Field Day site is this pull-out about 7 miles down Rampart Range Road in Douglas country. It’s before the Devils Head Camp Ground but after the Jackson Creek road intersection. On the left (east side)."

Directions: From U.S. Hwy. 85 at Sedalia, take State Hwy. 67 approximately ten miles west to the Forest Service Indian Creek Work center.
Persons approaching from the south may take Rampart Range Road from Woodland Park, or Hwy. 67 from Deckers.

Note: Devil's Head is the last operational lookout on the Front Range and sits on the highest point of the Rampart Range.
The Devil's Head tower is accessible by the 1.3 mile long Devil's Head National Recreation Trail.

FACILITIES:
Parking and campsite - usually not much else so please bring just about anything you think you might need - especially water, food, first aid stuff and rain/cold gear...

STATIONS (This could change anytime before contest time!):
2A (2 HF stations)
primarly focused on 80-20m
Talk-in 147.225 Repeater, 146.445 Simplex.

CONTACT: Al Dawkins, our Field Day Chairman, can be reached at alkøfrp@attbi.com for all kinds of additional information!

WHAT ELSE:
Bring your Fun!

CQC's "Aloha" Field Day Site Cherry Creek State Park June 27, 28, 29 The 2008 Colorado QRP Club's Aloha Field Day site will be at the Cherokee group campsite in Cherry Creek State Park June 27, 28 & 29 (Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday until noon or so). Set-up begins at Noon on Friday and continues through Noon on Saturday. We can accommodate overnight campers and RVers, as well as day visitors to the Field Day site. The Cherokee group campsite is reserved for Friday and Saturday nights. The ARRL Field Day event runs from Noon Saturday until Noon Sunday. We'll be operating in the 2A Battery class under the Extra Class call sign, AB0CD. This means we'll have two HF stations (80M-40M-20M-15M-10M) and a VHF-UHF station (2M-6M-70CM). We have equipment and antennas lined up, but bring your QRP rig along if you'd like to run it at one of the operating positions. Antenna tuners and batteries will be provided.

Why Aloha? Well, in the Hawaiian language Aloha means affection, love, peace, compassion, mercy, goodbye, and hello, among other sentiments of a similar nature. The Aloha Field Day site is designed to encourage any and all comers to participate in Field Day. There is no competitive pressure to run 70 CW QSOs per hour. You operate at YOUR speed, and there will be plenty of hams available to help out. Even non-hams will be able to get on the radio. There is only one requirement: operators must wear a Hawaiian shirt! We'll have some available in case you forget yours. And, as in the case of all rules, this one can be waived.

So get your family, your camping gear and, if you've got one, your RV for this fabulous weekend experience! MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW: EMAIL AB0CD, DICK SCHNEIDER, AT SCHNEIDERDICK@COMCAST.NET. There are tons of family activities available in the park, including camping, hiking, biking, shooting, model airplanes, boating, windsurfing, bird-watching, swimming, fishing, horseback riding, train-spotting, as well as ham radio.

The Cherokee group campsite has 6 new cement RV pads with power and shared water, with parking slots for six additional cars. The maximum capacity of the campsite is 12 campsites – 6 RVs and 6 Tents, or a combination (like 1 RV and 11 tents), but no more than 6 RVs. The site also includes a picnic area with several tables, a fire ring, a grill and water. Within spitting distance is a new building with washrooms and showers.

(Click on this map for a larger view)

Camping fees are yet to be determined by the CQC Executive Board, but they will be NO MORE than what Cherry Creek State Park charges for individual campsites: $22 per night for Full RV Hook-Up, and $14 per night for Basic Camping Sites. You are on your own for park entry: $7 per day or $58 for a season pass to all state parks. The club needs your support in this adventure, so please plan to bring your family for a fun-filled weekend. Generally, we have a fine pot luck feast on Saturday night, while the club members at the competitive site on Rampart Range Road are generally freezing in a chilly light rain while they proceed to set world records for Field Day operations.

Support your local ARRL-affiliated Amateur Radio club!

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED FOR FIELD DAY?? Bring your Fun!!!

CQC Field Day Archives, Links and Results:

2007 2006 2005 2004 Year of the rain! 2003 Stats 2002 The year of fire! 2001 3rd overall in the nation! 2000 Great band conditions 1999 The KØNA group gives us their Rampart Range location 1998 Lots of pix 1997 Antenna Layout 1994 Doug (WØAH, CQC #039), Amber, and Roger (KBØJFH, CQC #047)

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