The Tennessee Valley DX Association conducted its annual ARRL Field Day operation again this year at the Highway 58 Volunteer Fire Department's Training Facility on Snow Hill Road at Mahan Gap. We participated in ARRL Class 3A — for clubs or groups with a maximum of three active transmitters on the air at any one time, all on emergency power. There were 16 participants at our site, including operators, participants, and visitors.
In celebration of TVDXA's 30 years of fellowship, promoting good operating practices, and working DX, the special-event call sign N4T was acquired for June 15–30, 2019. To draw special attention to the celebration, N4T was used as our Field Day call sign.
A special thank-you to Howard WB4ZBI, who obtained the special-event call, coordinated all the logs, and handled the QSL chores, and to Gary K4VIG for his help converting the Field Day logs into a common format.
Stations & Antennas
| Station | Transceiver | Antenna |
|---|---|---|
| Station 1 | Elecraft K3 | 40m EDZ antenna w/ Johnson Matchbox tuner |
| Station 2 | Kenwood TS-590 | 80m dipole w/ ladder line & Johnson Matchbox tuner |
| Station 3 | Icom IC-7300 | 80m dipole w/ ladder line & tuners |
Each station was computer-controlled via a laptop running N1MM Logger+, all networked over a local wireless network so every logged QSO appeared on each computer. A fourth networked laptop on the snack table displayed real-time stats — states and provinces worked, QSO counts, and more. Emergency power came from a 5,500-watt gasoline generator provided by Billy KE4CMA.
Band & Mode Summary
| Band | Mode | QSOs | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80m | CW | 133 | 266 |
| 80m | FT8 | 46 | 92 |
| 80m | LSB | 16 | 16 |
| 40m | CW | 320 | 640 |
| 40m | FT8 | 64 | 128 |
| 40m | LSB | 373 | 373 |
| 20m | CW | 457 | 914 |
| 20m | FT8 | 10 | 20 |
| 20m | USB | 182 | 182 |
| 15m | CW | 147 | 294 |
| 15m | USB | 19 | 19 |
| 10m | CW | 12 | 24 |
| 10m | USB | 12 | 12 |
| Satellite | — | 1 | — |
| Totals | 1,792 | 2,982 |
1,792 QSOs · Class 3A · 5,962 QSO points + 550 bonus
We worked all 50 states — including Alaska and Hawaii — plus 9 Canadian provinces, catching 79 of the 83 ARRL sections (missing VI, Manitoba, Newfoundland/Labrador, and Northern Territory).
We've shown steady improvement in QSO numbers, and this year's QSO points (5,962) edged out last year's 5,892. Bonus points came in at 550 versus 750 the year before — we didn't copy the ARRL FD bulletin (100 pts) or stage a Public Information display by the visitors' log (100 pts), either of which would have put us over last year's total.
| U.S. & Canada | All 50 states (incl. AK & HI) and 9 Canadian provinces |
| ARRL sections | 79 of 83 — missed VI, MB, NL, NT |
| Satellite | 1 satellite QSO |
Photo highlights: WA4AA and W4XK putting them in the log. See the full photo gallery →
TVDXA Field Day Scores
- 2019N4T · 6,512 pts · Class 3A · 1,792 QSOs
- 2018W4PL · 6,642 pts · Class 3A · 1,718 QSOs
- 2017W4PL · 5,890 pts · Class 2A · 1,671 QSOs
- 2016W4PL · 4,852 pts · Class 2A · 1,085 QSOs
- 2015W4PL · 5,326 pts · Class 2A · 1,457 QSOs
- 2014W4PL · 4,456 pts · Class 2A · 1,100 QSOs
All scores include bonus points.
About ARRL Field Day
Field Day is held the 4th full weekend of June each year. For rules, exchange, and scoring details, see the ARRL Field Day event page or visit arrl.org/field-day.