Winter Field Day ’21: Go To The Back Of The Train!
Working Winter Field Day 2021 from an early 1900s train caboose seemed the perfect way to abandon the trials of modern life at least for a weekend. Fortunately, the Chester Railway Station and Museum in Western Massachusetts offered just the ticket for WX1MAR and I. And Dave, the station’s highly knowledgeable proprietor and overall sweetheart, ensured our experience was a great one! (Hint, hint: We highly recommend a visit to this wonderful, unique landmark!) Dave even had a reporter from one of the local newspapers write a nice little story on us!
Like the annual summer ARRL Field Day, Winter Field Day is a ham radio event that focuses on emergency field communications but during cold weather. Radio operators have the option of working from “home” stations, “inside” stations (such as insulated travel trailers), and “outdoor” stations (such as tents and uninsulated vehicles). After some debate, WX1MAR and I decided the caboose, given the paucity of insulation, counted as an outdoor station. I mean where are the official rulings on operation from a train car?
But, the paucity of insulation also played a major role on our station set-up, given that the weekend was heading toward 0 degrees Fahrenheit — the lowest of the season. Effective emergency communications relies not only on flexible radio station set-up and operation, but also on the ability to survive whatever calamitous situation may arise. Portable operating events such as radio field days and summits/parks on-the-air provide the backdrop for practicing both radio and survival skills.
So, we limited our antennas to two 40M OCF dipoles to minimize set-up time in the cold weather. Especially knowing that we would not be able to easily warm up in the caboose despite running a space heater. The OCFs would also allow us to each be able to operate from multiple bands with a single antenna, as WX1MAR and I decided to operate separately rather than as a team. Our masts consisted of painter poles inserted into PVC pipes embedded in buckets of concrete, and guyed with paracord onto cinderblocks, various components of train engine and tanker cars, and chainlink fencing. Two 100 foot runs of RG8X coax inserted into a sneaky cutout at the base of a caboose door joined the antennas with our transceivers.
We bought some delicious pepperoni pie at Classic Pizza on Main Street in Chester, and brought it back to the train car. We assembled two radio stations (including a Yaesu 857D and Yaesu 891A with multiple bandpass filters). WX1MAR operated on battery power, whereas I stuck with the electric mains. An SWR check of our antennas assured easy auto-tuning on several bands. We blew up our backpacking air mattresses and let our 0F sleeping bags loft, assuring a comfortable sleeping environment for both of us and our dog, Nellie. Finally, it was time to settle in for some radio!
Within minutes, WX1MAR secured his first contact of the contest with a guy in Iowa, and our confidence in a fruitful operation soared! We were receiving strongly from the southern and midwestern U.S. But, alas, contacts would prove few and far between. Finally after a long dry spell, we decided to call it quits at 2am. We watched the reported outside temperature drop to 1F, as we let Nellie out for the last time of the night (along with the remaining warm air of the caboose), and crawled in our sleeping bags. Yes, Nellie crawled in hers too! If I had to guess, my bet was the caboose was about 20-30 degrees F.
We arose early and decided to break down the stations rather than continue on with the contest. Cold toes and poor propagation were the deciding factors. I think our choice of compromising the antenna set-up in order to avoid hypothermia, while necessary, sunk our ability to effectively operate. Particularly given that Chester is located in the heart of the Westfield River valley. Food for thought for next time.
And we are thinking of a next time! How about a special event station celebrating the Chester Railway Station and Museum? Which is soon to be a national historical landmark! Keep a look out, we would be all in for this one! Thanks again Dave for an amazingly unique experience!
