[LakelandARC] Field day preperation

[KI4OFU - Mike Oliver]

On 2008-05-03T12:11:01-0400, R. Pirkle wrote:
> Hello Ernie and everyone on the list!
>  
> As I read Ernie's notice to the group, I had an idea,  I realize it wouldn't be feasible to implement the
> Field Day I have this year, however I thought now would be an excellent time to begin planning how to
> implement it for next year.
>  
> The idea (or perhaps question is more appropriate at this stage) is this:  In keeping with today's
> current social concerns about fuel, ecology, and the costs of both, do you think it would be possible to
> plan and conduct a Field Day that is mostly (if not wholly) based on "green" technologies like
> photo-voltaic powersourcing and other alternative energies?

For the 2006 Field Day, we ran off of battery power exclusively and use
a steam generator to recharge the batteries as necessary.  For the 2007
Field Day, we also ran completely battery powered (3A) and had no need
to generate power to recharge.  The batteries were charged initially
from grid power.

We did use PV cells to power a radio and make contacts at the early
stages of last year's Field Day.  The equipment used can be verified by
K1DU who is our excellent Field Day coordinator.

> I know I don't have enough technical knowledge right now to know where to even really begin, but starting
> now should definitely provide enough time to plan an eco-centric Field Day event for next year.  I also
> think that planning a "Green" Field Day event for next year could provide an added incentive to local
> media outlets to cover the event as a local public interest piece.

I think that we should be careful in this area because there are a lot
of folks, including myself, who don't buy wholesale into the idea of
man-made global warming (this was one of the coldest years on record as
a matter of fact).  While I do think that using PV cells is a great
idea, there are other side effects to alternative energy that are
hurting us right now.  One example is the high price of corn, and
products derived from corn, due to the diversion of a larger portion of
that crop towards the production of Ethanol.  This has had a ripple
effect as well, manifested as reduced production of soy and other staple
food crops as farmers move toward corn production in favor of their
traditional crops.  This flies straight in the face of the fact that
corn is a poor source of energy when compared to switchgrass, but hype
is hard to fight.

Making knee-jerk decisions about using a food crop for energy when we
have no replacement for the food and still have abundant sources of the
existing energy source is teaching us a lesson right now about looking
at the whole picture.

Bringing this back on-topic, I would welcome any PV cells to the event
and would love to help build an array powerful enough to keep our AGM &
other batteries charged.  Using PV cells to power some fans to keep us
cool would also be nice.

Thanks & 73.

-- 
Mike Oliver, KI4OFU
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