This year’s Winter Field Day on January 24–25 was a great experience for SWCRS Snipe Club; our contesting branch that’s slowly been gaining traction over the past couple years. For those who haven’t been involved before, Winter Field Day is an annual ham radio event where operators set up temporary stations outdoors and make contacts while dealing with winter conditions – a fun way to test skills and practice off-grid communications and do some camping while you’re at it.
We set up at Ironwood Forest National Monument and, as you might expect in January, the weather was unpredictable. We saw everything from overcast skies and sunshine in the daytime to rain and cold overnight – but nobody let it slow them down.
Operating under the club call sign N7GMR, our team had great participation from:
- Bill – WQXE928 / N7WSS
- Mike – WSFN474 / W7WJR
- Todd – WSAB543 / KK7UYV
- Darren – WRCU527 / K7VLL
Snipe club operated under designator 4OAZ – the contest designation for 4 transceivers, outdoor station, in Arizona.
Together, we logged 197 SSB voice contacts, reaching 52 U.S. sections, 4 Canadian sections, and even some DX – including Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Hawaii. That’s a solid haul and reflects good teamwork, a well-set-up station, and lots of operating energy.
A big shout-out goes to Mike, who was operating in the field for the first time – and logged over 42 contacts on his own. That’s a great start and shows how accessible and rewarding these events can be.
But beyond the numbers, the best part of the weekend was just being together, enjoying the challenge, and having fun. Winter Field Day really is a mix of operating skills, camaraderie, and outdoor adventure, and it showed this year.
SWCRS Team Snipe is already talking about coming back next January with even more participants and more on-air action. SWCRS Team Snipe is the SWCRS contesting branch that’s slowly been gaining traction over the past couple years – interested in participating in contests under our club call? Drop us a message or leave a comment below!