Hey everyone,
The summer heat is officially rolling into the desert valleys, which means it’s time for our favorite annual tradition: packing up the gear, leaving the concrete behind, and heading up into the high country. This year, the SWCRS Snipe Club—our club’s dedicated ham radio contesting arm—is gearing up for what is shaping up to be the largest, most ambitious radio operation our team has ever attempted.
On Saturday, June 27th, we are setting up camp at the Luna Lake campground in Alpine, Arizona, to operate the 2026 ARRL Field Day under the club’s amateur call sign, N7GMR.
The Mission & The Setup
Field Day is the ultimate test of emergency preparedness, teamwork, and radio capability. The Snipe Club team is planning to tackle the full 24-hour marathon period, starting exactly at 11:00 AM MST on Saturday, June 27th, and pushing straight through until 10:59 AM MST on Sunday, June 28th.
To pull this off, we are deploying a total of six antennas to cover the 6, 10, 15, 20, 40, and 80-meter amateur bands. We will be working the airwaves using both SSB Voice (phone) and FT8 digital modes. True to the spirit of Field Day, this will be a completely off-grid operation powered entirely by battery and solar setups. We’ll be keeping our logs clean and synchronized using the N3FJP logging suite to submit a single, massive unified entry for N7GMR.
The Crew
An operation of this size requires a solid crew to keep the chairs warm and the microphones active through the night. Our primary operating team for the weekend includes:
- Dom, KI5WTR
- Lance, W5LGA
- Jimmy, K5HJA
- Darren, K7VLL
- Larry, KM7ECL
- Andy, KI5VJJ
- Todd, KK7UYV
- Mike, W7WJR
- Russ, KG5PWG
- David, K6DSA
Get On The Air (GOTA) & Visitors Welcome!
One of the most exciting parts of this year’s setup is our GOTA (Get On The Air) station. Dom, KI5WTR, will be hosting a dedicated station specifically for unlicensed guests, family members, or curious neighbors who want to sit down in front of a HF rig and try their hand at ham radio for the very first time.
If you’ve been listening to GMRS or local repeaters but haven’t made the jump to HF, or if you have friends interested in the hobby, this is the perfect opportunity. Everyone is welcome to visit the site, hang out with the gang, and see what contesting is all about.
Logistics & Planning Your Visit
We have already booked the main group sites B & C at Luna Lake to serve as our central command. If you plan on coming up to camp out with us, please note that Luna Lake is a primitive site featuring vault toilets, no water, and limited parking space. Be sure to bring plenty of your own water, supplies, and pack-in, pack-out gear.
While our group sites are filled, there may still be a few general sites available at Luna Lake for individual booking, alongside other local campgrounds and lodging options in the Alpine area.
If you are planning to visit us at the site or have any questions about how to find us in the campground, please drop an email to Darren (WRCU527/K7VLL) at WRCU527@swcrs.org so we can keep a headcount and send you coordinates.
This event is a milestone for the Snipe Club team, and it’s going to be an unforgettable weekend of radio, mountain air, and great company. Thank you all for your continued support of the system and our club activities.
See you in the pines!
73,
Darren, WRCU527 / K7VLL