With Field Day fast approaching, many hams look for new ways to present Amateur Radio to the public. Meet one ham who "took it to the streets" -- his neighborhood streets! By involving his neighbors and operating from his driveway, he was able to not only get to know his neighbors a bit better, but operated a successful Field Day!

Background

How many of you have been to a ham radio gathering lately, either a club meeting or convention? If you have, I'm willing to bet you have observed the same thing I did at HamCom 2003 in Arlington, Texas. Actually I noticed this at last year's addition of Ham-Com. What did I see? As a ham community, we are getting old and older! This is a dilemma for any group or organization looking to remain healthy and viable in the future.

After a seven-year "work induced" hiatus from Amateur Radio, I returned to work the month before HamCom 2003. I was shocked -- I felt like Rip Van Winkle! I found that computers had become firmly entrenched in Amateur Radio, all the way to the logbooks and more. I was surprised, and found I had some catching up to do. After the initial shock subsided, I also began to notice something else -- the crowd had aged. I remember when I was six years old, fascinated with the sounds coming through the airwaves from those distant places -- where was that kid today?

So how can we, the Amateur Radio community, spark that interest, plant that seed with the younger generation? What can we do to revitalize our ham radio? The ARRL has many great initiatives that are addressing this issue, such as the Hello campaign. In my case, the linchpin for me was my first Field Day. Being able to actually transmit and have someone respond stoked the fires of excitement so brightly that I could hardly wait to pass the tests so I could get on the air.

As for Field Day, I have been on many, and almost without exception, they are at some remote location. A young person would need to know someone in order to experience a Field Day. This is where my idea that began to formulate in 2003 comes into focus. I live, as most of us do, in a neighborhood of potential hams. So rather than sitting at my normal operating position, why not participate in Field Day from my driveway? We live in such an insular society today, that we often do not know the person living next door, let alone the family at the end of the block. How many of them might like to know what you do with that funny looking "thing" posed above your house. You might be surprised --the seeds you plant today could result in a new group of hams tomorrow.

NA5U demonstrates digital modes during his "Field Day from the Driveway."

Mike, a neighbor from down the street, takes a turn at the mic.

A simple operating position.

Before the storm hit.

Harold, formerly W5NN, tells Mike, NA5U, about his experiences with Amateur Radio during the war.

Caleb McRoberts, 7, gets ready to take a turn while brother Logan, 9, looks on.

Logan McRoberts makes his first QSO.

The Plan and the Result

I wanted to accomplish one major thing at Field Day on the Driveway, and that was to introduce ham radio to anyone who had an interest, as well as to those who did not know they did. Rather than try to make lots of contacts, I wanted to focus on raising awareness and demonstrating and encouraging people to actually operate the radio. Field Day is the ideal format to accomplish these goals. Here is a checklist of things I considered:

• Make the neighbors aware of the plans.

• Keep the equipment setup simple. Remember the KISS principle.

• Have "take-aways" that detail the basics of Amateur Radio. The ARRL Web site is great source -- check out the Hello link on the home page.

• Display interesting information and eye-catching items, such as books and issues of QST.

• Collect contact information for follow-up with your visitors.

To help implement my checklist, I made a brochure. This brochure detailed not only history of Amateur Radio, but also explained how Amateur Radio affects our everyday lives. It also had an invitation to join me for Field Day on my driveway. I went door-to-door the day before Field Day and dropped off this brochure at each house.

My equipment for this new kind of Field Day consisted of an FT-747GX, a Buddipole and a laptop. The laptop was used to log contacts with WriteLog, and to demonstrate Internet spotting with DXTelnet and DXAtlas, showing the worldwide nature of Amateur Radio. My DXCC collection was on display, and was a big hit. I also had on hand a book on worldwide shortwave radio stations, as well as an inexpensive all-band receiver to recommend as a way to get started in ham radio at a very affordable price.

Set up began around 10 Field Day morning. It felt more like a one-man DXpedition than a normal Field Day. I was by myself, and it was a typical Texas day -- hot and humid. Things were set up and ready to go by noon, and as I was going in to clean up, my first visitor arrived. Harold Dobkins, my neighbor from down the block, walked up and introduced himself. It turns out Harold was first licensed in 1940 as W5KKN. He and his brother Charles, W5LCM, were just getting involved in Amateur Radio when their lives were changed forever with World War II. Harold immediately found himself in the US military as a radio operator. He said he was one of the luckiest people in the world, because he spent the war stationed in the Bahamas manning a listening post. Following the war, he worked for the FAA, which led to assignments back in the Bahamas, where he operated as VP7NG, and Guam as KG6EX.

Shortly after Field Day in the Driveway began, Mike from down the street came by to see what ham radio was all about. He told us that a line of storms was headed in, and no sooner had he sat down, the first wind gust hit and made a kite out of the lightweight canopy. Harold headed for cover while Mike helped me move to the garage. The Buddipole, on its 16-foot push-up pole, defied the 40 MPH wind, so Mike and I continued with Field Day as the rain came down. There were lots of questions and a keen interest in my DXCC card collection. Mike made a few contacts as I served as control operator, and it was obvious that an interest was growing.

The rain finally stopped and a few more neighbors came by. The high point of the afternoon was when Logan and Caleb McRoberts arrived. Logan, 9, and Caleb, 7, immediately took to the radio. After a little instruction and coaching, they took off on their own. Thanks to whoever was operating New River Wireless Association, K4NRW, and gave Logan his first contact. That got the ball rolling and the smiles on their faces will be a lasting memory.

In Conclusion

I'd rate my first "Field Day in the Driveway" as a success, and I am planning on doing it again this year -- our youngest daughter's driveway in Dallas will be the target for the event. I would like to encourage any of you who may not be to participate in a traditional Field Day to give "Field Day in the Driveway" serious consideration. Maybe you can plant a seed that will grow into that next generation of Amateur Radio.

Mike Thomas, NA5U, was initially licensed in 1981 as KA5LSE; a year later, he became NA5U when he obtained his Amateur Extra class license. First becoming interested in Amateur Radio when he was six, he now counts DX, RTTY and contesting among his favorite ham activities. He is a member of the DXCC Honor Roll, needing only P5 (North Korea), BS7 (Scarborough Reef) and E4 (Palestine) to join the DXCC Top Honor Roll, but he is not holding his breath to get them anytime soon. Mike is a member of the Lone Star DX Association and the North Texas Contest Club and has been on DXpeditions to Australia and Swaziland. He is currently a senior manager with Lockheed Martin.

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