Full steam ahead!

[hollyking]

omg_teh_funnay and I have been chatting about steampunk, airships, letterboxing and other odd hobbies. Going letterboxing or geocaching while all steamed up sounds like a blast. We were talking about amateur raido, CW, Morse code and wireless telegraphy when I was struck with a fantastic idea.

Every year the ARRL hosts a contest, called Field Day where amateurs get out of the house and operate in “emergency” conditions out in the field. A lot of the clubs I have seen use generators and RVs and are setup almost as well as they would be at home. But who says we have to play by their rules?

So I propose a Steam Field Day. We operate the contest in steamy gear and only using appropriate anacronistic technology. Meaning, tubes, random wire antennas and straight keys. Crazy? Yeah! Crazy enough to be fun!

(I have a “full steam ahead” and a “Field Day” icon. Which to use?)

Comments

[neuro42.livejournal.com]

That's so crazy, it just might work!

At a minimum, I'm happy to be control operator so techs/generals can operate on the extra bands.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Whoever provides a steam-fired generator wins.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

It's too bad that spark-gap transmitters violate all the band restrictions...

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Very true.

[neuro42.livejournal.com]

Actually, that would be a pretty fun project...

[omg-teh-funnay.livejournal.com]

I heart this idea so hard my wife might get jealous of it.

[torainfor.livejournal.com]

But could I have a blimp?