ARRL Field Day 2022: 500,000 Contacts Already Reported

2022 ARRL Field Day wrapped up nearly a week ago, and ARRL Headquarters has already received over 2,400 entries submitted via the online Field Day Entry web application. Early analysis reveals that most of the entrants participated as Class D — home stations, and Class E — home stations using emergency power.

As of June 29, the breakdown of Field Day entries by Class showed 2,723 total entries, with 272 in Class A, 361 in Class B, 32 in Class C (mobile), 1,524 in Class D, 484 in Class E, and 50 in Class F.

So far, a total of over 517,000 contacts were reported for the event and those numbers are changing daily. In 2021, there were 1.5 million contacts made during Field Day activities.

Many participants were keeping their hopes up for better propagation, as early forecasts were looking promising. ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, said that propagation aside, there was substantial activity. “While band conditions might not have been the greatest, there was a good amount of activity on the bands this past weekend. Many participants seemed to agree that the recent rule changes, capping transmitter power output to 100 W, were a good idea,” he said.

Dustin Lomax, KF7FK, reported in his Soapbox comments that it was his first Field Day in which he used CW, adding that “CW was a fun change of pace that really helped make the most of marginal band conditions in WWA [Western Washington].”

There is still plenty of time to submit your 2022 Field Day entry. Participants who submit their entries using ARRL’s Online Submission Form can earn 50 bonus points and will receive an email confirmation of their completed entry. Be sure to check the Entries Received web page to verify your entry’s status. If it indicates “Pending documents,” the required dupe sheet (or in lieu of that, a Cabrillo log file) or other supporting documentation of claimed bonus points is missing.

Participants can edit or add documentation to their online submissions by using the link provided in the confirmation email. Field Day entries must be submitted online or postmarked no later than 2059 UTC on July 26, 2022.

2022 Field Day was highly promoted thanks to the efforts of many ARRL Division and Section volunteers, amateur radio clubs, and their members. Many states and counties obtained special proclamations from local governments designating the weekend (in some cases the whole week) as Field Day and Amateur Radio Week, recognizing the many contributions of amateur radio operators during emergencies and with serving their communities.

ARRL treated participants with a live video stream from W1AW, its Headquarters’ station, throughout Field Day. Life Member Karl Schwab, KO8S, of Warren, Michigan, was delighted with making contact with W1AW during Field Day. “I heard W1AW calling CQ Field Day on 20 m SSB,” wrote Schwab. “I responded and then heard, ‘Kilo Oscar Eight Sierra, you’re 5 Foxtrot Connecticut.’ I responded with my report, and got in their log. … After Field Day, and uploading my log, I went to the ARRL website and there I found a 4-hour video was available on YouTube, showing W1AW during their Field Day activities. While watching this video, at hour 2, minute 55, I heard and saw my live contact with them! [This] was a special moment for me. One I will never forget.” A recording of the W1AW live stream is on ARRL’s YouTube channel.

SOURCE:ARRL