Field Day Iraq
FIELD DAY LIVE 2008!
(going long on shortwave!)
Captain Jeff Hammer, SPC Todd Stark and Mr Wayne Gale setting up the Cushcraft MA5B
----------UPDATE-----------UPDATE---------
Dr. Michael Barrett of TW Antennas has sent a complete brand new TW2010 with the Quadrapad and carry bag to these boys. Bob Heil has sent a package to them to equip them with Heil Audio. They were so pleased and enthused about the new addtions! They have such limited resources we asked the Baghdad Amateur Radio Society for a wish list! We now have it and are in the process of getting the word out.
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And now the rest of the story!
QSO took to the air this weekend with extended hours to broadcast Field Day live! Studios were set up at the command post of TW Antenna's in Cookeville, TN with a feed to the WBCQ transmitter site in Monticello Maine. The phone rings and Ted says hello whos on the phone with me and where are you located? The voice on the other end says "This is Captian Jeffery Hammer"! Ted then asks where are you listening to us from and tell us about your Field Day activities? The voice on the other end replies "We listening in Iraq and our Field Day group is operating just north of Baghdad!" As the conversation insues Captain Hammer tells us he is elmering a group of our nations finest defenders into the hobby of amateur radio! They are calling to tell all of the hams in the US they are wanting a US contact and are trying despartely to make one.He is also wanting to say hello to a Field Day group in Wisconson where his family is about to visit during Field Day.
With Captian Hammer in the picture below is Wayne Gale, SPC David Barnes, SGT Nathan Cumming, SGT Owen Fuller, and SPC Todd Stark.
Captain Hammer related to us that during his call they were in the middle of a bad sand storm but were doing well making contacts. Some of the 34 contacts they had made so far with their Field Day station in Iraq included the following countries:Lithuania, Slovenia, Netherlands, Denmark, England, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Romania, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Ukraine, Serbia, and Poland. Captain Hammer said I applied for my call sign two months ago.The communications ministry in Iraq has been without a leader to sign the license so I finally asked about a week ago if I could use my callsign (which had been approved) while the license was waiting for a signautre. The head of the Amateur Radio licensing office said yes and that is how I got on the air in time for Field Day. My call sign probably won't show up on anything official yet, but I have registered it at QRZ.
Captain Hammer wrote us an e-mail later that said the following:
Ted, Thanks for the great opportunity to talk about Amateur Radio in the combat zone. I want to truly thank the Doc for offering to send us a new antenna to experiment with and Bob Heil for the package he is sending.
N9NIC/YI9NIC Captain Jeffrey G. Hammer
My family is mostly from Speedway, Indiana including parents Dennis and Barbara Hammer, Uncle and
Aunt Rick and Ann Hammer and their kids Rick Jr. and Julie, Uncle Mark Hammer, and My sister Tanya Parrish who lives in Carmel, IN along with my two adorable nieces Samantha (4) and Danielle (1 ½). I am hoping to take my Extra exam when I return home. In addition to operating the Baghdad Amateur Radio Society (BARS) station, this same group of volunteers operates a Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) station with the callsign AEN5NAA. Everyone has been training hard on MARS operations and completed an international operation for Father’s Day delivering morale messages (MARSgrams) via the radio using the MARS WinLink 2000 network. While the BARS station is temporarily located in my living quarters, the MARS station is located in the command center and supports the commander’s mission by providing backup and contingency communications for military message traffic and official morale traffic for the troops.
SGT Nathen Cummings
My wife and kids are in OK, the Fort Sill area(Lawton): Marybeth Cummings, Mikell Mendez, Mckinzi Mendez.My other son Zackary Cummings lives in Oklahoma City, OK and my youngest, Conner Cummings lives in Gutheri, OK.
SGT Owen Fuller (right)
Will try to take Technician exam while on leave in July. I live in Ankeny, Iowa with my wife Stephanie, Daughter Larinda (22 months) Daughter Gabriella (Will be born sometime around July 14th, hopefully while I'm on leave)
SPC David Barns (not pictured)
David is studying to take Technician exam after deployment to Iraq is finished. His hometown is Grinnell, IA and his wife’s name is Moni.
SPC Todd Stark – Bryant, Arkansas
SGT Nathen Cummings
SGT Cummings, SGT Fuller, and SPC Stark setting up the MA5B