Zero-Beat - Amateur (Ham) Radio Activities and Information

Table of Contents

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Zero-Beat Field Day,
the next near-perfect Amateur Radio Event !

01 The Event
At the time of concluding our Zero-Beat Get-Together on 19th February 2023, we had mentioned that we will have one more event during the year, in the form of a Field Day. Well, the much awaited Field Day is almost here !

We wanted to do this in August, this month, but the sudden, untimely and shocking passing away of our dear friend (and part of our organising team) OM Suresh VU2SUO recently, shattered us extremely. It was indeed a challenging time for all of us, but we agree that moving forward and organizing this Field Day would be a fitting tribute to his passion for amateur radio.

02 The Dates & Timings
The dates chosen are Saturday, 30th September to Monday, 2nd October, 2023 spanning a 48 hours time frame. This will be a residential program which includes accommodation and food.

We will start with a lunch on Saturday, 30th September and end with a lunch on Monday, 2nd October. The idea is to stay together for a long time to do plenty of things related to amateur radio, individually and collectively.

03 The Location & Venue
The venue is within a 10-acre sprawling campus of Santhigiri Ashram, a Meditation and Retreat Centre in Edathala (8 kms from Aluva and 20 kms from Ernakulam/Cochin) where we could test operate remote controlling, portable and mobile stations, etc. in the campus itself.

Location Map is here .

04 The Station
The station with the special callsign AT23ZFD will be QRV from the event venue. We are planning to have 24-hr live stations on HF, VHF and UHF on both days. We can add digital and other modes as well (depending upon the participants).

05 The Activities
Actually, a Field Day is a Simulated Emergency Training program, aimed at providing the necessary knowledge and experience in getting ready to operate in a short while in an emergency situation, with available resources. That is what we also are aiming at to the extent possible.

We could devote the first 24 hours to witness first-hand and take part in the creation of ham software, hardware and antenna and load them up during the second 24 hours to observe the performance. And also learn good operating practices by observing the nuances of the good operators manning the stations.

We are looking into the possibility of having live home-brewing sessions of rigs, antennae, etc. with the help of mentors and elmers. The idea is to have something for everybody who is participating.

UPDATE Currently, we have three 40m AM (A3E) QRPs fully assembled and ready for demonstration. But that is not all — another 10 kits are in the final stages of preparation. One of the three kits will be taken apart and re-assembled on-site during the Field Day, offering a hands-on learning experience for home-brew enthusiasts. These kits will be provided free of charge to Field Day participants who craft their own rigs at the venue itself with expert guidance from our mentors.

Please keep visiting this page for updates.

06 Accommodation & Food
Accommodation is in double-rooms on twin-sharing basis. Rooms will be allotted on a first-come-first-served basis. Staying at the premises is mandatory for participants.

Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food will be available. The package includes 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners and 4-times snacks with coffee/tea.

07 Registration
Admission to the event is facilitated by a pre-event registration process. There will be no on-the-spot registration available. Registration will be open on Monday, 21st August 2023 through Tuesday, 19th September 2023 (both days inclusive). To register, follow the "ZBFD Regn Part 1 Payment Details" link from the Table of Contents.

Since seats are limited, please register early and support the organisers. Your early action will be highly appreciated.

08 Participation Fee
The Participation Fee covers your share of the organising expenses, accommodation and food. It starts at the minimum level possible (Rs 2900 per participant for 2 nights and 3 days).

We are following this method for operational reasons. However, participants need not worry since any excess accumulated after the event, will be refunded to all participants, like we had done for the previous event. We, the organisers, will not be holding back any amount un-distributed.

09 The Organisers & Recurrence
The event is organised by a few old timers with good experience in conducting such events - VU2MMA Mathew, VU2JIM Joseph, VU2DRL Mukund and VU2ARL James. They are ably assisted by VU2POS Kuruvila, VU3BWB Jaycee, VU2XTO Gopan, VU2MV Venu, VU2JCD Jacob, VU2QKZ Gopal, VU3DRL Sethu and VU2BBA Babu. Therefore, you can be rest assured of having an excellent and cherishable field day.

Your participation will encourage and enable us to conduct this field day in the coming years too and make it a regular platform for upcoming radio amateurs and newbies to have some hands-on training and rag chewing.

We welcome you all to this event. Thank You !
If you wish to interact on this, please go HERE