SPAR Winter Field Day

Many of us over the past nine years have enjoyed participating in the SPAR Winter Field Day.  It was another opportunity for us to gather our gear and head for our favourite spots to play portable radio....as if we really need an excuse to do that.....even when the temperatures where down below zero, and in some cases, way below zero.

This year, 2015, was the ninth year Winter Field Day has taken place, and it was this year that it finally seemed we had reached critical mass, and had enough operators on the bands calling "CQ Winter Field Day" to actually stay busy.  

After Winter Field Day this year reports started to appear that the electronic log submission system was bouncing and nobody could submit their logs.  Many people posted questions on the SPAR Forum about this, but there was no response from any of the SPAR team.  However, today we sadly learn that Walt, W5ALT, who was, and always has been, the driving force at SPAR behind Winter Field Day, has had a stroke and is unable to look after things and probably won't be able to for a long while.

There has been a suggestion on the SPAR website that another organization will take over the running of Winter Field Day.  Let's hope this event does continue and that another organization will take over the management of it.  It's a pretty valuable tool in the Emcomm war chest.  Yes, there are issues we overcome during the annual ARRL June Field Day, mainly bugs and heat.  But nothing proves your Emcomm group is ready for anything that can be thrown at it if you can set up and complete a Winter Field Day in sub-zero temperatures.

I wish Walt a speedy, and a full recovery from this stroke.  Hopefully we'll hear him on the bands soon.