ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 31,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.

The Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society, The RATS Club, will be hosting Summer Field Day on June 27 & 28 at Laurel Park in Henrico. Tentative times are from 11:00 am Saturday through noon Sunday.

The event is free. All clubs and individuals are invited to join the fun, RARC as in past years, is invited to attend. You do not need a license to participate in field day. They will have 3 HF radios on the air, operating under Rat’s club callsign. There will be people that can help you get on the air, license or not!

Ed Krisky, NT2X (RV7AA), and Phil Lorito, WB2DHY (R3/WB2DHY), will present a fascinating look at Ham Radio and DXing in the former Soviet Union and modern Russia. The program will include firsthand stories of the dramatic assistance Ed and fellow amateurs provided during the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s — one of the most significant geopolitical events of the 20th century — along with discussion of how amateur radio in Russia has evolved through the decades, including the impact of the war in Ukraine.

For those who would like to attend remotely via Zoom, invitations will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis due to the technical capacity limits of the Zoom platform. Please note that our presenters will also be joining remotely.

Interested individuals should email:

Jim Mundy, DDXG Webmaster
wy4o73 at gmail dot com

All are welcome! If you are a licensed amateur operator please include your call sign. You will receive a return email containing the Zoom invitation information.

Once again many of the members of the DDXG club participated in friendly competition in the form of two ladder competitions. Our “original” ladder is a competition to add all-time new band-countries. In 2023 a second competition, the “super” ladder was added tracking new band-countries contacted in the current year. While the super ladder enables hams who have already achieved contact with many DX entities to start fresh with a clean slate each year.

During the January meeting Tom, DDXG President and Ladder Chair, presented to 2024 winners with a plaque honoring their achievement.

Original Ladder

The original ladder provides a great way for new or returning hams to receive credit for their new contacts. This year Adam Humphrey, KQ4OTH, took the top honor. Congratulations Adam.

Super Ladder

The Super Ladder allows accomplished hams with lots of DX contacts to start fresh in the new year with a goal of contacting as many band-countries as possible. 2023’s original ladder winner, Lauren, W4LEW, bested the field to earn the top spot in the 2024 Super Ladder competition. Congratulations Lauren!

The numbers show there was no lack of effort by many of the DDXG members. We look forward to another year of friendly club competition in 2025!

ARRL Field Day 2021 will be held over the weekend of June 26th and 27th. If you are in Richmond you will find a local field day set up at Laurel Park, 10301 Hungary Spring Road Glen Allen, VA 23060. More information about ARRL Field Day as well as other Field Day sites can be found at the official ARRL Field Day Website.