Field Day 2025

It’s that time once again: ARRL Field Day is upon us! This year, it will be June 28-29, 2025. However, this year, in addition to the NARS members, we are inviting all the friends and neighbors in the Narwhal Pincushion to join us from June 26-29 for a “Gathering of the Pincushion.” People are welcome to come for part or all of the event; there will be radios and intersectional nerdery throughout, though of course the actual Field Day will run from 11am PDT Saturday through 11am PDT Sunday.

Once again, we will take over a group campsite at a state park for our festivities; this year, it’s the lovely Penrose Point State Park, complete with shoreline, views of the Salish Sea, hiking, swimming, sailing, etc. We’ll be in the Group Camp (G1) site:

The park offers a group camp which accommodates people in tents or RVs. Facilities include a shelter with picnic tables, a fire ring with benches, water, and vault toilets. Restrooms with flush toilets are located nearby in the day-use area. Restrooms with showers are located on the campground.

So for the first time we’ll be able to set up our food area under permanent housing, saving our portable tents for Field Day use (per our 1AB rules).

Once again we plan to operate as a 1AB station: 5 watts, solar-powered, one transmitter on HF at a time, and primarily digital; that said, we’ll have time for anyone to try voice or digital contacts, and we’ll likely have a plethora of satellite attempts, kite-strung antennas, and other hijinks. If you have kids, bring FRS/GMRS radios if you have them; they’re great fun for the unlicensed crowd, and someone usually keeps a radio on at the site to listen to traffic.

One change from previous years: food coordination has always been a bit murky, so (especially since we’ve got a hard-roofed food prep area) we’re asking that people bring sufficient food for their party, or coordinate among themselves, rather than doing group meal prep. This also ensures food allergies and the like are taken into account. As always, however, bringing extra to share, along with snacks, drinks, and the like is highly encouraged!

The other thing that’s encouraged this year as part of the “Gathering of the Narwhals”: bring art, experiences, or other things to play with or do or share or experience. We don’t have hardline power for you, but we’ll likely have quite an excess of solar power and 12v hookups (and we can charge your USB devices effectively forever). We’ll have lots of space, many trees to hang things from, and generally we want to see what people bring. (If you’ve been to ToorCamp, think that, but just our group site from 2024. Although we wouldn’t say no to a tacocopter….)

Please sign up so we know to expect you!

See you in June.