Electric Radio magazine revived the 1930s vintage, original weekend forField Day, declaring June 14-15 "Vintage Field Day." Although ostensibly set up as a contest motivated by the accumulation of "points," many stations instead stuck with the relaxed, conversational style of operating more in keeping with today's vintage radio operation.

The event next year may instead be organized as a national, multiple station "special event," encouraging visibility among mainstream hamradio activities. Such an orientation may also boost participation by those with the vacuum tube gear who may need an additional nostalgic kick to actually put it on the air.

During this inaugural Vintage Field Day, K1JCL was on from a portable location in Coventry, Connecticut, about 20 miles east of

Hartford. Operator Bob described a WWII vintage ART-13 combined with an SP-600
receiver, powered off a military tractor-engined generator also dating back some 50 years.

The first other Vintage Field Day station worked by K1JCL was the portable setup with Paul, WA3VJB and his YL Pam. The station, pictured above, also included a 90-foot vertical wire suspended in Patuxent River State Park (Maryland). The ground system included about a dozen radials, some of which were buried in the riverbed. Power came from the same Coleman generator used during the 1993 AM Expedition to Dobbins Island in the Chesapeake Bay.

Complete contest details in the upcoming issue of Electric Radio.