SB QST @ ARL $ARLB014
ARLB014 New Field Day entry class

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QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 14  ARLB014
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  February 11, 2003
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB014
ARLB014 New Field Day entry class

Field Day will gain another entry class for 2003. ''Class F'' stations
will operate at emergency operations centers, or EOCs. The change
renews the emphasis of Field Day's 1933 origins as an emergency
preparedness exercise as opposed to a routine contest.
 
ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, said that last year
the League received a record number of Field Day entries from groups
and individuals. Given the increased emphasis on emergency
communications since September 11, 2001, the ARRL Board's Membership
Services Committee asked that the Contest Branch come up with
something to reflect that emphasis. The new Class F station is the
result.

''This is a major change,'' Henderson said. ''Class F has been
established to encourage groups to test and further their working
relationships with established emergency operations centers.'' The
updated rules and a list of frequently asked questions in the new
2003 Field Day packet spell out the details.

A Class F entry station must set up at an ''established EOC'' center
activated by a club or non-club group. Class F EOC operation must
take place in cooperation with the EOC staff. Class F stations are
eligible for the same bonus points as Class A stations.
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