"The Green Bean" Does Field Day 2006

The Green Bean once again provided the radio platform for Field Day 2006, as sponsored by the ARRL and operated by K1UR and K1NR. Having really enjoyed operating from Colt State Park in Rhode Island during 2005 we intended to head there again. However, once again the weather determined where we should go. In 2005 the weather was sunny and hot--nearly 100 degrees around home--making a cooler shoreline operating location perfect. For 2006, the forecast was for non-stop rain, heavy at times, and worse the further south you went. So, we headed north. First stop was at Miller State Park, New Hampshire, better known as Pack Monadnock. This also had the benefit of a 2290 foot elevation.

We arrived on the summit just as Field Day was starting, finding only very light drizzle and no visibility. That didn't stop us from operating, though, as we even added a 6 meter antenna that, though crooked, worked well. Around 3 p.m. a rain shower came through, but after that--it actually cleared up! The remainder of the day was actually rather nice.

The park closed at 6:00 p.m. so we headed west, had dinner in Keene, and then went to Brattleboro, Vermont. A state park was our planned destination but it took so long to find it, it was dusk and probably the park would be closing. We ended up operating from an office park next to the Brattleboro rail yard--bonus! While operating, we watched the New England Central crew switch the yard with five rather worn locomotives.

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