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2022.01.29 Winter Field Day Camp Ingawanis:




This is W0MG's first "Winter Field Day", that runs at the end of January. Iowa weather can be pretty brutal
this time of year, though we got by fairly mild with only a few inches of snow on the ground. Temps were really
cold this week though, with a HIGH of -2 (F) earlier this week. This weekend the days were in the teens, with
very little wind and no precipitation. The skies were mostly overcast, although the solar was adequate to keep
our batteries charged. Total solar production for the weekend was 813 watt-hours.

We opted for an indoor venu, and set up at a cabin at Camp Ingawanis in Waverly. Cedar View cabin had a stove
on one end that had NO problem keeping the cabin warm, and did have commercial power and lighting, although we
ran the radios and computers entirely off battery and solar. There was also a gas generator on standby although
it wasn't needed.

Although the cabin was large, the interior was dominated by bunk beds, and conditions were lightly crowded from
time to time, with 8-10 people present on average. This was our first time using this cabin though, so we
can probably make better use of the space next time around. The cabin didn't have indoor plumbing, but there
was a decent latrine nearby.

We ran two stations, which were active most of the time on Saturday until evening, where attendance tapered off.
Only a few chose to stay overnight, with attendance being pretty light on Sunday morning. The only significant
issue we had was an antenna malfunction that led us to briefly question a radio's performance. Although we didn't
always have exactly what we needed, there were no serious oversights. We also were able to get an HT programmed
up and solder up some power cables for some users. (even the soldering iron was on "alternate power" - butane!)

Al (KB0VGG) and Taryn (N0TKC) provided delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which always makes the event
more enjoyable, and was appreciated by everyone.


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