Pike's Peak DX Group (PPDXG), an ARRL-affiliated club based in Colorado Springs, CO continues to put together an enthusiastic and successful Field Day effort. Again operating as WØGG during Field Day 2005 the group is hoping for a high placement in category 3A, where they were number 1 in 2004 and hold the current high 3A record score from Field Day 2000. The Field Day group says that these scores are just generated in the process of having fun, but they must be doing something right.
 
The Field Day site was near Pulver Mountain in the Pike National Forest located in Park County, Colorado. This is a wonderful operating location but there are no signs leading to the site off of the highway and several operators who arrived late Friday night almost became the targets of a search and rescue effort depending on whether they were good ops or not. Field Day weather at 8800 feet ASL was predictably hot and breezy during the day but cold enough at night to warrant the use of Kerosene heaters in the operating tents (well ventilated of course).  A lot of shivering may have contributed to some shaky CW being sent during the night depending upon how drafty the tents were.

Unlike last year, no operating time was lost to due to electrical storms however there were many in the area over the weekend.

HF operations concentrated on 80 through 15 meters (plus 11 QSO's on 10 meters).  Also included in the mix were a VHF, Satellite and GOTA station (K7TD) for a total of 4349 QSO's and a final score submission of 15,168 points. The score included 1370 bonus points.
 
Antennas included 3 military AB-577 military masts holding up a 40-meter monobander, 20-meter monobander, and a TH-6 tri-bander. Also used were a couple of low wire dipoles and an 80 meter half-square that played fairly well on a band that is always a Field Day challenge in Colorado. Additional assistance on 80 meters came from two 680-foot beverages. The problem with beverages in the woods is either walking into them (not a big risk in our case as they were ~10 feet high) or, worse yet the guy who put them up driving into them with a 40 meter mobile antenna mounted on the roof of a F150 pick-up truck.
 
All-in-All it turned out to be a well-organized Field Day operation with ample time allowed for star-gazing and non-antenna beverages, there is nothing like Field Day where minimal sleep, lack of showers, and Murphy's Law combine to demonstrate how ham radio operators really do work well together....well, most of the time.

W0GG FD Group (Pikes Peak DX Group)