Event Photo Page 2005

EVENT: June 26-27, 2004 - ARRL Field Day
Where: Cove Island Park, Stamford, CT

The 1944 June field wireless station and operation of HQ-Coy in France was recreated and reenacted on 2004 June 26 and 27 in Cove Island Park, a popular and beautiful public park in Stamford, CT. This living-history exhibition included original World War II vintage Canadian Army wireless gear, vehicles, weapons, and much else. Six uniformed members of HQ-Coy, 1CanPara (Reenacted) [RSM Bill Max; medic, cook and one-man local arrangements committee Joe Lombardo; licensed amateur radio operators Lew Merritt (radio call WA1HZG) and Chuck Counselman (radio call W1HIS); and jeep owner-operators Keith Adams and Merlin Hanson] interpreted the exhibit to hundreds of visitors, including WW II veterans (specially invited and treated to dinner). HQ-Coy was assisted by guest radio operators Barbara Lombardi (K1EIR, a blind woman) and Dave Benson (K1SWL).

This living-history exhibition was part of the huge "Field Day" activity that licensed amateur radio operators (a.k.a. "hams") throughout Canada and the U.S. have conducted during the fourth full weekend of June every year since the 1930s. Field Day is a drill to test the field preparedness and emergency communications abilities of hams. Last year, over 2100 formal "logs" of Field Day activities were received by the event organizer, the American Radio Relay League. These logs showed participation by 33,000 individuals, and over 1.3 million (!) two-way exchanges of simulated emergency information between the field stations.

1CanPara HQ-Coy's station, using only wireless telegraphy and a WW II Canadian Wireless Set No. 19, completed two-way exchanges with sixty other 2004 Field Day stations. As far as is known, 1CanPara's station was the only one using 100% WW II vintage wireless gear in this D-Day 60th Anniversary event. See http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox/index.html?con_id=68&call=w1his for further description of HQ-Coy's station and operation.