Field day
Related Wiki pages: Contesting
Field Day is one of the premier amateur radio contests in the United States. It is held on the fourth full weekend in June, and lasts approximately 24 hours.
There are a number of different categories in which Field Day contestants can compete. These include A (groups of three or more operators, usually clubs), B (one or two people), C (mobile stations, usually attached to vehicles), D (home stations running on regular wall outlet power), E (home stations running on emergency power, such as batteries, wind, or solar), and F (Emergency Operations Centers).
General ARRL Field Day Information Page
Australian Field Days
A number of Australian clubs run local field days. In addition to these, the following national field days are run in Australia:
John Moyle Field Day
This event is run every year, in the third weekend of March, in memory of John Moyle who was the editor of Wireless Weekly (Radio, Television and Hobbies) from 1947 to 1965. The Wireless Institute of Australia to honour his work in radio with the annual field day that carries his name.
The contest is primarily for portable and field operators, however home operators can take part, using a modified scoring system, and is open to VK, ZL and P2 operators.
Contest rules and scoring system can be found here.
VHF - UHF Field days
The aim of these field days is to encourage activity on VHF and microwave bands in portable stations. Home stations are encouraged to participate in a separate category.
There are no mode restrictions, but all contacts must be in simplex, with no repeater use permitted. In general, FM and SSB have proven to be the most popular modes used during these field days.
Scoring is based on grid squares "captured" during the contest.
Further information about these field days can be found here.