ARRL Field Day 2026
Field Day is the largest amateur radio event in North America, held annually on the fourth full weekend of June. This year that falls on June 28-29, 2026 — a 24-hour operating event running from 1800 UTC Saturday through 1800 UTC Sunday.
Field Day is part contest, part public demonstration, and part emergency preparedness exercise. The premise is simple: get on the air from a temporary location using equipment that does not depend on commercial power. Scores are based on contacts made and bonus points earned for things like satellite contacts, public information tables, and alternative power sources.
Single Operator / Battery Power — 1B Setup
The most accessible way to participate in Field Day as a solo operator is the 1B category — one transmitter, battery power only. No generators, no shore power, no connection to the commercial power grid. Everything runs on battery — the radio, the laptop, the accessories. Digital modes like FT8 and WSPR work perfectly in this setup. The laptop runs WSJT-X and N1MM+ on its internal battery topped up from a small USB power bank, and the radio draws DC directly from a LiFePO4 battery. Battery power does not limit what modes you can operate — it just changes where your power comes from.
A clean 1B setup does not have to be complicated. Here is a practical single operator field day configuration built around readily available gear:
Radio
A QRP transceiver like the QRP Labs QDX running 5W is ideal for battery operation — low current draw means a modest battery lasts all day. A 100W radio like the IC-718 works too but demands a larger battery and more careful power management. For a first Field Day on battery power, starting at QRP levels removes a lot of logistical complexity.
Battery
A 20Ah lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery is a solid choice for a full 24-hour operation at QRP power levels. LiFePO4 chemistry is safe, stable in heat, holds voltage well under load, and is far lighter than an equivalent lead-acid battery — important if you are hiking to a portable location. At 5W FT8 with a roughly 50% duty cycle, a 20Ah battery will run a QDX comfortably for the entire event with power to spare. If running 100W SSB, budget for a 100Ah battery or a recharging plan.
Antenna
An end-fed wire is the go-to portable HF antenna for good reason — easy to deploy, needs only one support point, covers multiple bands, and rolls up small. A 40-foot wire with a 9:1 UNUN fed with RG-58 coax covers 20m through 10m effectively. Throw one end over a tree branch, stake the UNUN to the ground, connect the coax to your radio through a tuner, and you are on the air in under fifteen minutes.
For a more structured setup a linked dipole cut for 20m and 40m gives better efficiency on those two bands at the cost of a slightly longer deployment time.
PC / Logging
A laptop running N1MM+ for logging and WSJT-X for digital modes covers the digital side. Battery-power the laptop too — most modern laptops run 6-8 hours on a charge, so a single charge plus a small USB battery bank will cover the event. N1MM+ tracks your score in real time and handles Field Day duplicate checking automatically.
For voice contacts a basic audio headset keeps fatigue down during long operating sessions.
Operating Strategy for 1B Digital
Field Day digital contacts count the same as phone or CW contacts in most exchange categories. FT8 is the highest contact rate digital mode available and works well on 20m during the day and 40m in the evening and overnight. With 5W and a decent antenna on 20m FT8, contact rates of 20-40 QSOs per hour are realistic during good conditions.
The exchange for Field Day FT8 is handled through the free text message feature in WSJT-X — after the standard signal report exchange, send your Field Day class and section: 1B EMA for example. The other station sends theirs back. It adds a couple of extra 15-second transmit cycles to each contact but works cleanly once you get the rhythm.
Bonus Points Worth Chasing
Several Field Day bonus points are easy to earn for a solo operator:
100% battery power — operating entirely on battery with no commercial power connection earns a significant bonus. Every watt matters here — QRP operation makes this straightforward.
Satellite contact — a single satellite QSO earns a 100-point bonus. Worth attempting if you have a dual band handheld and can track a pass.
Natural power — if you can charge your battery via a solar panel during the event, that earns an additional bonus and keeps your battery topped up through a long afternoon of operating.
GOTA station — if operating as part of a club setup, a Get On The Air station for unlicensed visitors earns bonus points. Not applicable for solo 1B but worth knowing for club participation.
Suggested 1B Field Day Kit List
A compact go-bag for a solo battery-powered Field Day:
- QRP transceiver (QDX or similar) with USB cable
- Laptop with N1MM+ and WSJT-X installed and configured before the event
- 20Ah LiFePO4 battery with Anderson Powerpole connectors
- DC power cable matched to your radio
- 40-foot end-fed wire with 9:1 UNUN
- 25 feet of RG-58 coax with BNC connectors
- Compact antenna tuner
- 50-foot length of paracord for throwing the antenna wire
- Tent stakes and guy line for supporting the UNUN
- Headset for voice contacts if operating phone as well
- Notebook and pen for backup logging
- Water, sunscreen, and snacks — Florida in June is no joke
WZ4JM Field Day 2026
Operating 1B from Ocala this year — battery power, end-fed wire, FT8 and WSPR on the high bands with the QDX. Check back after the event for a post on the results, conditions, and lessons learned from the field.
73 de WZ4JM — good luck and good DX to everyone on the air this weekend.