EMARC Lights Up Field Day 2026 — 4,300 Points and
Counting
Eastern Michigan Amateur Radio Club put in a banner
performance at this year’s ARRL Field Day, finishing with
preliminary score of 4,300 points operating as K8EPV in
the 3A category. Thirty-one members rotated through the
stations, running entirely on generator, battery, and solar
power.
The radios stayed busy: 866 contacts in the log, led by
an impressive 599 CW QSOs that accounted for better
than three-quarters of our on-air points. The club kept
power at 100 watts and under all weekend, earning the 2X
multiplier that effectively doubled our QSO score. Forty
meters was the breadwinner with 328 contacts, backed by
275 on 20m and 203 on 80m, with bonus contacts
scattered up through 6m and thanks to Captain Don,
W8CPT, there was even a satellite QSO!
Where EMARC really shined was off the air. The club
swept ten bonus categories for 1,150 points — 100%
emergency power, a public site and info table, the W1AW
bulletin copy, a served-agency visit, a safety officer, social
media, web submission, and a satellite contact. AC8W
rounded it out with solar-powered QRP CW to claim the
natural-power bonus. That’s Field Day exactly as it’s
meant to be done: emergency-ready, public-facing, and
on the air.
Nice work to everyone who set up, operated, logged, fed
the crew, and tore down. See you on the air next year!