Coming Soon · Results Sept 2026Field Day 2026.
June 26–28 · Flagstaff, AZ
The 2026 results aren't in yet — Field Day is the fourth weekend of June, and ARRL publishes final scores in early fall. Here's what we're aiming for, what we learned from 2025, and where the club could really use a hand from members reading this.
Help Wanted · 2026We need a CW operator.
W7TBC ran zero CW QSOsin 2025 — and CW is the single biggest opportunity on our 2026 plan. As a Class 5A operation, one of our five transmitters is ready to become a dedicated CW station for the weekend. A single committed operator running 200–400 QSOs adds +400 to +800 pointsto our final score — enough to put TBARC in the AZ top 3 outright.
You don't need to be a top-tier contester. The math says even a hundred CW QSOs over the weekend gets us there. If you operate CW — or you know a friend who does and would love a catered Field Day weekend in Flagstaff with us — we'd love to hear from you.
2026 Targets
What we're aiming for
Conservative targets that put TBARC top 5 in Arizona and top 15 nationally in Class 5A. Stretch: AZ #1 outright.
Final score
5,000+
Conservative · stretch 6,500
Total QSOs
1,200+
vs. 795 in 2025
CW QSOs
100+
from 0 in 2025
AZ rank
Top 5
stretch: AZ #1
The 2026 Plan
Five levers we're pulling
Each one came directly out of the 2025 deep-dive analysis. Nothing here is speculative — these are the gaps we measured.
1Recruit a CW operator
The single biggest score lever. One of our five 5A transmitters becomes a dedicated CW station for the weekend. A modest 200 CW QSOs = +800 final-score points.
2Close the Sunday early-morning gap
In 2025 we logged zero QSOs across six contest hours Sunday morning. Even a skeleton FT8 shift through those hours is worth +400 to +600 points.
3Better high-band exploitation
Saturday afternoon 15m and 10m phone were under-mined in 2025. Easy wins with better operator scheduling and antenna time-sharing.
4Spread the operator load
Aim for 3–5 operators at 150–200 QSOs each rather than one at 429. More resilient, less burnout, more fun.
5Cleaner bonus paper trail
First radiogram addressed to the AZ Section Manager. Separate Alternate Power QSO list. Educational Activity write-up. Each one is +100 points already half-earned.
More ways to pitch in
Not a CW op? We'll still take you.
Plenty of ways to help that don't require running pile-ups. Each one moves the needle.
★Sunday digital-shift volunteerDon't need to be a contester — sit with the FT8 station for a few hours overnight and let the rig do the heavy lifting.→
★Public Information Table stafferFriendly, non-operating member to greet visitors, hand out brochures, and answer 'what is ham radio?' questions. Worth a bonus and great for the club.→
★Site Visitation coordinatorHelp us invite a Coconino County emergency-management rep and an elected official to stop by — each visit is +100 bonus points and great community relations.→
Next steps
Get involved
The full 2026 operating plan, site logistics, carpool board, and RSVP all live at fd.w7tbc.org — the member-only Field Day app. If you have a callsign and are an active TBARC member, you can sign in there and tell us how you want to participate.
Results page will be updated with the official 2026 numbers once ARRL publishes the final tally in early fall 2026. Until then, the operating plan and the call for help is what this page is for.
