Our club is starting early prep for Field Day 2025 on June 28-29, always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and ending at 2059 UTC Sunday. The theme this year is "Radio Connects" which should make for great public outreach opportunities.

We're considering adding a GOTA station this year to get more new hams involved. Any Class A or F entry may operate one additional GOTA station on any Field Day band, HF or VHF. What's been your experience with GOTA operations?

• How do you staff it effectively?
• Best bands/modes for new operators?
• Any special equipment considerations?

GOTA stations are fantastic! We've run one for three years now. Anyone licensed since the previous year's Field Day can operate it, plus generally inactive licensees, and non-licensed persons under direct supervision. 20M SSB works great for newcomers.

As someone who got started through a GOTA station, I can't recommend them enough! Having an experienced control op there made all the difference. We used simple exchanges and focused on making contacts fun rather than fast. Don't forget bonus points activities to increase your Field Day score!

Remember entries must be postmarked or submitted via web app at field-day.arrl.org/fdentry.php by Tuesday, July 29, 2025. For GOTA setup, we use a separate logging computer and make sure the exchange matches the main station. Keep a detailed participant list as required.