Bonus points are important for the annual ARRL Field Day event in June.
If you are thinking of participating in your local club’s Field Day festivities or are heading to the campground with your family for a Bravo station, bonus points are available.
One of my favorites is the Alternate Power Field Day bonus.
To quote the ARRL Field Day rules for 2009…
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Many amateur radio operators take advantage of the bonus points available during the annual ARRL Field Day operating event in June. One of the more interesting bonuses is the Alternate Power demonstration. Many hams use generators powered by wind, hydro and even human. Others use photo-voltaic solar electric panels to power a QRP rig to gain the necessary QSOs for the bonus.
As a demonstration of how solar can work, this is a terrific Field Day activity.
During the solar demonstration, visitors and participants often ask about the viability of using PV Solar Panels as an offset to their electric bill. The motive is obvious… save money.
I have known for some time PV Solar is very expensive and has Return on Investment (ROI) periods of decades. That was some time ago though. I decided to check out the latest solar calculators to see if PV Solar was still a hopeless financial investment.
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