What is Winter Field Day?
Winter Field Day is a yearly ham radio event held the last full weekend of January. Operators across the U.S., Canada and around the world set up stations at home, in a cabin or out in the snow and make as many contacts as they can on HF, VHF and UHF — voice, CW and digital.
It runs like a friendly contest, but the real goal is emergency preparedness. Disasters don’t wait for summer. Winter Field Day lets us test our gear, power and skills in cold, short days and bad weather — so we’re ready when it counts.
Bonus points come from things like running on battery or generator power, putting up an antenna just for the event, operating away from home, and making a satellite contact.
A short history
Charles, N5PVL, proposes a winter version of Field Day. The Society for the Preservation of Amateur Radio (SPAR) agrees to sponsor it.
The first Winter Field Day runs January 13–14. Operators love it, and it becomes a yearly event.
A group of volunteers forms the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) and takes over running the event.
More than 2,500 logs come in from stations around the world.
The event grows from 24 to 30 hours on the air.
Quick facts
Categories
H Home · I Indoor (cabin, EOC, club shack) · O Outdoor (tent, pavilion) · M Mobile
The exchange
Call sign, number of transmitters + category, and ARRL section.
Example: KN4YZY 1O VA
Power
100 watts PEP max. Alternate power (battery, solar, generator) earns a bonus.
Logs
Cabrillo format, submitted online to the WFDA after the event.
Based on recent years’ rules. We’ll double-check everything when the WFDA posts the 2027 rules.
Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club · K4US
MVARC on the air this winter
MVARC hams already know how to run a field station — the club put K4US on the air for ARRL Field Day in June 2026. Winter Field Day is the perfect chance to practice those same skills in the cold.
Want to join in? Come to a club meeting — 2nd Thursday of the month, 7:30 PM, on Zoom. Visit mvarc.org to get the meeting link and learn more about the club.
Club plan — coming soon
Site: [TBD]
Category: O – Outdoor station
Operating: Sat 11:00 AM – Sun 4:59 PM EST
Talk-in: K4US repeater 146.655 MHz (−600 kHz, PL 141.3)
My prep checklist
Logbook status report
Coming soon — contacts, bands and points will show here during and after the event.