Field day is coming soon. Field day is June 25 and 26 this year.
Practicing for field day last year running SSB from the car on batteries, had QSO with a New Zealand station, ZL1BD. Put the double bazooka up on a nearby tree for an antenna.
Last year conditions were not great. Field day site was a camp site on Keller peak. The top is about 8000 feet up. Site was at about 6500 feet. Running on batteries QSOs with quite a few California stations on 2 meters. There was WB6CIA out with the scouts on 146.52. On 20 meters W0VHQ in Iowa. Also W0CET in Kansas. Lots of Iowa stations. Talked to one guy doing the same thing in Georgia up high at a camp site on batteries.
Maybe the beach would be better. KH6IB has this little truck with a 20m vertical antenna with a hat. He drives to the beach in Oahu and throws out ground wires and operates mobile that way.
On TWiT TV Bob Heil (the microphone guy) will be doing a ham radio show starting 24MAY11. Can be found here http://live.twit.tv/