For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard
Friday, August 11, 2017
SOAPBOX: August 2017 Spartan Sprint
K4BAI
Band in good shape. Relatively little activity. QSOs by
band: 20M: 5; 40M: 14; 80M: 4. Thanks for all QSOs. 73/72, John, K4BAI
W1PID
Four QSO, all on 40 meters. 5W and OCF dipole.
WB9HFK
Rig: IC-746Pro @ 5W. Antenna: 20/40 - Hustler 6BTV Ground Mounted with 60 radials. 80 - 150 Ft. Random Wire. Key: J-38. Lots of fun. Worked John, K4BAI on 3 bands. Seemed to be lots of QSB. See everyone next month. 72, Mark, WB9HFK
N5GW
I was using my K1 with micro key on an 800 mAh Tenergy LiPo battery pack. The internal ATU loaded up my CFZ at 2W. 20M was fair for the first half hour allowing 5 Q's including a good sig from K7TQ. 40M was less noisy than expected since local rainstorms were present. Best sig was WB5BKL in TX. Toughest QSO was with N3FCS, 339 both ways, but we made it.
KD6L
20 meters only band available here - been away from the Sprints for quite awhile - fun to be back. Got ATS-3 from Dick, WB6JDH intending to use it for SOTA activations - manual says 9 V battery gives about 2 watts and is good for a 2 hour Sprint so I decided to try it out. Packtenna mast on upper deck - 20 meter End-fed Half-wave antenna. I think K4BAI heard me trying last month from No. Dakota - Home in Utah now and this time I got him. Nearly lost him in QSB. Kept calling heard nothing at all until K0ZK in Maine answered my CQ. Thanks to both of you for pulling me out of the noise. 72, 73, Del, KD6L
N2GDS
Pickings on 40m here in western NY were pretty slim; I was
running 3W from a homebrew rig to an inefficient loaded whip antenna. Fortunately I managed one contact with Larry, KF0N (also running 3W), 700 miles away in Iowa.
K7TQ
More participation than some of the previous months. 20 m good for half hour or so. Long dry spell until 40 m opened up, then some good action there. N5GW, K4BAI, WB5BKL, and WB9HFK were two banders.
KFØN
Contest activity seemed to be up from last month. I was able to work the whole two hours with a fairly steady stream of QSOs, and thanks to KF7WNS (OR), both coasts were in the log. John, K4BAI, was the only entry on 20 meters and the only two-band contact. My RST reports from the east coast were consistently poor with some stations unworkable at all. I thought for a while my antenna must be laying on the ground, but a check of the national radar composite revealed the real culprit; QRN from ugly thunderstorms all up and down the eastern seaboard states! Wow! The receive conditions for you fellas out east must have been brutal. The radar screen had more lights than a Christmas tree! I guess I had best check the radar before getting in the contest next month. It was a fun time though. Thanks to all who braved the fatal QRM and entered into the contest! Larry, KFØN
N2JJF
This is my first time entering Spartan Sprint. I operated from home in my backyard. All contacts were made on 40M using KX1 and Par end fed antenna. Had a great time but disappointed that nothing heard on 80M.
WB5BKL
K2/10 @ 5W to a 20M delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp (the K3 bit the dust during a lightning storm Sunday night - sigh). I admit to being distracted during this month's sprint by a septic system failure and a suddenly dead smartphone. I wondered what would be next - locusts? Best signals: 20M - K7TQ; 40M - N5GW. My thanks to all. Had fun anyway.
WA8MTI
20 and 80 were pretty dead here. Only managed to answer 4 CQs on 40. FT817 was at the trailer so used my FT2000 @ 5w into doublet at home. Been absent for too long so will try again next month (I hope). 72, Rich
Band in good shape. Relatively little activity. QSOs by
band: 20M: 5; 40M: 14; 80M: 4. Thanks for all QSOs. 73/72, John, K4BAI
W1PID
Four QSO, all on 40 meters. 5W and OCF dipole.
WB9HFK
Rig: IC-746Pro @ 5W. Antenna: 20/40 - Hustler 6BTV Ground Mounted with 60 radials. 80 - 150 Ft. Random Wire. Key: J-38. Lots of fun. Worked John, K4BAI on 3 bands. Seemed to be lots of QSB. See everyone next month. 72, Mark, WB9HFK
N5GW
I was using my K1 with micro key on an 800 mAh Tenergy LiPo battery pack. The internal ATU loaded up my CFZ at 2W. 20M was fair for the first half hour allowing 5 Q's including a good sig from K7TQ. 40M was less noisy than expected since local rainstorms were present. Best sig was WB5BKL in TX. Toughest QSO was with N3FCS, 339 both ways, but we made it.
KD6L
20 meters only band available here - been away from the Sprints for quite awhile - fun to be back. Got ATS-3 from Dick, WB6JDH intending to use it for SOTA activations - manual says 9 V battery gives about 2 watts and is good for a 2 hour Sprint so I decided to try it out. Packtenna mast on upper deck - 20 meter End-fed Half-wave antenna. I think K4BAI heard me trying last month from No. Dakota - Home in Utah now and this time I got him. Nearly lost him in QSB. Kept calling heard nothing at all until K0ZK in Maine answered my CQ. Thanks to both of you for pulling me out of the noise. 72, 73, Del, KD6L
N2GDS
Pickings on 40m here in western NY were pretty slim; I was
running 3W from a homebrew rig to an inefficient loaded whip antenna. Fortunately I managed one contact with Larry, KF0N (also running 3W), 700 miles away in Iowa.
K7TQ
More participation than some of the previous months. 20 m good for half hour or so. Long dry spell until 40 m opened up, then some good action there. N5GW, K4BAI, WB5BKL, and WB9HFK were two banders.
KFØN
Contest activity seemed to be up from last month. I was able to work the whole two hours with a fairly steady stream of QSOs, and thanks to KF7WNS (OR), both coasts were in the log. John, K4BAI, was the only entry on 20 meters and the only two-band contact. My RST reports from the east coast were consistently poor with some stations unworkable at all. I thought for a while my antenna must be laying on the ground, but a check of the national radar composite revealed the real culprit; QRN from ugly thunderstorms all up and down the eastern seaboard states! Wow! The receive conditions for you fellas out east must have been brutal. The radar screen had more lights than a Christmas tree! I guess I had best check the radar before getting in the contest next month. It was a fun time though. Thanks to all who braved the fatal QRM and entered into the contest! Larry, KFØN
N2JJF
This is my first time entering Spartan Sprint. I operated from home in my backyard. All contacts were made on 40M using KX1 and Par end fed antenna. Had a great time but disappointed that nothing heard on 80M.
WB5BKL
K2/10 @ 5W to a 20M delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp (the K3 bit the dust during a lightning storm Sunday night - sigh). I admit to being distracted during this month's sprint by a septic system failure and a suddenly dead smartphone. I wondered what would be next - locusts? Best signals: 20M - K7TQ; 40M - N5GW. My thanks to all. Had fun anyway.
WA8MTI
20 and 80 were pretty dead here. Only managed to answer 4 CQs on 40. FT817 was at the trailer so used my FT2000 @ 5w into doublet at home. Been absent for too long so will try again next month (I hope). 72, Rich
Thursday, August 10, 2017
So, What's a Spartan Sprint, and How Do I Play?
Spartan Sprints are two-hour gatherings sponsored by the Adventure Radio Society, held the first Monday of every month. The Spartan Sprints have a unique, three-faceted focus. They encourage outdoor operation with back country radio gear (if outdoor operation isn't practical, home-based operation is fine). They gather fascinating information about the upper atmosphere, documenting how low power signals can travel long distancs. And they encourage the growth of a like-minded community of amateur radio operator who generously share their knowledge and experiences.
Bands of operation are 80 meters, 40 meters, 20 meters, 15 meters and 10 meters. You may operate any number of bands - your choice. Many Spartan Sprint operators gravitate to the QRP CW calling frequencies on these bands.
Exchange RST, SPC (state, province or country) and power output. If you choose to call CQ, use the format "CQ SP," or "CQ QRP TEST." You can give yourself credit for working the same station on a second, third, or fourth band.
The weight of your station is determined by weighing everything at your operating position up to, but not including, your feedline and antenna. In other words, your rig, key, keyer, antenna tuning unit, battery, headphones and so on.
Which Bands?
Equipment and Antennas
Spartan Sprinters use 5 Watts or less. We encourage you to experiment with 1 Watt or less. You will be surprised at how effective these low levels can be, and how much fun QRPp really is. Similarly, we encourage you to experiment with simple wire antennas. And we encourage Sprinters to use equpment they built from "scratch" - that is, equipment built from schematics.
Exchange
What Is the Weight of My Station?
Submit Your Spartan Sprint Log
Please send the following information in an email to: SpartanSprint@yahoo.com- Your call sign
- Total number of contacts during Sprint
- The weight of your station (in pounds - includes all gear except antenna and feedline)
- Soapbox comments about your Sprint experience
Check Out the Spartan Sprint Results
The results of each month's contest appear on the Friday following each month's first-Monday Sprint. They are posted here on this website. You can find results from previous months here, as well.
- Richard Fisher, KI6SN
Thursday, July 13, 2017
ANNOUNCING: ARS 2017 FOBB
RULES:
Adventure Radio Society 2017 Flight of the Bumblebees, Sunday, July 30
The Adventure Radio Society Flight of the Bumblebees is a four-hour
event held annually on the last Sunday of July. It is open to all radio
amateurs.
2017 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees
Sunday, July 30
1700 to 2100 UTC
CONTEST PERIOD BY TIMEZONE (Local Time)
· 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Eastern
· 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Central
· 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mountain
· 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pacific
· 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Hawaii
The
contest period accommodates multiple time zones simultaneously. No
matter where you live, there will be time for Bumblebees to travel to a
field operating site, set up their station, operate the contest, and
travel home.
WHO CAN PLAY?
WHO CAN PLAY?
Both home-based and portable operations are encouraged.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS A BUMBLEBEE?
Participants
who operate portable from field locations are designated as Bumblebees.
They get to their operating site principally under their own power by
walking, biking, boating, and so on. The distance traveled to the site
is at the Bumblebee’s discretion. Bumblebees add /BB to their calls. (NOTE: Home-based stations do not add /BB to their callsign.)
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER
If
you plan to operate the 2017 FOBB portable – in other words, from a
field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification
number. Instructions for obtaining a Bumblebee number are in the next
section, below, headlined "Apply for a 2017 Flight of the Bumblebees Number."
There
is no limit to the number of Bumblebees. You may apply for, and
receive, a Bee number at any time up to July 31 prior to the contest.
GROUP OPERATION
Group
operation is welcome in the Flight of the Bumblebees. You may operate
under a single call and report a single score, or under multiple calls
and report multiple scores. In any event, you are limited to operating a
single transmitter at a time.
POWER OUTPUT
To keep with its minimalist theme, maximum FOBB power output is 5 watts.
OPERATION
We operate CW on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters, around standard QRP frequencies.
EXCHANGE
- /BB: If you are a Bumblebee, your exchange is RST, state/province/country, and your Bumblebee number.
- Home Stations: If you are home based, your exchange is RST, state/province/country, and your power.
Here are examples of exchanges:
Bumblebee NE6SW / BB (Bumblebee No. 73) sends:
579
CA
BB 73 or NR 73
Home-based station WN1DWL sends:
579
MA
5W
PLAYING IN 2017 FOBB
Everyone in the contest can work anyone else in the contest. In other words:
· Home-based stations can work other home-based stations and Bumblebees.
· Bumblebees can work other Bumblebees and home-based stations.
SCORING
Here are the details:
· Each contact is worth one point.
· The same station can be worked on different bands for additional QSO points and multipliers.
· Contacts with Bumblebees generate a multiplier of three. NOTE: If you worked NE6SW/BB on two bands, it counts as two Bumblebee contacts.
Here’s an example of how your score will be calculated:
- Say, you make 21 FOBB contacts on 40 meters.
- You make 32 FOBB contacts on 20 meters.
- In that combined total of QSOs, you contacted 14 Bumblebees. NOTE: If you worked KI6SN/BB on two bands, it counts as two Bumblebee contacts.
- To determine your multiplier, multiply 14 Bumblebees times 3.
Using the FOBB Scoring Formuala:
- Contacts: 21 + 32 = 53
- BB Multiplier: 14 X 3 = 42
- Total: 53 QSOs X 42 BB Multiplier = 2,226 Total points
COMMENDATIONS
Separate
but equal commendations are awarded to the high scores for the home
based and Bumblebee participants. We will also commend Bumblebees in the
following categories:
- Most interesting equipment
- Most fascinating FOBB venture
- Most beautiful site
SUBMITTING YOUR FOBB DATA:
Send your FOBB 2017 Reports via email to:
REPORT FORM:
Your:
- Full name
- Callsign
- Location of FOBB operation
- Total number of contacts (all bands)
- Total number of Bumblebees (all bands)
- Comments about your 2015 FOBB experience:
Photographs of your adventure are welcome and encouraged.
RESULTS:
Results and soapbox comments will be reported on the ARS Spartan Sprint and FOBB website. That posting will be announced on the QRP-L mailgroup.
SAFETY:
As
with all ARS events, please keep safety in front of mind when
conducting operations in the field. Such things as weather, power lines,
terrain, dehydration and fatigue can be lethal. Above all, we want all
participants to have a fabulous and safe experience.
– 73, Richard Fisher, KI6SN,
The Adventure Radio Society
The Adventure Radio Society
* * * * * * * * * *
FIELD STATIONS:
Apply for a 2017 Flight of the Bumblebees Number
Apply for a 2017 Flight of the Bumblebees Number
The Adventure Radio Society Flight of the Bumblebees is a four-hour
event held annually on the last Sunday of July. It is open to all radio
amateurs.
2017 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees
Sunday, July 31
1700 to 2100 UTC
CONTEST PERIOD BY TIMEZONE (Local Time)
· 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Eastern
· 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Central
· 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mountain
· 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pacific
· 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Hawaii
The
contest period accommodates multiple time zones simultaneously. No
matter where you live, there will be time for Bumblebees to travel to a
field operating site, set up their station, operate the contest, and
travel home.
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER
If
you plan to operate the 2017 FOBB portable – in other words, from a
field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification
number. Here’s how:
1. CHECK THE DATABASE: An online database has been set up to show assigned Bumblebee numbers. Visit: http://bit.ly/2uWEZec
2. OFFER THREE OPTIONS: Check the database http://bit.ly/2uWEZec for eligibility. Then send an email to:
ARSBumblebees@gmail.com with:
- Your Callsign
- Your First Name
- The field location you anticipate to be operating from
- Your Top 3 Choices for FOBB Number
3. YOUR FOBB NUMBER ASSIGNMENT: Check the database, http://bit.ly/2uWEZec after
submitting your top three choices to see which number you have been
assigned. The number listed in the database is your official 2017 FOBB
number.
Friday, July 7, 2017
SOAPBOX: July 2017 ARS Spartan Sprint
K7TQ
For July I removed the internal battery from the KX2 and used it with my 20 m 1 Watter. Got 3 Qs with the usual suspects K4BAI, W5QLF, and WB5BKL. For some reason the 1 Watter's internal keyer kept slowing down. I called it quits in half an hour. Nice try, but next time I'll have a battery and rig that will last the full time.
K3RLL
Activity seemed to run a little more slowly this evening, no doubt impacted by the holiday festivities. Was enjoying a few nice contacts until along came insurmountable, overwhelming, spectacular QRM! Yes, the local municipal fireworks are just way too close to hear the radio, so it was a good time to curtail the radio fun and enjoy the night sky spectacle celebrating the birth of our wonderful country. God Bless America!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 20M delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. A very poor showing this month. Not only did I have pops, bangs, snaps and crackles from the radio, I also had them from outside! The fireworks upset the dog, who usually is the dependable second Op. The 13 Colonies contest was another distraction. Five states with best signals: 20M - AB0CD, 40M - K4BAI, 80M - K4BAI. As alway, my thanks to all. Had fun.
K4BAI
20M open to midwest and north east, but not much activity. 40M in good shape, but lot of QRM from the 13 Colonies K2x stations and not much Spartan Sprint action. 80M was noisy and only stations worked and heard in the sprint were WB5BKL in TX and AB9CA in AL. Hope for more activity next month. 73/72, John, K4BAI
KFØN
My antenna was an 80-meter loop. The holiday and summertime QRN seem to have taken their toll on this months participation. Not many stations heard on 20M or 40M here in the rf black hole of the Midwest. I heard Del, KD6L on 20M but was not able to make contact with my massive 2-watt ATS-3. Maybe next month Del. The QRN was so intense here from local thunderstorms, I went QRT at 9 pm local time. Thanks to the few with whom I was able to make a contact. Larry, KFØN
KB1M
20M, 2 Qs, 1 on 40m for 3 states. 40 was crowded with non-Sprinter stations so never tried a CQ on that band. 73, Walt
For July I removed the internal battery from the KX2 and used it with my 20 m 1 Watter. Got 3 Qs with the usual suspects K4BAI, W5QLF, and WB5BKL. For some reason the 1 Watter's internal keyer kept slowing down. I called it quits in half an hour. Nice try, but next time I'll have a battery and rig that will last the full time.
K3RLL
Activity seemed to run a little more slowly this evening, no doubt impacted by the holiday festivities. Was enjoying a few nice contacts until along came insurmountable, overwhelming, spectacular QRM! Yes, the local municipal fireworks are just way too close to hear the radio, so it was a good time to curtail the radio fun and enjoy the night sky spectacle celebrating the birth of our wonderful country. God Bless America!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 20M delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. A very poor showing this month. Not only did I have pops, bangs, snaps and crackles from the radio, I also had them from outside! The fireworks upset the dog, who usually is the dependable second Op. The 13 Colonies contest was another distraction. Five states with best signals: 20M - AB0CD, 40M - K4BAI, 80M - K4BAI. As alway, my thanks to all. Had fun.
K4BAI
20M open to midwest and north east, but not much activity. 40M in good shape, but lot of QRM from the 13 Colonies K2x stations and not much Spartan Sprint action. 80M was noisy and only stations worked and heard in the sprint were WB5BKL in TX and AB9CA in AL. Hope for more activity next month. 73/72, John, K4BAI
KFØN
My antenna was an 80-meter loop. The holiday and summertime QRN seem to have taken their toll on this months participation. Not many stations heard on 20M or 40M here in the rf black hole of the Midwest. I heard Del, KD6L on 20M but was not able to make contact with my massive 2-watt ATS-3. Maybe next month Del. The QRN was so intense here from local thunderstorms, I went QRT at 9 pm local time. Thanks to the few with whom I was able to make a contact. Larry, KFØN
KB1M
20M, 2 Qs, 1 on 40m for 3 states. 40 was crowded with non-Sprinter stations so never tried a CQ on that band. 73, Walt
Monday, June 12, 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
