RULES:

Adventure Radio Society 2019 Flight of the Bumblebees, Sunday, July 28

            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.

2019 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

Sunday, July 28

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?

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 2019 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 2019 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 28 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 2019 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 2019 Reports via email to:

ARSBumblebees@gmail.com

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 2019 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 email group.

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.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

FIELD STATIONS:

Apply for a 2019 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.

2019 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

Sunday, July 28

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 plan to operate the 2019 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: https://tinyurl.com/yy96zywm

2. OFFER THREE OPTIONS: Check the database for eligibility, https://tinyurl.com/yy96zywm 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, https://tinyurl.com/yy96zywm after submitting your top three choices to see which number you have been assigned. The number listed in the database is your official 2019 FOBB number.

– 73, Richard Fisher, KI6SN,

The Adventure Radio Society

RESULTS: July 2019 Spartan Sprint

Please click on the Scoreboard for an enlarged view.

SOAPBOX: July 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3ESE
not much to be heard on 20 or 80. skinny rig was ATS4A, T1 tuner, 3Ah Bioenno battery, Whiterook cootie, light headphones...1.5 lbs. antennas were the 20m EDZ at 50' and the 80m dipole at 70'.

K3RLL
Lots of activity on 40m this evening but not that many were Spartan Sprinters. Something was going on and apparently I didn’t get the memo. (SMILE)  Signals not too strong but the two best ones were KB1M in NH and KØZK in ME.  My G5RVjr has been beaming NE this evening. Thanks for the nice hour of enjoyable contacts.  72/73 … Don

K4EES
My first Spartan Spring. Enjoyed it.  13 Colonies seemed to be monopolizing the bands to an extent.  Lots for QRN. Only made one contact and he wasn’t participating in the contest, so not sure if it really counts? (Non-contest contacts count as long as the non-contester provides you with the standard information exchanged in the Spartan Sprint. - KI6SN)
K9DRP
Rough night working around the K2x QRO+ stations.  Worked 4 on 20, 4 on 40, and 1 on 80. K3JZD sure put forth a great effort calling on 40. Hope to catch everyone on FOBB this month!

K6CSL
Station is a Yaesu-FT-450 running 5 watts to 3 wire antennas and 1 vertical antenna.

K4BAI
A little confusing with the Firefly QRP having an one hour overlap with the Spartan Sprint. I have suggested to that club that they avoid a direct conflict in scheduling future sprints. Activity was pretty high during that hour, but I was unable to get three of the Fireflies to give
me their power, so I didn't count them in my QSO total. Thanks for all QSOs. 73, John, K4BAI

KB1M
6 Qs for 6 states. Sprint did not get my full attention as was also looking for 13-colony stations. Thanks for the QSOs. 72, Walt

WB9HFK
Icom 7300 at 5W, OCF dipole for 40M, and 150 Ft. random wire for 80M. Weight - 25 lbs. 72, Mark

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. 8 states this time. Best signals:  20M - N9NK, 40M - K4BAI, 80M - W5ACM. 20M was OK, 40M was so-so and 80M had a constant S-8 noise level.  Nice to
work both Bert and Arn in the same Sprint - both coasts! Had fun.

W5ACM
It was a difficult event for me this month. I could hear many stations “weakly”, but few could hear me. Many thanks to WB9HFK, K4BAI and WB5BKL for their patience so that we could at least get a few contacts during the event. All contacts were on 40M or 80M. I also have a few mechanical issues with the ATS-3a enclosure that need to be cured, but the batteries are holding in there! 72 de Andy, W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

K3JZD
40 meters only. Used a bare QCX-40 with a mini 12v Li-Ion battery pack and earbuds. 2 watts into a 40m Dipole. Used the 'straight key' on the QCX Board. 73, Jody - K3JZD

W5QLF
The normal QRP bandwidth that we have to ourselves was loaded with signals from the 13 Colonies Special Event and the Fireflies QRP Sprint. It was a chore to pick out the "SP" signals. Kudos to John, K4BAI for sending an exchange that worked for both the Fireflies Sprint and The Spartan Sprint. - Joe

RESULTS: June 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard.

SOAPBOX: June 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Three contacts, thanks totally to three very skilled and capable operators. Thank you Jim, Walt & John.  Tried bigger radio tonight; got less contacts. Gee, that's just not right. Conditions were abysmal, or maybe worse here in N-FL tonight.  Hmm..., maybe I should go out and see if my wire antenna is still up over the garage? Thanks to the entire staff and associates of A.R.S. for continuing to provide this monthly gathering of the faithful. See you next month.  72, ... Don

AB9BZ
1 contact, 64 oz. Heavy Case on the QCX. thanks for the contact, glad to get my QCX on the air. 72, Dave

K4BAI
20M very good. QSOs TX, FL, CA, KS, NH, MS. 40M: Pretty good. QSOs about same as on 20 plus IL. 80M: Not bad. QSOs to IL TX and FL. Totals per band: 80:3; 40:13; 20: 8. Thanks for all the QSOs. 73/72, John, K4BAI

K4FB
My first Spartan Sprint in several years.  Band conditions were pretty good. N5GW with 2 watts was loud here in Central Florida. Two band QSOs with K4BAI (40 and 80) and WB5BKL (20 and 40), thanks! KX3 @ 5 watts into a ground mounted Hustler 6BTV vertical.

W1PID
I ran the K2 at 5 watts. Best DX NK6A in CA. Nice to work some old pals. 73, Jim W1PID

K9DRP
20 started out great but the band fizzled out after 30 minutes. Lots of noise on 40 and even more on 80. TNX to K4BAI and K3ESE for two bands. I got to try out my "new" Argonaut V (it's a keeper!). Used a cootie tonight to lower the station weight (thanks guys for copying my fumble fist). I think the propagation gods have set my contact limit to 12. Logged 4 on 20, 5 on 40, and 3 on 80. Let's do it again next month.  73, Don

W5ACM
The ATS-3a was remarkably cooperative this month. My CW was pretty good thanks to the keyer contacts. I didn’t need any burnishing or maintenance. The batteries appear to be running well. I use a pair of 170 mAh LiPo cells. It makes 3W out, so it is good to go! I got good 20M CNDX and hope for more next month! VY FB to work K4BAI on 20M AND 40M. The QRN was BAD on 80M – i.e. no contacts down there. 72, de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

WB9HFK
Icom 7300 @ 5W - OCF Dipole and 150 Ft. Random Wire.

K3ESE
the bands were noisy, but functional. I was wondering if there was just a low turnout? I had fun, though, as always! 10 of my 14 QSOs were unique SPCs.

KB1M
8 QSO's for 6 states. After a fruitless weekend of trying to log a museum ship, the sprint was a  needed boost to a deflated ego. I am always amazed with the many great ears of QRP ops that I've worked during sprints. Thanks for the QSOs. 72/73, Walt

N5GW
My K1 with internal ATU was powered by an 800 mAh Lipo battery at 2 watts to a doublet. It was nice to hear 20M open again for about half my contacts.

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.

Which Bands?

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.

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

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.

What Is the Weight of My Station?

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. 

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

SCOREBOARD: May 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard.