RESULTS: September 2017 ARS Spartan Sprint

Please click on the Scoreboard for an enlarged view.

SOAPBOX: September 2017 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3JZD
1 contact, 2.55 pounds. Found this activity by accident. KX3 @ 5w portable at summer cottage, but operating from inside. 73,
Jody, K3JZD

N2JFF
Got only 2 contacts on 20M before it closed. Lots of QRN/QSB on 40M but I made some contacts. Be back next month for more fun.

K3RLL
Despite terrible propagation numbers shown on QRZ this evening, I thought 40 meters was pretty good tonight with some fairly strong signals and nice signal reports.  My goal of 10 contacts was reached in 40 minutes, which is pretty good under our current band conditions. Thanks for the nice contacts and the Spartan Sprint fun.  73/72 . . . Don

W5ACM
Interesting event for me this month . . . The ATS-3a was operating well with 3W out to the vertical, and my CW was acceptable, even without cleaning the copper contacts. However, they really need some attention before the next event. They were dropping my apparent CW IQ by many points due to corrosion on the “dots”. I got on 40M and stayed there for most of the event. The contact count started very slowly, but was OK. At times it really opened up, and contacts were abundant. Conditions on 80M were noisy but I managed one QSO with AB9CA. Quite satisfied with the results this time. I already have the October SS on the calendar! Drying out in Houston! 72, de Andy W5ACM Houston, TX EL29eq

N5EM
Was late to the party and only managed 1 Q on 20M, but 40M conditions were great. Kudos to N5GW's 2 watts from MS full scale on my 25' dipole in Houston - post apocalypse. 72, Ed - N5EM

NØTA
5 on 20m, and 14 on 40m. Worked 5 stations on both bands. Kx2 with uniHam paddles, ear buds, & paper log. 40m was surprisingly good after last Monday's solar activity. Thanks for the Qs.

K4BAI
5W, TH6DXX, dipole, zepp, inverted V. QSOs by band: 20M: 15.  40M: 18. 80M: 1. Thanks for all QSOs. 20M was quite good with a lot of activity; 40M was only fair with a lot of QRN and QSB.  80M was very good for AL with AB9CA, but heard no other activity and no answers to CQs. 72, John, K4BAI.

W1PID
Thanks to K4BAI, AB9CA, K3RLL, WB5BKL, and KFØN. 73, Jim, W1PID

N8XX
Poor conditions, but occasional HUGE signals.


AB9CA
Station was IC-7200 at 5w to 100 ft. wire up about 45 ft. Activity seemed to be better than it has been in a while. Good to see that. Noise was pretty bad. Made copy difficult. Had to narrow the filters down. Plus some local noise popped up. But several were heard. By band, 80/40/20, it was 2/18/17, a near even split between 40 and 20. 20 was long, as would be expected -  CA NH NJ MN UT WA plus others. But 40 was no slouch - CA WA OR as well as GA WI MS OH MO CO IA plus others. I think having the MI QRP Labor Day Sprint at the same time added to the activity. Two banders were K4BAI, W5ACM (40/80); WB5BKL, W5QLF, K6MR, W7OM (20/40). That is what I find in a look through the log. I apologize if you were a 2 bander and I overlooked your call in the log. I log with P&P and it is hard to spot everyone. Thanks to all who stopped by. Good to hear both familiar calls and new ones. Makes for an enjoyable evening. And, as always, THANKS to KI6SN for doing the work to make it possible! 73 de dave, AB9CA/4

KB1M
7 QSOs for 6 states including CA & OR.  QRN was heavy on 40, so may had missed some calls. 72/73 Walt

KIØG
First one in a long time!

WB5BKL
K2/10 @ 5W to a 20M delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp.  Nice signals at first but only 4 QSOs in the last hour, with just 1 in the last half-hour.  Worked 13 states.  Most of the contacts were on 20M. Tried 80M with no luck at all. Two banders with AB9CA and NK6A. Best signals:  20M - KE0TT, 40M - N5EM. My thanks to all. Had fun.

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: August 2017 ARS Spartan Sprint

For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard

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

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?

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:

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 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

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

FIELD STATIONS:

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 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.

RESULTS: July 2017 ARS Spartan Sprint

(Click on the Scoreboard for an enlarged view)