RESULTS: January 2021 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: : January 2021 ARS Spartan Sprint

 

WØPWE

40M was dead. From my RBN reports I would have thought 80M would have been more productive but I only worked 2 stations. Thanks N4SO and W1EAT for the contacts. Running a homebrew multiband XCVR at 5 watts out to an 80M doublet with remote balanced antenna tuner. 73 - Jerry

N4SO

All contacts on 80m, and this is better than my average on 40m.

W1EAT

Terrible local noise problem made qrp copy very difficult with no noise blanker in mini rig.

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp.  4 contacts on 40 and 2 on 80M. A double with K4BAI - and John had the best signals on both bands. Only 3 states this month. Next month I hope for an all QCX effort. Had fun.

K4BAI

QSOs by band:  40M: 13  80M: 8  Good activity at the start, but dropped off to almost none for the last half hour (just me and WB9HFK calling on 80M). 73/72, John, K4BAI.

NØAR

Running the KX3 at 5 watts to 88' dipole or 43' vertical. Conditions were dismal at best. I worked John K4BAI on 40 and the other three stations on 80. Best signal was John NØTA from CO. Other signals lost in the QRN. I gave it an hour and it was time to QRT to the TV. 72 Scott NØAR

WB9HFK

Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W. Antenna: 150 Ft. Random Wire and OCF Dipole.

K4BAI

First hour was pretty active, but hard to find QSOs in second hour. QSOs by band: 40: 13.  80: 8. Both bands in good shape. No long skip and could work close in stations on both bands. On 40M worked ME to MN to TX. On 80M worked as far away as NØTA in CO. Happy New Year to all. 73/72, John, K4BAI.

NØTA

Interesting evening - barely heard (did not work) one station on 40m. All contacts on 80m, NØAR, MN, was the loudest, by far. Thanks for the Qs. K3, doublet, GenLog.

KE4I

Activity: 40M, 5 contacts; 80 meters, 2.

K3RLL

Slow start with minor local technical frustrations but pleased that six skilled ops with good ears found me this evening on 40m. Big signal tonight was K9DRP, just booming into FL. Sure wish I had 80m capability. I suspect that is where the party moves about 30 minutes into the festivities. Thanks for another enjoyable Sprint.  72/73 ... Don

W5QLF

Happy New Year. Joe, W5QLF

K4PQC

Great day here in Bishop, GA not a cloud in the sky and the bands were fairly quiet at least on 40 and 80. Signals that I heard were strong and also the most stations I worked all year on the Spartan Sprint.  And, I'll bet that everyone else who participated in January's Spartan Sprint can say the same! Wishing everyone a much Happier New Year. - 72, Phil - K4PQC

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 backcountry 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 distances. And they encourage the growth of a like-minded community of amateur radio operators 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 equipment 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

RESULTS: December 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: December 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

 NA5N

Bands lousy compared to past few days due to long duration solar flare earlier. Worked 5 on 80; nothing hrd on 40M with old Ten Tec Argo. Worked NØTA, K4BAI, WB5BKL, NØAR and AB9CA/7. Called WB9HFK 812 times no luck. Gotta be better next month.  72 to all. NA5N

NØTA

Couldn't find a soul on 40m - all ten Q's on 80m. K3, doublet, GenLog.

K4BAI

0 signals on 20M.  40M not much better with 2 QSOs.  I counted 9 QSOs on 80M. Actually made 8 more for a total of 17 on 80M, but had left the sprint to cover a CW net and forgot to take the amp out of the line afterward.  Transceiver was running 5W, but with the amp, it was about 150W. So didn't count those 8 QSOs in my totals.  I'll try to do better next month.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

WB9HFK

Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W. Antennas: 40M OCF dipole; 80M 150 Ft Random Wire. Weight: 30 lbs.

KA5PVB

Pretty much a BUMMER tonight! Tuning across the 40 meter band I heard practically NOTHING in the CW portion of the band! Blasted away with my 650 milli-watt Little Joe (from September 1981 QST magazine. Called CQ SP for 1.5 hours and NO JOY at all here. Note - this xmtr is rock-bound and operated on 7.038 KHz. all evening. KA5PVB, no QSO's, station weight as follows:

Little Joe xmtr - 0.2 lbs.

Straight key - 1 lb

MFJ-971 QRP Tuner 0.5 lbs

FRG-100 receiver - 6.6 lbs

Headphones - 1 lb

Approximate station weight - 9.3 lbs.

Maybe next month will be better for this Sprint! Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 73, Chuck, KA5PVB, Alpine, TX

AB9CA/7

Weight: 30

Station: IC-7200 at 5w to vertical. No activity on 40, all Q's on 80. Maybe the ant needs some attention on 40? Worked only MN TX CO GA NM. John, K4BAI, in GA has magic ears and can hear anything. Being in AZ tended to skew things to the west. Also have a noise issue here which does not help. Thanks for the Q's, maybe things will be better next month. 73 de Dave, AB9CA/7

NØAR

That was sure an interesting sprint. No signals heard on 20 or 40 meters. 80 was it for the duration. Rig Kwd 590sg and 43' vertical. RX loop antennas and muffs. Happy Holidays.

K5MUG

Kx3 at 5w into inverted vee dipole at 40 ft, installed N/S.  Rough event, started out on 40m about 0210 UTC, very few signals,  worst I've heard on 40m in a very long time.  Set up on 7.039.5 and worked K0ZK/Arn in Maine at 0220 UTC, and W5QLF/Joe in nearby Helotes,Texas at 0230 UTC, both 559 and qsb - that was my only action. Intense thanks to each of you!  Thought I heard a few other attempts to reach me but readability was zilch so couldn't be sure.  Went to 7.031 and 7.041 to no avail, weren't even hearing the usual SKCC ops around 7.050 to .060 .  Stayed the limit - turned my radio off at  0402 UTC. Take care and Stay Safe. 72, Cray / K5MUG / San Antonio, TX

N4SO

Thanks to contacts  WB9HFK, K0ZK and W5ESE. Missing a few call signs. Rig this time was the Elecraft K2 and a 40 meter half square. Ken, N4SO

W5ESE

Used the Omni VI and a 300' Horizontal Loop. Nothing heard or worked on 20m, and only one QSO on 40m. 80m was the "money band" for me.

K3JZD

Had to use my not quite so Spartan KX3 to be able to utilize 80m.  Not much was happening on 40m in my neighborhood.  Even 80m was kind of long.  And I got pretty lonely during the second hour - I guess everyone was social distancing.   KX3 with LiIon Battery Pack running 5w with KØMBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key and Earbuds to an End Fed Random Wire.   73 & MC - Jody - K3JZD

K9EV

Wanted to make it for the final SS of the year. KX3 with a battery and random wire antenna. 40 was so noisy I gave up and moved to 80. Copied several sprinters there but they weren’t hearing me. Finally managed to work K4BAI so as not to get skunked. See you for the next one in a New Year. Happy Holidays! 73 de KE9V

K4PQC

Unfortunately I was tied up on a project and lost track of time and didn't start the sprint until about 1/3 of the way from the end.  I already had last month's 80 meter band module plugged into the transceiver and immediately heard John - K4BAI so I would stick with 80 meters.  The band was unusually quiet and I was able to work Then Mark - WB9HFK in IL with a strong signal and finally Jody - K3JZD with an extremely strong signal from PA. Between working these stations I also called CQ SP without any results.  Not as good of a performance as in previous months but fun nonetheless.

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. No contacts on 40M - though I did hear K4BAI, briefly and faintly.  5 Qs and 5 states - all on 80m. Best signal: NØTA. Pooped out after an hour. Had fun.

KI5KZM

First time. A little cold here in Arkansas. - Julie

RESULTS: ARS November 2020 Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: ARS November 2020 Spartan Sprint

 W5ACM

It was all 40M or 80M for me, but the QSB was difficult. There were a few new folks in there! I was glad to hear good ops on 40M. Although my ATS-3A can’t do 15M, it is quite effective on 20M, so I hope upper band conditions will improve. I am really getting a bit skeptical about the longevity of my elderly 130 mAh Lipo batteries,  I will watch them closely over the next few months. They are not puffing up, but I could not do the complete two-hour event without serious power drops. I was actually down to less than 2 Wats for the 80M contacts with AB9CA and WB5BKL. 72 de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. Eight QSOs on 40 and four on 80M. K4BAI had the best signals on both. Nine states this time. Pooped out after about an hour and a half. But - had fun.

WA4AAK

Didn't hear many SP stations, but had fun anyway. 72, Evan WA4AAK

KB1M

Windstorm damaged the antenna but still had a fun time. 73, Walt

KE4I

Conditions bad - lousy.

K3JZD

Used 40m only - I do not have a lightweight rig for any other band. I might have to go to something heavier to be able to use 80m during the Winter months as 40m seems to be longer (to somewhere) at 0200 Zulu than it has been for me at 0100 Zulu. Lots of people I normally hear and work could not be heard. I only got one RBN Spot in 90 minutes of calling CQ  . . .  Naked 40m QCX w/500 mAH LiPo Battery Pack running 4w with K0MBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key and Earbuds to a 40m dipole. 73 - Jody - K3JZD

K4PQC

Earlier this month hurricane Zeta came roaring through GA heading toward the Carolinas. I didn't notice that some branches that were holding up my loop had broken but the antenna was still up. During the afternoon of the Sprint the antenna fell partway to the ground.  There wasn't enough time or light left to reinstall the loop so I operated anyway with wire wrapped around several branches. The most active station heard was Arn - K0ZK with an exceptionally strong signal from  Maine. 72 de Phil - K4PQC

N4SO

Thanks to SP contacts N0TA, WB9HFK, K3JZD, N0AR, KA2DDI and K0ZD. Propagation after 0200Z has a geographic focus to CO, IL, PA, MN, NJ and ME. Dial frequencies were closely centered between 7040.6-7042.7 KHZ. Rig at this time is a Kenwood TS-530S and 40 meter half square. Ken, N4SO

W5ESE

Used the Omni VI and a 300' Horizontal Loop. Nothing heard or worked on 20m. 40m was in pretty fair shape, though.

N0AR

Conditions were all over the place. Good to work familiar calls. Bands of choice 40 and 80. Rig was KX3 @ 5 watts, 43-foot vertical antenna did the work. 73, Scott

WB9HFK

Only spent one hour this month. Fun time, however.

AB9CA

Another enjoyable sprint! Started on 40 and stayed for 30 min. Seemed to have worked everyone who could hear me. Logged 8 Qs, 5 of which were from TX. Also CO, ME, ID. Then moved to 80 and logged 4 of the pesky Texans again along with GA VA PA IL MN. Thanks to everyone for the fun evening! Hope to hear y'all again next month! 73 de Dave, AB9CA

K3RLL

New to me basic K1 feeding my after dark only stealth 4-BTV. (Darned HOA) 40m seemed to have a fair selection of participants this evening but most weren't hearing my booming signal but then who knows I how many I couldn't hear.  Reverse Beacon was not my friend this evening with low single digit SNR reports. So, I greatly appreciate those seven skilled and patient A.R.S. Ops with the good ears.  72/73 ... Don K3RLL

KI6SN

Conditions on 40 meters were practically non-existent, making chances for a Spartan Sprint contact Slim to None. And Slim just left town. It turned out to be a couple of hours of serious listening. Could barely hear a few stations in Texas, but couldn't catch their callsigns. Just the same, it was a lot of fun listening to band conditions vacillate between "I can barely hear anyone" and "ESP." Look for everyone in December! - 73, Richard

K7TQ

Started on 40 m with a nice SK chat with a BC ham then only two more Qs over the next 45 minutes.  November SPs have always been challenging.

N0TA

Strange evening: 2 contacts in the first hour, 12 in the second hour. All on 40m. QCX Plus, Doublet, and GenLog.