Soapbox Comments: May '12 Spartan Sprint

N4BP
After 15 minutes on 20M, thunderstorms were getting too close to safely leave antenna connected. Static crashes were well over S9, so wasn't hearing anything but the strongest signals.


WA5BUC
Bands seemed a bit noisy tonight. Started on 15. Heard some DX activity, but no Sprinters. Went to 20 for N5GW and NK6A. Then on to 40 for AB9CA and AJ4AY. Listened on 80. Nada. Noise may have been due to a front headed this way. Looking forward to June.


K3RLL
Nice to hear 20 meters alive at 9 PM and fun to work 'old friends' tonight but didn't hear many stations on 40 meters. Thanks ARS, for all your hard work to make this happen. See you next month.


AI4SV
I recently got a hold of an FT817nd, and this was my first time using it in the sprint. Up till now, I've either used my main rig a Kenwood 450S (tubby) or a TenTec 1320 (skinny, but one band). I set it up and played with it for an hour before the contest and it seemed quite sensitive for working DX. After the sprint it's pretty clear that my next stop is to get a CW filter. I didn't hear much on 15m, but 20 and 40 had a lot of activity. I worked stations that I know have good antennas, but I think I need more selectivity to pull out the weaker signals.Tnx everyone, and hope to see you next month, qrv from Chicago.


K4ORD
Started on 20M and found the band open got a call from LZ2RS who said I was 5db over S9 in Bulgaria he was also running 5W, 12 qso's on 20M, 16 on 40M and 3 on 80M the QRN was terrible on 40 & 80 as much as S9 plus 10db made copy on some stations ruff. Rig K3 @ 5W ant's 40 and 160 dipoles.  Thanks for all the contacts.


AH6V
I used our garden 'run to' rain shelter to stay dry. (Hawaiian rain forest). The rig was KX-1 with internal battery and running 1.2 watts to a dipole supported by trees. Very few stations on other than a horrendous pile up at 14.027. All my contacts were easy but very few stations on air. I used only 20 mtrs. as 40 was not ready at my local time. I've used this setup on FD with good results.


AA4GA
I finally got my ATS-3b built and was able to operate my first Spartan Sprint with the new rig.  I was running about 2w from the ATS-3b using a 9 volt Energizer lithium battery, a thrown-together-at-the-last-minute touch paddle and some new earbuds.  Photos of the setup are at aa4ga.com. I was really hoping for at least 20 QSOs, but just couldn't make it happen.  I called CQ a good bit, but never got anything in the way of a run going.  I was afraid the battery was going to poop out before the contest was over, but it was at 8.6 volts when the contest ended.  Great signals from K4BAI and K4ORD.  With the QRN, it may be fall before the bands are really enjoyable for this one!


N5GW
I started out on 20M which was initially open because of longer late spring days. Then about 30 min. later 40M opened up. After the first hour, the pickings were slim, so I went back to the cabin where xyl and I are on vacation on the Tn Cumberland plateau. Rig was a K1 on battery to hb tuner & cfz apex 50' in oak tree. See you all next month from home QTH in MS.


W1PID
I operated about 20 minutes on 20 meters with the HB-1B at 4W to an OCF dipole. Rapid QSB. No west coast. Nothing on 40 or 80. Thanks for the contacts.


AB9CA
For the first time in a long time 20m turned out to the workhorse band - 13 Q's there vs 10 on 40. QRM was high so did not try 80. Condx were different. The QSB on 40 was bad. Quick and deep. Guys would pop up then disappear. 20 was not so bad. Strongest station heard was AJ4AY - of course Jay is only about 40 miles away. He had a really good signal on 40. Best DX was Don in CA. There was one station, I think the call began with W5W... but can't be sure because I could never get decent copy. Sorry that I missed you. Only had about an hour available, but it was a fun hour. Station was the usual K2 at 5w to one of two wires up 40' - 50' between the trees. Thanks to the organizers and everyone who heard me. See ya' next month.


K4BAI
 FT1000MP, WM-2 QRP Watt Meter, 5W output, TH6DXX, dipole, inverted vee.  Activity still down from what we have had in the past. 20M was quite good with stations as close as VA and FL workable as well as New England, WI, TX, and CA. Best DX was a quite loud 5W signal from Rumi, LZ2RS, in Bulgaria.  We have been having thunderstorms this week and the lower bands were quite noisy.  40M was good with no real skip zone and stations in GA and nearby states were easily worked as well as out to New England and Texas.  No activity heard below 7039 kHz this month.  80M was almost a washout with only QSOs in FL, GA, and VA.  20M:  15 QSOs.  40M:  20 QSOs. 80M: 3 QSOs.


WB4MNK
Sure enjoyed operating the sprint. Signals seemed pretty good on the bands.


AE7CG
There were poor band conditions on 20M after the first half hour - heavy QRN, a "static blizzard." Thanks to K6CSL for my only QSO from 0215-0216Z on 20M. Rig here is an MFJ Cub running 2 watts to a 10-foot high dipole.


NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25 ft for 20 meters, an inverted vee at 40 ft for 40 meters, and ground mounted, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80 meters. Made 13 Q's on 20 and 10 on 40. Switched filter boards to try 80 but didn't make any Q's there. Participation was pretty good again this month...great to hear so many QRPers during the sprint. Good news/bad news...heard  more stations than I worked. Looking forward to next month! Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.


AB1AV
ATS3, touch-keyer, 450mAh Li-poly, Zmatch  tuner, 88-foot doublet up 65 feet.  Got off to a great start on 20 meters with stations up and down Eastern US.  After 9:30 traffic net made 1 contact on 40m, then Rx seemed to go deaf after I called CQ a while.  Trouble-shooting time?  Beat last month, anyway.


W5ACM
I once again used the heavier ATS-3 in the Altoids box with three LiPo batteries running five Watts out. I found 20M exceptional, at least for the first hour, and then no one was left to work! 40M conditions were not as good, with plenty of noise. Only one of my 11 contacts was on 40M. C U next month! 


N9BT
Had fun, but was too sleepy to work many stations.