Soapbox: January 2016 Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Really good night tonight despite the band conditions. This was fun!  K4BAI on 3 bands - surprising on 20m as we are pretty close but awfully strong on 80m, WB5BKL on 2 bands. This is a fun hobby.  72 de K3RLL

K7TQ
Tough conditions on both 40 and 80 tonight. All 6 Qs were on 40 with nothing heard on 80. I used a straight key and the Digital Fist Recorder that was in the November QST. The recorder sent the CQs and I 
answered with the straight key. It was an interesting evening.  Catch you all next month.

WVØH
Yes, 2016 is off to a good start by me remembering to get on the air! We had some marginal conditions tonight as the band just gets long so quickly on 40 after sunset. My K1 doesn’t have 80 in it so I pretty much just made 3 QSOs and that was about it. I did pop up to 20 but there was nothing, not even a peep. I worked a local N1SMB – Allen, AB9CA – Dave, and N9NE – Todd. So my score is probably my all time lowest: 3 QSOs and my K1 setup normally runs 1.7981 lbs but tonight I left off the earbuds for an additional savings of 0.416 oz to make my grand total weight of 1.7721 lbs for this effort.

KD5KC
Very disappointing night. I am not sure if the band conditions were poor, or if my receiver has developed a problem.  Usually 20m is good for something, 40m does real well, and 80m is questionable. This evening I got 1 on 20m, one on 40m, and 5 on 80m as follows: 20m = CA; 40m = CA; 80m = AL, GA, MS, TX and WI. Thanks, everyone, for the contacts. Vy 73 - Mike, KD5KC

AB9CA
Prop did not appear to cooperate this evening. Did not hear many and those heard were weak. Noise seemed high. A index = 4, K index = 1? Condx should have been pretty good. But they were not here. Tried 20 at the beginning but received no answers to my calls. Worked 7 on 40 and 6 on 80. Lost a couple, K1QO and KD5KC on 40 and N5EM on 80. Rig was IC7200 at 5w to 100' wire. Thanks to everyone who stopped by as well as to those who tried but did not get through. Hope to see Everyone - and more - next month.  73 de Dave, AB9CA/4

K4BAI
20M open to NY and FL at the beginning. 40M was pretty good to New England, MS, TX and FL. 80M was fair from TX to NH. Actually better than fair to TX.  Could use more activity in this fun event. Worked K3RLL on all three bands.  Thanks for QSOs. Happy New Year. 73/72, John, K4BAI

NQ2W
K1 at 5 W to a 2-element mini-beam at 25 ft for 10, 15, and 20 meters, an inverted V at 40 ft for 40 m, and a homebrewed, near-bottom loaded, ground mounted vertical for 80 m. Some new calls in the log. Hope they return often. 1 QSO on 20, 9 on 40, 4 on 80. Two-banders with K4BAI (20 and 80) and K1QO (40 and 80). Hope to hear you all and more next month. Thank you and  72, Will

N5GW
I had the KX3 with internal batteries at 3 watts into a hb balanced minituner to a cfz at 50 ft. Only 40M and 80M were tried, as 20M was dead at this QTH. The bands didn't sound very good, including mostly weak signals and QSB. The winter doldrums must have arrived. However I was able to pull out almost everyone I heard. Ten Q's on 40 and 9 Q's on 80.  CU all next month.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double 
Zepp.  Only 9 states split between 40 and 80M.  Heard AB9CA on 20 - but wasn't quick enough. Tried to work N5GW three times on two bands but he declined...  Best signals: 40M - K7ON, 80M - K4BAI.  Happy New Year to you all. I hope for good propagation and more participants in 2016. My thanks to the organizers for their efforts in 2015.  Had fun.

WA5BUC
40 & 20 were virtually silent here. (Heard a Jamaican on 20.) Zero Q's for the Sprint. Hope February is better. 72s and Happy New Year de WA5BUC

W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3a with two 170 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 3W out to my antique 18AVQ vertical and a final total of a mere FOUR QSOs this month. I had ZERO contacts on 20M and 40M. The bands were absolutely dead from Houston. I parked on 80M for the whole event. The QRN wasn't horrible, but my ears and earbuds are still ringing! Many thanks to K4BAI, AB9CA, N5GW and WB5BKL. I did a little polishing on the key contacts prior to the event, and it helped. My CW was better than usual and less difficult to copy. The batteries survived the abuse, but it was close. Always hoping for more 20M ops! 72 de Andy, W5ACM - Houston, TX

K1QO
Fun, as always! 3 banded with neighbor N1IX and so cool getting QRP celeb' K1SWL in the log! N5GW, you are amazing, I forgot to turn the rig up to 5w. You got me running 1W on 40 nice going. K4BAI is incredible - 2 bander 40 and 80! Thanks, Will, NQ2W for a 2 bander 40/80 and loudest signal award goes to you on 80! And, Beasts team mate, N9NE: it was wild hearing you tune up the band, logging station after station and know you were in the sprint then getting you on 40! I missed AB9CA. I was weak calling him but figure I'd go back again later, then he was gone or I couldn't hear him. My mistake, Dave is a FB op and I should have hung in there I would have been able to count one more Q. Also heard was K3RLL on 80.  See everyone next month! 72/88 Ann