Friday, December 11, 2009
Results: December '09 Spartan Sprint
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Soapbox comments: December '09 Spartan Sprint
K9UQN
Wouldn't be in this one if it weren't for W9CJS getting my interest up.
KS4L
Using ATS 3b.1, 5w, 80 dipole. All Q's on 80m. Couldn't find anyone on 40. The QRN was painful! My ears are ringing, what with no gain control on the ATS!
N0NBD
Only worked 80 meters for a short while but was fun to work a few guys Rig was OHR 400 at 5 watts dipole at 50 ft.
KK5NA
Just a short time on tonight. 40 Meters was noisy, K3 @5W,ANT = EDZ@55'
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. Most of my contacts were on 80M - nothing heard on 20M. The second hour was more productive for me. Nice to work some new calls and hear old friends. Had fun.
W9CJS
Propagation terrible but QRP got through on 80m only.
WA9TZE
The bands were not good. 10-15-20 had no activity. 40m had just one qso with N4BP. Tried for 25 min and no qso' after that. Going to 80m had 12 qso's, very weak but got a little stronger after 1 hour-but with 30 min's left all disappeared. Had a good time-sorry for those I missed.--Best 72's to all and Happy Holiday and a New Year.
KF0N
Nice to see some familiar faces again after being gone for a while due to no antenna!
W5ESE
KD1JV AT Sprint 3, Whiterook MK-44 paddles, 9.6V wall wart. My antenna was a 100m Horizontal Loop, fed as a top-loaded vertical against radials. I struggled valiantly to make some contacts on 40m, but no luck. Finally gave up and went to 80m, where I made all 12 of my contacts in this month's
Sprint. Good to hear the calls of familiar friends, and some new faces, too.
K4BAI
Very little activity. No signals on 20M. No sprint signals on 40M at the start and no answers to my CQs on that band. 80M was in very good shape. I worked 28 stations on 80 from WA to ME and TX to FL. Went back to 40 at suggestion of N4BP at 0338Z and worked Bob and also Bill, K5JHP. No further callers on 40M, so went back to 80M and got no more calls. About 0350Z, I went to sleep in the chair with the computer on REPEAT sending CQ QRP TEST. I woke up at 0410Z when a VE2 called me. I assume I would have been awakened by any earlier callers. First time that has happened to me in many years and the first time that the computer kept on sending while I was asleep. Hope more sprinters will turn out in January to keep me and the others awake and alert.
W1PID
I operated for about a half hour. Pretty rough condx. I ran an IC-7000 at 5W to a Windom OCF dipole. Best DX was Larry KF0N in Iowa. I worked Bob, N4BP, on both 40 and 80. Thanks to all.
N4BP
Condx seemed quite poor on 40M. Made more QSOs than expected on 80M. Static not too bad for a change. Rig: K3 Ant: 40/80 Trap Dipole @ 62ft.
W5ACM
20M was DEAD and 40M was marginal - good for only 2 contacts. 80M was surprisingly usable. I had 12 contacts on 80M, and my ears still work! While I worked NG7Z on 40M, the best "DX" on 80M was Florida... The ATS-3a did very well, even with all of the "CQ'ing" I had to do. Power output eld at 3W. The antique 18AVQ antenna is still going strong. When it goes, I will refurb my 14AVQ and add an 80M mobile whip to the top. It was a fun event due to the surprise of 80M quality ops, but let's hope for some 20M activity next time!
KD9KC
An hour before the sprint the temp was 55º, and the winds were picking up. We were expecting a storm from the Pacific Coast, with gusts of up to 70 mph and rain/snow mix. Wind is nothing new to El Paso, but rain is rare and snow even more so. I decided that working from the patio was not a good idea tonight. So I went back inside the house. After setting up my FT-817ND, I gave 20m a quick check. It was DEAD! So it was 40m and 80m or nothing. Using the indoor home location means I didn't need to use the headphones, which lowered my weight to 2.90 pounds. I could also use the computer to log instead of the usual paper log.At 0201 UTC I worked NG7Z in WA on 40m 5-5-9. 26 minutes later I forced N4BP in FL to strain for our 40m contact. That was all for 40m. At 0259 N4BP was again forced to try me on 80m. Thanks for struggling through it with me. The static crashes were getting louder and I was ready to throw in the towel. But signals started getting louder about this time too, so I hung in there. At 0317 I snagged W5ESE, then at 0331 WA9TZE heard me. N7RVD and W5ACM also got stronger and heard me. My last contact was NG7Z at 0355 UTC, he was also my first contact two hours previously. I was hoping to finally work my friend Fred - K6DGW - but I never heard him. So - 8 contacts / 2.9 pounds = 2.7586 points. Not great - but the best I could do under the conditions. Thanks to all of you for slowing down and struggling to hear me. I have a NIB Hustler 6BTV - maybe its time to try a vertical. I have lots of room for radials. Wow - an E-mail just came in from K6DGW. Power out for 15 hours plus, 30º and dropping outside, 49º inside, and his wire antenna is down. This is the storm that is coming to us. Global warming? NOT! Maybe next time, Fred.
NG7Z
I started out on 40 for 20 minutes until it dried up. Only five contacts there so switched to 80 and heard a few tiny signals and worked five more. Took a break to help the XYL trim the tree and came back at 0325Z. Tuff sledding this month and not much to show. I could hear signals at the ESP level but didn't dare try to work them. So I cq'd until the end of the sprint and worked eight more. Nice to hear Brian N7RVD way back in GA. Surprised we hooked up. Nice going Brian. The last Q was with Garie K8KFJ in WV which was a real bonus. See ya'll next month.
WA8HSB
My first Spartan Sprint in a good while. Started listening on 20m (nothing heard), then to 40m (nothing heard there either), then to 80m where the activity appeared to be. Noise level was very high here on all 3 bands. 18 Qs in 10 States with the best DX being WA. Rig: TS-850S at 5 watts and 18AVQ Vertical. Tnx to all. Hope to be back next month!
K5JHP
Slow start and no sigs on 40. Worked only 2 stations on 40. 80 was good tonight. Be back next year.
KB5JO
K2, 5W, 80M, 88' doublet
N7RVD
A Work-Fun contest tonight. The more work you do, the more fun ya have!! Worked 80 meters exclusively from Georgia. Lots of QRN. Had to turn all the filters down just to cut the noise. I gave everybody a 55n report, but, truely just about everybody was 2-2-9 or worse. Tnx. C U next month.
Wouldn't be in this one if it weren't for W9CJS getting my interest up.
KS4L
Using ATS 3b.1, 5w, 80 dipole. All Q's on 80m. Couldn't find anyone on 40. The QRN was painful! My ears are ringing, what with no gain control on the ATS!
N0NBD
Only worked 80 meters for a short while but was fun to work a few guys Rig was OHR 400 at 5 watts dipole at 50 ft.
KK5NA
Just a short time on tonight. 40 Meters was noisy, K3 @5W,ANT = EDZ@55'
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. Most of my contacts were on 80M - nothing heard on 20M. The second hour was more productive for me. Nice to work some new calls and hear old friends. Had fun.
W9CJS
Propagation terrible but QRP got through on 80m only.
WA9TZE
The bands were not good. 10-15-20 had no activity. 40m had just one qso with N4BP. Tried for 25 min and no qso' after that. Going to 80m had 12 qso's, very weak but got a little stronger after 1 hour-but with 30 min's left all disappeared. Had a good time-sorry for those I missed.--Best 72's to all and Happy Holiday and a New Year.
KF0N
Nice to see some familiar faces again after being gone for a while due to no antenna!
W5ESE
KD1JV AT Sprint 3, Whiterook MK-44 paddles, 9.6V wall wart. My antenna was a 100m Horizontal Loop, fed as a top-loaded vertical against radials. I struggled valiantly to make some contacts on 40m, but no luck. Finally gave up and went to 80m, where I made all 12 of my contacts in this month's
Sprint. Good to hear the calls of familiar friends, and some new faces, too.
K4BAI
Very little activity. No signals on 20M. No sprint signals on 40M at the start and no answers to my CQs on that band. 80M was in very good shape. I worked 28 stations on 80 from WA to ME and TX to FL. Went back to 40 at suggestion of N4BP at 0338Z and worked Bob and also Bill, K5JHP. No further callers on 40M, so went back to 80M and got no more calls. About 0350Z, I went to sleep in the chair with the computer on REPEAT sending CQ QRP TEST. I woke up at 0410Z when a VE2 called me. I assume I would have been awakened by any earlier callers. First time that has happened to me in many years and the first time that the computer kept on sending while I was asleep. Hope more sprinters will turn out in January to keep me and the others awake and alert.
W1PID
I operated for about a half hour. Pretty rough condx. I ran an IC-7000 at 5W to a Windom OCF dipole. Best DX was Larry KF0N in Iowa. I worked Bob, N4BP, on both 40 and 80. Thanks to all.
N4BP
Condx seemed quite poor on 40M. Made more QSOs than expected on 80M. Static not too bad for a change. Rig: K3 Ant: 40/80 Trap Dipole @ 62ft.
W5ACM
20M was DEAD and 40M was marginal - good for only 2 contacts. 80M was surprisingly usable. I had 12 contacts on 80M, and my ears still work! While I worked NG7Z on 40M, the best "DX" on 80M was Florida... The ATS-3a did very well, even with all of the "CQ'ing" I had to do. Power output eld at 3W. The antique 18AVQ antenna is still going strong. When it goes, I will refurb my 14AVQ and add an 80M mobile whip to the top. It was a fun event due to the surprise of 80M quality ops, but let's hope for some 20M activity next time!
KD9KC
An hour before the sprint the temp was 55º, and the winds were picking up. We were expecting a storm from the Pacific Coast, with gusts of up to 70 mph and rain/snow mix. Wind is nothing new to El Paso, but rain is rare and snow even more so. I decided that working from the patio was not a good idea tonight. So I went back inside the house. After setting up my FT-817ND, I gave 20m a quick check. It was DEAD! So it was 40m and 80m or nothing. Using the indoor home location means I didn't need to use the headphones, which lowered my weight to 2.90 pounds. I could also use the computer to log instead of the usual paper log.At 0201 UTC I worked NG7Z in WA on 40m 5-5-9. 26 minutes later I forced N4BP in FL to strain for our 40m contact. That was all for 40m. At 0259 N4BP was again forced to try me on 80m. Thanks for struggling through it with me. The static crashes were getting louder and I was ready to throw in the towel. But signals started getting louder about this time too, so I hung in there. At 0317 I snagged W5ESE, then at 0331 WA9TZE heard me. N7RVD and W5ACM also got stronger and heard me. My last contact was NG7Z at 0355 UTC, he was also my first contact two hours previously. I was hoping to finally work my friend Fred - K6DGW - but I never heard him. So - 8 contacts / 2.9 pounds = 2.7586 points. Not great - but the best I could do under the conditions. Thanks to all of you for slowing down and struggling to hear me. I have a NIB Hustler 6BTV - maybe its time to try a vertical. I have lots of room for radials. Wow - an E-mail just came in from K6DGW. Power out for 15 hours plus, 30º and dropping outside, 49º inside, and his wire antenna is down. This is the storm that is coming to us. Global warming? NOT! Maybe next time, Fred.
NG7Z
I started out on 40 for 20 minutes until it dried up. Only five contacts there so switched to 80 and heard a few tiny signals and worked five more. Took a break to help the XYL trim the tree and came back at 0325Z. Tuff sledding this month and not much to show. I could hear signals at the ESP level but didn't dare try to work them. So I cq'd until the end of the sprint and worked eight more. Nice to hear Brian N7RVD way back in GA. Surprised we hooked up. Nice going Brian. The last Q was with Garie K8KFJ in WV which was a real bonus. See ya'll next month.
WA8HSB
My first Spartan Sprint in a good while. Started listening on 20m (nothing heard), then to 40m (nothing heard there either), then to 80m where the activity appeared to be. Noise level was very high here on all 3 bands. 18 Qs in 10 States with the best DX being WA. Rig: TS-850S at 5 watts and 18AVQ Vertical. Tnx to all. Hope to be back next month!
K5JHP
Slow start and no sigs on 40. Worked only 2 stations on 40. 80 was good tonight. Be back next year.
KB5JO
K2, 5W, 80M, 88' doublet
N7RVD
A Work-Fun contest tonight. The more work you do, the more fun ya have!! Worked 80 meters exclusively from Georgia. Lots of QRN. Had to turn all the filters down just to cut the noise. I gave everybody a 55n report, but, truely just about everybody was 2-2-9 or worse. Tnx. C U next month.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Results: November '09 Spartan Sprint
Please click on the score box for an enlarged view.
Click here to visit the Adventure Radio Society's main Internet home.
Click here to visit the Adventure Radio Society's main Internet home.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Soapbox comments: November '09 Spartan Sprint
KF6U
Was my first Spartan Sprint. 20 and 30 meters were dead. Weak signals weren't doing well on 40. I had a high noise level on 80, but did manage to work 2 stations who busted through. Was it fun? YOU BET! I'll be back. It can only get better.
KB7MBI
After about an hour of hearing and making only one contact on 40m I then resorted to calling CQ with 100 watts and finally after 30 minutes made 4 more contacts on 40m. As soon as I would get a call back I reduced the power to 5 watts for the exchange. Noise level here was S6. Antenna was a GAP Titan DX vertical.
KE5TC
This was my first Spartan Sprint and all the contacts were on 80 meters. Lots of fun, Thanks.
W5ACM
Activity on 40M was slow, but provided three QSOs from CA, UT and NJ. 80M was noisy, but the only game in town. Nice 80M contacts were made with stations in the south east, and even one with K8DD in MI. Where are the sunspots? The AT-Sprint 3a did very well with the new pair of 200 mAh LiPo batteries. While the power output started at 3W, it only dropped to 2.5W when the sprint was over. The antique multi-band vertical continues to perform. It was challenging, but a lot of fun. Thanks to all I contacted!
NG7Z
Slim pickings tonight. Started out on 40M and only 4 contacts in 16 minutes. No answers to continued cq's so switched to 80M and picked up 4 more in 25 minutes. Again no answer to CQ's so I listened for a few minutes and gave up. Came back at 0330 and picked up 4 more and that was it. Where was everyone?
K5JHP
5W Strange night on 40 meters here on the Gulf Coast. . .
N5PJ
I made 1 contact using my "tubby" station. I ran 5 watts on my TS 480SAT and my 40 meter dipole (Buddipole) was the antenna for the evening. It made the trip to Maine from Oklahoma. I worked AA1MY.
K8DD
Somehow I was late and only got in the last 30 minutes!
KS4L
ATS 3b.1 to 80m inv. vee at 45'. Heard nothing on 40, and no one answered my CQs. All contacts on 80m. QRN was bad, but it was fun anyway. My first time in the Sprint in a long time!
AB9CA
Rig was K2 to OCF 80m dipole run over the top of an oak tree. Not much heard on 40 - only 2 contacts and those were WA and UT - not a good omen for my run as Fox in about 10 days. But 80 was pretty good, 18 Q's there but almost all were east of the Mississippi river. A couple in TX were the only ones west of there. There was some noise but not too bad. 80 should improve for the next few weeks. Ought to be in good shape for next month. Thanks to all who stopped by and see ya' nex time 'round . . .
N7RVD
Rough contest. 45 minutes work on 40 meters netted one contact. Skipped down to 80. Locally heavy QRN in Memphis, TN was deafening. With the K2 IF filters narrow and the noise blanker and DSP set to max, I could barely hear any signals. That I made 14 qso's is a testament to how hard you guys worked. I needed fills and repeats from just about everybody. Thanks. See u next month.
K9IS
Pretty much all on 80. 40 was disappointing, only 2 Q's.
KB5JO
2W, SW+40, ZEPP, GUD CONDX, FEW QRP STNS.
Was my first Spartan Sprint. 20 and 30 meters were dead. Weak signals weren't doing well on 40. I had a high noise level on 80, but did manage to work 2 stations who busted through. Was it fun? YOU BET! I'll be back. It can only get better.
KB7MBI
After about an hour of hearing and making only one contact on 40m I then resorted to calling CQ with 100 watts and finally after 30 minutes made 4 more contacts on 40m. As soon as I would get a call back I reduced the power to 5 watts for the exchange. Noise level here was S6. Antenna was a GAP Titan DX vertical.
KE5TC
This was my first Spartan Sprint and all the contacts were on 80 meters. Lots of fun, Thanks.
W5ACM
Activity on 40M was slow, but provided three QSOs from CA, UT and NJ. 80M was noisy, but the only game in town. Nice 80M contacts were made with stations in the south east, and even one with K8DD in MI. Where are the sunspots? The AT-Sprint 3a did very well with the new pair of 200 mAh LiPo batteries. While the power output started at 3W, it only dropped to 2.5W when the sprint was over. The antique multi-band vertical continues to perform. It was challenging, but a lot of fun. Thanks to all I contacted!
NG7Z
Slim pickings tonight. Started out on 40M and only 4 contacts in 16 minutes. No answers to continued cq's so switched to 80M and picked up 4 more in 25 minutes. Again no answer to CQ's so I listened for a few minutes and gave up. Came back at 0330 and picked up 4 more and that was it. Where was everyone?
K5JHP
5W Strange night on 40 meters here on the Gulf Coast. . .
N5PJ
I made 1 contact using my "tubby" station. I ran 5 watts on my TS 480SAT and my 40 meter dipole (Buddipole) was the antenna for the evening. It made the trip to Maine from Oklahoma. I worked AA1MY.
K8DD
Somehow I was late and only got in the last 30 minutes!
KS4L
ATS 3b.1 to 80m inv. vee at 45'. Heard nothing on 40, and no one answered my CQs. All contacts on 80m. QRN was bad, but it was fun anyway. My first time in the Sprint in a long time!
AB9CA
Rig was K2 to OCF 80m dipole run over the top of an oak tree. Not much heard on 40 - only 2 contacts and those were WA and UT - not a good omen for my run as Fox in about 10 days. But 80 was pretty good, 18 Q's there but almost all were east of the Mississippi river. A couple in TX were the only ones west of there. There was some noise but not too bad. 80 should improve for the next few weeks. Ought to be in good shape for next month. Thanks to all who stopped by and see ya' nex time 'round . . .
N7RVD
Rough contest. 45 minutes work on 40 meters netted one contact. Skipped down to 80. Locally heavy QRN in Memphis, TN was deafening. With the K2 IF filters narrow and the noise blanker and DSP set to max, I could barely hear any signals. That I made 14 qso's is a testament to how hard you guys worked. I needed fills and repeats from just about everybody. Thanks. See u next month.
K9IS
Pretty much all on 80. 40 was disappointing, only 2 Q's.
KB5JO
2W, SW+40, ZEPP, GUD CONDX, FEW QRP STNS.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Results: October '09 Spartan Sprint
| SKINNY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| W5ACM | 6 | 0.15 | 40 |
| W1PID | 6 | 1.25 | 4.8 |
| N7RVD | 18 | 4.1 | 4.39 |
| K5JHP | 7 | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| KD2MX | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| K8DD | 31 | 30 | 1.03 |
| WB0OEW | 7 | 10 | 0.7 |
| K8MM | 18 | 30 | 0.6 |
| N4BP | 17 | 30 | 0.57 |
| K4BAI | 17 | 30 | 0.57 |
| NG7Z | 15 | 30 | 0.5 |
| WB5BKL | 13 | 30 | 0.43 |
| AB9CA/4 | 11 | 30 | 0.37 |
| N1LU | 2 | 10 | 0.2 |
| KK5NA | 3 | 18 | 0.17 |
| W4NJK | 2 | 30 | 0.07 |
| K6CSL | 1 | 30 | 0.03 |
| TUBBY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| K8DD | 31 | 30 | 1.03 |
| N7RVD | 18 | 4.1 | 4.39 |
| K8MM | 18 | 30 | 0.6 |
| N4BP | 17 | 30 | 0.57 |
| K4BAI | 17 | 30 | 0.57 |
| NG7Z | 15 | 30 | 0.5 |
| WB5BKL | 13 | 30 | 0.43 |
| AB9CA/4 | 11 | 30 | 0.37 |
| KD2MX | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| WB0OEW | 7 | 10 | 0.7 |
| K5JHP | 7 | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| W5ACM | 6 | 0.15 | 40 |
| W1PID | 6 | 1.25 | 4.8 |
| KK5NA | 3 | 18 | 0.17 |
| N1LU | 2 | 10 | 0.2 |
| W4NJK | 2 | 30 | 0.07 |
| K6CSL | 1 | 30 | 0.03 |
Soapbox comments: October '09 Spartan Sprint
K5JHP
20 meters went out early. 40 was heavy with QRM. Bad night here on the Texas coast. Tried the Spartan Sprint computer logging program for the first time. Works A-OK. Will try to use it again. Be back next month.
WB0OEW
EFHW on 40 meters.
W5ACM
Activity on 40M was slow, with more noise than last month. 80M was worse. The AT-Sprint 3a did well, especially with the new pair of 200 mAh LiPo batteries. The antique multi-band vertical continues to perform. It was challenging, but enjoyable. Thanks to all I contacted!
W1PID
I operated 40 meters with the little Chinese HB-1A. I only operated for about 20 minutes. 20 meters was dead. I switched to an FT-817 and worked 4 more QSOs on 80, but I didn't count them because of the heavier rig. Wish the HB-1A had 80 meters. Thanks for the fun.
KD2MX
Got off to a quick start but it didn't last long on 40M. The band was kind of crappy. After too long I finally went to 80M where I made most of my QSOs. Packed it in after a bit less than an hour.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. Most of my contacts were on 40M - John (K4BAI) was tough on 80M. Propagation seemed a little odd. Nice to hear some new (to me) calls, though. Had fun.
W4NJK
Nothing heard on 20M here in CA and although 80M was open could not raise anyone. 40 M seemed good and heard several more stations but no QSO (e.g. KI6HJN). Hopefully almost there with the bands.
N4BP
Horrible condx. 20M was dead at the start, no big surprise. But 40M also sounded near dead, just a few ESP level signals to be worked. Fortunately the noise level on 80M is beginning to slightly abate and was able to pull four Q's from the noise. Gave up at the end of the first hour, hopefully next month will be better.
AB9CA/4
Slim pickin's over this way. Started on 20 and heard no one. Went to 40 and thought it was going to be the same. But eventually 6 guys heard me. Then went to 80 (which is getting a lot quieter) and added 5 more. Went back and forth between 40 and 80 but heard no one else. Hung it up at 0215z. Rig was K2 to either 80m inv vee at 36 ft or 1/2 size G5RV as inv vee at 30'. Both seemed to work equally poorly . . . Maybe next month? Thanks to all who stopped by.
K4BAI
20M was open to the west, but no Sprinters were audible and my CQs were unanswered. 40M was very long, but sigs from NH, MN, WA were quite good. Anything closer was within the skip zone. I missed W7OM on 40. Went to 80M very early and it was in good shape here. Some QRN, but not bad. Other stations seemed to have much higher QRN levels. Worked everyone I heard on 80M. Activity was light. We need more publicity to the general QRP operator population. 40M: 4 QSOs. 80M: 13 QSOs. Thanks for every QSO and I look forward to next month.
N7RVD
That was a blast. I managed 18 Qs the first hour on 40 meters working from Minneapolis, MN. On the first Q, I goofed and had the K2's power knob turned all the way down (What's that? 50 mw? 100 mw?). K4BAI pulled out my signal on the very first call. Amazing. The antenna is a dinky screwdriver on a RV ladder. I worked a bunch of the regular QRPers. Then, I slowed my code way down and worked a whole bunch of new folks. I don't know if I worked the new folks due to this QTH instead of Seattle, or because my CQs were slower than the others running stations? I gave everybody a 55n report. However, the low signal report of the month goes to Randy K7TQ - way down in the noise. An "honest" RST would have been 2-1-9. This was a lot of fun.
KK5NA
Only got on for a short time. Two contacts on 20M, 1 on 40M. Rig was K3 at 5 watts and antenna EDZ at 55.
K8MM
I had a lot of power line noise, sorry to those I couldn't pull through. Thanks to K8DD for QSOs on 5 bands.
NG7Z
Slim pickings tonight. 20M had almost expired at 0100Z but got three Texans. Thanks WB5BKL, WA8ZBT and K5JHP. Jumped to 40M at 0114 and snagged nine more until the XYL got home so had to fix a quick dinner. Got back at 0211 on 40M and once again met up with Nick WB5BKL. But 10 mins of CQing produced no more on that band. Switched to 80M and found two nets operating on 3560 and 3562. Started CQing on 3563 but no takers. Heard K8DD CQ'ing away on 3560.37 just above the net and worked Hank. Got yanked out of the chair for another half hour and made one last Q with Ian, K8MM at 0249. I heard NF0R but he could not hear me. I was momentarily tempted to switch on the amp but was successful in restraining that foolish inclination. If not for the interruptions, I may have had a few more on 40M but the band did not sound very good so maybe I didn't miss much. Equipment used was an Icom 756P3 at 5 watts, Force12 C3, Cushcraft 40-2CD and an 80M full wave loop which faces east. Thanks for the contacts and hoping the fall brings better conditions on the low bands for the SS.
K6CSL
Yaesu FT-450 running 5W to "Stealth" Antennas. 20 appeared dead from the start tonight and 40 was very noisey here in Central CA. Thanks to Elwood WB0OEW for the QSO.
K8DD
It was an 80 and 40 Sprint!
20 meters went out early. 40 was heavy with QRM. Bad night here on the Texas coast. Tried the Spartan Sprint computer logging program for the first time. Works A-OK. Will try to use it again. Be back next month.
WB0OEW
EFHW on 40 meters.
W5ACM
Activity on 40M was slow, with more noise than last month. 80M was worse. The AT-Sprint 3a did well, especially with the new pair of 200 mAh LiPo batteries. The antique multi-band vertical continues to perform. It was challenging, but enjoyable. Thanks to all I contacted!
W1PID
I operated 40 meters with the little Chinese HB-1A. I only operated for about 20 minutes. 20 meters was dead. I switched to an FT-817 and worked 4 more QSOs on 80, but I didn't count them because of the heavier rig. Wish the HB-1A had 80 meters. Thanks for the fun.
KD2MX
Got off to a quick start but it didn't last long on 40M. The band was kind of crappy. After too long I finally went to 80M where I made most of my QSOs. Packed it in after a bit less than an hour.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. Most of my contacts were on 40M - John (K4BAI) was tough on 80M. Propagation seemed a little odd. Nice to hear some new (to me) calls, though. Had fun.
W4NJK
Nothing heard on 20M here in CA and although 80M was open could not raise anyone. 40 M seemed good and heard several more stations but no QSO (e.g. KI6HJN). Hopefully almost there with the bands.
N4BP
Horrible condx. 20M was dead at the start, no big surprise. But 40M also sounded near dead, just a few ESP level signals to be worked. Fortunately the noise level on 80M is beginning to slightly abate and was able to pull four Q's from the noise. Gave up at the end of the first hour, hopefully next month will be better.
AB9CA/4
Slim pickin's over this way. Started on 20 and heard no one. Went to 40 and thought it was going to be the same. But eventually 6 guys heard me. Then went to 80 (which is getting a lot quieter) and added 5 more. Went back and forth between 40 and 80 but heard no one else. Hung it up at 0215z. Rig was K2 to either 80m inv vee at 36 ft or 1/2 size G5RV as inv vee at 30'. Both seemed to work equally poorly . . . Maybe next month? Thanks to all who stopped by.
K4BAI
20M was open to the west, but no Sprinters were audible and my CQs were unanswered. 40M was very long, but sigs from NH, MN, WA were quite good. Anything closer was within the skip zone. I missed W7OM on 40. Went to 80M very early and it was in good shape here. Some QRN, but not bad. Other stations seemed to have much higher QRN levels. Worked everyone I heard on 80M. Activity was light. We need more publicity to the general QRP operator population. 40M: 4 QSOs. 80M: 13 QSOs. Thanks for every QSO and I look forward to next month.
N7RVD
That was a blast. I managed 18 Qs the first hour on 40 meters working from Minneapolis, MN. On the first Q, I goofed and had the K2's power knob turned all the way down (What's that? 50 mw? 100 mw?). K4BAI pulled out my signal on the very first call. Amazing. The antenna is a dinky screwdriver on a RV ladder. I worked a bunch of the regular QRPers. Then, I slowed my code way down and worked a whole bunch of new folks. I don't know if I worked the new folks due to this QTH instead of Seattle, or because my CQs were slower than the others running stations? I gave everybody a 55n report. However, the low signal report of the month goes to Randy K7TQ - way down in the noise. An "honest" RST would have been 2-1-9. This was a lot of fun.
KK5NA
Only got on for a short time. Two contacts on 20M, 1 on 40M. Rig was K3 at 5 watts and antenna EDZ at 55.
K8MM
I had a lot of power line noise, sorry to those I couldn't pull through. Thanks to K8DD for QSOs on 5 bands.
NG7Z
Slim pickings tonight. 20M had almost expired at 0100Z but got three Texans. Thanks WB5BKL, WA8ZBT and K5JHP. Jumped to 40M at 0114 and snagged nine more until the XYL got home so had to fix a quick dinner. Got back at 0211 on 40M and once again met up with Nick WB5BKL. But 10 mins of CQing produced no more on that band. Switched to 80M and found two nets operating on 3560 and 3562. Started CQing on 3563 but no takers. Heard K8DD CQ'ing away on 3560.37 just above the net and worked Hank. Got yanked out of the chair for another half hour and made one last Q with Ian, K8MM at 0249. I heard NF0R but he could not hear me. I was momentarily tempted to switch on the amp but was successful in restraining that foolish inclination. If not for the interruptions, I may have had a few more on 40M but the band did not sound very good so maybe I didn't miss much. Equipment used was an Icom 756P3 at 5 watts, Force12 C3, Cushcraft 40-2CD and an 80M full wave loop which faces east. Thanks for the contacts and hoping the fall brings better conditions on the low bands for the SS.
K6CSL
Yaesu FT-450 running 5W to "Stealth" Antennas. 20 appeared dead from the start tonight and 40 was very noisey here in Central CA. Thanks to Elwood WB0OEW for the QSO.
K8DD
It was an 80 and 40 Sprint!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Results: Sept. '09 Spartan Sprint
| SKINNY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| W5ACM | 15 | 0.138 | 108.7 |
| W5ESE | 30 | 0.844 | 35.55 |
| K5JHP | 22 | 2.5 | 8.8 |
| K9JWV | 20 | 2.3 | 8.7 |
| W1PID | 25 | 4.25 | 5.88 |
| N4BP | 61 | 30 | 2.03 |
| N0AR | 20 | 10 | 2 |
| AF4LQ | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| K8DD | 55 | 30 | 1.83 |
| K4BAI | 54 | 30 | 1.8 |
| K7TQ | 43 | 30 | 1.43 |
| NG7Z | 42 | 30 | 1.4 |
| N8WE | 3 | 2.2 | 1.36 |
| AB9CA | 32 | 30 | 1.07 |
| WA5RML | 24 | 26 | 0.92 |
| K9FO | 18 | 30 | 0.6 |
| WB5BKL | 16 | 30 | 0.53 |
| N7MFB | 9 | 25 | 0.36 |
| N0EVH | 2 | 8 | 0.25 |
| KC1JB | 7 | 30 | 0.23 |
| N1AW | 1 | 5 | 0.2 |
| K6DGW | 9 | 47.5 | 0.19 |
| KH6B | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| TUBBY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| N4BP | 61 | 30 | 2.03 |
| K8DD | 55 | 30 | 1.83 |
| K4BAI | 54 | 30 | 1.8 |
| K7TQ | 43 | 30 | 1.43 |
| NG7Z | 42 | 30 | 1.4 |
| AB9CA | 32 | 30 | 1.07 |
| W5ESE | 30 | 0.844 | 35.55 |
| W1PID | 25 | 4.25 | 5.88 |
| WA5RML | 24 | 26 | 0.92 |
| K5JHP | 22 | 2.5 | 8.8 |
| K9JWV | 20 | 2.3 | 8.7 |
| N0AR | 20 | 10 | 2 |
| K9FO | 18 | 30 | 0.6 |
| WB5BKL | 16 | 30 | 0.53 |
| W5ACM | 15 | 0.138 | 108.7 |
| AF4LQ | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| N7MFB | 9 | 25 | 0.36 |
| K6DGW | 9 | 47.5 | 0.19 |
| KC1JB | 7 | 30 | 0.23 |
| N8WE | 3 | 2.2 | 1.36 |
| N0EVH | 2 | 8 | 0.25 |
| N1AW | 1 | 5 | 0.2 |
| KH6B | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Soapbox comments: Sept. '09 Spartan Sprint
K6DGW
I'm a tubby, lots of reasons for not going out on the deck, very low activity, all on 40, it was Labor Day after all. I will likely miss the Oct, I'll have just returned from N6A for the CQP.
W5ACM
Noise levels were reasonable in South Texas, and 20 Meters was open and quite usable. Fifty percent of my contacts this month were via 20 Meters. The vertical once again was the antenna of choice. The current pair of 200 mAh Li-Po batteries are just about dead. I will need to change them out for next month since operation was curtailed by the premature battery failure. The power level was announced as 3W, but ranged from 2.5W at the beginning of the event to as low as 0.5W near the end. However, this was an excellent sprint!
K9JWV
Glad to see some of the regulars. Worked John, K4BAI, on 20 and 40; Paul, NG7Z on 40 only this go around. 20 was good for 8 QSOs and 40 offered up 12 and all of the 40 meter QSOs were to the East Coast and Washington State; not a local soul heard. Sure will be glad to see winter months arrive with a little more stability on 40 and 80. One of the better "Sprint evenings," lately, on 40 meters for me out here in the communications outback of s/w Utah. Good to hear old friends like John, K4BAI on both bands and Paul, NG7Z, on 40. Never heard any one from the midwest, mountain states or California and that's been the standard this summer - tuff to hear what I call "north/south locals" in the evening hours. Rig: Wilderness Sierra, 10 AA battery pack, lightweight key and ear buds.
N0EVH
I was short on time and the bands seemed marginal. At least I gave out a couple of Q's from the K3 and 80 meter loop. Thanks for the sprint.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. Most of my QSOs were on 40M. My apologies to those who called me on 20M that I had trouble hearing. I had a S8-S9+ intermittent noise level (that's my excuse anyway). Had fun!
N8WE
KK4R (best RST of the Sprint), N4BP and K5GQ. All 40 mtr.
K9FO
40 meters only this time. Rig - Tentec Orion @ 5W, Antenna, Dipole.
One hour to operate but finished strong. Thanks for having the sprint.
W5ESE
AT Sprint 3 at 3 watts; Whiterook MK-44 iambic paddles; 300' horizontal loop on 20m, 40m inverted V on 40m. Wow; I haven't made 30 contacts in the Spartan Sprint since 2006! Think we benefitted from favorable propagation and also increased interest and participation. I was surprised to work Texas and Louisiana on 20 meters. It's not often I experience sporadic E on 20. Kudos to the leadership of ARS for patiently rebuilding participation in this event.
KH6B
Heard N4BP 0100 - 0130 14.060 RST 229 and building to about 339. I decided to call but the band changed. Heard a zero RST 339 but didn't get the call. This was about 0140-0145. Nothing
more heard when stopped listening at 0230.
KC1JB
This was my first Spartan Sprint. I'm looking forward to the next one!
K4BAI
20M, which had seemed dead earlier, came back to life at the beginning of the SS and QSOs were possible from GA to FL, VA, LA, TX, UT, ID, WA, MI and a very surprising one with AB9CA in AL. I was unable to raise WA7OJY in CA, but worked him on 40 later. 40 was very good to most areas of the country, but seemed a bit weak to the North East. There seemed to be no long skip on 40. 80M was noisy here, but I managed QSOs with N4BP and W2SH. WA8ZBT in TX couldn't hear me on 80. Thanks for all the QSOs and look forward to next month.
N4BP
5W from Elecraft K3, Cushcraft A4S, Sewper Armadillo 40/80 dipole. Good opening on 20M that extended just past a half hour. 40M was reasonably quiet for a change. Lots of activity.
WA5RML
Ten Tec Omni VI @ 5wts; 20M vertical, G5RV 40M; Great fun! Lots of activity on 20M & 40M; Nice to work Doc, K0EVZ. See everyone next month!
W1PID
Remarkable Spartan Sprint. I ran a new (to me) K2 at 5 watts with a Windom OCF dipole.
Best DX was on 40M with W7OM in WA. I worked K7TQ in ID on 2 bands, 20m and 40m. I worked N4BP on 2 bands, 20m and 40m. I worked Hank K8DD on 2 bands, 40m and 80m.
I worked Mike AA1TJ in VT. Mike was running 85mw! I operated for a little more than an hour
and had a great time. Thanks to all.
N7MFB
Conditions not the best. The most surprizing contact was AA4XX with 1/4 watt. Nicely done!
It is somewhat sad that some digital stations are "parking" around 7.040 now. Quite a bit of QRM made it hard to hear everyone.
N1AW
Used HW-8 at home with 160' end-fed wire. The only station I heard calling CQ SP on 80 was W1PID, who came right back. Heard several calling CQ SP on 40 but they didn't hear me.
NG7Z
Not a bad night in the 'ol town tonight. 20M was good until 0143Z at which time I took a 5 min break. 40M was hopping and spent the rest of the time there. Most surprising contact was VE2EMZ in Quebec. Several east coast stations got in the log this month unlike last month. I
think I should have at least took a listen on 80M but just forgot. Congrats to Doug AC7T for jumping in the fray. His first time at the SP. See you next month. Equipment was an Icom 756P3 at 5W, a Force12 C3 on 20M and a 2 element shorty forty on 40.
N0AR
Only ran on 40 meters and suffered through the QRN. Lots of familiar calls in the log. Rig was a K2 antenna was a 1 wavelength wire up 35 feet, my 80 m EFHW. Heard two contacts that had me rolling, one at 500w and the other at 20w.
K7TQ
First use of my new K3! Finished assembly on Saturday and on the air for SP. 20 m good for 1st half hour. Most states were east of MS river. 40 m open from CA to NH. Lots of Texans out in force tonight. Tried 80 m, but no SP heard. At 0259 got a call from AA4XX, Paul, running 200 mW. He was one of the louder stations of the evening.
AF4LQ
Ran a Sierra at 3w's to a short doublet up 25ft, casual S/P'ing between other chores. Fun as always, c'ya next month.
AB9CA
Station was K2 to OCF 80m Inv Vee. Thanks to all who stopped by. Was a fun evening despite the difficulties getting used to a different set of paddles. Am something of a klutz so always mess up some sending, but tonight, with a different set of paddles, was worse than normal. Thanks to all who tolerated the errors! The activity was about evenly split, 17 Q's on 20 and 15 on 40. Worked as close as about 200 miles (K4BAI) and as far away as about 2000 (NG7Z) on both bands. Haven't done that in some time. Listened on 80 but heard no one and there was quite a bit of noise so no contacts there. Maybe the wintertime prop is beginning to appear? See ya'all next month!
K5JHP
Running with the K-1 this time with small paddles and NMH batteries. 20 was hot while it lasted. 40 was Ok but some QRM from slow CW. I would like to see some of the stations on 20 meters spread out more. Seems like they were all in the first 2KC of "60" and QRM'd each other. 40 was some better but still on top of each other. Be back next month.
I'm a tubby, lots of reasons for not going out on the deck, very low activity, all on 40, it was Labor Day after all. I will likely miss the Oct, I'll have just returned from N6A for the CQP.
W5ACM
Noise levels were reasonable in South Texas, and 20 Meters was open and quite usable. Fifty percent of my contacts this month were via 20 Meters. The vertical once again was the antenna of choice. The current pair of 200 mAh Li-Po batteries are just about dead. I will need to change them out for next month since operation was curtailed by the premature battery failure. The power level was announced as 3W, but ranged from 2.5W at the beginning of the event to as low as 0.5W near the end. However, this was an excellent sprint!
K9JWV
Glad to see some of the regulars. Worked John, K4BAI, on 20 and 40; Paul, NG7Z on 40 only this go around. 20 was good for 8 QSOs and 40 offered up 12 and all of the 40 meter QSOs were to the East Coast and Washington State; not a local soul heard. Sure will be glad to see winter months arrive with a little more stability on 40 and 80. One of the better "Sprint evenings," lately, on 40 meters for me out here in the communications outback of s/w Utah. Good to hear old friends like John, K4BAI on both bands and Paul, NG7Z, on 40. Never heard any one from the midwest, mountain states or California and that's been the standard this summer - tuff to hear what I call "north/south locals" in the evening hours. Rig: Wilderness Sierra, 10 AA battery pack, lightweight key and ear buds.
N0EVH
I was short on time and the bands seemed marginal. At least I gave out a couple of Q's from the K3 and 80 meter loop. Thanks for the sprint.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. Most of my QSOs were on 40M. My apologies to those who called me on 20M that I had trouble hearing. I had a S8-S9+ intermittent noise level (that's my excuse anyway). Had fun!
N8WE
KK4R (best RST of the Sprint), N4BP and K5GQ. All 40 mtr.
K9FO
40 meters only this time. Rig - Tentec Orion @ 5W, Antenna, Dipole.
One hour to operate but finished strong. Thanks for having the sprint.
W5ESE
AT Sprint 3 at 3 watts; Whiterook MK-44 iambic paddles; 300' horizontal loop on 20m, 40m inverted V on 40m. Wow; I haven't made 30 contacts in the Spartan Sprint since 2006! Think we benefitted from favorable propagation and also increased interest and participation. I was surprised to work Texas and Louisiana on 20 meters. It's not often I experience sporadic E on 20. Kudos to the leadership of ARS for patiently rebuilding participation in this event.
KH6B
Heard N4BP 0100 - 0130 14.060 RST 229 and building to about 339. I decided to call but the band changed. Heard a zero RST 339 but didn't get the call. This was about 0140-0145. Nothing
more heard when stopped listening at 0230.
KC1JB
This was my first Spartan Sprint. I'm looking forward to the next one!
K4BAI
20M, which had seemed dead earlier, came back to life at the beginning of the SS and QSOs were possible from GA to FL, VA, LA, TX, UT, ID, WA, MI and a very surprising one with AB9CA in AL. I was unable to raise WA7OJY in CA, but worked him on 40 later. 40 was very good to most areas of the country, but seemed a bit weak to the North East. There seemed to be no long skip on 40. 80M was noisy here, but I managed QSOs with N4BP and W2SH. WA8ZBT in TX couldn't hear me on 80. Thanks for all the QSOs and look forward to next month.
N4BP
5W from Elecraft K3, Cushcraft A4S, Sewper Armadillo 40/80 dipole. Good opening on 20M that extended just past a half hour. 40M was reasonably quiet for a change. Lots of activity.
WA5RML
Ten Tec Omni VI @ 5wts; 20M vertical, G5RV 40M; Great fun! Lots of activity on 20M & 40M; Nice to work Doc, K0EVZ. See everyone next month!
W1PID
Remarkable Spartan Sprint. I ran a new (to me) K2 at 5 watts with a Windom OCF dipole.
Best DX was on 40M with W7OM in WA. I worked K7TQ in ID on 2 bands, 20m and 40m. I worked N4BP on 2 bands, 20m and 40m. I worked Hank K8DD on 2 bands, 40m and 80m.
I worked Mike AA1TJ in VT. Mike was running 85mw! I operated for a little more than an hour
and had a great time. Thanks to all.
N7MFB
Conditions not the best. The most surprizing contact was AA4XX with 1/4 watt. Nicely done!
It is somewhat sad that some digital stations are "parking" around 7.040 now. Quite a bit of QRM made it hard to hear everyone.
N1AW
Used HW-8 at home with 160' end-fed wire. The only station I heard calling CQ SP on 80 was W1PID, who came right back. Heard several calling CQ SP on 40 but they didn't hear me.
NG7Z
Not a bad night in the 'ol town tonight. 20M was good until 0143Z at which time I took a 5 min break. 40M was hopping and spent the rest of the time there. Most surprising contact was VE2EMZ in Quebec. Several east coast stations got in the log this month unlike last month. I
think I should have at least took a listen on 80M but just forgot. Congrats to Doug AC7T for jumping in the fray. His first time at the SP. See you next month. Equipment was an Icom 756P3 at 5W, a Force12 C3 on 20M and a 2 element shorty forty on 40.
N0AR
Only ran on 40 meters and suffered through the QRN. Lots of familiar calls in the log. Rig was a K2 antenna was a 1 wavelength wire up 35 feet, my 80 m EFHW. Heard two contacts that had me rolling, one at 500w and the other at 20w.
K7TQ
First use of my new K3! Finished assembly on Saturday and on the air for SP. 20 m good for 1st half hour. Most states were east of MS river. 40 m open from CA to NH. Lots of Texans out in force tonight. Tried 80 m, but no SP heard. At 0259 got a call from AA4XX, Paul, running 200 mW. He was one of the louder stations of the evening.
AF4LQ
Ran a Sierra at 3w's to a short doublet up 25ft, casual S/P'ing between other chores. Fun as always, c'ya next month.
AB9CA
Station was K2 to OCF 80m Inv Vee. Thanks to all who stopped by. Was a fun evening despite the difficulties getting used to a different set of paddles. Am something of a klutz so always mess up some sending, but tonight, with a different set of paddles, was worse than normal. Thanks to all who tolerated the errors! The activity was about evenly split, 17 Q's on 20 and 15 on 40. Worked as close as about 200 miles (K4BAI) and as far away as about 2000 (NG7Z) on both bands. Haven't done that in some time. Listened on 80 but heard no one and there was quite a bit of noise so no contacts there. Maybe the wintertime prop is beginning to appear? See ya'all next month!
K5JHP
Running with the K-1 this time with small paddles and NMH batteries. 20 was hot while it lasted. 40 was Ok but some QRM from slow CW. I would like to see some of the stations on 20 meters spread out more. Seems like they were all in the first 2KC of "60" and QRM'd each other. 40 was some better but still on top of each other. Be back next month.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Aug. '09 Spartan Sprint results
| SKINNY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| W5ACM | 12 | 0.138 | 86.956521 |
| K4PQC | 19 | 0.21875 | 86.857142 |
| K5GQ | 25 | 0.39 | 64.1 |
| W0RSP | 26 | 0.812499 | 32 |
| KF0N | 7 | 0.317 | 22.08 |
| W5ESE | 16 | 0.844 | 18.96 |
| W2NED | 10 | 1.2 | 8.33 |
| W1PID | 17 | 2.6 | 6.54 |
| K8DD | 39 | 10 | 3.9 |
| K6DGW | 3 | 0.823 | 3.65 |
| NK6A | 20 | 6 | 3.33 |
| WB8LZG | 10 | 4 | 2.5 |
| N4BP | 66 | 30 | 2.2 |
| N1LN | 65 | 30 | 2.17 |
| KA9UDA | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| NG7Z | 48 | 30 | 1.6 |
| N8WE | 3 | 2 | 1.5 |
| K7TQ | 35 | 30 | 1.17 |
| KK5NA | 20 | 18 | 1.11 |
| KE0G | 39 | 35 | 1.11 |
| WB8RTJ | 33 | 30 | 1.1 |
| N5GW | 29 | 30 | 0.97 |
| AB9CA | 26 | 30 | 0.87 |
| WA1ZCQ | 4 | 5 | 0.8 |
| K9FO | 23 | 30 | 0.77 |
| W5JHP | 21 | 30 | 0.7 |
| WB5BKL | 18 | 30 | 0.6 |
| N1LU | 10 | 30 | 0.33 |
| K6CSL | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| N0BN | 1 | 30 | 0.03 |
| KH6B | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| TUBBY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| N4BP | 66 | 30 | 2.2 |
| N1LN | 65 | 30 | 2.17 |
| NG7Z | 48 | 30 | 1.6 |
| K8DD | 39 | 10 | 3.9 |
| KE0G | 39 | 35 | 1.11 |
| K7TQ | 35 | 30 | 1.17 |
| WB8RTJ | 33 | 30 | 1.1 |
| N5GW | 29 | 30 | 0.97 |
| W0RSP | 26 | 0.812499 | 32 |
| AB9CA | 26 | 30 | 0.87 |
| K5GQ | 25 | 0.39 | 64.1 |
| K9FO | 23 | 30 | 0.77 |
| W5JHP | 21 | 30 | 0.7 |
| NK6A | 20 | 6 | 3.33 |
| KK5NA | 20 | 18 | 1.11 |
| K4PQC | 19 | 0.21875 | 86.857142 |
| WB5BKL | 18 | 30 | 0.6 |
| W1PID | 17 | 2.6 | 6.54 |
| W5ESE | 16 | 0.844 | 18.96 |
| W5ACM | 12 | 0.138 | 86.956521 |
| W2NED | 10 | 1.2 | 8.33 |
| WB8LZG | 10 | 4 | 2.5 |
| N1LU | 10 | 30 | 0.33 |
| KA9UDA | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| KF0N | 7 | 0.317 | 22.08 |
| WA1ZCQ | 4 | 5 | 0.8 |
| K6CSL | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| K6DGW | 3 | 0.823 | 3.65 |
| N8WE | 3 | 2 | 1.5 |
| N0BN | 1 | 30 | 0.03 |
| KH6B | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Aug. '09 Spartan Sprint Soapbox comments
K5JHP
Good night for a change. New K3 with 20 mtr EDZ antenna. Most of the contacts were on 40 meters, but 20 opened up long at 22 minutes after the start and got 4 contacts there. Be back next month.
N1LU
Sorry I couldn't stay for the whole Sprint. Fun, as usual.
N1LN
What started off as a VERY slow night on 20 meters picked up quickly when I moved to 40. Then the move to 80 turned out to be VERY slow going. So, I moved back to 40 and worked 6 more Qs. This was my best single band QSO count yet with 43 Qs on 40 meters. After those Qs I moved back to 80 and worked a few more. More of you should have moved to 80 as conditions were not that bad. Signals were strong and easy to copy. See you all next month. QSO Breakdown: 80 = 7; 40 = 43; 20 = 15. Rig: (2) K3s @ 5w; Antennas: 20: 4 x 4 x 4; 40: 2 x 2; 80: Inverted-V at 60.’
K8DD
Noisy, 20 was not good, 40 wasn't much better and 80 made them both look good! Noisy. K3 & K2, beam (20M), dipoles on 40 & 80.
KK5NA
One contact on 20M, 18 on noisy 40M and 1 contact on 10M! Rig was K3 at 5watts and antenna EDZ at 55.'
N4BP
Running K3 at 5W to A4S and 40/80 trap dipole.As usual for this time of year, bands were very noisy from storm static.20M folded in less than 30 minutes. 40M tolerable, but 80M impossible.
K5GQ
ATS-3 & dipole 24.' Did not get enough CW this weekend! (only 1 1/2 hours at the end.) Signals were typical; up and down. The static crashes were absent tonight. WOW, could not believe 25Qs tonight on one band. There were stations I could not pull out of the noise.
AB9CA
Rig was K2, Ant OCF 80m dipole. Was a few minutes late getting started and only made 7 contacts on 20 before deciding it had gone too long to be worthwhile. 40 was pretty good for a while then it seemed to die also. Did not try 80, maybe should have. Total of 26 contacts. Not too many but fun anyway. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! See ya' next month.
K6CSL
I was 1/2 hour late. 20 was good, 40 not so good. Fun anyway.
K4PQC
ATS-3 and 160 Meter horizontal loop at about 30 feet. 20 Meters was fairly quiet and I heard many stations calling CQ but could only work 2. 40 Meters was fairly noisy, open to South Florida, TX and the Pacific NW. Lots of fun!
NG7Z
Pretty decent conditions this month. Made the last qso on 20M at 01:34Z since no other signals could be heard. Switched to 40M and, as usual, there is about a half hour period where there seems to be one way skip. I can hear ‘em but they can’t hear me. Between 0100Z and 0130Z seems to be the best window and I took advantage of it as best I could. Took 15 min for dinner and finished up with 7 more q’s in the last 15 minutes. All in all, a good showing for the sprint. Nice to see more and more participants in this once popular event. Thanks for the q’s and see you all next month.
K9FO
My first SP. I had 6 QSOs on 20 and 17 on 40. Rig: TenTec Orion @ 5 W. Dipoles on 20 and 40. I am getting a skinny station together so will try that when ready.Thanks for having the test.
NK6A
Could only manage 45 minutes. 20 Meters sounded great from So. Calif. 40 was a little noisy with QRN and deep QSB. Used my K2 to base station Force 12C4.
WA1ZCQ/1
I had just got my temporary antenna(s) up at 7PM. Left for supper and when I returned at 10:45 I heard stations calling CQSP! Well, that was my 'reminder' for this months Spartan Sprint! (I didn't see anything on QRP-L today(?). I miss John Huffman's postings.) It was 10:51 when I made my 1st Q with N1LN/4-NC, from there it was K8DD-MI, K9OM-WI & W3CQB-PA all on 80 meters. By then it was 11PM and the end of the Sprint. I was sure glad I heard that CQSP on 80. Rig: 703 @ 5W with 9.6V 1600mA NiMH battery Ant: phased wire verticals for 80M (both 1/4WL high, separated by 1/4WL in east west orientation)
W1PID
Band condx much better and more activity. I operated about a half hour
and worked 17 stns. Best DX was Randy, K7TQ in ID. Greatest fun... Steve in the kayak WG0AT/MM in CO. I ran an FT-817 and a windom ocf dipole. Thanks all.
WB8LZG
K1 on batt power. Ant 20mtr dipole es 40mtr dipole at 30. I was thinking "skinny" this month w/ K1 on batt power. I know station weight was well under 5 lbs. this time. Only 1 QSO on 20m. But 40 was doing well. Had a great time.
KH6B
Only 20 meters was active during the SP. Signals mostly weak and QSB. I tried to "punch" through but no go. Heard: KI7V, K8DD and AB0BM. Hank K8DD at the time peaked 579. A few minutes later, no signals! Aloha!
WB8RTJ
First sprint in a long time. Good to see many of the regulars still around es many new ones. Stayed on 40 es the first hour was pretty good, after that things came pretty much to a stop. Still fun no matter for how long. Used my K2 at 5w, ant a force 12 c4sxl at 50 feet. 72 to all es hope to get in more often.
KF0N
The rig used was an ATS-3B running 4-watts output. Conditions were certainly poorer this month than last. At least the Midwest seemed like an RF black hole! Worked only two stations on 20 meters and I knew things weren't good when I heard Bob, N4BP, on 40 meters only 20 minutes after the contest started! My big loop antenna came down after a wind storm here last month so was forced to improvise for the contest. Thanks to the few guys I could work with my whimpy set up. I hope to see you all next month with a better skyhook.
N8WE
Three contacts on 20 meter /pm. NK6A was my 27th state operating pedestrian mobile.
W5ESE
KD1JV AT Sprint 3, Whiterook MK-44 paddles, 9.6V wall wart. My antenna was a 100m Horizontal Loop. Propagation on 20m only lasted a half hour here. Propagation on 40m seemed good, but the atmospheric noise was a challenge. Had better luck completing contacts this month than I've had since last winter. Welcome to the new participants, and hope to hear you in September!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. I wasted some time calling on 15M as I had some luck there in the NAQP. Activity in this month's Sprint seemed a little better but I did not hear some of the regulars. One-third of my contacts were on 20M and two-thirds on 40M. Did not try 80M. Had fun.
K6DGW
KX1 w/paddle and ATU 2.9W, LiPoly battery, Buddipole, all 40m.
N5GW
HW-9 many mods, HB microtuner to CFZ 4 watts.
W0RSP
Greatest Sprint in a long time - maybe the cycle is picking up. My 30m dipole is at 35-ft fed with 300-ohm twinlead with a KX1 @ 4w out. I was on for 1:15 and worked 26 on 40m - did the extremeties on the US: ME, FL, TX, WA along with MS, LA, VT, NH, PA, OH,, NM, NY, IL, GA, CO, ID. Boy, I sure hope this is a real beginning that will keep going up! Next month will by my last sprint from SD until next May or June. I'll be in AZ in a HOA antenna-restricted development except I have a couple of ideas involving a DK9SQ pole!
W5ACM
It was once again a delight to find 20M open for the first part of the event! Activity on 40M was brisk, with a reasonable noise level - better than last month. I never did get on 80M. The AT-Sprint 3a did well, but power output was drooping at about 70 minutes into the event. I may need to invest in some new 200-mAh LiPo's soon. NV0U gets my vote for most patience while we worked to complete a 20M contact. My antique, multi-band vertical continues to perform!
KE0G
K-3 running 5 watts to two switchable 74' dipoles up 50' and fed with balanced lines and a Matchbox. Thanks for all the QSO's. Big Signals here in MN were: N4BP S9+ 10 dB on 20 M, K8DD S9+ 10 dB on 40 M, K9OM S9+ 20 dB on 80 M, however QRN was S9 on 80 M. See you next time.
K7TQ
A great evening for both 20 and 40 in Idaho. 20 m was good for about half an hour. 40 got hot for the second hour. Worked N1LN and NK6A on both bands. Also found the goat man in his kayak on 20 with a nice signal. Stayed at home and used the K2 and Force 12 C4SXL at 40 feet. Thanks to all who stopped by.
W2NED
KX1 at 3W into a dipole. I worked the second hour on 40 meters. Great fun as usual!
Good night for a change. New K3 with 20 mtr EDZ antenna. Most of the contacts were on 40 meters, but 20 opened up long at 22 minutes after the start and got 4 contacts there. Be back next month.
N1LU
Sorry I couldn't stay for the whole Sprint. Fun, as usual.
N1LN
What started off as a VERY slow night on 20 meters picked up quickly when I moved to 40. Then the move to 80 turned out to be VERY slow going. So, I moved back to 40 and worked 6 more Qs. This was my best single band QSO count yet with 43 Qs on 40 meters. After those Qs I moved back to 80 and worked a few more. More of you should have moved to 80 as conditions were not that bad. Signals were strong and easy to copy. See you all next month. QSO Breakdown: 80 = 7; 40 = 43; 20 = 15. Rig: (2) K3s @ 5w; Antennas: 20: 4 x 4 x 4; 40: 2 x 2; 80: Inverted-V at 60.’
K8DD
Noisy, 20 was not good, 40 wasn't much better and 80 made them both look good! Noisy. K3 & K2, beam (20M), dipoles on 40 & 80.
KK5NA
One contact on 20M, 18 on noisy 40M and 1 contact on 10M! Rig was K3 at 5watts and antenna EDZ at 55.'
N4BP
Running K3 at 5W to A4S and 40/80 trap dipole.As usual for this time of year, bands were very noisy from storm static.20M folded in less than 30 minutes. 40M tolerable, but 80M impossible.
K5GQ
ATS-3 & dipole 24.' Did not get enough CW this weekend! (only 1 1/2 hours at the end.) Signals were typical; up and down. The static crashes were absent tonight. WOW, could not believe 25Qs tonight on one band. There were stations I could not pull out of the noise.
AB9CA
Rig was K2, Ant OCF 80m dipole. Was a few minutes late getting started and only made 7 contacts on 20 before deciding it had gone too long to be worthwhile. 40 was pretty good for a while then it seemed to die also. Did not try 80, maybe should have. Total of 26 contacts. Not too many but fun anyway. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! See ya' next month.
K6CSL
I was 1/2 hour late. 20 was good, 40 not so good. Fun anyway.
K4PQC
ATS-3 and 160 Meter horizontal loop at about 30 feet. 20 Meters was fairly quiet and I heard many stations calling CQ but could only work 2. 40 Meters was fairly noisy, open to South Florida, TX and the Pacific NW. Lots of fun!
NG7Z
Pretty decent conditions this month. Made the last qso on 20M at 01:34Z since no other signals could be heard. Switched to 40M and, as usual, there is about a half hour period where there seems to be one way skip. I can hear ‘em but they can’t hear me. Between 0100Z and 0130Z seems to be the best window and I took advantage of it as best I could. Took 15 min for dinner and finished up with 7 more q’s in the last 15 minutes. All in all, a good showing for the sprint. Nice to see more and more participants in this once popular event. Thanks for the q’s and see you all next month.
K9FO
My first SP. I had 6 QSOs on 20 and 17 on 40. Rig: TenTec Orion @ 5 W. Dipoles on 20 and 40. I am getting a skinny station together so will try that when ready.Thanks for having the test.
NK6A
Could only manage 45 minutes. 20 Meters sounded great from So. Calif. 40 was a little noisy with QRN and deep QSB. Used my K2 to base station Force 12C4.
WA1ZCQ/1
I had just got my temporary antenna(s) up at 7PM. Left for supper and when I returned at 10:45 I heard stations calling CQSP! Well, that was my 'reminder' for this months Spartan Sprint! (I didn't see anything on QRP-L today(?). I miss John Huffman's postings.) It was 10:51 when I made my 1st Q with N1LN/4-NC, from there it was K8DD-MI, K9OM-WI & W3CQB-PA all on 80 meters. By then it was 11PM and the end of the Sprint. I was sure glad I heard that CQSP on 80. Rig: 703 @ 5W with 9.6V 1600mA NiMH battery Ant: phased wire verticals for 80M (both 1/4WL high, separated by 1/4WL in east west orientation)
W1PID
Band condx much better and more activity. I operated about a half hour
and worked 17 stns. Best DX was Randy, K7TQ in ID. Greatest fun... Steve in the kayak WG0AT/MM in CO. I ran an FT-817 and a windom ocf dipole. Thanks all.
WB8LZG
K1 on batt power. Ant 20mtr dipole es 40mtr dipole at 30. I was thinking "skinny" this month w/ K1 on batt power. I know station weight was well under 5 lbs. this time. Only 1 QSO on 20m. But 40 was doing well. Had a great time.
KH6B
Only 20 meters was active during the SP. Signals mostly weak and QSB. I tried to "punch" through but no go. Heard: KI7V, K8DD and AB0BM. Hank K8DD at the time peaked 579. A few minutes later, no signals! Aloha!
WB8RTJ
First sprint in a long time. Good to see many of the regulars still around es many new ones. Stayed on 40 es the first hour was pretty good, after that things came pretty much to a stop. Still fun no matter for how long. Used my K2 at 5w, ant a force 12 c4sxl at 50 feet. 72 to all es hope to get in more often.
KF0N
The rig used was an ATS-3B running 4-watts output. Conditions were certainly poorer this month than last. At least the Midwest seemed like an RF black hole! Worked only two stations on 20 meters and I knew things weren't good when I heard Bob, N4BP, on 40 meters only 20 minutes after the contest started! My big loop antenna came down after a wind storm here last month so was forced to improvise for the contest. Thanks to the few guys I could work with my whimpy set up. I hope to see you all next month with a better skyhook.
N8WE
Three contacts on 20 meter /pm. NK6A was my 27th state operating pedestrian mobile.
W5ESE
KD1JV AT Sprint 3, Whiterook MK-44 paddles, 9.6V wall wart. My antenna was a 100m Horizontal Loop. Propagation on 20m only lasted a half hour here. Propagation on 40m seemed good, but the atmospheric noise was a challenge. Had better luck completing contacts this month than I've had since last winter. Welcome to the new participants, and hope to hear you in September!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. I wasted some time calling on 15M as I had some luck there in the NAQP. Activity in this month's Sprint seemed a little better but I did not hear some of the regulars. One-third of my contacts were on 20M and two-thirds on 40M. Did not try 80M. Had fun.
K6DGW
KX1 w/paddle and ATU 2.9W, LiPoly battery, Buddipole, all 40m.
N5GW
HW-9 many mods, HB microtuner to CFZ 4 watts.
W0RSP
Greatest Sprint in a long time - maybe the cycle is picking up. My 30m dipole is at 35-ft fed with 300-ohm twinlead with a KX1 @ 4w out. I was on for 1:15 and worked 26 on 40m - did the extremeties on the US: ME, FL, TX, WA along with MS, LA, VT, NH, PA, OH,, NM, NY, IL, GA, CO, ID. Boy, I sure hope this is a real beginning that will keep going up! Next month will by my last sprint from SD until next May or June. I'll be in AZ in a HOA antenna-restricted development except I have a couple of ideas involving a DK9SQ pole!
W5ACM
It was once again a delight to find 20M open for the first part of the event! Activity on 40M was brisk, with a reasonable noise level - better than last month. I never did get on 80M. The AT-Sprint 3a did well, but power output was drooping at about 70 minutes into the event. I may need to invest in some new 200-mAh LiPo's soon. NV0U gets my vote for most patience while we worked to complete a 20M contact. My antique, multi-band vertical continues to perform!
KE0G
K-3 running 5 watts to two switchable 74' dipoles up 50' and fed with balanced lines and a Matchbox. Thanks for all the QSO's. Big Signals here in MN were: N4BP S9+ 10 dB on 20 M, K8DD S9+ 10 dB on 40 M, K9OM S9+ 20 dB on 80 M, however QRN was S9 on 80 M. See you next time.
K7TQ
A great evening for both 20 and 40 in Idaho. 20 m was good for about half an hour. 40 got hot for the second hour. Worked N1LN and NK6A on both bands. Also found the goat man in his kayak on 20 with a nice signal. Stayed at home and used the K2 and Force 12 C4SXL at 40 feet. Thanks to all who stopped by.
W2NED
KX1 at 3W into a dipole. I worked the second hour on 40 meters. Great fun as usual!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Results: July '09 Spartan Sprint
| SKINNY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| K4PQC | 24 | 0.21875 | 109.71 |
| W5ACM | 10 | 0.138 | 72.46 |
| KF0N | 16 | 0.317 | 50.47 |
| WA5BDU | 16 | 1.02 | 15.68 |
| W2NED | 14 | 1.2 | 11.67 |
| W5ESE | 9 | 0.844 | 10.66 |
| KD9KC | 11 | 2.96 | 3.72 |
| N7RVD | 13 | 4.17 | 3.12 |
| N1LN | 55 | 30 | 1.83 |
| N6RO | 48 | 30 | 1.6 |
| WA6L | 16 | 11 | 1.45 |
| K4BAI | 42 | 30 | 1.4 |
| K9JWV | 5 | 5.2 | 0.96 |
| K6DGW | 11 | 12.5 | 0.88 |
| KD3FG | 22 | 30 | 0.73 |
| KD2MX | 9 | 15 | 0.6 |
| K5JHP | 16 | 30 | 0.53 |
| WB5BKL | 15 | 30 | 0.5 |
| WB8LZG | 15 | 30 | 0.5 |
| N8WE | 10 | 30 | 0.33 |
| AL7FS | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| W2VV | 1 | 8.6 | 0.12 |
| KH6B | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| TUBBY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| N1LN | 55 | 30 | 1.83 |
| N6RO | 48 | 30 | 1.6 |
| K4BAI | 42 | 30 | 1.4 |
| K4PQC | 24 | 0.21875 | 109.71 |
| KD3FG | 22 | 30 | 0.73 |
| KF0N | 16 | 0.317 | 50.47 |
| WA5BDU | 16 | 1.02 | 15.68 |
| WA6L | 16 | 11 | 1.45 |
| K5JHP | 16 | 30 | 0.53 |
| WB5BKL | 15 | 30 | 0.5 |
| WB8LZG | 15 | 30 | 0.5 |
| W2NED | 14 | 1.2 | 11.67 |
| N7RVD | 13 | 4.17 | 3.12 |
| KD9KC | 11 | 2.96 | 3.72 |
| K6DGW | 11 | 12.5 | 0.88 |
| W5ACM | 10 | 0.138 | 72.46 |
| N8WE | 10 | 30 | 0.33 |
| W5ESE | 9 | 0.844 | 10.66 |
| KD2MX | 9 | 15 | 0.6 |
| K9JWV | 5 | 5.2 | 0.96 |
| AL7FS | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| W2VV | 1 | 8.6 | 0.12 |
| KH6B | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Soapbox comments: July '09 Spartan Sprint
N8WE
6 contacts on 20 mtr/pm - 2 lb; 4 contacts on 40 mtr - 30 lb. Mosquitos curtailed the /pm
K4PQC
24 contacts; 0.21875 lbs. - ATS III running <5 watts to a horizontal 160 meter loop up about 30'. Total station weight 3.5 oz including lithium polymer batteries, homemade paddles and ear bud. 24 contacts in all, 12 on 40m and 12 on 20m, conditions were fairly good with only moderate amount of noise but lots of QSB. This is my first Spartan Sprint log submission this year and it seems to me to be a much better way than entering the results in a Wiki blog! Thanks for your hard work.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. 20M was good. 40M was OK. 80M sounded impossible, so I did not even try. Got N1LN and N6RO on both bands. K6MDJ gets my award for the most patience - many thanks. Had fun. 73 to all.
WA5BDU
My first attempt. I was amazed at the burst of activity at 0100. I wanted to go skinny, but will need some work as my paddle was half the weight of the station. Rig was the ATS-3 with three thin Li-polymer battery cells I'm using with the rig for the first time. In what I assume was in keeping with the spirit of ARS, I set up in the yard battling the mosquitoes. Fired a line over a limb an pulled up a 66 foot EFHW. I love this antenna for this kind of activity; it has never disappointed me.
KD3FG
Great sprint! Lots of signals on 20m for the first hour. Lots of QRN on 40 so I quit early. I'm happy with the count of 20 on 20 and 2 on 40 with the K2. Thanks to w5ese who hung in there with me even though he was at near ESP levels.
KH6B
Active only during the last hour. Heard WA8ZBT and N6RO. Called but no joy! Sorry to be inactive in the Spartan Sprints 2 - 3 years? Aloha.
KD2MX
FT897@5W to 600' loop. 20M was pretty good last night and I enjoyed the first 30 minutes or so before having to finish up some work.
W5ESE
AT Sprint 3 at 3 watts. Whiterook MK-44 iambic paddles. 67' end fed wire, with radials. 20 meters was open again this month. I operated portable from my mother's back porch near Kerrville, Texas. Again had deafening QRN on 40 meters. Good to hear a lot of new participants, as well as old friends that have taken part in the Spartan Sprints for years.
K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W output, TH6DXX fixed NorthEast, 88' center fed zepp, 40M dipole, 80M inverted vee dipole. Sprint started out good on 20M with a lot of activity and good signals from the North and NorthEast. Some signals from the west were OK. Activity dropped quickly on 20. 40M had high QRN levels and little activity. Was able to work as far as N6RO and as close as K4PQC, also in GA, so skip zone wasn't long, but other western signals were not worked. Only station heard on 80M was N1LN . (Thanks for three bands, Bruce.) 10M was open with Es and loud signals, but none operating the Sprint. It would be wise to check 10 and 15M during the summer Sprints. Thanks for all the QSOs and CU next month.
K9JWV
Simply pathetic conditions out here in s/w Utah! Last month: 17 QSOs. This month: 5! Heard stations for, oh...gosh, at least one or two minutes before they simply vanished and that included 40 meters! I expected that on 20 but 40? Will be glad to see winter months approaching.
WB8LZG
Only got to play radio abt 45 mins. yet 20 mtrs was in nice shape. Worked 15 stns in 10 states, using K2 at 5w to dipole up 30 ft. I was running "tubby" tonight using an aircraft deep cycle battery for power. Dont know the weight exactly,20 lbs maybe, but it's not for the skinny class. Lots of activity so no problem working others. I did miss a few that i cuoldnt quite pull out. SRI fellas. See u all agn next time.
N7RVD
Fun Sprint. Worked portable from Maine. All my q's were on 20 meters and all the action switched to 40 after the first half hour. Tnx es CUAGN.
N6RO
20 meters, 37; 40 meters, 11. QRN made this one slow.
W5ACM
Noise levels were high in South Texas, but 20 Meters was open and quite usable, in spite of serious QSB. Eighty percent of my contacts this month were via 20 Meters. I would have tried 15 Meters, but the ATS-3A doesn't go that high. Although I tried using the dual-band (20 + 40) dipole hanging on my chimney, the vertical once again was the antenna of choice. The current pair of 200 mAh Li-Po batteries are getting "tired". I may need to change them out for next month. The power level was announced as 2W, but ranged from 2.5W at the beginning of the event to as low as 1W near the end. It was great to hear so many familiar callsigns along with some new ones! It was a fun event.
K6DGW
I'm a tubby counting K2, SLA, HexKey, and cans. Mike, KD9KC, got me interested in this again. K2+Buddipole, 5W, 12aH SLA battery. Nice evening on the deck. 20 was dying rapidly at 0100Z, 40 didn't go long until maybe 0245Z or so, so I just sought out local N. Cal non-players who gave me an exchange. That might not be fair, feel free to DQ me, but I had a good time, and found out my back-up, 18 year old 12V SLA had become a 6V SLA which did not make the K2 happy. I have a new one now. And, I heard [but did not work] KD9KC in El Paso working KE0G on 40. All in all, fun. Glad I did it. I'll work at it for next month, maybe with my KX1 if I can get it fixed by then.
W2VV
FT-857d @ 5W, EFHW vertical on 20m. This was my first Sprint and more importantly my first attempt at sending CW. I only made one contact, and I managed to botch even that (apologies to WB8LZG), but I still had fun. Looking forward to FOBB.
KD9KC
Had a great time. I stayed in the house to enjoy the A/C this time, it was 94 and humid in the garden. Station FT-817 with key, headphones and internal battery again. Check it out on my QRZ profile. I only wish some operators would slow a bit for us CW-challenged folks. I had to listen to one station make 3 contacts before I had it all. Heard a few other stations that were too weak. Got UT, FL, MI, GA, MN, NC, TX, and CA, a nice state count from El Paso. I did better this month. 45% better in fact. I also got a better scale and weighed each piece of equipment more accurately. I almost needed a fresh internal battery by the time the contest was over. Two hours of S&P CW is about all the 2700 mah battery can give. Looking forward to next month.
N1LN
One TUFF night. The QRN was worse this week than last. I worked my last QSO at 0232 z. It was indeed a very slow and QRN filled final half hour. QSO Breakdown – 80 = 2; 40 = 20; 20 = 33; Rig: (2) K3s @ 5w; Antennas: 20: 4 x 4 x 4; 40: 2 x 2; 80: Vertical w/elevated radials; RX: W,NW,N, NE, S beverages.
K5JHP
New K3 on same antenna system. Plenty of QRN from storms in the region. Spent most time "setting up" the K3 for the first contest on it. Remarkable radio, much to learn about it. Be back next month.
W2NED
I used a KX1 with an external battery pack comprising 8 AA lithium batteries on 20 and 40 meters with an OCF dipole. Great fun, but bands began fading at about 10:15PM EDT.
KF0N
Great contest this evening. I slipped down to 40M about half way through the contest but QRN of course was brutal. 20M seems to be staying open a bit longer now that the solar flux numbers are on the rise again. Some e-skip seemed to be prevalent too as there were some strong signals from neighboring states. I have always wished there was some way to alert the guys to try 10 and 15 meters a few minutes before settling down on good old 20! It wouldn't surprise me that were missing some good openings up there this time of year. Thanks so much for all who participated.
AL7FS
I just had to give it a try this month. As expected it was tough. It was almost like when I used to work EME but not quite that bad. My thanks to N4BP-FL, W7OM-WA, N1LN-NC and W2SH-NJ for making my day. I will have you know I had a Q-rate of 3 for the first hour. Wow! I was running five watts with my Kenwood TS-570S to my KLM KT-34A beam at 35 feet. The K2 was just not pulling out the signals. I heard N6RO but just could not get to him. Stations were not there, then they were. I worked them and then they were not there any more. I heard only five stations the entire 75 minutes I was on the air.
WA6L
It was a fun sprint, and it seemed like a good number of stations on the air. 20M started out like gangbusters, but died out at 0200Z I had no luck on 40M as it was still light on the left coast. I was using my K2 with 5 watts into a Log Periodic for 20, and a sloper for 40. Thanks to all who copied my signal and I hope to work you again next month.
6 contacts on 20 mtr/pm - 2 lb; 4 contacts on 40 mtr - 30 lb. Mosquitos curtailed the /pm
K4PQC
24 contacts; 0.21875 lbs. - ATS III running <5 watts to a horizontal 160 meter loop up about 30'. Total station weight 3.5 oz including lithium polymer batteries, homemade paddles and ear bud. 24 contacts in all, 12 on 40m and 12 on 20m, conditions were fairly good with only moderate amount of noise but lots of QSB. This is my first Spartan Sprint log submission this year and it seems to me to be a much better way than entering the results in a Wiki blog! Thanks for your hard work.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w + 40M EDZepp. 20M was good. 40M was OK. 80M sounded impossible, so I did not even try. Got N1LN and N6RO on both bands. K6MDJ gets my award for the most patience - many thanks. Had fun. 73 to all.
WA5BDU
My first attempt. I was amazed at the burst of activity at 0100. I wanted to go skinny, but will need some work as my paddle was half the weight of the station. Rig was the ATS-3 with three thin Li-polymer battery cells I'm using with the rig for the first time. In what I assume was in keeping with the spirit of ARS, I set up in the yard battling the mosquitoes. Fired a line over a limb an pulled up a 66 foot EFHW. I love this antenna for this kind of activity; it has never disappointed me.
KD3FG
Great sprint! Lots of signals on 20m for the first hour. Lots of QRN on 40 so I quit early. I'm happy with the count of 20 on 20 and 2 on 40 with the K2. Thanks to w5ese who hung in there with me even though he was at near ESP levels.
KH6B
Active only during the last hour. Heard WA8ZBT and N6RO. Called but no joy! Sorry to be inactive in the Spartan Sprints 2 - 3 years? Aloha.
KD2MX
FT897@5W to 600' loop. 20M was pretty good last night and I enjoyed the first 30 minutes or so before having to finish up some work.
W5ESE
AT Sprint 3 at 3 watts. Whiterook MK-44 iambic paddles. 67' end fed wire, with radials. 20 meters was open again this month. I operated portable from my mother's back porch near Kerrville, Texas. Again had deafening QRN on 40 meters. Good to hear a lot of new participants, as well as old friends that have taken part in the Spartan Sprints for years.
K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W output, TH6DXX fixed NorthEast, 88' center fed zepp, 40M dipole, 80M inverted vee dipole. Sprint started out good on 20M with a lot of activity and good signals from the North and NorthEast. Some signals from the west were OK. Activity dropped quickly on 20. 40M had high QRN levels and little activity. Was able to work as far as N6RO and as close as K4PQC, also in GA, so skip zone wasn't long, but other western signals were not worked. Only station heard on 80M was N1LN . (Thanks for three bands, Bruce.) 10M was open with Es and loud signals, but none operating the Sprint. It would be wise to check 10 and 15M during the summer Sprints. Thanks for all the QSOs and CU next month.
K9JWV
Simply pathetic conditions out here in s/w Utah! Last month: 17 QSOs. This month: 5! Heard stations for, oh...gosh, at least one or two minutes before they simply vanished and that included 40 meters! I expected that on 20 but 40? Will be glad to see winter months approaching.
WB8LZG
Only got to play radio abt 45 mins. yet 20 mtrs was in nice shape. Worked 15 stns in 10 states, using K2 at 5w to dipole up 30 ft. I was running "tubby" tonight using an aircraft deep cycle battery for power. Dont know the weight exactly,20 lbs maybe, but it's not for the skinny class. Lots of activity so no problem working others. I did miss a few that i cuoldnt quite pull out. SRI fellas. See u all agn next time.
N7RVD
Fun Sprint. Worked portable from Maine. All my q's were on 20 meters and all the action switched to 40 after the first half hour. Tnx es CUAGN.
N6RO
20 meters, 37; 40 meters, 11. QRN made this one slow.
W5ACM
Noise levels were high in South Texas, but 20 Meters was open and quite usable, in spite of serious QSB. Eighty percent of my contacts this month were via 20 Meters. I would have tried 15 Meters, but the ATS-3A doesn't go that high. Although I tried using the dual-band (20 + 40) dipole hanging on my chimney, the vertical once again was the antenna of choice. The current pair of 200 mAh Li-Po batteries are getting "tired". I may need to change them out for next month. The power level was announced as 2W, but ranged from 2.5W at the beginning of the event to as low as 1W near the end. It was great to hear so many familiar callsigns along with some new ones! It was a fun event.
K6DGW
I'm a tubby counting K2, SLA, HexKey, and cans. Mike, KD9KC, got me interested in this again. K2+Buddipole, 5W, 12aH SLA battery. Nice evening on the deck. 20 was dying rapidly at 0100Z, 40 didn't go long until maybe 0245Z or so, so I just sought out local N. Cal non-players who gave me an exchange. That might not be fair, feel free to DQ me, but I had a good time, and found out my back-up, 18 year old 12V SLA had become a 6V SLA which did not make the K2 happy. I have a new one now. And, I heard [but did not work] KD9KC in El Paso working KE0G on 40. All in all, fun. Glad I did it. I'll work at it for next month, maybe with my KX1 if I can get it fixed by then.
W2VV
FT-857d @ 5W, EFHW vertical on 20m. This was my first Sprint and more importantly my first attempt at sending CW. I only made one contact, and I managed to botch even that (apologies to WB8LZG), but I still had fun. Looking forward to FOBB.
KD9KC
Had a great time. I stayed in the house to enjoy the A/C this time, it was 94 and humid in the garden. Station FT-817 with key, headphones and internal battery again. Check it out on my QRZ profile. I only wish some operators would slow a bit for us CW-challenged folks. I had to listen to one station make 3 contacts before I had it all. Heard a few other stations that were too weak. Got UT, FL, MI, GA, MN, NC, TX, and CA, a nice state count from El Paso. I did better this month. 45% better in fact. I also got a better scale and weighed each piece of equipment more accurately. I almost needed a fresh internal battery by the time the contest was over. Two hours of S&P CW is about all the 2700 mah battery can give. Looking forward to next month.
N1LN
One TUFF night. The QRN was worse this week than last. I worked my last QSO at 0232 z. It was indeed a very slow and QRN filled final half hour. QSO Breakdown – 80 = 2; 40 = 20; 20 = 33; Rig: (2) K3s @ 5w; Antennas: 20: 4 x 4 x 4; 40: 2 x 2; 80: Vertical w/elevated radials; RX: W,NW,N, NE, S beverages.
K5JHP
New K3 on same antenna system. Plenty of QRN from storms in the region. Spent most time "setting up" the K3 for the first contest on it. Remarkable radio, much to learn about it. Be back next month.
W2NED
I used a KX1 with an external battery pack comprising 8 AA lithium batteries on 20 and 40 meters with an OCF dipole. Great fun, but bands began fading at about 10:15PM EDT.
KF0N
Great contest this evening. I slipped down to 40M about half way through the contest but QRN of course was brutal. 20M seems to be staying open a bit longer now that the solar flux numbers are on the rise again. Some e-skip seemed to be prevalent too as there were some strong signals from neighboring states. I have always wished there was some way to alert the guys to try 10 and 15 meters a few minutes before settling down on good old 20! It wouldn't surprise me that were missing some good openings up there this time of year. Thanks so much for all who participated.
AL7FS
I just had to give it a try this month. As expected it was tough. It was almost like when I used to work EME but not quite that bad. My thanks to N4BP-FL, W7OM-WA, N1LN-NC and W2SH-NJ for making my day. I will have you know I had a Q-rate of 3 for the first hour. Wow! I was running five watts with my Kenwood TS-570S to my KLM KT-34A beam at 35 feet. The K2 was just not pulling out the signals. I heard N6RO but just could not get to him. Stations were not there, then they were. I worked them and then they were not there any more. I heard only five stations the entire 75 minutes I was on the air.
WA6L
It was a fun sprint, and it seemed like a good number of stations on the air. 20M started out like gangbusters, but died out at 0200Z I had no luck on 40M as it was still light on the left coast. I was using my K2 with 5 watts into a Log Periodic for 20, and a sloper for 40. Thanks to all who copied my signal and I hope to work you again next month.
Friday, June 5, 2009
June '09 Spartan Sprint Results
| SKINNY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| KF0N | 19 | 0.31 | 61.29 |
| W5ACM | 6 | 0.15 | 40 |
| W0RSP | 17 | 1.4 | 12.14 |
| W5ESE | 9 | 0.844 | 10.66 |
| W1PID | 13 | 2.9 | 4.48 |
| KB2FEL | 9 | 2.58 | 3.49 |
| K9JWV | 17 | 5.6 | 3.04 |
| KD9KC | 6 | 2.99 | 2 |
| N1LN | 58 | 30 | 1.93 |
| K9IS | 16 | 9 | 1.78 |
| VE3KQN | 8 | 5.5 | 1.45 |
| K4BAI | 41 | 30 | 1.37 |
| WA3FAE | 15 | 15 | 1 |
| NG7Z | 20 | 30 | 0.67 |
| WB5BKL | 19 | 30 | 0.63 |
| KD2MX | 1 | 1.75 | 0.57 |
| KJ6HZ | 12 | 30 | 0.4 |
| KM6NN | 7 | 25 | 0.28 |
| K6CSL | 6 | 30 | 0.2 |
| K5JHP | 5 | 30 | 0.17 |
| WD9F | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| N8WE | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| KC9DJQ | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| TUBBY | |||
| Station | Contacts | Weight | Pts / Lbs |
| N1LN | 58 | 30 | 1.93 |
| K4BAI | 41 | 30 | 1.37 |
| NG7Z | 20 | 30 | 0.67 |
| WB5BKL | 19 | 30 | 0.63 |
| KF0N | 19 | 0.31 | 61.29 |
| W0RSP | 17 | 1.4 | 12.14 |
| K9JWV | 17 | 5.6 | 3.04 |
| K9IS | 16 | 9 | 1.78 |
| WA3FAE | 15 | 15 | 1 |
| W1PID | 13 | 2.9 | 4.48 |
| KJ6HZ | 12 | 30 | 0.4 |
| W5ESE | 9 | 0.844 | 10.66 |
| KB2FEL | 9 | 2.58 | 3.49 |
| VE3KQN | 8 | 5.5 | 1.45 |
| KM6NN | 7 | 25 | 0.28 |
| W5ACM | 6 | 0.15 | 40 |
| KD9KC | 6 | 2.99 | 2 |
| K6CSL | 6 | 30 | 0.2 |
| K5JHP | 5 | 30 | 0.17 |
| WD9F | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| N8WE | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| KC9DJQ | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| KD2MX | 1 | 1.75 | 0.57 |
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