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Sunday, December 9, 2012
Soapbox: December 2012 Spartan Sprint
C6AKQ (N4BP)
Rig - K3 @ 5W, Ants: 40M inverted-V @ 80ft & 80M inverted-V @ 100ft. 40M - 46 QSOs 80M - 13 QSOs. Called by HA3MK on 40M and UT1IR on 80M. By far the most Q's I've had in a Spartan Sprint. Location: Freeport, Grand Bahama. Thanks for the Q's!
K7TQ
For the December SP, I got out the lighter weight equipment
to give it a re-test run in preparation for some SOTA activations that I hope
to do this coming spring and summer. Instead of
the usual K3, I used a KX1 with its paddle, ear buds, and a 1.2 AHr gel
cell. Still a bit heavy at 2.4 lbs, but
much lighter than the K3. Strong signals from N0AR and KF0N plus a handfull of other stations
made for an enjoyable time until 40 m went long in about an hour. Every time I get out the KX1 paddles it takes a while to get use to them. I'm using that as an excuse for the sloppy
sending. Catch you all in the next SP.
K3RLL
First run with new Steve Weber MTR, LiPo, Altoids Poor Man's
Paddle and earbuds. Finally have a light
station for the Spartan Sprint and didn't many on. Go figure? My thanks to K2ZC, K4BAI, KE0G and WA8ZBT right at the close
for my contacts tonight.
NG3Z
Well after a long absence I thought I'd give the SP a shot.
Couldn't stay the whole time but made a few for the WA mult. Didn't get going
until 02:30 so went directly to 40M and condx were excellent. Made 11 Q's and then ate
dinner. Got back on the radio at 03:20 and worked AL and MN on 80M. I could
hear Bob C6AKQ (N4BP) CQing on 3560 but he never did hear me. On 40M I worked C6, GA, TX (3
times), MN IA, ID, OH, VA, MS. So a pretty good outing tonight. I haven't done
SP in many months so it was fun to get into it again. BTW, thanks Randy K7TQ for hanging
in there on 40M.
K4BAI
One QSO on 20, 21 QSOs on 40, 15 QSOs on 80. WB5BKL on all three bands. Pretty good conditions on 40 and 80M, but
need more activity. Happy Holidays to
all and see you this weekend in the ARRL 10M contest from NQ4I (guest op
both modes) and next month for another Spartan Sprint.
K4ORD
Only got on for the last hour as we had our local club
Christmas dinner tonite, made 2 QSOs on 40 then on to 80 where the qrn was
kicking up a bit, seems at times I could hear stations that were in the qrn but too weak to
copy. Made 3 qso's on 40M and 12 on 80M. looking forward to the ARRL 10M CW
CONTEST this weekend, hope the band is in good shape.
KA5CJJ
Rig: K2 and 40M Inverted V @ 5 watts. I've operated this
event a few times before but thought I would submit a log this time (a first). Good band conditions on 40M here. Worked stations
on both coasts. Made one contact on 80M
with my setup. 40 seemed to be in good shape - I heard some very good
signals. I enjoyed my 1 hour of activity and hope to try again next month. Thanks to everyone!
AB9CA
My usual setup of K2 at 5w to one of two 100' wires. Started
on 20 but no one answered any calls. Went to 40 after 5 min and there were a
few there - 8 Q's, 6 SPC - but not much activity. The band was quiet, virtually no QRN
and seemed to be on the long side. Went to 80 after an hour and things picked
up. 16 Q's, 10 SPC's there. Virtually no QRN, very quiet for 80. Sounded more like 20
often does. The band seemed in good shape. Worked from WA to C6 (although WA
really was ESP). Worked C6AKQ, N0AR, WB5BKL, and W5ACM on both bands. Bob, C6AKQ, was
stronger on 80 than 40. Good to hear everyone and thanks for the Q's. This is a
good event, we just need more participation.
K2ZC
This was my first sprint. I stumbled across the listing on
one of my contest calendars and thought I would check it out. I recognized a
lot of callsigns from other QRP events. I only made 4 contacts because this sprint runs at
the same time as my local radio club weekly 10 meter net. I used my Flex 1500
and netbook with an estimated total weight of 5 lbs. to a dipole up about 30'. One contact
was with K4BAI, a fox I have hunted many times. I'm not too sure about how to
submit a log or soapbox so if someone would inform me of the correct procedure it would
be most appreciated. Thank you for another great QRP event.
W5DPT
I started out as none qrp (thinking I would just give others
some contacts) then I detuned the radio and worked my last 2 of the 5 Q’s as
QRP. N5DY, OK; C6AKD, FL; N5GW, MS; (ALL HP) KC5CLL, AR; N0AR, MN (BOTH QRP). Low
noise on the 40 meter band about 7040
KHz and signals were 559. I enjoyed the fun.
KFØN
ATS-3 at 3 to 4 watts to an 80 meter loop antenna. A shorter
daylight period and lower SSN resulted in no signals heard on 20 meters. High line noise also wiped out 80 meters, so all my activity was confined to 40 M. Holiday activities probably reduced
participation too. Not many stations
heard; no east coast signals either, but the Midwest folks were very strong, indicating intense NVIS
propagation. My best CONUS DX was Paul,
NG7Z (WA) who had a very good signal in
here the whole evening. It was also a treat to work Bob, C6AKQ, who was a good 569
from the Caribbean. I look forward to
seeing you all in January!
W5ACM
The backup rig - my HEAVY ATS-3 in the Altoids can continues
to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, built-in keyer paddle and
lightweight earbuds had 5W out and provided a final total of 12 QSOs. The batteries were
fully charged this month, and I did a lot of calling CQ. Conditions were
marginal on 40M, so it was difficult to make many contacts. QSOs with C6AKQ on 40M and 80M were a
welcome bit of excitement though. 40M was good for 7 contacts, and 80M gave up
an additional 5 QSOs. Plenty of regulars, and a few new ones this month. Strange
propagation and NOTHING on 20M from my QTH. I was using my backyard vertical.
Come on January!
N5GW
K1 at 3W with internal NiMH batteries to hb tuner and cfz at
40' hanging between two big oak trees. 40M was the main band as usual, but 80M
was pretty quiet for a change. Since I had the 80/40 board in the K1, I couldn't
check 20M. I could have made more contacts, but was also watching the NFL
football game. HI! CU all next month.
W1PID
Operated the Small Wonders DSW 40 at 2 watts. Best DX was
Bob C6AKQ. Worked only 40 meters because there was nothing on 20 or 80.
Propagation poor. Participation poor.
Only operated for five minutes. Had fun as always. Thanks to
all.
K4PQC
Only had a chance to work the Sprint for the last hour. 40 and 80 were the only bands I found active
and these were fairly quiet here in North Georgia. I did have one contact in MN on 80 that was exciting. Using KD1JV's AT - Sprint 3-B running 4 watts
to a 160 meter horizontal loop at approximately 30 feet.
NK6A
Bands were poor. Where was everyone? Only copied a few stations here for well over
an hour. N5GW had the loudest signal. John, K4BAI has great ears. I thought I heard him on 80 but I wasn't heard. Next month I will try
again. 0230 I gave up.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended
double Zepp. Worked K4BAI on three bands and four stations on two bands. It was fun to work the C6 station, but my best DX was NG7Z in WA. Best signal here in the Texas hill country
was WA8ZBT - only about 180 miles away.
Thanks to all. Had fun.
KE9V
Band conditions were light. Only heard three stations
calling CQ SP and was only able to work one of those, Bob, C6AKQ. Hoping for
better conditions and more activity in January. See you then.
NØAR
I think conditions were a bit down. Nothing on 20, made 15
contacts each on 40 and 80. Lots of qrn as we even had a bit of TS activity up
here in MN. Big signal goes to Wo0w who lifted the rig right off the table! NVIS was
alive and well. Nice to bag C6AKQ on both bands. My rig was K2 running 5 watts
to a 240 long inverted L with lots of radials. RX antenna was a loop (borrowed a
PIxelSat) and a 30' wire up 6.'
WA8MTI
Caught the sprint an hour into it. Only made one 40m. Went to 80m and heard more SPers but band was
noisy here in MI. Managed 4 more Qs. FT817 was packed away so used the FT2000 @ 5w into doublet.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Soapbox: November 2012 Spartan Sprint
N2NLY
This was my second Spartan Sprint, and a huge improvement over last month. Amazing what a month of CW practice can do! Rig is an IC-7200 running 5W into an LDG IT-100 and 85 feet of wire, strung about 20 feet high. All QSOs on 40m. Got some WX noise around my QTH again this month, especially in the second hour of the sprint. Huge thanks to everyone in my log, and to a couple of you who tried at some length but whom I couldn't quite pick out of the noise. Great fun overall.
WB4MNK
Thanks for a fun sprint. Wish I could have heard more stations. Maybe next time.
W1PID
I operated for 20 minutes using a Dave Benson DSW with 2 watts on 40 meters. The antenna was an OCF dipole. What a lot of fun. Like the old sprints. Bands were down. Best DX was Larry KFØN in IA. Thanks to everyone for the QSOs.
K3RLL
Flex-1500 to 4-BTV: Soft band conditions here in FL tonight and therefore didn’t hear a lot of Sprinters.This was the first time EVER that K4ORD couldn’t hear me, despite numerous tries. Maybe old sol will be kinder to us next month. Thanks for the fun.
K7TQ
A better Sprint than many November ones I've had. I took K4BAI's suggestion of last month and stayed with it until the bitter end. First hour was 18 Qs then only 2 more the entire next hour. I was pleased that 20 stayed open as long as it did. 80 didn't show much activity which left 40 as the band to be on. Thanks to all who stopped by and catch you again next month.
WVØH
This is the first Spartan Sprint with my new KX3. I ran the 8 foot magnetic loop with 1-Watt on internal Imedion batteries. Had a fun time on 40 and 80. Didn't try 20. Seemed a bit noisy tonight. The loop and info can be seen in more detail at < http://www.wv0h.blogspot.com > Thanks guys, had fun.
K4ORD
Ran my K3 @5W antennas 160, 80 and 40M dipoles, Started on 40M had a good run at first then things slowed down, most signals were weak with very deep QSB and the band was very noisy, I heard several stations calling that I just couldn't pull out of the noise. Checked 20M several times but heard nothing and made 3 qso's on 80M which was also very noisy. Hope December has less QRN. Thanks to all.
ACØAF
This was my first Sprint. I guess I just stumbled onto it while listening for some QRPers on 40. It was still early in the contest, so I thought I would join in. I had a great time and made some QSOs: 7 Q's on 40 and 2 on 80. I'm getting back to CW more now and learning to use a keyer, too. Hopefully I'm getting the hang of it. The skip must have been long, because most of my contacts were to the Gulf Coast and SE, and I only heard a few stations in the Midwest. I used an Icom IC-703 at 5 watts and wire antennas. I see now that my 8 lb. gell cell battery is about half of my total gear weight. Next time I'll hunt around for a smaller one and shed some pounds. Thanks to all, it was fun.
K4BAI
Missed the first 30 minutes. 20M seemed dead. 40M was good except for long skip. No signals heard from W3, 4, 8, 9 or close in W5. Good signals from Northeast, West, and West Coast. Best signals were from TX and OK, followed by CO, and then MN. 80M had only spotty activity with a lot of QRN but worked stations from VA, TX, and MN. 6 QSOs on 80 and 18 on 40M. Hope to make the whole 2 hours next month.
W5ESE
I used my AT Sprint 3 and Whiterook MK-44 paddles; supplied with a 9.6v wall wart. All my QSO's were on 40m. I didn't hear a lot of activity. The QRN on 80m was deafening. Will submit my log to the ARRL's Logbook of the World.
N5GW
Added NiMH internal battery pack to K1 to keep weight down and increase portability. Used the 80/40 filter board at 4 watts, but unfortunately both bands in bad shape due to QRN from local rain storms, generally weak sigs and QSB related to poor propagation. Didn't hear any new stations during the last 45 min--must have worked all available ops or they gave up. Only good sigs were K4ORD on 40M and K4BAI on 80M. Hoping for btr condx later this winter. Was fun anyway.
AB9CA
Rig was K2 at 5w to 100' wire. Ended up with 15 Qs. Nearly all were to the N or W. SPCs are CA, CO, TX, MN, MI, IA, NV, ID, and NM. Nothing at all to the NE and not much into the midwest. Started on 20. Heard K7TQ but he could not hear me. Did work NK6A, Don, in CA on 20 but that was it (and later again on 40). The others all on 40. Tried 80 but no one home when I was there. Had only an hour so was probably too early for 80. There was some deep QSB. Not as bad as it is sometimes. Lots of noise from the nearby storms. Thanks to all who stopped by. See everyone next month.
WD7Y
It's been a long time since I had the time to work the Spartan Sprint (9 years). I hope to make this a regular activity once again. There were a lot of signals out there on 40M but QSB on most. It would have helped if Ops were not on top of each other - need to spread out.
W5ACM
The backup rig - my HEAVY ATS-3 - continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 10 QSOs. The batteries were fully charged this month, so there was some extra power for calling CQ. Conditions were bad on 20M, so I moved to 40M and worked 9 stations from NY to CA. I was using my backyard vertical. I finished up on 80M but with only one more contact with WB5BKL in TX.
KFØN
Participation seemed good although it was spread out over the whole two hours. A low "A" index (2) and a K-index of zero made for some seemingly good conditions with the best coming later in the evening. Twenty meters was a wash here with only two stations worked: K7TQ (Idaho) and K5JHP (Texas). The work-horse band was good old 40M. I heard Jim, K4ORD (VA) early in the evening but was not able to work Jim until much later in the evening when he peaked 579 here. Two stations I would loved to have worked but missed were Don, NK6A (CA) and Dave, AL7LO in Anchorage, AK. Guess I need to upgrade to a full QRP gallon of 5-watts! Many thanks to all who stopped by and rang my door bell! Also thanks to those dedicated souls at Adventure Radio Society who sponsor these fun events.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m, an inverted V at 40 feet for 40m, and a ground mounted, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. Started on 20 and heard nothing. CQing didn't even show up on < http://www.reversebeacon.net >;. 40 was better but signals for the most part - except loud K4PHA and K4ORD - were down and QRN was high. Worked one station on 80 - K4ORD for a double - but it seemed like more skimmers were picking up my signal on 80 than on 40. Pretty noisy on 80. Always interesting...wish we had more participation. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
NØAR
It's been a while and thought this sprint is just what I need to shake down the new 160m inverted L. I fired up the K2 at 5 watts and got at it. Total of 24 contacts. 20 meters was not too hot, only 2 contacts. 80 was QRN city with only 3 contacts. The workhorse was 40 where I worked 19 q's. On my end it was up and down but with positive results. Good to hear so many familiar calls.
AB1AV
ATS3, 88' doublet up 60'. Only operated 1/2 hour, only 40 meters. Signals seemed weaker than usual. Thanks for those who called, and sorry I sometimes forgot which memory held the SP exchange! WB5BKL K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop or a dipole. Worked stations on 20, 40 and 80M but most of my QSOs were on 40. Worked K4BAI and W7TQ on two bands. W7TQ was my best DX and WVØH had a nice signal into the Texas hill country at 1 watt. As always, thanks to all. Had fun.
This was my second Spartan Sprint, and a huge improvement over last month. Amazing what a month of CW practice can do! Rig is an IC-7200 running 5W into an LDG IT-100 and 85 feet of wire, strung about 20 feet high. All QSOs on 40m. Got some WX noise around my QTH again this month, especially in the second hour of the sprint. Huge thanks to everyone in my log, and to a couple of you who tried at some length but whom I couldn't quite pick out of the noise. Great fun overall.
WB4MNK
Thanks for a fun sprint. Wish I could have heard more stations. Maybe next time.
W1PID
I operated for 20 minutes using a Dave Benson DSW with 2 watts on 40 meters. The antenna was an OCF dipole. What a lot of fun. Like the old sprints. Bands were down. Best DX was Larry KFØN in IA. Thanks to everyone for the QSOs.
K3RLL
Flex-1500 to 4-BTV: Soft band conditions here in FL tonight and therefore didn’t hear a lot of Sprinters.This was the first time EVER that K4ORD couldn’t hear me, despite numerous tries. Maybe old sol will be kinder to us next month. Thanks for the fun.
K7TQ
A better Sprint than many November ones I've had. I took K4BAI's suggestion of last month and stayed with it until the bitter end. First hour was 18 Qs then only 2 more the entire next hour. I was pleased that 20 stayed open as long as it did. 80 didn't show much activity which left 40 as the band to be on. Thanks to all who stopped by and catch you again next month.
WVØH
This is the first Spartan Sprint with my new KX3. I ran the 8 foot magnetic loop with 1-Watt on internal Imedion batteries. Had a fun time on 40 and 80. Didn't try 20. Seemed a bit noisy tonight. The loop and info can be seen in more detail at < http://www.wv0h.blogspot.com > Thanks guys, had fun.
K4ORD
Ran my K3 @5W antennas 160, 80 and 40M dipoles, Started on 40M had a good run at first then things slowed down, most signals were weak with very deep QSB and the band was very noisy, I heard several stations calling that I just couldn't pull out of the noise. Checked 20M several times but heard nothing and made 3 qso's on 80M which was also very noisy. Hope December has less QRN. Thanks to all.
ACØAF
This was my first Sprint. I guess I just stumbled onto it while listening for some QRPers on 40. It was still early in the contest, so I thought I would join in. I had a great time and made some QSOs: 7 Q's on 40 and 2 on 80. I'm getting back to CW more now and learning to use a keyer, too. Hopefully I'm getting the hang of it. The skip must have been long, because most of my contacts were to the Gulf Coast and SE, and I only heard a few stations in the Midwest. I used an Icom IC-703 at 5 watts and wire antennas. I see now that my 8 lb. gell cell battery is about half of my total gear weight. Next time I'll hunt around for a smaller one and shed some pounds. Thanks to all, it was fun.
K4BAI
Missed the first 30 minutes. 20M seemed dead. 40M was good except for long skip. No signals heard from W3, 4, 8, 9 or close in W5. Good signals from Northeast, West, and West Coast. Best signals were from TX and OK, followed by CO, and then MN. 80M had only spotty activity with a lot of QRN but worked stations from VA, TX, and MN. 6 QSOs on 80 and 18 on 40M. Hope to make the whole 2 hours next month.
W5ESE
I used my AT Sprint 3 and Whiterook MK-44 paddles; supplied with a 9.6v wall wart. All my QSO's were on 40m. I didn't hear a lot of activity. The QRN on 80m was deafening. Will submit my log to the ARRL's Logbook of the World.
N5GW
Added NiMH internal battery pack to K1 to keep weight down and increase portability. Used the 80/40 filter board at 4 watts, but unfortunately both bands in bad shape due to QRN from local rain storms, generally weak sigs and QSB related to poor propagation. Didn't hear any new stations during the last 45 min--must have worked all available ops or they gave up. Only good sigs were K4ORD on 40M and K4BAI on 80M. Hoping for btr condx later this winter. Was fun anyway.
AB9CA
Rig was K2 at 5w to 100' wire. Ended up with 15 Qs. Nearly all were to the N or W. SPCs are CA, CO, TX, MN, MI, IA, NV, ID, and NM. Nothing at all to the NE and not much into the midwest. Started on 20. Heard K7TQ but he could not hear me. Did work NK6A, Don, in CA on 20 but that was it (and later again on 40). The others all on 40. Tried 80 but no one home when I was there. Had only an hour so was probably too early for 80. There was some deep QSB. Not as bad as it is sometimes. Lots of noise from the nearby storms. Thanks to all who stopped by. See everyone next month.
WD7Y
It's been a long time since I had the time to work the Spartan Sprint (9 years). I hope to make this a regular activity once again. There were a lot of signals out there on 40M but QSB on most. It would have helped if Ops were not on top of each other - need to spread out.
W5ACM
The backup rig - my HEAVY ATS-3 - continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 10 QSOs. The batteries were fully charged this month, so there was some extra power for calling CQ. Conditions were bad on 20M, so I moved to 40M and worked 9 stations from NY to CA. I was using my backyard vertical. I finished up on 80M but with only one more contact with WB5BKL in TX.
KFØN
Participation seemed good although it was spread out over the whole two hours. A low "A" index (2) and a K-index of zero made for some seemingly good conditions with the best coming later in the evening. Twenty meters was a wash here with only two stations worked: K7TQ (Idaho) and K5JHP (Texas). The work-horse band was good old 40M. I heard Jim, K4ORD (VA) early in the evening but was not able to work Jim until much later in the evening when he peaked 579 here. Two stations I would loved to have worked but missed were Don, NK6A (CA) and Dave, AL7LO in Anchorage, AK. Guess I need to upgrade to a full QRP gallon of 5-watts! Many thanks to all who stopped by and rang my door bell! Also thanks to those dedicated souls at Adventure Radio Society who sponsor these fun events.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m, an inverted V at 40 feet for 40m, and a ground mounted, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. Started on 20 and heard nothing. CQing didn't even show up on < http://www.reversebeacon.net >;. 40 was better but signals for the most part - except loud K4PHA and K4ORD - were down and QRN was high. Worked one station on 80 - K4ORD for a double - but it seemed like more skimmers were picking up my signal on 80 than on 40. Pretty noisy on 80. Always interesting...wish we had more participation. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
NØAR
It's been a while and thought this sprint is just what I need to shake down the new 160m inverted L. I fired up the K2 at 5 watts and got at it. Total of 24 contacts. 20 meters was not too hot, only 2 contacts. 80 was QRN city with only 3 contacts. The workhorse was 40 where I worked 19 q's. On my end it was up and down but with positive results. Good to hear so many familiar calls.
AB1AV
ATS3, 88' doublet up 60'. Only operated 1/2 hour, only 40 meters. Signals seemed weaker than usual. Thanks for those who called, and sorry I sometimes forgot which memory held the SP exchange! WB5BKL K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop or a dipole. Worked stations on 20, 40 and 80M but most of my QSOs were on 40. Worked K4BAI and W7TQ on two bands. W7TQ was my best DX and WVØH had a nice signal into the Texas hill country at 1 watt. As always, thanks to all. Had fun.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Soapbox: October 2012 Spartan Sprint
N2NLY
This was my first time trying the Spartan Sprint, and only my 2nd contest experience of any kind (barring Field Day). I heard a few sprinters right at the beginning of the sprint, and then nothing for the following hour or so. Bands were noisy, with a lot of storm activity around my QTH. Still, it was a fun exercise, and very good practice listening to weak CW signals and faster code than I'm comfortable with.
K3RLL
K2 and Flex-1500 to attic dipole on 40 Meters. I thought nobody was playing until I heard K4BAI and N4BP working station after station. Hmm, ... what do they have that I don't have - other than just antennas and skill? Many thanks to those who kindly pulled me out of the noise as I experimented between my early K2 and the new Flex. Hope to "hear" you all next month.
K5JHP
Got in late, thought the bands were shot but Finally got a few. Tnx to John, K4BNI, for contacts on 40 and 80. Gonna try next month.
WA5BUC
Thanks to K4BAI and N4BP for the 40 meter Qs. Hope November is no turkey.
K6CSL
On 20 meters I found WD9F/KH6, Woody, also QRP at 02:14Z. I continued tuning and calling on 20 until 02:35Z, without success, at which time I moved to 40m. No success on 40. At 02:50Z I moved to 80m, hoping I might find someone to work there, but no joy. So QRP it's been a rather disappointing evening. Hopefully next month will be a little better.
AB9CA
Rig was the usual K2 at 5w to 100' wire. Condx did not seem to be good. I never heard K4BAI on 40 where he is usually strong, did work him on 80. Someone called one of the WI stations on my calling freq and I could not hear the WI station at all. They are usually good copy down here. It was a tough night. Did garner 24 Qs, 17 SPCs. Qs were 4/16/4 and SPCs were 3/12/2 on 20/40/80. Would have been better with better condx and more activity but it was fun anyway. Thanks to all who stopped by and see everyone next month.
N4BP
Major thunderstorm moved over us at the start. Managed 9 QSOs on 20M before rain static took over the band at S9++. 40M not much better with lightning static, but managed 16 QSOs there before determining that, for safety, it was time to disconnect the antenna. Put in 45 minutes then went to watch TV, but the rain was so heavy my DirecTV receiver couldn't get a satellite signal.
K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W output, TH6DXX, dipole, inverted V. 20M was long and I fumbled the start. Only one good QSO there after I remembered to reduce power to 5W.
40 was the main band tonight with a relatively short skip zone and QSOs out to NY, MN, NV, CA, and WA. Heard N9BT working somebody else, but never could find him for a QSO. 80M was pretty good toward the end with QSOs to NY and TX. We need more activity in these Spartan Sprints. And more stations who stick it out until the end to maximize possible QSOs. Thanks for all QSOs.
WB4MNK
Thanks to John, K4BAI, for my only contact. Didn’t hear anyone else.
NK6A
Conditions, conditions, conditions. I didn't hear the usual stations on 20. Only a few very weak ones. Struggled to make a few Q's before going to 40. Slow going with heavy QSB and everyone really weak.
W5ACM
The backup rig - my HEAVY ATS-3 continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 14 QSOs. Conditions were good on 20M, but then deteriorated after the first 30 minutes and only three contacts. I moved to 40M and worked eight more. I was using my backyard vertical. The vast majority of my contacts were on 40M this month, and the noise level was light to moderate. I finished up on 80M with three more contacts. I used this rig recently for a QRP event and did not have the batteries fully charged, but they did well as long I avoided calling CQ. I missed the September Sprint due to an Alaskan cruise. I was working QRP from the ship, but only via satellite on my HT.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m, an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m, and a ground mounted, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. 20 seemed to be in rough shape - made 1 Q there with N4BP - heard others but they were way down. Switched to 40 and made a few, including N4BP. Switched back to 20 and heard K7TQ loud for a CQ - I called but he was gone. Switched back to 40 and worked K7TQ straight away...cool. Made two Q's on 80 - one with KB3TEL (QRO) in PA and another with K4BAI in GA to complete a two-bander with John on 40 and 80 - that may be my first 80m GA QSO since QRV from Albany...double cool. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W and various wire antennas. My ears were still ringing from the Texas QSO Party, but I had a new 40 antenna to try. QSOs on 15, 20, 40 and 80M were 1, 4, 12 and 4. N7RVD was strong on 15 - wish I had heard others. Strongest signal heard was AB9CA. No 3-band QSOs, sadly. 40M inverted-V worked well. Had fun.
KFØN
Participation seemed to be down this month but a fun contest never the less. The rig was an ATS-3B powered by a stack of NiMh AA cells. I heard only one station on 20 meters, Randy, K7TQ ,so 40 meters was the most productive band for me. Unfortunately, a rather high planetary A-index of 31 made signals weaker than normal. Many simply could not copy me and vice-versa. 80 meters was a wash here with no signals heard. Best DX was Washington, N7RKD, and one California station, KO6Z who was running only 2-watts! The jammer on 7040 kHz didn't seem to bother too much here since I am inside of his skip zone at that time of the evening. Thanks to all who made the evening an enjoyable one! Where else could you have this much fun with a diminutive little rig and a stack of AA cells?
K7TQ
I could only operate for the 1st hour. There were a good number of stations on 20m, but it seemed like a lot more than I could work. As 20 m has been for the last several months, about 20 minutes was all it was good for. On 40 m I worked the usual suspects. I hope that in Nov. I can do both hours.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Soapbox Comments: September '12 Spartan Sprint
WB4MNK
Had fun but didn’t hear much activity and noise was ruff. See every one next month.
K3RLL
First ARS Sprint with new QRP Flex-1500. Interesting rig but maybe not the lightest weight one with the computer and all. Definitely not “Trail Friendly”. The flat line on the Flex screen said a lot about activity heard here in rural PA tonight. Everyone must be at a Labor Day picnic. Heard few Sprinters but WB4MNK sure had a nice signal out of FL. Nice to work Randy K7TQ on two bands. Thanks to those who make these Sprints happen.
K7TQ
A pretty good night. 20 stayed useable for about 1/2 hour and 40 was good here in Idaho until 0210. After that I couldn't scare up another contact even with trying 80 meters several times. Two band contacts with WB5BKL, K5JMP, K4BAI, and K3RLL.
WB9G
Horrible band conditions this month. Nothing heard on 20m, two stations on 40m, and one station on 80m. Only heard one other station working the MI QRP QSP on 80m. Hope you all had better luck.
AB9CA
Was a fun sprint if a little lite. Participation seemed light - probably due to the holiday. 40 was the main band, 10 Q's there and the other 4 on 20. Worked W7OM and NK6A on both. Did work coast to coast on 40. Station here was the K1 at 3w to a wire ran up into a tree near the camper. Felt I wanted something that would let me get on 40 even if it was a compromise. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and we'll see you again next month.
K5JHP
Man, where did everyone go? 20 folded about 20:30 CST and 40 went away sometime before 21:00 CST. Hope for better prop next month.
W3KC
Tough copy due to inbound storms kicking up lots of noise. Most activity here was on 40m, with a few Q's on 80 - but none on 20. Fall will hopefully bring better conditions and weather.
WA5BUC
Same results as last time. 4 Q's. I've not been on since last's month's sprint, so don't know how the bands have been doing. 1 Q on 40, the rest on 20. Signals seemed down on both bands. Heard some signals on 80, but no Sprint activity. Looking forward to the fall bands and hope things improve. Thanks to all who make this possible.
KE5TC
Only worked the first hr on 40 meters. Lots of QRN. Must try this again next month and it shouldn't be hard to improve my score!
KFØN
Poor propagation and rather high seasonal QRN from nearby thunderstorms made for rather sparse QSO's but a fun time never the less. I am sure the Labor Day holiday also cut into the number of participants. I ran three watts from my little ATS-3B powered from a stack of AA NiMh cells. The antenna is a 240-foot loop strung between a couple of trees on the lot here. Garry, WA1GWH, had a solid 579 running one-watt from NY. Also, Steve, KØCV in Denver, had an admirable signal here from his 400 mw power level! There were several of you that called me on 80 that I simply could not pull out of the high QRN level but conditions should improve throughout the Fall-Winter season. Thanks to all who participated!
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25 ft for 20 meters and an inverted vee at 40 ft for 40 meters. The bands were in rough shape - 1 QSO on 20 and 6 on 40. Sprinters were there according to < http://www.reversebeacon.net > but signals were way down...hoping for better luck next time. I've uploaded my mini-log to LoTW and eQSL...Hope you'll consider doing the same. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
NK6A
The conditions were the pits. Knew that going in but didn't expect to get 18 Qs. Was surprised at how loud Nick,WB5BKL,was in Los Angeles. Even copied a few 3 watt stations. A lot of QSB and band noise. After one hour tried 40M and it was better. 45 minutes to go and I decided that I had had enough of noise.
KM5TY
Had some trouble with the EFHW so ended up using a 40m inverted vee. Couldn't hear anything on 20m, but 40m was in good shape. First Sprint in quite some time, I had fun but only worked about 1hour of the sprint.
K4BAI
Guess everyone was busy with Labor Day BBQs and some had bad weather. Activity was very disappointing. Band conditions were not bad. 20M was open to the west coast (CA, AZ, OR, ID). 5 QSOs. 40M was open to the whole country out about 700 miles. 12 QSOs including two in CA. 80M was nosiy, but did work ME and TX. 4 QSOs there. Thanks for all QSOs and hope for much more activity in October.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40m extended double Zepp or a 20m wire delta loop. A poor showing here - only 10 QSOs this time. A perplexing computer problem and a solar flare got to me. Only Don, NK6A and N6GA had truly strong signals on 20M. Worked K7TQ, NK6A, and K4BAI on two bands, but none on three. Had fun.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
RESULTS: 2012 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees
Among Bumblebees, George Fuller, KXØR / BB24, took top scoring honors with 101 contacts and 69 bees for a multiplier of 207. Total score: 20,907.
Atop of the Non-Bee category is Bob Patten, N4BP, with 118 contacts and 72 bees for a multiplier of 216. Total score: 25,488.
Here are the top 5 in each category:
BUMBLEBEES:
KXØR
N7OU
K7TQ
W4ZV
NK9G
NON-BEES
N4BP
K4BAI
KEØG
NS7P
KØZK
Click here for complete results, or visit:
We will be publishing the stories and photographs of your 2012 FOBB experiences soon.
On behalf of ARS, thanks to everyone who took part in the 2012 FOBB. You have contributed to its success and we hope you are looking forward to the 2013 FOBB as much as we are.
Richard Fisher, KI6SN
The Adventure Radio Society
Friday, August 10, 2012
Soapbox Comments: August '12 Spartan Sprint
W3HI
This was my first Spartan Sprint, but not my last! With the PFR-3 set up with a wall wart and miniature hand key, I had been looking forward to it for a month and got company just as it began! So, I worked five contacts in the 1st hour, and finally gave up when my no-code buddy started yawning. Maybe next time I'll go out in the yard and work portable. That way, my XYL can tell visitors I'm not home. . . Anyway, I decided awhile back I wanted to do WAS 2XCW/QRP and thanks to NK6A, snagged my first California. Thanks Don. Heck of a nice signal into the West Virginia mountains. Pse QSL!
K3RLL
Good signals tonight on both 20 and 40 meters with no apparent digital QRM. Only worked the first hour, but what a great Sprint! Good to work WB4MNK back in FL. NQ2W and, as always, K4ORD seemed to have the strongest of many nice, strong signals. Really enjoy the relaxed pace of the Spartan Sprint. Many thanks to those who make it possible. See you next month.
K7TQ
20 m started out good. Loud ones were W1PID, N0EVH, and KE0G. I gave 40 a try at 0140Z, but nothing going, so back to 20. It played out around 0200Z, so off to 40. K4BAI was holding court so I got him, but that was about it for a long time. Finally I got three stations on both 20 and 40. They were K4BAI, K4ORD, and NK6A. I was at home with the K3 and C4SXL at 60 feet. Thanks to all who stopped by.
WA5BUC
Great to be back for this month's Spartan Sprint. Three Q's were TX; the 4th was K4BAI in GA. Texas Q's were K5JHP, WB5BKL, and, for a first, long-time fellow HQRP-er W5ACM. Rig was my faithful FT-817 and end-fed wire antenna. Bands were a bit noisy. Need to put the finishing touches on my magnetic loop antenna to see if I can get rid of some of the local noise.'Til September, best 72.
K5JHP
TA33JR and on 40 and 80 meters. Twenty was the band tonight. Worked most ot the contacts there. Hope it's good next month.
W1PID
I operated for about 45 minutes exclusively on 20 meters with an FT-817 and OCF dipole. I worked Russia (UA4WI) and Germany (DL5MC)! Worked Randy K7TQ in Idaho, Rod, W7OM, in Seattle, and Don, NK6A, in California. The band was clearly long. Thanks all for the fun.
K4BAI
10 and 15 seemed dead. Good band conditions on 20, 40, and 80. 20 was open to the north and west at the start, but faded after about 15 minutes. 40M was strong to most areas including WA, CA, and ON, with most activity around 7040, but a few around 7030. 80M was quiet with contacts from NY to TX. QSOs per band: 20M: 7. 40M: 28. 80M: 5. QSOed on three bands: WB9G (NY), WB5BKL (TX). Hope for more activity next month. I will be on a QRP forum to talk about QRP contesting at the Huntsville Hamfest August 19. Hope to meet many of you there.
NW2K
Only had 75 minutes but had a lot of fun. See you next time. 5W, fan dipole at 40 feet.
K4ORD
Good to have 20M open, nice to work DL5MC on both 20 and 40M. Heavy QRN on both 40 and 80, but 20 was fairly quiet. 7 QSOs on 20, 23 on 40 and 3 on 80. I probably missed some in the QRN. Thanks to all.
W5ACM
Still using the backup rig - the ATS-3. It continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 16 QSOs. Conditions were good on 20M, but I had to move to 40M after only half an hour since everyone I could hear, I had worked! I probably spent too much time calling CQ, but with contacts ranging from California, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida, I expected more. I was using my backyard vertical. The vast majority of my contacts were on 40M this month, and the noise level was minimal. I was pleasantly surprised at the great signals on 40M. The local Texas stations like WA8ZBT, W5WO, K5JHP and WA5BUC sounded excellent. At the end of the event I checked out 80M, but only found one station WB5BKL. Great Time this month!
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25 ft for 20 meters and an inverted vee at 40 ft for 40 meters. Made 9 Q's on 20 and 18 on 40. Both bands were in pretty good shape and there was good participation again this month. All in all, a most enjoyable sprint. Worked three stations on both bands - K4BAI, WA8ZBT, & KE0G. One station called me on 20 but QSB won out - hopefully, next time we'll complete the QSO. I've uploaded my log to LoTW and eQSL...hope you'll consider doing the same. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40m extended double Zepp or a 20m wire delta loop. Started things off with a dupe within 9 minutes (sorry K7TQ), but settled down and had a good time. Two QSOs on 80M, 3 on 40M and the rest on 20M. Worked K4BAI on all three bands. Some of the signals were _very_ strong. Worked 15 SPCs with HI being the best DX. Removed the dupe and a QRO station before submitting my score. Had fun.
VA2NB
I happened to be tuning around and heard CQ SP and realized that it was the Spartan Sprint so I decided to make a few contacts. I used to be a regular but haven't operated this event in what must be a couple of years. I'll be back next month.
WB9G
This was my second Sprint, but my first submission. My farthest contact was from my QTH in Northern NY to NK6A in CA on 20m. My 40m and 80m contacts were mostly East Coast. Besides the other New York stations (NW2K and NQ2W), the best signal of the night was K4ORD at 20 over S9 on 40m. K4BAI also was solid on 20, 40, and 80m. Thanks for a great time, and I look forward to next month.
WB4MNK
Bands sure seemed to be in good shape. Thanks to all who stopped by. It was a fun evening.
This was my first Spartan Sprint, but not my last! With the PFR-3 set up with a wall wart and miniature hand key, I had been looking forward to it for a month and got company just as it began! So, I worked five contacts in the 1st hour, and finally gave up when my no-code buddy started yawning. Maybe next time I'll go out in the yard and work portable. That way, my XYL can tell visitors I'm not home. . . Anyway, I decided awhile back I wanted to do WAS 2XCW/QRP and thanks to NK6A, snagged my first California. Thanks Don. Heck of a nice signal into the West Virginia mountains. Pse QSL!
K3RLL
Good signals tonight on both 20 and 40 meters with no apparent digital QRM. Only worked the first hour, but what a great Sprint! Good to work WB4MNK back in FL. NQ2W and, as always, K4ORD seemed to have the strongest of many nice, strong signals. Really enjoy the relaxed pace of the Spartan Sprint. Many thanks to those who make it possible. See you next month.
K7TQ
20 m started out good. Loud ones were W1PID, N0EVH, and KE0G. I gave 40 a try at 0140Z, but nothing going, so back to 20. It played out around 0200Z, so off to 40. K4BAI was holding court so I got him, but that was about it for a long time. Finally I got three stations on both 20 and 40. They were K4BAI, K4ORD, and NK6A. I was at home with the K3 and C4SXL at 60 feet. Thanks to all who stopped by.
WA5BUC
Great to be back for this month's Spartan Sprint. Three Q's were TX; the 4th was K4BAI in GA. Texas Q's were K5JHP, WB5BKL, and, for a first, long-time fellow HQRP-er W5ACM. Rig was my faithful FT-817 and end-fed wire antenna. Bands were a bit noisy. Need to put the finishing touches on my magnetic loop antenna to see if I can get rid of some of the local noise.'Til September, best 72.
K5JHP
TA33JR and on 40 and 80 meters. Twenty was the band tonight. Worked most ot the contacts there. Hope it's good next month.
W1PID
I operated for about 45 minutes exclusively on 20 meters with an FT-817 and OCF dipole. I worked Russia (UA4WI) and Germany (DL5MC)! Worked Randy K7TQ in Idaho, Rod, W7OM, in Seattle, and Don, NK6A, in California. The band was clearly long. Thanks all for the fun.
K4BAI
10 and 15 seemed dead. Good band conditions on 20, 40, and 80. 20 was open to the north and west at the start, but faded after about 15 minutes. 40M was strong to most areas including WA, CA, and ON, with most activity around 7040, but a few around 7030. 80M was quiet with contacts from NY to TX. QSOs per band: 20M: 7. 40M: 28. 80M: 5. QSOed on three bands: WB9G (NY), WB5BKL (TX). Hope for more activity next month. I will be on a QRP forum to talk about QRP contesting at the Huntsville Hamfest August 19. Hope to meet many of you there.
NW2K
Only had 75 minutes but had a lot of fun. See you next time. 5W, fan dipole at 40 feet.
K4ORD
Good to have 20M open, nice to work DL5MC on both 20 and 40M. Heavy QRN on both 40 and 80, but 20 was fairly quiet. 7 QSOs on 20, 23 on 40 and 3 on 80. I probably missed some in the QRN. Thanks to all.
W5ACM
Still using the backup rig - the ATS-3. It continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 16 QSOs. Conditions were good on 20M, but I had to move to 40M after only half an hour since everyone I could hear, I had worked! I probably spent too much time calling CQ, but with contacts ranging from California, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida, I expected more. I was using my backyard vertical. The vast majority of my contacts were on 40M this month, and the noise level was minimal. I was pleasantly surprised at the great signals on 40M. The local Texas stations like WA8ZBT, W5WO, K5JHP and WA5BUC sounded excellent. At the end of the event I checked out 80M, but only found one station WB5BKL. Great Time this month!
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25 ft for 20 meters and an inverted vee at 40 ft for 40 meters. Made 9 Q's on 20 and 18 on 40. Both bands were in pretty good shape and there was good participation again this month. All in all, a most enjoyable sprint. Worked three stations on both bands - K4BAI, WA8ZBT, & KE0G. One station called me on 20 but QSB won out - hopefully, next time we'll complete the QSO. I've uploaded my log to LoTW and eQSL...hope you'll consider doing the same. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40m extended double Zepp or a 20m wire delta loop. Started things off with a dupe within 9 minutes (sorry K7TQ), but settled down and had a good time. Two QSOs on 80M, 3 on 40M and the rest on 20M. Worked K4BAI on all three bands. Some of the signals were _very_ strong. Worked 15 SPCs with HI being the best DX. Removed the dupe and a QRO station before submitting my score. Had fun.
VA2NB
I happened to be tuning around and heard CQ SP and realized that it was the Spartan Sprint so I decided to make a few contacts. I used to be a regular but haven't operated this event in what must be a couple of years. I'll be back next month.
WB9G
This was my second Sprint, but my first submission. My farthest contact was from my QTH in Northern NY to NK6A in CA on 20m. My 40m and 80m contacts were mostly East Coast. Besides the other New York stations (NW2K and NQ2W), the best signal of the night was K4ORD at 20 over S9 on 40m. K4BAI also was solid on 20, 40, and 80m. Thanks for a great time, and I look forward to next month.
WB4MNK
Bands sure seemed to be in good shape. Thanks to all who stopped by. It was a fun evening.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Soapbox Comments: July '12 Spartan Sprint
W1PID
I operated the FT-817 with an OCF dipole. Only one QSO on 40 meters. Good band conditions. I worked 2 DX stations: UA9FGJ and DL2HWI. Worked NK6A in California. Sorry the participation is down. Thanks to all for the QSOs.
WB2MNK
Too much static to copy. Sorry to the stations that called me but S9 plus static. Was fun while it lasted.
K3RLL
FT-817 to G5RVjr from rural PA.Nice to hear good signals on 20 meters, but the band emptied out fast. 40 Meters was noisy here so pulled the big switch early, but had fun. WB4MNK and W3KC had the big signals here. Many thanks to those whose efforts make this fun possible. Hope to ‘hear” you all next month.
K4BAI
20M was very good, but too little activity. 15 QSOs on 20M. 40M was fair with QRN and too little activity. 19 QSOs on 40. 80M had strong signals from K4ORD and AB9CA. No other sprinters heard on 80M. Hope to work you all and others next month.
W5ESE
I used my AT Sprint 3 and Whiterook MK-44 paddles supplied with a 9.6v wall wart. All but one of my Qs was on 20m. The QRN on 40m was deafening. Will submit my log to the ARRL's Logbook of the World. I expect to use this same setup (except with batteries instead of the wall wart) in the FoBB, along with a 15m MFJ Cub. Hope to hear many of you on the air in it, too.
N5GW
XYL and I came up to cabin on Cumberland Plateau in part to escape heat at home QTH in MS. Unfortunately, it has been hotter up here! Rig was K1 at 5W to cfz. Band was noisy from local T-storms, but cloud cover cooled the shack a bit.
AB9CA
Interesting Sprint! Rig was the usual K2 at 5w to 100' wire. Condx seems to be pretty good except for some QSB and QRN, but neither was too bad. 80 was fairly quiet (you know, for 80) but no one home! Activity was spread out with 20 Qs on 20 and 19 on 40. Only 2 on 80. Best DX was K2ZU in WA on 20. Also worked N6GA (20m), NK6A (40m), and K6CSL (20m) in CA. Best DX to the NE was, I think, NH. A good evening but we could always use more participation. Never too many! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and we look forward to hearing you again next month!
NW2K
5W, inverted V fan dipole at 50'. Got to the party late, with only 25 minutes remaining. 20m was open to the south and nothing heard on 80m. Thanks again and see you next time.
W5ACM
The backup rig - my HEAVY ATS-3 - continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 14 QSOs. Conditions were very good on 20M, but I had to move to 40M after an hour since everyone I could hear, I had worked! I was using my backyard vertical. The vast majority of my contacts were on 20M this month, and the noise level was minimal. It wasn't even bad on 40M. I did not use this rig on Field Day, but stuck with the FT-847 we had for satellite contacts. It was easy enough to just turn the power down to 5W, so the Altoids box ATS-3 stayed in the car.
W3KC
Activity seemed down from June - possibly due to the lingering effects of the powerful and widespread Derecho. But I did make some contacts on three bands (20, 40, and 80 m). Thanks to all the ops who made it fun.
K4ORD
The qrn was bad again, but sure glad it was low at Field Day which made for more pleasant operating. 16 QSOs on 40M, 8 on 20M , 3 on 80M. Seem to have about ran out of contacts in last 45 minutes. Thanks to all.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25 ft for 20 meters and an inverted v at 40 ft for 40 meters. Made 11 Qs on 20 and 11 on 40. Worked K4ORD, K4BAI, and AB9CA on both bands. Worked 3 other NY stations on 40 ... cool. There was one station calling on 40 that I just couldn't copy...QRN and QSB...hopefully, next month we'll make it. Good participation again this month. I've uploaded my log to LoTW and eQSL ... hope you'll consider doing the same. Looking forward to the Flight of the Bumblebees on July 29 and to next month's sprint! Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40m extended double Zepp or a 20m wire delta loop. 18 states with best DX N1WPU (ME) and closest W5ACM, 180 miles away in Houston. Tried 15 and 80m with zero luck. Signals on 40m seemed weak - even usually strong K4BAI was only 449 here in the Texas hill country. My thanks to all. Had fun.
W4ZV
My first Sprint in several years. Operated from our lake house deck with a little QRM from some pre-4th fireworks. Answered SM7ZDI's CQ 4 minutes before the start so I had high hopes. Unfortunately either conditions were extremely poor or we had low activity (or both). A few good signals from TX and CA on 20m and NY on 40m but most CQs went unanswered. Oh well it was still fun to fire up my ATS-3 using a new 1200 mHh LiPo battery, running nearly 4 Watts to an EndFedz 10-40 hanging in a pine tree next to the deck. I may be back again if we happen to be at our lake house on a Sprint date. Thanks to all for your GREAT ears!
I operated the FT-817 with an OCF dipole. Only one QSO on 40 meters. Good band conditions. I worked 2 DX stations: UA9FGJ and DL2HWI. Worked NK6A in California. Sorry the participation is down. Thanks to all for the QSOs.
WB2MNK
Too much static to copy. Sorry to the stations that called me but S9 plus static. Was fun while it lasted.
K3RLL
FT-817 to G5RVjr from rural PA.Nice to hear good signals on 20 meters, but the band emptied out fast. 40 Meters was noisy here so pulled the big switch early, but had fun. WB4MNK and W3KC had the big signals here. Many thanks to those whose efforts make this fun possible. Hope to ‘hear” you all next month.
K4BAI
20M was very good, but too little activity. 15 QSOs on 20M. 40M was fair with QRN and too little activity. 19 QSOs on 40. 80M had strong signals from K4ORD and AB9CA. No other sprinters heard on 80M. Hope to work you all and others next month.
W5ESE
I used my AT Sprint 3 and Whiterook MK-44 paddles supplied with a 9.6v wall wart. All but one of my Qs was on 20m. The QRN on 40m was deafening. Will submit my log to the ARRL's Logbook of the World. I expect to use this same setup (except with batteries instead of the wall wart) in the FoBB, along with a 15m MFJ Cub. Hope to hear many of you on the air in it, too.
N5GW
XYL and I came up to cabin on Cumberland Plateau in part to escape heat at home QTH in MS. Unfortunately, it has been hotter up here! Rig was K1 at 5W to cfz. Band was noisy from local T-storms, but cloud cover cooled the shack a bit.
AB9CA
Interesting Sprint! Rig was the usual K2 at 5w to 100' wire. Condx seems to be pretty good except for some QSB and QRN, but neither was too bad. 80 was fairly quiet (you know, for 80) but no one home! Activity was spread out with 20 Qs on 20 and 19 on 40. Only 2 on 80. Best DX was K2ZU in WA on 20. Also worked N6GA (20m), NK6A (40m), and K6CSL (20m) in CA. Best DX to the NE was, I think, NH. A good evening but we could always use more participation. Never too many! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and we look forward to hearing you again next month!
NW2K
5W, inverted V fan dipole at 50'. Got to the party late, with only 25 minutes remaining. 20m was open to the south and nothing heard on 80m. Thanks again and see you next time.
W5ACM
The backup rig - my HEAVY ATS-3 - continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 14 QSOs. Conditions were very good on 20M, but I had to move to 40M after an hour since everyone I could hear, I had worked! I was using my backyard vertical. The vast majority of my contacts were on 20M this month, and the noise level was minimal. It wasn't even bad on 40M. I did not use this rig on Field Day, but stuck with the FT-847 we had for satellite contacts. It was easy enough to just turn the power down to 5W, so the Altoids box ATS-3 stayed in the car.
W3KC
Activity seemed down from June - possibly due to the lingering effects of the powerful and widespread Derecho. But I did make some contacts on three bands (20, 40, and 80 m). Thanks to all the ops who made it fun.
K4ORD
The qrn was bad again, but sure glad it was low at Field Day which made for more pleasant operating. 16 QSOs on 40M, 8 on 20M , 3 on 80M. Seem to have about ran out of contacts in last 45 minutes. Thanks to all.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25 ft for 20 meters and an inverted v at 40 ft for 40 meters. Made 11 Qs on 20 and 11 on 40. Worked K4ORD, K4BAI, and AB9CA on both bands. Worked 3 other NY stations on 40 ... cool. There was one station calling on 40 that I just couldn't copy...QRN and QSB...hopefully, next month we'll make it. Good participation again this month. I've uploaded my log to LoTW and eQSL ... hope you'll consider doing the same. Looking forward to the Flight of the Bumblebees on July 29 and to next month's sprint! Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40m extended double Zepp or a 20m wire delta loop. 18 states with best DX N1WPU (ME) and closest W5ACM, 180 miles away in Houston. Tried 15 and 80m with zero luck. Signals on 40m seemed weak - even usually strong K4BAI was only 449 here in the Texas hill country. My thanks to all. Had fun.
W4ZV
My first Sprint in several years. Operated from our lake house deck with a little QRM from some pre-4th fireworks. Answered SM7ZDI's CQ 4 minutes before the start so I had high hopes. Unfortunately either conditions were extremely poor or we had low activity (or both). A few good signals from TX and CA on 20m and NY on 40m but most CQs went unanswered. Oh well it was still fun to fire up my ATS-3 using a new 1200 mHh LiPo battery, running nearly 4 Watts to an EndFedz 10-40 hanging in a pine tree next to the deck. I may be back again if we happen to be at our lake house on a Sprint date. Thanks to all for your GREAT ears!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Soapbox Comments: June '12 Spartan Sprint
NQ2W
This was a lot of fun. K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25 ft for 20 meters and an inverted vee at 40 ft for 40 meters. Made 14 Q's on 20 and 15 on 40. I thought the participation was excellent this month...but always could use more...great to hear so many QRPers during the sprint. The first hour and a half flew by, then things quieted down. Never went to 80 and only made a few contacts during the last half hour on 40. Worked W5ACM on the second band with just a few minutes to spare. AA4GA and N4KV also made it into my log on 2 bands. All in all, a very enjoyable sprint. I've uploaded my log to LoTW and eQSL...hope you'll consider doing the same. Looking forward to next month! Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers.W1PID
I ran the HB-1B into an OCF dipole. Best DX was W7OM in Washington. Not much activity. Only 4 Qs on 20M. 4 Qs on 40M and 2 on 80M. Stations on 40 were REALLY strong. Worked WB4MNK in FL on 40. One minute before the start (0059Z) I worked UN7PL in the Ukraine on 20M and I was hoping for lots of contacts. Thanks, all.
WB4MNK
Had a ball using the little KX1. Thanks to all who let me work them. See everyone next month.
K3RLL
Up north for the summer and what a difference with an outside antenna! FT-817 to G5RV at 40’. Nice to work familiar calls and a few new ones tonight. Conditions seemed good and I didn’t miss the digi-QRM one bit.
AA4GA
I got a 40 minute late start, but the bands seemed much better than last month...I kept dozing off in the chair and ended up only working about 45 minutes of the Sprint, but still managed to get within 2 QSOs of last month - probably could have had a pretty good total if I'd started on time and worked the full two hours! ATS-3b at 2w out to an 80m doublet up 45' or so on 20m and 40m only this time around. Thanks all - see you next time!
N5EM
Very good conditions. FT817 - 5 Watts - R7 Vertical plus Dipole at 20 ft. on 40.
K6CSL
I started this eveninng on 10m with no joy. Same on 15m. I moved to 20m at 01:30UTC and soon after worked NW2K in NY. Band conditions were not very good. Very noisy this evening. I moved to 40m at 02:00UTC. I called CQ and tried to call several stations. 40m was also very noisy this evening. Bill, W6QR, near Los Angeles, CA returned my call at 02:55Z. He was QRO 100 Watts and gave me a 329 report. I hope next months Spartan Sprint will be a little better.
W3KC
Rig: IC-703 at 5w;Antenna: Sloping ZS6BKW doublet (24 ft at high end); 6 Qs on 20; 23 Qs on 40; 5 Qs on 80. Band condx: Lots of atmospheric QRN. First SP in quite a while - fun as always.
AB9CA
Another good sprint. Activity seemed a bit higher. Rig was K2 at 5w to one of two wires. 20m was the money band this evening. 32 contacts there including a short chat with Rumi in Bulgaria. Also had 8 Qs on 40m. The prop on 20 was somewhat flaky. Some QSB but not as bad as it is sometimes. 40 was noisy and also appeared to be in not so good shape. The few contacts there were tough. Also called on 15 and 80 but netted nothing from either. 20 was open to TN, VA, and FL as well as WA, NY, and ME. The few on 40 were fairly close by. Did not work anyone from GA which is unusual, although did hear N7KDL in LA. As usual it was an interesting and enjoyable evening. Thanks to all who called and to the organizers who do the real work. See ya' next month.
NW2K
5W, inverted V fan dipole at 50'. 9 QSOs on 20M, 24 on 40M (all around 7040), and 4 on 80M with storms in the area. Operated for the first 75 minutes. Thanks!
KE9V
40 and 20 weren't in great shape but I managed to work a few Spartan Sprinters. After 10pm (local) I switched to 80 and never heard a single CQ SS. Had fun despite the light participation. Anxious to see the other results. See you all next month!
W5ACM
The backup rig – my HEAVY ATS-3 continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out. Conditions were very good to the east on 20M, but the Western stations and Midwest stations could not hear me. It was good to work stations in NH and NY though. I was using my backyard vertical. The same was true for 40M, but with a higher noise level. The total QSO count was split almost evenly with seven on 20M and eight on 40M. I might even use this rig on Field Day if I can get a bit better with the homebrew keyer paddle. It is constructed from a few old relay parts.
NK6A
Lousy conditions here on all bands. 20 did not play out like I thought. Finally gave up after 45 minutes of noise. Did make it into NH, NY and ONT. Good ears guys.
K4ORD
I was only on for the last hour, on 20M worked GA, AL, KP4, DL, LZ on 80M only 1 qso and on 40M made 5. Activity was way down this month, hope it is better next month.
AK3X
I have dabbled in the SP several times but this is first log submission. I only operated for 11 minutes during the sprint due to other obligations, but 40M seemed good and I managed 4 contacts. Thanks to WB4MNK for his patience in pulling me out of the QRN. Stuck to 40M using a DSW-40, battery powered. Hope to get more time next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40m extended double Zepp or a 20m delta loop. Back after a three month absence (forgetfulness, vacation, T-storms). Most of my QSOs were on 20m and during the first hour. Tried 15m with no luck. Got 16 states along with both coasts. My thanks and regards to all. Had fun.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Soapbox Comments: April '12 Spartan Sprint
W1PID
Operated for half an hour with an HB-1B at 4W. Bands very noisy but worked NK6A in CA on 20.Thanks everyone for the contacts.
K3RLL
Clock coming up near 9 PM ... Rig on .... Computer booted ... Antenna up (in dark) ... 8:58 PM ... Ready .... 8:59 PM ... Set .... 9:00 PM ... ring ... ring ... ring
... and at exactly 9 PM EDT, the phone rings. Ever happen to you? Oh well, another abbreviated session but still nice to work familiar and friendly Spartan Sprinters
even if I didn't hear too many tonight. Thanks to KI6SN and those who put on the Sprints. These are fun.
K7TQ
I was in Missoula, MT so I did the sprint from the motel parking lot using my K2 and a 7 AHr gel cell and logged with an old Palm and GOLog. It was just as much fun
as getting to the field for the Sprints like I used to do during the summer months. The MT rather than ID caught some folks who recognized where I ought to have been.
NK6A, K4BAI, and K4ORD caught me on both 20 and 40. 20 held up quite a while, for more than 45 minutes, a sure sign of spring. Catch you all next month.
AI4SV
Hadn't been in the sprint for a while and felt like hopping back in. I had bad noise across the board, probably from a local source. 20 was clear, but started longish.
40 was noisy but I made most of my contacts there -- thanks for heroic listening on the part of K3RLL. On 80, at first I heard a few calls, all on 3560.5. That spot
later thinned to K4BAI, who sounded very echoey, so probably some weird multipath thing going on. A bit up the band, I could hear NQ2W well, but he couldn't hear me.
I'm sure there are plenty of people who heard my CQs, but I couldn't hear their replies, so sorry! Looking forward to doing this again with skinnier equipment and
better conditions.
K6CSL
I started about 10 minutes late this evening. Opened on 10M, nothing there. Went to 15M, nothing there. Moved to 20M and worked there for a 1/2 hour, working V
E3EUR/VE7 up in BC. Then moved to 40M for about 1/2 hour, working John, K4BAI and Don, NK6A, friends from the QRP Fox Hunts. Good to work you fellows in Spartan
Sprint. As a note, where has all the info on ARS and specifically Spartan Sprint gone to. I tried to use the link from the WB7NBM Contest Calendar and the link is no l
onger good. Is a new link being established. (NOTE: The ARS Spartan Sprint Internet home is: < http://www.ARSqrp.blogspot.com >. - KI6SN)
NK6A
Noisy static lousy conditions from Mar Vista tonight. Started om 20 and found K7TQ instantly from MT with a good signal. Everyone else was in the noise. Sun was
shining up until almost 0230 but 20M was giving up at 0200. 40 was not going to happen for me. Managed to snag a VE3 and a few stations from NH. Great K3 filtering
and antenna.
K4BAI
Started out with good rates, good signals, and fair skip on 20M. Then 40M had fair signals and no long skip, but very high QRN. Rates dropped dramatically. Took out a few minutes for the state CW net at 0200Z. 80M had terrible QRN but worked GA, FL, and VA. Think AI4SV called on 80, but couldn't hear his exchange on that band. Best DX was VE3EUR/VE7 on 20M. Thanks for all QSOs and hope for better activity and better conditions next month.
W5ESE
KD1JV AT Sprint 3 @3W, with a 9.6V wall wart and Whiterook MK-44 paddles. Antenna is a 300' horizontal loop, fed with open wire line. First Sprint I've made since
October. Hard to believe so many have slipped past. QRN was high on 40m. Will submit my log to ARRL's 'Logbook of the World'.
W5ACM
My ATS-3a is still on the workbench, so I continue to use the heavier ATS-3 in the Altoids box, but this month with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries. I had enough "juice" for some "CQ" ops, but should have started earlier with "CQ" via 20M. My "el-cheapo" earbuds have turned out to be the most sensitive of all tested, but they do have some distortion. For CW, that's not a problem! Conditions were excellent for almost the first hour via 20M. However, 40M and 80M conditions at my QTH were quite noisy
- only two contacts on 40M this time, and none on 80M.
WB4MNK
Got in late but Enjoyed it. Thanks John K4bai for 80 meter contact.
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 11 Q's on 20 and 7 on 40. Switched filter boards to try 80 but didn't make any Q's there. I thought participation was pretty good again this month. Some signals were strong, some not so strong. There was one station that called but I couldn't copy...maybe next month we'll make it. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the
organizers. Hope to hear you all again and more next month.
AB1AV
Got a late start after traffic nets, but for once 20 meters was still alive. Reached TX, MO, AL, and (barely) CA with my 4 Watt ATS3 feeding an 88 foot wire up about
60 feet. Tried to switch to 40 or 80 but either my rig was acting up or we had no propagation, so called or quits after just a half hour. Next month I'll try to stay
in the chair...
K4ORD
Conditions were fair on 20M worked TX, MT, & CA and on 40M made 16 qso's and 80M only one, K4BAI. Signals on 40 were up and down a lot with plenty of QRN ( S8 TO S9 )
Turn out was down from last month maybe the QRN was wide spread? Until next month . . .
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