Thursday, December 12, 2013
Soapbox: December 2013 Spartan Sprint
K3RLL
In order to operate from any room in the house, I was trying my KX3 through RG6 TV house wiring patched to my attic dipole, so my signal may not have been totally ‘thundering’ tonight. Didn’t hear anyone on 20 meters. My thanks to those who pulled me out of the noise on 40 meters. Was delighted to be heard by our Buddies in the
Caribbean on St. Lucia during the Sprint, but AA4W our local QRPer was not the op at this hour.
K7TQ
A tough night! Nothing on 20 and only heard or worked a few on 40. 80 finally had some activity after 0330Z. Got Nick, WB5BKL, and John, K4BAI, on 40 and 80. Ron, WVØH, had a nice 80 m signal. I hope January is better. Catch you all next month.
VE3DTI
Second Spartan Sprint. KX3 at 5W with vertical wire at 43 ft. Just enough to be in the log thanks to Charles W3KC "CQ SP" in 80m. His was the only station I was able to work: nothing heard in 40m and higher bands start to close early at this time of the year here up north.
WA4ZOF
Very noisy at my QTH . Argonaut VI , SLA battery , OCF 160 mtr ant . very heavy iambic key.
N5EM
PSK (interference) really pesky this month. Really glad for narrow filters.
WVØH
This was a weaky squeaky sprint that only produced 10-QSOs for me. 1 on 40m and the rest on 80m. Very weak signals from coastal stations and central U.S. stations were a bit better.
K4BAI
20M almost dead to USA. Two QSOs in TX. 40M pretty good most places, but some TX stations couldn't hear me. 80M quite good, but little activity. Nice to work out to NM and ID on 80M. Hope for more activity next month.
AB9CA
Used the FT-857 rather than the usual K2. Antenna was the usual 100' wire. Due to other activity had only limited time. Did not make the first Q until 0234. Listened on 20 for a couple of minutes but heard nothing and went to 40. Ended up with 10 contacts on 40 and 5 on 80. The noise did not seem too bad but condx did not seem good. Most signals were weak and difficult copy. 80 seemed to be in pretty good shape but not many there. Thanks to all for the fun and see you next month.
K5JHP
Band condx here is south Texas was really bad. I did manage to work K4BAI on all three bands, 80,40, and 20. Thanks, John. Hope to be back next month.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 14 QSOs this month (down 2 from November). I thought it was going to be a BUST. NOTHING heard on 20M, and most of the 40M QSOs were "local", i.e. TX, MS, AL and NM. However, things got interesting with stations like C6AKQ, N3FCS, W3KC, K4BAI and WVØH. It took a lot of work, but 40M and 80M DID provide some nice contacts. In the end, I had a GREAT TIME! Hoping for some 20M ops next time.
N5GW
K1 with internal ATU and micropaddles plus 800 mAh LiPO battery to a 90' vertical with counterpoise of metal carport roof (my 160M antenna). I made more contacts on 80M than 40M. Didn't even listen on 20M. 80M is getting into good shape this time of year, although QSB was noticeable. I was finally able to work K7TQ out in Idaho, but heard nothing else out west.
C6AKQ (N4BP)
Spending three weeks in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Unfortunately noise levels were very high during the Spartan Sprint and gave it up after a half hour. Using K3 @ 5W to inverted-V @ 80ft.
NQ2W
K1 at 5W to an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m and a ground mounted, home-brewed, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. Started on 20 - nothing. Moved to 40 and worked pretty hard to make 3 QSOs. Changed the filter board in the K1 and was able to make 6 more QSOs on 80. Band conditions here were not favorable, to put it mildly. W3KC was strong on 80. Had a two-bander with K4BAI. Hoping for better conditions and more participation to start off the new year! Happy Holidays!
W3KC
A fun and interesting event. QSOs here were about evenly split between 40 and 80 meters with nothing heard on 20 meters.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. 13 states this time with QSOs split roughly evenly between 40 and 80M - except for one lonely QSO with K4BAI on 20M. Got John on 3 bands. Had to work for most of the Qs with only a few strong signals from NM and TX. Best of the holiday season to everyone - and to the Adventure Radio Society. Had fun.
KK4DMT
I believe this may be my second Sprint. I was on for just the first hour. Heard only two stations calling and contacted only one. Was using KX3 at 5watts into an end-fed wire. Hope to do better next month.
In order to operate from any room in the house, I was trying my KX3 through RG6 TV house wiring patched to my attic dipole, so my signal may not have been totally ‘thundering’ tonight. Didn’t hear anyone on 20 meters. My thanks to those who pulled me out of the noise on 40 meters. Was delighted to be heard by our Buddies in the
Caribbean on St. Lucia during the Sprint, but AA4W our local QRPer was not the op at this hour.
K7TQ
A tough night! Nothing on 20 and only heard or worked a few on 40. 80 finally had some activity after 0330Z. Got Nick, WB5BKL, and John, K4BAI, on 40 and 80. Ron, WVØH, had a nice 80 m signal. I hope January is better. Catch you all next month.
VE3DTI
Second Spartan Sprint. KX3 at 5W with vertical wire at 43 ft. Just enough to be in the log thanks to Charles W3KC "CQ SP" in 80m. His was the only station I was able to work: nothing heard in 40m and higher bands start to close early at this time of the year here up north.
WA4ZOF
Very noisy at my QTH . Argonaut VI , SLA battery , OCF 160 mtr ant . very heavy iambic key.
N5EM
PSK (interference) really pesky this month. Really glad for narrow filters.
WVØH
This was a weaky squeaky sprint that only produced 10-QSOs for me. 1 on 40m and the rest on 80m. Very weak signals from coastal stations and central U.S. stations were a bit better.
K4BAI
20M almost dead to USA. Two QSOs in TX. 40M pretty good most places, but some TX stations couldn't hear me. 80M quite good, but little activity. Nice to work out to NM and ID on 80M. Hope for more activity next month.
AB9CA
Used the FT-857 rather than the usual K2. Antenna was the usual 100' wire. Due to other activity had only limited time. Did not make the first Q until 0234. Listened on 20 for a couple of minutes but heard nothing and went to 40. Ended up with 10 contacts on 40 and 5 on 80. The noise did not seem too bad but condx did not seem good. Most signals were weak and difficult copy. 80 seemed to be in pretty good shape but not many there. Thanks to all for the fun and see you next month.
K5JHP
Band condx here is south Texas was really bad. I did manage to work K4BAI on all three bands, 80,40, and 20. Thanks, John. Hope to be back next month.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 14 QSOs this month (down 2 from November). I thought it was going to be a BUST. NOTHING heard on 20M, and most of the 40M QSOs were "local", i.e. TX, MS, AL and NM. However, things got interesting with stations like C6AKQ, N3FCS, W3KC, K4BAI and WVØH. It took a lot of work, but 40M and 80M DID provide some nice contacts. In the end, I had a GREAT TIME! Hoping for some 20M ops next time.
N5GW
K1 with internal ATU and micropaddles plus 800 mAh LiPO battery to a 90' vertical with counterpoise of metal carport roof (my 160M antenna). I made more contacts on 80M than 40M. Didn't even listen on 20M. 80M is getting into good shape this time of year, although QSB was noticeable. I was finally able to work K7TQ out in Idaho, but heard nothing else out west.
C6AKQ (N4BP)
Spending three weeks in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Unfortunately noise levels were very high during the Spartan Sprint and gave it up after a half hour. Using K3 @ 5W to inverted-V @ 80ft.
NQ2W
K1 at 5W to an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m and a ground mounted, home-brewed, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. Started on 20 - nothing. Moved to 40 and worked pretty hard to make 3 QSOs. Changed the filter board in the K1 and was able to make 6 more QSOs on 80. Band conditions here were not favorable, to put it mildly. W3KC was strong on 80. Had a two-bander with K4BAI. Hoping for better conditions and more participation to start off the new year! Happy Holidays!
W3KC
A fun and interesting event. QSOs here were about evenly split between 40 and 80 meters with nothing heard on 20 meters.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. 13 states this time with QSOs split roughly evenly between 40 and 80M - except for one lonely QSO with K4BAI on 20M. Got John on 3 bands. Had to work for most of the Qs with only a few strong signals from NM and TX. Best of the holiday season to everyone - and to the Adventure Radio Society. Had fun.
KK4DMT
I believe this may be my second Sprint. I was on for just the first hour. Heard only two stations calling and contacted only one. Was using KX3 at 5watts into an end-fed wire. Hope to do better next month.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
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Soapbox: November 2013 Spartan Sprint
K3RLL
Slow start with only K7TQ on 20 meters and lots of noise of 40m. But after about a half hour, fellow SS’ers started coming out of the woodwork. There were some nice signals amidst the noise tonight. N5GW and W3KC were the big guns heard here in FL. 72/73 and thanks for the fun.
W1PID
What a great sprint. I operated for 40 minutes. Best DX was K6XM in CA. I worked Randy K7TQ and Dave AB9CA on both 20 and 40 meters. I made 7 QSOs on 20 meters and 8 QSOs on 40 meters. Nothing on 80M. Nice to work so many old friends.
W5QLF
Weak and sparse pickin's.
NØAR
Only had an hour to play but what a great way to spend it. Twenty was meh, forty was FB here. The equip: KX3 @ 5 w, R-5 and inverted L 40' up 40' across, my summer antenna still. Good to hear so many familiar calls.
AE7CG
Moderate QRN conditions on 20M. Thanks to K4BAI for my only contact.
WØCH
Thanks to the ARS for another excellent Spartan Sprint. This month I operated only on 40 meters using a Wilderness Radio 40A rig at 1 watt output power into a ZM-2 tuner and inverted L antenna. The 7AH gel cell battery weighs way too much so I'm in the tubby class again. Gotta go on a diet one of these days! Anyway, 40 meters was good and got QSOs from both east and west coasts.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 16 QSOs this month. I had a GREAT TIME! While I only had five EXCELLENT contacts on 20M (W1PID, K6XM, K7TQ, NK6A and N7LT) , I found 40M conditions to be much better than expected. I jumped in and started calling CQ. This is not always a good idea when running a rig that has very-low current batteries (weight...). However, it paid off! I worked a lot of stations that I had not heard before, but there was some payback... The battery voltage was drooping at 1.5 hours into the event, but I kept going, and FORTUNATELY did not toast any of the batteries. But it was close... with about 3 VDC on each cell. There are no protection circuits on these batteries. If you run them down too far, they die - period. They puff up, get hot, catch on fire, and explode if you don't throw them into the "dead battery pit" ASAP! There was an episode of Star Trek showing what you must do with a Phasor that is about to explode... That's what the LiPo batteries are all about, but, it was a fabulous evening from Houston. Hoping for more 20M ops next time!
K6XM
The bands were in good shape for the first hour, with lots of good signals, but then everything went flat. This was my 4th sprint and I’m beginning to recognize a lot of familiar calls, which is fun. I had lots of two banders this time, and one three bander – WB5BKL. 20 and 40 were good, but I only managed 3 QSOs on 80. I’m still using my KX3 and still struggling with the KX3 paddle. I suspect the culprit may be an oxidation problem which causes it to sometimes not send when the paddle is pressed. If someone knows a solution for this, I’d sure like to hear it. I have another homemade paddle that I could have used, but that would have added 8 oz to the station weight, so I elected to struggle instead. Thanks for another fun evening.
K4BAI
20M seemed open to short skip at the start as I was copying a low power station in PA, but only W5/6/7 stations were heard and worked. I think I heard W1PID working someone else. 40M was pretty good everywhere, but the AL station worked was weak. 80M was in good shape, but not too much activity there. Worked WA8ZBT in TX on all three bands. Thanks for the QSOs.
VE3DTI
First Spartan Sprint. KX3 at 5W with vertical wire at 43 ft. Heard John K4BAI at 7043 and several others in 40m and 20m but could not break the pile-ups.TU es 72 to all.
W3KC
After missing the last few SP's, it was great to be back. Made most QSOs on 40 which was quite active, but plagued by QRM from mysterious carriers and band QRN. Ran 5 watts from the IC-703 and the ZS6BKW doublet.
W9CJS
Lots of fun. Good conditions. I'm always amazed at how well QRP works out.
K5GQ
Did not hear any stations on 20M started calling CQ. Only 2Q.Went to 40M and worked John K4BIA, always a good signal.When I built the ATS3 I broke the wire while winding the torrid. I guess it is time to find the parts and try 80M again. Planning to meet other QRPers or hams for lunch on a weekday near IAH, the local QRP group Meets for lunch on the West side of Houston is just too far to drive for lunch and return to work.
AB9CA
Rig was usual K2 to 100' wire. Participation seemed Light, but it may have been condx. Good to hear the new calls mixed in with the more familiar. Prop seemed strange. 40 seemed to be long early. John, K4BAI, who usually booms into here on 40 was near ESP. But WI and CA were OK. Heard very little activity on 20, only 2 Qs there (CA and NH). Also heard Randy in ID but he faded out just as I called. And only 3 on 80 (MS, GA, IL). The noise on 80 was rather low. Had decent copy on W9CJS in IL so seems like it would have been a good band. And worked 19 on 40. From CA to NH and TX to MN. The band was wide open but flaky. Thanks to all who stopped by and hope to see more next month.
KG3W
HB1B/ T1 tuner/ Palm paddle and 850 mah lipo battery. Ran 40 meters only tonight. Think I'll try to set up an antenna for 40 mtrs only so I can get rid of the massive 5 oz T1 tuner. Hi! First contact was with K3RLL in Fl. Hi Don ! The band sounded kind of scratchy at first but settled down nicely. Lowest power station was 2 watts from KA9VHG in WI. Nice signal Jim. Longest qso tonight was W5ACM, Andy in Texas. W7OM , in WA. got a partial of my call but lost him in qsb. Loudest station was Jose, VE3DTI. I had to lower my audio. Nice signal OM. Thanks all for 2 hours of fun and hearing my little 4 watts.
N5GW
I ran the KX3 with int. NiMH bats and int. ATU at 3W to a CFZ at 40'. Only a few Q's on 20 due to the expected early darkness after the end of daylight savings time. 40 sounded good, but not many ops heard on 80. Main limitations of activity were not QRN, QRM or QSB, but more like trying to watch MN football plus my cat staring me in the face, trying to get in my lap.
K7TQ
Another good evening at the radio. I checked back through my logs and I've done every November Spartan Sprint since 2003 for 11 consecutive years. 20m was good for the first 15 minutes so I switched to 40 m for the next hour although a check of 20 m around 0300Z showed it was still open to TX. 80m doesn't seem to get much activity from here in ID, but I was able to work K6XM and K7LT. Tonight's loud stations were AB9CA, KE0G, and K6XM. Rig was a K3 at 5 W to a Force 12 C4SXL at 60 feet. I had MultChaser show the North America map and color in the SPCs as I worked them. Catch you all next month.
WB9G
My first sprint in several months. Stayed on 40 for the evening. Thanks for the QSOs.
N7LT
Had fun again in the sprint. In between getting home from work around 7pm, getting kids dinner and later to bed, was able to make 11 contacts on 20, 40 and one on 80 meters but bands were REALLY noisy! Still, fun to be back!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. 15 states this time with most of the QSOs on 40M. Found some activity on a relatively noise-free 80M for a change. Worked several on two bands and K6XM on 20, 40 and 80M. My thanks to all. Had fun.
KA9VHG
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. 15 states this time with most of the QSOs on 40M. Found some activity on a relatively noise-free 80M for a change. Worked several on two bands and K6XM on 20, 40 and 80M. My thanks to all. Had fun.
Slow start with only K7TQ on 20 meters and lots of noise of 40m. But after about a half hour, fellow SS’ers started coming out of the woodwork. There were some nice signals amidst the noise tonight. N5GW and W3KC were the big guns heard here in FL. 72/73 and thanks for the fun.
W1PID
What a great sprint. I operated for 40 minutes. Best DX was K6XM in CA. I worked Randy K7TQ and Dave AB9CA on both 20 and 40 meters. I made 7 QSOs on 20 meters and 8 QSOs on 40 meters. Nothing on 80M. Nice to work so many old friends.
W5QLF
Weak and sparse pickin's.
NØAR
Only had an hour to play but what a great way to spend it. Twenty was meh, forty was FB here. The equip: KX3 @ 5 w, R-5 and inverted L 40' up 40' across, my summer antenna still. Good to hear so many familiar calls.
AE7CG
Moderate QRN conditions on 20M. Thanks to K4BAI for my only contact.
WØCH
Thanks to the ARS for another excellent Spartan Sprint. This month I operated only on 40 meters using a Wilderness Radio 40A rig at 1 watt output power into a ZM-2 tuner and inverted L antenna. The 7AH gel cell battery weighs way too much so I'm in the tubby class again. Gotta go on a diet one of these days! Anyway, 40 meters was good and got QSOs from both east and west coasts.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 16 QSOs this month. I had a GREAT TIME! While I only had five EXCELLENT contacts on 20M (W1PID, K6XM, K7TQ, NK6A and N7LT) , I found 40M conditions to be much better than expected. I jumped in and started calling CQ. This is not always a good idea when running a rig that has very-low current batteries (weight...). However, it paid off! I worked a lot of stations that I had not heard before, but there was some payback... The battery voltage was drooping at 1.5 hours into the event, but I kept going, and FORTUNATELY did not toast any of the batteries. But it was close... with about 3 VDC on each cell. There are no protection circuits on these batteries. If you run them down too far, they die - period. They puff up, get hot, catch on fire, and explode if you don't throw them into the "dead battery pit" ASAP! There was an episode of Star Trek showing what you must do with a Phasor that is about to explode... That's what the LiPo batteries are all about, but, it was a fabulous evening from Houston. Hoping for more 20M ops next time!
K6XM
The bands were in good shape for the first hour, with lots of good signals, but then everything went flat. This was my 4th sprint and I’m beginning to recognize a lot of familiar calls, which is fun. I had lots of two banders this time, and one three bander – WB5BKL. 20 and 40 were good, but I only managed 3 QSOs on 80. I’m still using my KX3 and still struggling with the KX3 paddle. I suspect the culprit may be an oxidation problem which causes it to sometimes not send when the paddle is pressed. If someone knows a solution for this, I’d sure like to hear it. I have another homemade paddle that I could have used, but that would have added 8 oz to the station weight, so I elected to struggle instead. Thanks for another fun evening.
K4BAI
20M seemed open to short skip at the start as I was copying a low power station in PA, but only W5/6/7 stations were heard and worked. I think I heard W1PID working someone else. 40M was pretty good everywhere, but the AL station worked was weak. 80M was in good shape, but not too much activity there. Worked WA8ZBT in TX on all three bands. Thanks for the QSOs.
VE3DTI
First Spartan Sprint. KX3 at 5W with vertical wire at 43 ft. Heard John K4BAI at 7043 and several others in 40m and 20m but could not break the pile-ups.TU es 72 to all.
W3KC
After missing the last few SP's, it was great to be back. Made most QSOs on 40 which was quite active, but plagued by QRM from mysterious carriers and band QRN. Ran 5 watts from the IC-703 and the ZS6BKW doublet.
W9CJS
Lots of fun. Good conditions. I'm always amazed at how well QRP works out.
K5GQ
Did not hear any stations on 20M started calling CQ. Only 2Q.Went to 40M and worked John K4BIA, always a good signal.When I built the ATS3 I broke the wire while winding the torrid. I guess it is time to find the parts and try 80M again. Planning to meet other QRPers or hams for lunch on a weekday near IAH, the local QRP group Meets for lunch on the West side of Houston is just too far to drive for lunch and return to work.
AB9CA
Rig was usual K2 to 100' wire. Participation seemed Light, but it may have been condx. Good to hear the new calls mixed in with the more familiar. Prop seemed strange. 40 seemed to be long early. John, K4BAI, who usually booms into here on 40 was near ESP. But WI and CA were OK. Heard very little activity on 20, only 2 Qs there (CA and NH). Also heard Randy in ID but he faded out just as I called. And only 3 on 80 (MS, GA, IL). The noise on 80 was rather low. Had decent copy on W9CJS in IL so seems like it would have been a good band. And worked 19 on 40. From CA to NH and TX to MN. The band was wide open but flaky. Thanks to all who stopped by and hope to see more next month.
KG3W
HB1B/ T1 tuner/ Palm paddle and 850 mah lipo battery. Ran 40 meters only tonight. Think I'll try to set up an antenna for 40 mtrs only so I can get rid of the massive 5 oz T1 tuner. Hi! First contact was with K3RLL in Fl. Hi Don ! The band sounded kind of scratchy at first but settled down nicely. Lowest power station was 2 watts from KA9VHG in WI. Nice signal Jim. Longest qso tonight was W5ACM, Andy in Texas. W7OM , in WA. got a partial of my call but lost him in qsb. Loudest station was Jose, VE3DTI. I had to lower my audio. Nice signal OM. Thanks all for 2 hours of fun and hearing my little 4 watts.
N5GW
I ran the KX3 with int. NiMH bats and int. ATU at 3W to a CFZ at 40'. Only a few Q's on 20 due to the expected early darkness after the end of daylight savings time. 40 sounded good, but not many ops heard on 80. Main limitations of activity were not QRN, QRM or QSB, but more like trying to watch MN football plus my cat staring me in the face, trying to get in my lap.
K7TQ
Another good evening at the radio. I checked back through my logs and I've done every November Spartan Sprint since 2003 for 11 consecutive years. 20m was good for the first 15 minutes so I switched to 40 m for the next hour although a check of 20 m around 0300Z showed it was still open to TX. 80m doesn't seem to get much activity from here in ID, but I was able to work K6XM and K7LT. Tonight's loud stations were AB9CA, KE0G, and K6XM. Rig was a K3 at 5 W to a Force 12 C4SXL at 60 feet. I had MultChaser show the North America map and color in the SPCs as I worked them. Catch you all next month.
WB9G
My first sprint in several months. Stayed on 40 for the evening. Thanks for the QSOs.
N7LT
Had fun again in the sprint. In between getting home from work around 7pm, getting kids dinner and later to bed, was able to make 11 contacts on 20, 40 and one on 80 meters but bands were REALLY noisy! Still, fun to be back!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. 15 states this time with most of the QSOs on 40M. Found some activity on a relatively noise-free 80M for a change. Worked several on two bands and K6XM on 20, 40 and 80M. My thanks to all. Had fun.
KA9VHG
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. 15 states this time with most of the QSOs on 40M. Found some activity on a relatively noise-free 80M for a change. Worked several on two bands and K6XM on 20, 40 and 80M. My thanks to all. Had fun.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Soapbox: October 2013 Spartan Sprint
N7LT
It was FUN once again after a DECADE of not participating! I stumbled upon the October Spartan Sprint, connected up my Key and computer for logging, and made some contacts! I’ve put a schedule in my phone calendar to remind me to not miss it next month! I look forward to once again being competitive! Last time I operated the Spartan Sprints was sometime around 2003 or earlier in Belgrade, MT (SW MT). I’ve lived near Kalispell, MT (NW MT) for 10 years now and this is the first sprint I’ve participated in from here. I got lucky Monday night and happened to hear “CQ SP”! The excitement is back! I've got to be ready next month to see if I can win again! (Smiling)
VE7ECK
A first Sprint from Northwestern BC, I think. Lots of fun sitting in a picnic shelter at the edge of the Skeena River in front of the KX1 and watching the sun go down as our keying fingers got number in the October air. Hopefully we'll make more contacts next time. Keith, VE7ECK and Allen, VE7BQO.
KA9VHG
Very enjoyable 2 hours. Used my KX1 with internal lithium batteries, Bulldog paddles, and earbuds. Antenna is a low inverted L. Spent most of my time on 40m as 20m was quiet and 80m had quite a bit of QRN. Thanks for pulling my 2 watts out of the noise.
K3RLL
Back in FL for the winter at whopping 82’ ASL with my compromise antennas and just wasn’t hearing anyone tonight. Got spoiled over the summer in the mountains of PA with an outside antenna and good elevation but they tell me it snows up there in the winters! Anyhow, many thanks for those who dug me out of the noise on 40m tonight. See you next month.
ABØCD
Had limited time and no antenna up, so I hooked the K2 up to the little red wire that runs out my townhouse window and is screwed to my rain gutter, but managed to work ID, GA, CA,TX, and NY on 40 CW. Not bad.
WA5RML
FlexRadio 1500 @5 wts to vertical (20M) and G5RV (80/40M); Weight of 13.7 lbs includes laptop, power supply, Vibroplex Code Warrior paddles, FlexControl knob. Hot Dog! Second Spartan Sprint this year! 12 QSOs included: (a) 20M - NK6A (Don), K7TQ (Randy), NQ2W (Will), (b) 40M - K4BAI, (John), KØEVZ (Doc), KG4W (Ed), K7TQ (Randy, again!), ABØCD (Dick), K6XM (Greg), W7OM (Rod), W2NED (Ned), and (c) 80M - WB5BKL (Nick). Nine (9) states - CA, CO, GA, ID, NM, NY, TX, VA, and WA. Cool stuff! Especially 5 wts into compromise antennas! Best signal of the evening goes to Nick, WB5BKL, pounding into the Dallas/Ft. Worth area from Burnett, TX, with a true, honest-to-goodness 599 signal on 80 mtrs! I assumed that he was operating from somewhere nearby but no...he's down near Austin, TX. Hope to see everyone next month!
W2NED
QRN was high in WNY this evening, so I decided to use my K3 to help dig out those QRP signals. I found it to be quite challenging, but still great fun! I started with two Texas QSOs on 20 meters and soon moved to 40. I quickly found that I wasn't alone in migrating to 40, and I eventually reworked my 20 meter QSOs on 40! I am always amazed at the geographical distribution of the QRP stations worked, and I am looking forward to next month and a lower noise floor!
WVØH
A whole 3 QSOs from Colorado this evening. I got a late start in the back yard but managed to put up a 46 foot inverted L, or was it a "Seven", anyway,I used my barebones KX3 with its internal Eneloops, KXPD3, KXFL3, KXAT3 weighing in at 2.2377 lbs. My first QSO was AK6YY at 0209, then Don NK6A just after that. I really thought the band was dead so I QSYd down to 80, no luck there. I then went up to 20m and it was dead, so back to 40 where I picked up Clint, K6CSL. He copied my exchange but he faded into the ether and tried, oh I tried to get him to repeat his exchange but there wasn't a beep. Sorry Clint. Then a CQing we would go and K6XM came through. The strong CA sounds of good, strong Charlie Whiskey! So there you have it, the news from Lake Whoa-Be-Gone where all women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average. Keep your stick on the ice.
K5JHP
Bands here on Tx coast seemed to be “dead”. East coast Yielded only 3 contacts. 5 contacts on 20 and 7 on 40. Maybe next month will be better.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 10 QSOs this month. Although I had a GREAT TIME, it was more difficult. It started slow on 20M, but then unlike last month, it got worse. Band conditions were very quiet, i.e. very little QRN. 40M was almost as good, but a bit noisier. I avoided excessive CQ ops so that I could make the batteries last the whole two hours. I have my ATS-3A on the bench, but the fix is not trivial. When I get it working, my station weight will drop to TWO OUNCES ...
K6XM
I got home from work late and missed the 20 meter opening, which is my “money” band. Only worked 3 stations on 20. So I spent most of my time on 40 meters. 80 started to open right and the end of the sprint and I did manage to work two stations – WB5KBL and K7TQ – on three bands (20, 40, and 80)! There were a few stations that I could tell were calling me, but were just too weak to pull out of the noise. I’m sorry that I couldn’t work them. Thanks to all who put up with my mutton fist ( the paddelette on my KX3 was giving me problems). I didn’t score as well as last time, but it was still a lot of fun.
K4BAI
20M open nicely to the west, but only two QSOs there. 40M was the place to be with 26 QSOs from NY to WI to CO and out to CA. Skip was fairly long with closest QSOs being in VA. 80M was very noisy here, but good QSO with WB5BKL there. Still need more activity to keep up interest for two hours. Thanks for the QSOs.
KD2MX
All paths led to TX on 20m, nothing on 40m, but I wasn't around for long.
N7WM
Rig was a KD1JV Mountaintopper running 2 Watts, as close as I can determine. This was the first time that I had put the rig on the air, it worked FB on 20M, but although it also put out about 2 W on 40 meters, the 40 meter receiver section was silent. Whiterock key, 9V battery, plus earbuds. It was fun. Will do it again.
K7TQ
A fun evening here in Idaho. 20 m was a great place to start with K4BAI answering right off the bat followed by a long string of about 1 per minute until 0130Z. I switched over to 40 m and continued to have folks answer. About 0200Z things slowed down considerably. For the 1st hour I had 39 Qs on both 20 and 40 m. The second hour yielded 9 Qs on 40 and 80 m. K6XM found me on all 3 bands with K4BAI, K6JHP, NK6A, NQ2W, W5ACM, WA5RML, WA7OJY, WA8ZBT, and WB5BKL all good for two bands. Thanks to all who stopped by.
NQ2W
K1 at 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted V at 40ft for 40m. Started on 20 and made 11 FB QSOs. Moved to 40 and battled a pretty noisy band to add 8 more QSOs. Considered trying 80 but was discouraged by the noise level on 40. Two banders with K7TQ, WB5BKL, and WA8ZBT. Thanks for the contacts. Hope to hear your call during the NY QP.
KG3W
Had a fun time but only 13 contacts tonight. Station was HB1B, Palm paddle, 850 mah lipo and a T1 tuner from elecraft. Had 1 contact on 20 with K7TQ in Idaho, and 1 on 80 with AF3Z in Pa. The rest were 40 meters. Band sounded ok but I could not get a run going, with my big 4 watts and dipole. Lowest pwr station worked was KA9VHG in WI @ 2 watts. Nice going, Jim. Got to work my friend Don, K3RLL down in FL. The best signal report here in PA was KØOU, Steve in Missouri. Now it's on to the 9th anniversary sprint of the NAQCC.
AE7CG
Thanks to WB5BKL, K7TQ, and WA8ZBT for this month's QSOs on 20M.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. Tried 15M with no luck. Only 13 states this time with quite a few doubles but only K6XM on 20, 40 and 80M. Worked two stations running 2W. As my VK-friends would say, "Gudonya!" My thanks to all and to the organizers. Had fun.
K5GQ
Few new stations worked this time. 20M seemed very quiet.
AB1AV
ATS-3B, touch keyer, Z-match tuner to 88' doublet up 60'. Heard lots of sprinters on 20 meters here in NH, but many seemed to be within 100 Hz - obviously not hearing each other. Picked off a few on the edges (TX, ID, CA), took time out for a traffic net, tried 40 meters with no luck at all, and called it a night about 0200Z.
It was FUN once again after a DECADE of not participating! I stumbled upon the October Spartan Sprint, connected up my Key and computer for logging, and made some contacts! I’ve put a schedule in my phone calendar to remind me to not miss it next month! I look forward to once again being competitive! Last time I operated the Spartan Sprints was sometime around 2003 or earlier in Belgrade, MT (SW MT). I’ve lived near Kalispell, MT (NW MT) for 10 years now and this is the first sprint I’ve participated in from here. I got lucky Monday night and happened to hear “CQ SP”! The excitement is back! I've got to be ready next month to see if I can win again! (Smiling)
VE7ECK
A first Sprint from Northwestern BC, I think. Lots of fun sitting in a picnic shelter at the edge of the Skeena River in front of the KX1 and watching the sun go down as our keying fingers got number in the October air. Hopefully we'll make more contacts next time. Keith, VE7ECK and Allen, VE7BQO.
KA9VHG
Very enjoyable 2 hours. Used my KX1 with internal lithium batteries, Bulldog paddles, and earbuds. Antenna is a low inverted L. Spent most of my time on 40m as 20m was quiet and 80m had quite a bit of QRN. Thanks for pulling my 2 watts out of the noise.
Back in FL for the winter at whopping 82’ ASL with my compromise antennas and just wasn’t hearing anyone tonight. Got spoiled over the summer in the mountains of PA with an outside antenna and good elevation but they tell me it snows up there in the winters! Anyhow, many thanks for those who dug me out of the noise on 40m tonight. See you next month.
ABØCD
Had limited time and no antenna up, so I hooked the K2 up to the little red wire that runs out my townhouse window and is screwed to my rain gutter, but managed to work ID, GA, CA,TX, and NY on 40 CW. Not bad.
WA5RML
FlexRadio 1500 @5 wts to vertical (20M) and G5RV (80/40M); Weight of 13.7 lbs includes laptop, power supply, Vibroplex Code Warrior paddles, FlexControl knob. Hot Dog! Second Spartan Sprint this year! 12 QSOs included: (a) 20M - NK6A (Don), K7TQ (Randy), NQ2W (Will), (b) 40M - K4BAI, (John), KØEVZ (Doc), KG4W (Ed), K7TQ (Randy, again!), ABØCD (Dick), K6XM (Greg), W7OM (Rod), W2NED (Ned), and (c) 80M - WB5BKL (Nick). Nine (9) states - CA, CO, GA, ID, NM, NY, TX, VA, and WA. Cool stuff! Especially 5 wts into compromise antennas! Best signal of the evening goes to Nick, WB5BKL, pounding into the Dallas/Ft. Worth area from Burnett, TX, with a true, honest-to-goodness 599 signal on 80 mtrs! I assumed that he was operating from somewhere nearby but no...he's down near Austin, TX. Hope to see everyone next month!
W2NED
QRN was high in WNY this evening, so I decided to use my K3 to help dig out those QRP signals. I found it to be quite challenging, but still great fun! I started with two Texas QSOs on 20 meters and soon moved to 40. I quickly found that I wasn't alone in migrating to 40, and I eventually reworked my 20 meter QSOs on 40! I am always amazed at the geographical distribution of the QRP stations worked, and I am looking forward to next month and a lower noise floor!
WVØH
A whole 3 QSOs from Colorado this evening. I got a late start in the back yard but managed to put up a 46 foot inverted L, or was it a "Seven", anyway,I used my barebones KX3 with its internal Eneloops, KXPD3, KXFL3, KXAT3 weighing in at 2.2377 lbs. My first QSO was AK6YY at 0209, then Don NK6A just after that. I really thought the band was dead so I QSYd down to 80, no luck there. I then went up to 20m and it was dead, so back to 40 where I picked up Clint, K6CSL. He copied my exchange but he faded into the ether and tried, oh I tried to get him to repeat his exchange but there wasn't a beep. Sorry Clint. Then a CQing we would go and K6XM came through. The strong CA sounds of good, strong Charlie Whiskey! So there you have it, the news from Lake Whoa-Be-Gone where all women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average. Keep your stick on the ice.
K5JHP
Bands here on Tx coast seemed to be “dead”. East coast Yielded only 3 contacts. 5 contacts on 20 and 7 on 40. Maybe next month will be better.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 10 QSOs this month. Although I had a GREAT TIME, it was more difficult. It started slow on 20M, but then unlike last month, it got worse. Band conditions were very quiet, i.e. very little QRN. 40M was almost as good, but a bit noisier. I avoided excessive CQ ops so that I could make the batteries last the whole two hours. I have my ATS-3A on the bench, but the fix is not trivial. When I get it working, my station weight will drop to TWO OUNCES ...
K6XM
I got home from work late and missed the 20 meter opening, which is my “money” band. Only worked 3 stations on 20. So I spent most of my time on 40 meters. 80 started to open right and the end of the sprint and I did manage to work two stations – WB5KBL and K7TQ – on three bands (20, 40, and 80)! There were a few stations that I could tell were calling me, but were just too weak to pull out of the noise. I’m sorry that I couldn’t work them. Thanks to all who put up with my mutton fist ( the paddelette on my KX3 was giving me problems). I didn’t score as well as last time, but it was still a lot of fun.
K4BAI
20M open nicely to the west, but only two QSOs there. 40M was the place to be with 26 QSOs from NY to WI to CO and out to CA. Skip was fairly long with closest QSOs being in VA. 80M was very noisy here, but good QSO with WB5BKL there. Still need more activity to keep up interest for two hours. Thanks for the QSOs.
KD2MX
All paths led to TX on 20m, nothing on 40m, but I wasn't around for long.
N7WM
Rig was a KD1JV Mountaintopper running 2 Watts, as close as I can determine. This was the first time that I had put the rig on the air, it worked FB on 20M, but although it also put out about 2 W on 40 meters, the 40 meter receiver section was silent. Whiterock key, 9V battery, plus earbuds. It was fun. Will do it again.
K7TQ
A fun evening here in Idaho. 20 m was a great place to start with K4BAI answering right off the bat followed by a long string of about 1 per minute until 0130Z. I switched over to 40 m and continued to have folks answer. About 0200Z things slowed down considerably. For the 1st hour I had 39 Qs on both 20 and 40 m. The second hour yielded 9 Qs on 40 and 80 m. K6XM found me on all 3 bands with K4BAI, K6JHP, NK6A, NQ2W, W5ACM, WA5RML, WA7OJY, WA8ZBT, and WB5BKL all good for two bands. Thanks to all who stopped by.
NQ2W
K1 at 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted V at 40ft for 40m. Started on 20 and made 11 FB QSOs. Moved to 40 and battled a pretty noisy band to add 8 more QSOs. Considered trying 80 but was discouraged by the noise level on 40. Two banders with K7TQ, WB5BKL, and WA8ZBT. Thanks for the contacts. Hope to hear your call during the NY QP.
KG3W
Had a fun time but only 13 contacts tonight. Station was HB1B, Palm paddle, 850 mah lipo and a T1 tuner from elecraft. Had 1 contact on 20 with K7TQ in Idaho, and 1 on 80 with AF3Z in Pa. The rest were 40 meters. Band sounded ok but I could not get a run going, with my big 4 watts and dipole. Lowest pwr station worked was KA9VHG in WI @ 2 watts. Nice going, Jim. Got to work my friend Don, K3RLL down in FL. The best signal report here in PA was KØOU, Steve in Missouri. Now it's on to the 9th anniversary sprint of the NAQCC.
AE7CG
Thanks to WB5BKL, K7TQ, and WA8ZBT for this month's QSOs on 20M.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. Tried 15M with no luck. Only 13 states this time with quite a few doubles but only K6XM on 20, 40 and 80M. Worked two stations running 2W. As my VK-friends would say, "Gudonya!" My thanks to all and to the organizers. Had fun.
K5GQ
Few new stations worked this time. 20M seemed very quiet.
AB1AV
ATS-3B, touch keyer, Z-match tuner to 88' doublet up 60'. Heard lots of sprinters on 20 meters here in NH, but many seemed to be within 100 Hz - obviously not hearing each other. Picked off a few on the edges (TX, ID, CA), took time out for a traffic net, tried 40 meters with no luck at all, and called it a night about 0200Z.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Soapbox: September 2013 Spartan Sprint
AB9CA
Was a fun sprint. Activity was more than it has been for a while. Good to see the new call alongside those more familiar. Station was the K2 at 5w to 100' wire. Activity was fairly evenly spread between 20m, with 29 Q's, and 40m, with 36 Q's. Also went to 80 for a few minutes and picked up 3 there. But the noise was pretty bad so did not stay long. The most active states were: TX - 10, MI - 9, CA - 5, CO, MN , NH, PA - 4. Good to see those Pesky Texans out in force! Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Hope to see ya'all again next month.
K5GQ
ATS-III. Nice to be able to work a SP.Heard N4BP on 20 But just could not finish contact. Signals were strong on both 40M and 20M.
K3RLL
Got late start as phone rang at exactly 9 PM EDT. (Sigh) But daughters come before radios. Nice group out tonight on 40 meters and fairly long skip. NO2D had great signal in from CO as did KE0G from MN. Tnx for all the fun, short time tonight or not.
NKØE
Another fun sprint. Ran my K1 into a multiband EFHW at 5W. Started fast on 20m but switched over to 40m after a half hour when activity disappeared. 40 was a challenge at my QTH tonight - signals were not strong and QSB was maddening at times. Still, a fun evening and a great way to wrap up the holiday weekend.
AA4GA
Same station as last month - only change was to raise up the half of my antenna that had fallen! Now back at around 40,' and that surely helped - plus, I get the feel that condx may have been better as well, but that's hard to judge with the antenna change. Anyway, I had 7 QSOs on 20 and 19 on 40 with KE0G and WB5BKL worked on both bands. On my 950 mA 3S LiPo, I started with the voltage at 11.79 (the ATS rigs don't like voltage over 12v, so I don't fully charge the battery) and ended up at 11.15v, using 382 mAH of juice. That's with a lot of CQing. I suppose I could get a lighter battery, but I do like not having to worry about running it too low or if I'm CQing too much. Rig again was "Sindy", the ATS-3b at 4-5 watts out, depending on band.
WØCH
Pretty good conditions here in Missouri. I worked only 40 meters in between other tasks around the shop. My 7AH gel cell battery doesn't help my "Skinny Score" very much!
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 17 QSOs this month. Once again I had a GREAT TIME! This month it was an almost even split between 20M and 40M. It started slow on 20M, but then more folks started showing up. Band conditions were very quiet, i.e. very little QRN. 40M was almost as good, but a bit noisier. I avoided excessive CQ ops so that I could make the batteries last the whole two hours. It sounded like there were a lot more folks on this month. Nice! VFB to finally work Henry W5HNS in San Antonio. It was a fabulous evening from Houston. Hoping to get my ATS-3A operational for next time!
WA5BUC
First Sprint in quite some time. Started on 20 (no Q's). Then went to 40 for 3 Q's. Fun event.
KG3W
Same station set up as August sprint. Had 2 more contacts than last month. Woo hoo! Only 2 were Michigan qso party. Bands condx were full of static crashes. Best signals were N4BP & AB9CA. Heard Don K3RLL but could not get him on 40. Must have spent 10 minutes trying to get K5GQ. Maybe next time Mark. Thanks everyone for 2 hours of QRP fun this evening.
AE7CG
Thanks to K4BAI, WB5BKL, and KE8M for QSOs on 20M.Rig is an MFJ Cub running 2 watts to a dipole up 10 feet.
K4BAI
Many more QSOs than in recent months.Maybe it was because of the holiday or that the Mi QRP Club had a sprint at the same time. In any case, let's keep the activity level up. 20M was pretty good with QSOs to New England and the west coast. Skip was fairly long with the closest QSOs being in NJ and TX. 40M was good all over. No activity heard on 7030, but a lot of activity between 7039 and 7044 kHz. 80M was very noisy, but N8EA in MI had a good signal. QSOs by bands: 20M: 16;40M: 32; 80M: 3. Thanks for all the QSOs.
K5JHP
Bands were pretty good. Could have worked more but time was cut short. Better next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. Wow - lots of activity this time. My thanks to all of the MI QRP Sprint folks who joined in. My last QSO might have been a little late, so I did not count it - but this sprint was still a personal best for me with 43 QSOs and 20 states. My apologies to those I could not quite hear - we had a line of T-storms that were more-or-less stationary to the southeast of here. My thanks to all and to the ARS sponsors.
N4BP
Overlapped with the MI QRP Labor Day Sprint. No problem to participate in both. In fact only one SPer was a dupe for the MI Sprint since 20M remained open only very briefly after the start of the Spartan Sprint and the remainder was spent on 40M.
W5HNS
Finally found a no-conflict 1st Monday. Was operating /5 from Lubbock and used 20 and 40 meters. Maybe should have stayed on 20 a tad longer but contacts were few and far between. For me, most signals were very weak including the usually strong K4BAI. But then I am sure he was beaming up the east coast. Was surprised to hear Texas stations on 40 meters. Especially strong most of the time was WB5BKL and W5ACM.
NQ2W
K1 at 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. Lots of QRN in Albany, NY on both 20m and 40m...I didn't even think about trying 80. Even through the noise, two banders were had with N4BP, K4BAI, and AB9CA. Thanks for the Qs and here's hoping for quieter conditions in October.
NK9G
Operated with Yaesu FT-450. Noisy compared to my K1 on a battery. Had Fun, lot's of activity
AB1AV
Off to a good start on 20m with ATS3, & used it for a 9:30 traffic net too. Then zapped it somehow and killed the receiver, so that was it for this month.
WA8TMI
Great conditions. Wish I had more time. I must have a major lobe off the wire towards TX as they were coming in strong! FT2000@ 5W to the doublet. Got 5 20m and 2 on 40 before I had to go. Thanks all.
Was a fun sprint. Activity was more than it has been for a while. Good to see the new call alongside those more familiar. Station was the K2 at 5w to 100' wire. Activity was fairly evenly spread between 20m, with 29 Q's, and 40m, with 36 Q's. Also went to 80 for a few minutes and picked up 3 there. But the noise was pretty bad so did not stay long. The most active states were: TX - 10, MI - 9, CA - 5, CO, MN , NH, PA - 4. Good to see those Pesky Texans out in force! Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Hope to see ya'all again next month.
K5GQ
ATS-III. Nice to be able to work a SP.Heard N4BP on 20 But just could not finish contact. Signals were strong on both 40M and 20M.
K3RLL
Got late start as phone rang at exactly 9 PM EDT. (Sigh) But daughters come before radios. Nice group out tonight on 40 meters and fairly long skip. NO2D had great signal in from CO as did KE0G from MN. Tnx for all the fun, short time tonight or not.
NKØE
Another fun sprint. Ran my K1 into a multiband EFHW at 5W. Started fast on 20m but switched over to 40m after a half hour when activity disappeared. 40 was a challenge at my QTH tonight - signals were not strong and QSB was maddening at times. Still, a fun evening and a great way to wrap up the holiday weekend.
AA4GA
Same station as last month - only change was to raise up the half of my antenna that had fallen! Now back at around 40,' and that surely helped - plus, I get the feel that condx may have been better as well, but that's hard to judge with the antenna change. Anyway, I had 7 QSOs on 20 and 19 on 40 with KE0G and WB5BKL worked on both bands. On my 950 mA 3S LiPo, I started with the voltage at 11.79 (the ATS rigs don't like voltage over 12v, so I don't fully charge the battery) and ended up at 11.15v, using 382 mAH of juice. That's with a lot of CQing. I suppose I could get a lighter battery, but I do like not having to worry about running it too low or if I'm CQing too much. Rig again was "Sindy", the ATS-3b at 4-5 watts out, depending on band.
WØCH
Pretty good conditions here in Missouri. I worked only 40 meters in between other tasks around the shop. My 7AH gel cell battery doesn't help my "Skinny Score" very much!
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 17 QSOs this month. Once again I had a GREAT TIME! This month it was an almost even split between 20M and 40M. It started slow on 20M, but then more folks started showing up. Band conditions were very quiet, i.e. very little QRN. 40M was almost as good, but a bit noisier. I avoided excessive CQ ops so that I could make the batteries last the whole two hours. It sounded like there were a lot more folks on this month. Nice! VFB to finally work Henry W5HNS in San Antonio. It was a fabulous evening from Houston. Hoping to get my ATS-3A operational for next time!
WA5BUC
First Sprint in quite some time. Started on 20 (no Q's). Then went to 40 for 3 Q's. Fun event.
KG3W
Same station set up as August sprint. Had 2 more contacts than last month. Woo hoo! Only 2 were Michigan qso party. Bands condx were full of static crashes. Best signals were N4BP & AB9CA. Heard Don K3RLL but could not get him on 40. Must have spent 10 minutes trying to get K5GQ. Maybe next time Mark. Thanks everyone for 2 hours of QRP fun this evening.
AE7CG
Thanks to K4BAI, WB5BKL, and KE8M for QSOs on 20M.Rig is an MFJ Cub running 2 watts to a dipole up 10 feet.
K4BAI
Many more QSOs than in recent months.Maybe it was because of the holiday or that the Mi QRP Club had a sprint at the same time. In any case, let's keep the activity level up. 20M was pretty good with QSOs to New England and the west coast. Skip was fairly long with the closest QSOs being in NJ and TX. 40M was good all over. No activity heard on 7030, but a lot of activity between 7039 and 7044 kHz. 80M was very noisy, but N8EA in MI had a good signal. QSOs by bands: 20M: 16;40M: 32; 80M: 3. Thanks for all the QSOs.
K5JHP
Bands were pretty good. Could have worked more but time was cut short. Better next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M EDZepp. Wow - lots of activity this time. My thanks to all of the MI QRP Sprint folks who joined in. My last QSO might have been a little late, so I did not count it - but this sprint was still a personal best for me with 43 QSOs and 20 states. My apologies to those I could not quite hear - we had a line of T-storms that were more-or-less stationary to the southeast of here. My thanks to all and to the ARS sponsors.
N4BP
Overlapped with the MI QRP Labor Day Sprint. No problem to participate in both. In fact only one SPer was a dupe for the MI Sprint since 20M remained open only very briefly after the start of the Spartan Sprint and the remainder was spent on 40M.
W5HNS
Finally found a no-conflict 1st Monday. Was operating /5 from Lubbock and used 20 and 40 meters. Maybe should have stayed on 20 a tad longer but contacts were few and far between. For me, most signals were very weak including the usually strong K4BAI. But then I am sure he was beaming up the east coast. Was surprised to hear Texas stations on 40 meters. Especially strong most of the time was WB5BKL and W5ACM.
NQ2W
K1 at 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. Lots of QRN in Albany, NY on both 20m and 40m...I didn't even think about trying 80. Even through the noise, two banders were had with N4BP, K4BAI, and AB9CA. Thanks for the Qs and here's hoping for quieter conditions in October.
NK9G
Operated with Yaesu FT-450. Noisy compared to my K1 on a battery. Had Fun, lot's of activity
AB1AV
Off to a good start on 20m with ATS3, & used it for a 9:30 traffic net too. Then zapped it somehow and killed the receiver, so that was it for this month.
WA8TMI
Great conditions. Wish I had more time. I must have a major lobe off the wire towards TX as they were coming in strong! FT2000@ 5W to the doublet. Got 5 20m and 2 on 40 before I had to go. Thanks all.
Friday, August 23, 2013
RESULTS: 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees
The 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees had some of the highest participation in the history of the contest. Operators from around the United States, Canada and from France were active during the four-hour event on Sunday, July 28.
Scores are posted at: < http://bit.ly/17PSmdH >.
The Top 10 included:
N4BP
KXØR
N7OU
NØSS
AC7A
K6XM
K4BAI
AB9CA
N1EU
K7TQ
A total of 94 logs were submitted from both /BB and home stations.
Sincere thanks to all who took part in the 2013 edition of this annual event. Please save July 27, 2014 for the next Flight of the Bumblebees.
Richard Fisher, KI6SN
The Adventure Radio Society
Scores are posted at: < http://bit.ly/17PSmdH >.
The Top 10 included:
N4BP
KXØR
N7OU
NØSS
AC7A
K6XM
K4BAI
AB9CA
N1EU
K7TQ
A total of 94 logs were submitted from both /BB and home stations.
Sincere thanks to all who took part in the 2013 edition of this annual event. Please save July 27, 2014 for the next Flight of the Bumblebees.
Richard Fisher, KI6SN
The Adventure Radio Society
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
SOAPBOX: August 2013 Spartan Sprint
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop or a 40M dipole. Tried 15 and 80M with no results. Most of the QSOs were on 40M with 4 two-banders from 20M: NQ2W, K6XM, NK6A and AB1AV. This was my best outing in quite a while though I only got 12 states. I was still making contacts at 0259... Removed one QRO contact (8W!) before making this Submission. My thanks to all. Had fun.
WB4MNK
Got pull away after one contact with K3RLL on 40 meters. Nice solid 579, Don.
N4BP
I'm on my way home from the Sturgis, SD Bike Week rally and stopped at a motel in Benton, IL. My home station in Plantation, FL was remote controlled using LogMeIn for radio control and Skype to hear my K3's audio. My Internet connection at the motel was very slow, so just put in a few minutes to make an appearance. Besides the awkward delays from the slow connection, the bands seemed extremely noisy. I suspect there was a storm going on at home, but hard to tell being over 1,000 miles away! Rig was the K3 @ 5w, antennas were Cushcraft A4S and 40/80 coax trap dipole. Logging and CW sending was done with N1MM Logger. For any manual sending, was forced to use keyboard mode, extremely awkward. Thanks to those who hung in with me.
K3RLL
KX3 to G5RVjr: Sprint started out pretty hot but seemed to suffer a premature demise tonight. Didn’t hear anyone on 20 meters tonight. I guess those solar storms the last couple of days took a toll on our bands. Big signal was WA8PGE tonight. 72 and thanks for the fun de Don K3RLL, on location in World Famous Redbank Valley Pennsylvania.
K5JHP
Could only work one hour. Hope for more activity next month.
N5EM
Good conditions, though noisy. Heard quite a few hunt and pounce stations that I did not work.
KG3W
It's been over a year since I had been in the Spartan Sprint. Forgot what fun it can be. Went as trim as I could. HB1B, Palm paddle, T1 tuner and 850 mah lipo battery. I thought the battery would run down to soon but it was still at 11.4 volts when I finished up, and I was CQing alot. Got out to Iowa and Texas on 40. 20mtrs was no good for me and only had 1 contact on 80 with K3RLL. He and I are only 25 miles apart. 72 and thanks for all the contacts tonight.
K6XM
This was my second attempt at the Spartan Sprint and I did much better than the first time. One of the big lessons that I learned from the first attempt was that I needed to get started on time. Everyone seems to vacate 20 meters after the first half hour, which is still over an hour before local sunset. And 40 meters doesn’t begin to open until almost the end of the contest. So this time I got started just after 6 pm, and worked 15 stations in the first half hour. It also seemed like there was more activity this time. I worked a lot of calls that I hadn’t heard before. I used my new Anker Astro Pro 10000 battery to run my KX3. It worked pretty well and only used about half of its charge in the two hour contest. Thanks for another fun event!
K4BAI
Started on 20 and could only hear W7OM, who couldn't hear me. Went to 40 where there was some more activity, but not as many heard as usual. Most activity was around 7040 rather than 7030. Tried both parts of the band. Went back to 20 at 0215Z for three QSOs, K6XM, WVØH, and NK6A all with great signals. The remaining QSOs were on 40 with stations as close as W4VHH in NC and AB9CA in AL and as far away as NK6A, K6XM, and W7OM. Also good signsls from W1PID and AB1AV in NH. On 80M, got no answers to CQs and heard only WB5BKL, who didn't hear me calling. Thanks for all QSOs.
AA4GA
It's been a over six months since I've operated a Spartan Sprint, but glad to be back - thanks K4BAI for the reminder! Unfortunately, my antenna and/or the bands weren't cooperating. I started on 20m and worked no one at all. After a move to 40 I was able to make a few QSOs and decided to try 20 again. I also tried 80m with no luck either, so it was a single-band operation for me! I did check the Reverse Beacon Network and was heard on 80m, but there were no reports at all on 20 for my CQs. I was using a new paddle for this running: a TeNeKe micro. The paddle was taking a bit of work to get used to - this was the first time I'd used it on the air. This along with Sindy, my ATS-3B, powered by a 950 mAH LiPo. See you next time!
AB9CA
Was fun as usual. Had only an hour last evening. Rig was K2 at 5w to 100' wire. 40m was the 'main band' for sure. Made only 3 Q's on 20 before going to 40 where 20 were found. Went to 80 for a few minutes before leaving early but found no one. Looks like 12 SPC's on 40 and 3 on 20. TX was the most popular here with 6 Q's then NH (!!) with 3. GA, NY, and PA with 2 each. Worked W1PID and NQ2W on both bands. Thanks to everyone for the fun and see ya'all next month.
W5ESE
I used my AT Sprint 3 and Whiterook MK-44 paddles. The antenna is a horizontal loop fed with open wire line. A lot of QRN here. Conditions seemed poor. Been several months since I've been able to participate. Thanks for sponsoring the Sprint!
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 20 QSOs this month. I had a GREAT TIME! While I only had three contacts on 20M, I found 40M conditions to be fantastic. I jumped in and started calling CQ. This is not always a good idea when running a rig that has very-low current batteries (weight...). However, it paid off! I worked a lot of stations that I had not heard before, but there was some payback... The battery voltage was drooping at 1.5 hours into the event. I had to hang it up. There are no protection circuits on these batteries. If you run them down too far, they die - period. They puff up, get hot, catch on fire, and explode if you don't throw them into the "dead battery pit" ASAP! I accepted the premature end, and had a beer. It was a fabulous evening from Houston. Hoping for more 20M ops next time!
NQ2W
Ten-Tec Jupiter running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. My "lightweight" equipment was packed away in preparation for the Skeeter Sprint. I was privileged to work 8 stations on 20m from FL to CA and a few states in between and 14 stations on 40m mostly up and down the east coast and as far west as TX. I heard CA and WA on 40 but they couldn't hear me. Two banders with AB9CA, KB5FCF, and WB5BKL. KG3W was loud from PA on 40. WA8PGE's 50mW was FB from OH on 40. Hope to hear you all again. Thanks to all.
AB1AV
Thanks W1PID for reminding me the first Monday had arrived again... Worked about an hour, on 20 and 40 meters. Rig was ATS3 & Zmatch tuner to 88' doublet up 55'. Antenna seems pretty directional -- from NH reached MO, OK, TX, and Southern CA. Some great signals, & some were a struggle. Fun as always.
WA4AAK
Only had time to join in on the first half hour, but still managed 6 contacts on 40m with 3 watts thanks to some highly skilled operators on the other end. Didn't hear any Sprint stations on 20 or 80. Looking forward to the next one!
W1PID
KX3, OCF dipole. Not much activity. Best DX: NK6A and K6XM in CA. Thanks to all for the QSOs.
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop or a 40M dipole. Tried 15 and 80M with no results. Most of the QSOs were on 40M with 4 two-banders from 20M: NQ2W, K6XM, NK6A and AB1AV. This was my best outing in quite a while though I only got 12 states. I was still making contacts at 0259... Removed one QRO contact (8W!) before making this Submission. My thanks to all. Had fun.
WB4MNK
Got pull away after one contact with K3RLL on 40 meters. Nice solid 579, Don.
N4BP
I'm on my way home from the Sturgis, SD Bike Week rally and stopped at a motel in Benton, IL. My home station in Plantation, FL was remote controlled using LogMeIn for radio control and Skype to hear my K3's audio. My Internet connection at the motel was very slow, so just put in a few minutes to make an appearance. Besides the awkward delays from the slow connection, the bands seemed extremely noisy. I suspect there was a storm going on at home, but hard to tell being over 1,000 miles away! Rig was the K3 @ 5w, antennas were Cushcraft A4S and 40/80 coax trap dipole. Logging and CW sending was done with N1MM Logger. For any manual sending, was forced to use keyboard mode, extremely awkward. Thanks to those who hung in with me.
K3RLL
KX3 to G5RVjr: Sprint started out pretty hot but seemed to suffer a premature demise tonight. Didn’t hear anyone on 20 meters tonight. I guess those solar storms the last couple of days took a toll on our bands. Big signal was WA8PGE tonight. 72 and thanks for the fun de Don K3RLL, on location in World Famous Redbank Valley Pennsylvania.
K5JHP
Could only work one hour. Hope for more activity next month.
N5EM
Good conditions, though noisy. Heard quite a few hunt and pounce stations that I did not work.
KG3W
It's been over a year since I had been in the Spartan Sprint. Forgot what fun it can be. Went as trim as I could. HB1B, Palm paddle, T1 tuner and 850 mah lipo battery. I thought the battery would run down to soon but it was still at 11.4 volts when I finished up, and I was CQing alot. Got out to Iowa and Texas on 40. 20mtrs was no good for me and only had 1 contact on 80 with K3RLL. He and I are only 25 miles apart. 72 and thanks for all the contacts tonight.
K6XM
This was my second attempt at the Spartan Sprint and I did much better than the first time. One of the big lessons that I learned from the first attempt was that I needed to get started on time. Everyone seems to vacate 20 meters after the first half hour, which is still over an hour before local sunset. And 40 meters doesn’t begin to open until almost the end of the contest. So this time I got started just after 6 pm, and worked 15 stations in the first half hour. It also seemed like there was more activity this time. I worked a lot of calls that I hadn’t heard before. I used my new Anker Astro Pro 10000 battery to run my KX3. It worked pretty well and only used about half of its charge in the two hour contest. Thanks for another fun event!
K4BAI
Started on 20 and could only hear W7OM, who couldn't hear me. Went to 40 where there was some more activity, but not as many heard as usual. Most activity was around 7040 rather than 7030. Tried both parts of the band. Went back to 20 at 0215Z for three QSOs, K6XM, WVØH, and NK6A all with great signals. The remaining QSOs were on 40 with stations as close as W4VHH in NC and AB9CA in AL and as far away as NK6A, K6XM, and W7OM. Also good signsls from W1PID and AB1AV in NH. On 80M, got no answers to CQs and heard only WB5BKL, who didn't hear me calling. Thanks for all QSOs.
AA4GA
It's been a over six months since I've operated a Spartan Sprint, but glad to be back - thanks K4BAI for the reminder! Unfortunately, my antenna and/or the bands weren't cooperating. I started on 20m and worked no one at all. After a move to 40 I was able to make a few QSOs and decided to try 20 again. I also tried 80m with no luck either, so it was a single-band operation for me! I did check the Reverse Beacon Network and was heard on 80m, but there were no reports at all on 20 for my CQs. I was using a new paddle for this running: a TeNeKe micro. The paddle was taking a bit of work to get used to - this was the first time I'd used it on the air. This along with Sindy, my ATS-3B, powered by a 950 mAH LiPo. See you next time!
AB9CA
Was fun as usual. Had only an hour last evening. Rig was K2 at 5w to 100' wire. 40m was the 'main band' for sure. Made only 3 Q's on 20 before going to 40 where 20 were found. Went to 80 for a few minutes before leaving early but found no one. Looks like 12 SPC's on 40 and 3 on 20. TX was the most popular here with 6 Q's then NH (!!) with 3. GA, NY, and PA with 2 each. Worked W1PID and NQ2W on both bands. Thanks to everyone for the fun and see ya'all next month.
W5ESE
I used my AT Sprint 3 and Whiterook MK-44 paddles. The antenna is a horizontal loop fed with open wire line. A lot of QRN here. Conditions seemed poor. Been several months since I've been able to participate. Thanks for sponsoring the Sprint!
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 20 QSOs this month. I had a GREAT TIME! While I only had three contacts on 20M, I found 40M conditions to be fantastic. I jumped in and started calling CQ. This is not always a good idea when running a rig that has very-low current batteries (weight...). However, it paid off! I worked a lot of stations that I had not heard before, but there was some payback... The battery voltage was drooping at 1.5 hours into the event. I had to hang it up. There are no protection circuits on these batteries. If you run them down too far, they die - period. They puff up, get hot, catch on fire, and explode if you don't throw them into the "dead battery pit" ASAP! I accepted the premature end, and had a beer. It was a fabulous evening from Houston. Hoping for more 20M ops next time!
NQ2W
Ten-Tec Jupiter running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. My "lightweight" equipment was packed away in preparation for the Skeeter Sprint. I was privileged to work 8 stations on 20m from FL to CA and a few states in between and 14 stations on 40m mostly up and down the east coast and as far west as TX. I heard CA and WA on 40 but they couldn't hear me. Two banders with AB9CA, KB5FCF, and WB5BKL. KG3W was loud from PA on 40. WA8PGE's 50mW was FB from OH on 40. Hope to hear you all again. Thanks to all.
AB1AV
Thanks W1PID for reminding me the first Monday had arrived again... Worked about an hour, on 20 and 40 meters. Rig was ATS3 & Zmatch tuner to 88' doublet up 55'. Antenna seems pretty directional -- from NH reached MO, OK, TX, and Southern CA. Some great signals, & some were a struggle. Fun as always.
WA4AAK
Only had time to join in on the first half hour, but still managed 6 contacts on 40m with 3 watts thanks to some highly skilled operators on the other end. Didn't hear any Sprint stations on 20 or 80. Looking forward to the next one!
W1PID
KX3, OCF dipole. Not much activity. Best DX: NK6A and K6XM in CA. Thanks to all for the QSOs.
Monday, July 1, 2013
ANNOUNCING: ARS 2013 FOBB
RULES:
Adventure Radio Society 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees, Sunday, July 28
The Adventure Radio Society Flight of the Bumblebees is a four-hour event held annually on the last Sunday of July. It is open to all radio amateurs.
2013 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees
Sunday, July 28
1700 to 2100 UTC
CONTEST PERIOD BY TIMEZONE (Local Time)
· 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Eastern
· 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Central
· 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mountain
· 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pacific
· 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Hawaii
The contest period accommodates multiple time zones simultaneously. No matter where you live, there will be time for Bumblebees to travel to a field operating site, set up their station, operate the contest, and travel home.
WHO CAN PLAY?
WHO CAN PLAY?
Both home-based and portable operations are encouraged.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS A BUMBLEBEE?
Participants who operate portable from field locations are designated as Bumblebees. They get to their operating site principally under their own power by walking, biking, boating, and so on. The distance traveled to the site is at the Bumblebee’s discretion. Bumblebees add /BB to their calls. (NOTE: Home-based stations do not add /BB to their callsign.)
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER
If you plan to operate the 2013 FOBB portable – in other words, from a field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification number. Instructions for obtaining a Bumblebee number are in the next section, below, headlined "Apply for a 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees Number."
There is no limit to the number of Bumblebees. You may apply for, and receive, a Bee number at any time up to July 28 prior to the contest.
GROUP OPERATION
Group operation is welcome in the Flight of the Bumblebees. You may operate under a single call and report a single score, or under multiple calls and report multiple scores. In any event, you are limited to operating a single transmitter at a time.
POWER OUTPUT
To keep with its minimalist theme, maximum FOBB power output is 5 watts.
OPERATION
We operate CW on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters, around standard QRP frequencies.
EXCHANGE
- /BB: If you are a Bumblebee, your exchange is RST, state/province/country, and your Bumblebee number.
- Home Stations: If you are home based, your exchange is RST, state/province/country, and your power.
Here are examples of exchanges:
Bumblebee KI6SN/BB (Bumblebee No. 5) sends:
579
CA
BB 5 or NR 5
Home-based station KI6DMB sends:
579
CA
5W
PLAYING IN 2013 FOBB
Everyone in the contest can work anyone else in the contest. In other words:
· Home-based stations can work other home-based stations and Bumblebees.
· Bumblebees can work other Bumblebees and home-based stations.
SCORING
Here are the details:
· Each contact is worth one point.
· The same station can be worked on different bands for additional QSO points and multipliers.
· Contacts with Bumblebees generate a multiplier of three. NOTE: If you worked KI6SN/BB on two bands, it counts as two Bumblebee contacts.
Here’s an example of how your score will be calculated:
- Say, you make 21 FOBB contacts on 40 meters.
- You make 32 FOBB contacts on 20 meters.
- In that combined total of QSOs, you contacted 14 Bumblebees. NOTE: If you worked KI6SN/BB on two bands, it counts as two Bumblebee contacts.
- To determine your multiplier, multiply 14 Bumblebees times 3.
Using the FOBB Scoring Formuala:
- Contacts: 21 + 32 = 53
- BB Multiplier: 14 X 3 = 42
- Total: 53 QSOs X 42 BB Multiplier = 2,226 Total points
COMMENDATIONS
Separate but equal commendations are awarded to the high scores for the home based and Bumblebee participants. We will also commend Bumblebees in the following categories:
- Most interesting equipment
- Most fascinating FOBB venture
- Most beautiful site
SUBMITTING YOUR FOBB DATA:
Send your FOBB 2013 Reports via email to:
REPORT FORM:
Your:
- Full name
- Callsign
- Location of FOBB operation:
- Total number of contacts (all bands):
- Total number of Bumblebees (all bands):
- Comments about your 2013 FOBB experience:
Photographs of your adventure are welcome and encouraged.
RESULTS:
Results and soapbox comments will be reported on the ARS Spartan Sprint and FOBB website. That posting will be announced on the QRP-L mailgroup.
SAFETY:
As with all ARS events, please keep safety in front of mind when conducting operations in the field. Such things as weather, power lines, terrain, dehydration and fatigue can be lethal. Above all, we want all participants to have a fabulous and safe experience.
– 73, Richard Fisher, KI6SN,
The Adventure Radio Society
The Adventure Radio Society
* * * * * * * * * *
FIELD STATIONS:
Apply for a 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees Number
Apply for a 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees Number
The Adventure Radio Society Flight of the Bumblebees is a four-hour event held annually on the last Sunday of July. It is open to all radio amateurs.
2013 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees
Sunday, July 28
1700 to 2100 UTC
CONTEST PERIOD BY TIMEZONE (Local Time)
· 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Eastern
· 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Central
· 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mountain
· 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pacific
· 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Hawaii
The contest period accommodates multiple time zones simultaneously. No matter where you live, there will be time for Bumblebees to travel to a field operating site, set up their station, operate the contest, and travel home.
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER
IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER
If you plan to operate the 2013 FOBB portable – in other words, from a field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification number. Here’s how:
1. CHECK THE DATABASE: An online database has been set up to show assigned Bumblebee numbers. Visit: <
2. OFFER THREE OPTIONS: Check the database < http://bit.ly/15aGgN1 > for eligibility. Then send an email to:
< ARSBumblebees@gmail.com > with:
< ARSBumblebees@gmail.com > with:
- Your Callsign
- Your First Name
- The field location you anticipate to be operating from
- Your Top 3 Choices for FOBB Number
3. YOUR FOBB NUMBER ASSIGNMENT: Check the database, < http://bit.ly/15aGgN1 >,after submitting your top three choices to see which number you have been assigned. The number listed in the database is your official 2013 FOBB number.
– 73, Richard Fisher, KI6SN,
The Adventure Radio Society
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Soapbox: July 2013 ARS Spartan Sprint
K6XM
This was my first Spartan Sprint, and a bit of a learning experience. I didn’t get the portable antenna that I was making finished in time, so had to use the home station antenna. My station was a KX3 with built in paddle and was run off of its internal rechargeable batteries. I had a bit of a learning curve with the KX3, since I hadn’t had much opportunity to use it. I started 1/2 hour late, which appears to have been a serious mistake. Everyone seemed to give up on 20 meters before I had a chance to work them, even though the band was still open. I ended up on 40 meters, which didn’t really start to open until near the end of the contest. I could hear several east coast stations (very weakly) on 40, but they couldn’t hear me. Lots of room for improvement for next time. Thanks for running the contest,
K3RLL
Just assembled KX3 to G5RVjr here in PA tonight with a real, honest-to-goodness outside G5RV antenna. What fun QRP can be with a reasonable antenna. What a difference from my attic dipole in FL. Didn't hear much on 20 meters and 40 was slow to warm up, but it came on nicely. Very happy with the 14 patient ops who came back to me tonight as I was learning how to use the new rig. Thanks to all.
K4FB
KX3 @ 5 watts to a ground mounted 6BTV vertical. Nice to work several stations on both 20 and 40.
KI6SN
FT-817ND and EFHW with counterpoise served well on 40 meters. Operated "in the field" - my back yard - fully off the grid. K4BAI and AB9CA heard and worked me an hour before sundown. Amazing. Other stations pulling me out of the din were K6XM, K7TQ, WB5BKL and W5ACM. Superb operators. Great to work old friends and make new ones. Many thanks to all.
AB9CA
Was a fun sprint as usual. The bands seemed to be in fair shape. Noise was not as bad as sometimes. Rig was FT-857 at 5w to 100' of wire. 9 Qs on 20, 16 on 40, and 3 on 80. Worked K6XM, WA5RML, W1PID, W5ACM, AE4TC, W0CH, NQ2W, (and maybe a couple of others I have overlooked) on 2 bands. Worked no one on all three. Got a late start and quit a bit early so only about an hour and half on the air. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Some were tough to pull out, requiring several fills. But they are always worth it!! Hope to hear everyone next month.
AE4TC
It's been a while since participating in the sprints. It was good to hear some familiar calls and some new ones. Wasn't able to operate the whole event. Managed 11 QSO's, 6 on 20m and 5 on 40m. FT 817, 5w into an inverted vee @ 45 feet. Next month will operate battery with portable paddles and smaller tuner.
WA5RML
FlexRadio 1500 @5 wts to vertical (20M) and G5RV (80/40M); Weight of 13.7 lbs includes laptop, power supply, Vibroplex paddles, FlexControl knob. My first Spartan Sprint in awhile - Tough night to jump back in! 9 QSOs included: (a) 20M - NK6A, KI6J, (b) 40M - K4BAI, K4FB, AB9CA, W0CH, N5GW, and WA8REI (Hi Ken! Tough QSO!), and (c) 80M - AB9CA (again). Heard Randy, K7TQ on 20M at the start, but he couldn't pull me out. Thanks to all how participated!
K7TQ
Stayed home this month, but used the light weight gear at 1.3 lbs. 20 m was the best band with 8 Qs. I ran out of stations around 0140 so off to 40 m. Not much cooking there with only 4 more. Good signals on 20 from WB0WQS and on 40 from K4BAI and K6XM. Nice to work Richard, KI6SN, who runs the show. Catch you all next month.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 11 QSOs this month. I only managed two contacts on 20M with W1PID in NH and NK6A in CA. The band was OPEN but QRP stations were very hard to find. Everyone had apparently migrated to 40M a bit too early, but noise conditions on the lower band were not bad and the contacts were solid. AB9CA in AL made a foray to 80M - nice signal - my only 80M QSO. My backyard vertical uses a resonator at the top for any very narrow piece of 80M that you wish to work. Mine is peaked at 3560, and it's nice when conditions cooperate. June was not up to the quality of the April event, but the season for higher band cooperation is not over yet! Hoping for more 20M ops next time!
W1PID
Best DX W7OM in WA. Finally worked K7TQ. Great to hear Larry, W2LJ, and Ken WA8REI! 20 meters was the best producer. Nice to see activity picking up.
K4BAI
Nice write up on Spartan Sprint in WorldRadio Online Magazine. Had hoped it would result in more activity this month, but activity was still down from the past. 20M was open, but not really good at the start, but kept returning to 20M and made 9 QSOs on that band. 27 QSOs on 40M, which was the money band this time. Heard no activity and got no answers to CQs on 7030 kHz. All 40M QSOs were between 7040 and 7042 kHz. Worked 3 CA stations to the west and as far as NH to the north. Best signals were from LA, TX, OK. No skip zone noticed as made QSOs in FL, AL, and TN. Nice to work local newcomer KK4BNC on 20M. Thanks for all QSOs.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. I wasn't aware of the rule change for determining station weight until last month's posting of the SP results. I apologize for my oversight and have corrected my station weight to include my antenna tuner and associated cables...now I have an incentive to better adjust my mini-beam so I can forego using the tuner and get my weight back down...now, where did that doggone time go? Signals seemed to either be strong or weak with few in the middle range. Regardless, I was able to log 13 Qs on 20m and 10 Qs on 40m. Two-banders included N5GW, K4BAI, AB9CA, and WB5BKL. Of the QRPers, K3RLL was loudest but two QRO stations, one from VA and one from PA, were ear-busting loud. As usual, very enjoyable. Looking forward to the BB and other upcoming QRP events this month.
N5EM
Using KX3 with internal AA NiMH, running 5W to R7 vertical and dipoles. Band seemed open; made 2 QSOs; worked NK6A on 20M and K4BAI on 40M. Heard bits of others.
N5GW
I was on vacation staying in a cabin on the Cumberland Plateau with the xyl. I had the K1 running at 3W with internal battery pack to a HB microtuner and CFZ in a big oak tree. The bands were not in great shape due to QRN from local T-storms, and also deep QSB at times. Most sigs were weak, except for a few including K4BAI who must have good antennas. Most Q's were on 40. 20 faded here after about 46 min. However it's always fun when the outside temp is 73 instead of 93 back home in MS.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. All QSOs were on 20 and 40M. 14 states this time with a lot of the usual suspects and a few new-to-me calls. I sure would like to see more activity. I try to publicize the sprint on the AQRP and QRPadillos mailing lists and will add my local club (Highland Lakes ARC) next month. You might consider doing the same on your favorite local lists. Many thanks to all. Had fun.
WØCH
Thanks for a fun evening, glad to see 20 meters cooperating. I've missed participating in the sprints and hope to be on more often.
This was my first Spartan Sprint, and a bit of a learning experience. I didn’t get the portable antenna that I was making finished in time, so had to use the home station antenna. My station was a KX3 with built in paddle and was run off of its internal rechargeable batteries. I had a bit of a learning curve with the KX3, since I hadn’t had much opportunity to use it. I started 1/2 hour late, which appears to have been a serious mistake. Everyone seemed to give up on 20 meters before I had a chance to work them, even though the band was still open. I ended up on 40 meters, which didn’t really start to open until near the end of the contest. I could hear several east coast stations (very weakly) on 40, but they couldn’t hear me. Lots of room for improvement for next time. Thanks for running the contest,
K3RLL
Just assembled KX3 to G5RVjr here in PA tonight with a real, honest-to-goodness outside G5RV antenna. What fun QRP can be with a reasonable antenna. What a difference from my attic dipole in FL. Didn't hear much on 20 meters and 40 was slow to warm up, but it came on nicely. Very happy with the 14 patient ops who came back to me tonight as I was learning how to use the new rig. Thanks to all.
K4FB
KX3 @ 5 watts to a ground mounted 6BTV vertical. Nice to work several stations on both 20 and 40.
KI6SN
FT-817ND and EFHW with counterpoise served well on 40 meters. Operated "in the field" - my back yard - fully off the grid. K4BAI and AB9CA heard and worked me an hour before sundown. Amazing. Other stations pulling me out of the din were K6XM, K7TQ, WB5BKL and W5ACM. Superb operators. Great to work old friends and make new ones. Many thanks to all.
AB9CA
Was a fun sprint as usual. The bands seemed to be in fair shape. Noise was not as bad as sometimes. Rig was FT-857 at 5w to 100' of wire. 9 Qs on 20, 16 on 40, and 3 on 80. Worked K6XM, WA5RML, W1PID, W5ACM, AE4TC, W0CH, NQ2W, (and maybe a couple of others I have overlooked) on 2 bands. Worked no one on all three. Got a late start and quit a bit early so only about an hour and half on the air. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Some were tough to pull out, requiring several fills. But they are always worth it!! Hope to hear everyone next month.
AE4TC
It's been a while since participating in the sprints. It was good to hear some familiar calls and some new ones. Wasn't able to operate the whole event. Managed 11 QSO's, 6 on 20m and 5 on 40m. FT 817, 5w into an inverted vee @ 45 feet. Next month will operate battery with portable paddles and smaller tuner.
WA5RML
FlexRadio 1500 @5 wts to vertical (20M) and G5RV (80/40M); Weight of 13.7 lbs includes laptop, power supply, Vibroplex paddles, FlexControl knob. My first Spartan Sprint in awhile - Tough night to jump back in! 9 QSOs included: (a) 20M - NK6A, KI6J, (b) 40M - K4BAI, K4FB, AB9CA, W0CH, N5GW, and WA8REI (Hi Ken! Tough QSO!), and (c) 80M - AB9CA (again). Heard Randy, K7TQ on 20M at the start, but he couldn't pull me out. Thanks to all how participated!
K7TQ
Stayed home this month, but used the light weight gear at 1.3 lbs. 20 m was the best band with 8 Qs. I ran out of stations around 0140 so off to 40 m. Not much cooking there with only 4 more. Good signals on 20 from WB0WQS and on 40 from K4BAI and K6XM. Nice to work Richard, KI6SN, who runs the show. Catch you all next month.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 11 QSOs this month. I only managed two contacts on 20M with W1PID in NH and NK6A in CA. The band was OPEN but QRP stations were very hard to find. Everyone had apparently migrated to 40M a bit too early, but noise conditions on the lower band were not bad and the contacts were solid. AB9CA in AL made a foray to 80M - nice signal - my only 80M QSO. My backyard vertical uses a resonator at the top for any very narrow piece of 80M that you wish to work. Mine is peaked at 3560, and it's nice when conditions cooperate. June was not up to the quality of the April event, but the season for higher band cooperation is not over yet! Hoping for more 20M ops next time!
W1PID
Best DX W7OM in WA. Finally worked K7TQ. Great to hear Larry, W2LJ, and Ken WA8REI! 20 meters was the best producer. Nice to see activity picking up.
K4BAI
Nice write up on Spartan Sprint in WorldRadio Online Magazine. Had hoped it would result in more activity this month, but activity was still down from the past. 20M was open, but not really good at the start, but kept returning to 20M and made 9 QSOs on that band. 27 QSOs on 40M, which was the money band this time. Heard no activity and got no answers to CQs on 7030 kHz. All 40M QSOs were between 7040 and 7042 kHz. Worked 3 CA stations to the west and as far as NH to the north. Best signals were from LA, TX, OK. No skip zone noticed as made QSOs in FL, AL, and TN. Nice to work local newcomer KK4BNC on 20M. Thanks for all QSOs.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. I wasn't aware of the rule change for determining station weight until last month's posting of the SP results. I apologize for my oversight and have corrected my station weight to include my antenna tuner and associated cables...now I have an incentive to better adjust my mini-beam so I can forego using the tuner and get my weight back down...now, where did that doggone time go? Signals seemed to either be strong or weak with few in the middle range. Regardless, I was able to log 13 Qs on 20m and 10 Qs on 40m. Two-banders included N5GW, K4BAI, AB9CA, and WB5BKL. Of the QRPers, K3RLL was loudest but two QRO stations, one from VA and one from PA, were ear-busting loud. As usual, very enjoyable. Looking forward to the BB and other upcoming QRP events this month.
N5EM
Using KX3 with internal AA NiMH, running 5W to R7 vertical and dipoles. Band seemed open; made 2 QSOs; worked NK6A on 20M and K4BAI on 40M. Heard bits of others.
N5GW
I was on vacation staying in a cabin on the Cumberland Plateau with the xyl. I had the K1 running at 3W with internal battery pack to a HB microtuner and CFZ in a big oak tree. The bands were not in great shape due to QRN from local T-storms, and also deep QSB at times. Most sigs were weak, except for a few including K4BAI who must have good antennas. Most Q's were on 40. 20 faded here after about 46 min. However it's always fun when the outside temp is 73 instead of 93 back home in MS.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. All QSOs were on 20 and 40M. 14 states this time with a lot of the usual suspects and a few new-to-me calls. I sure would like to see more activity. I try to publicize the sprint on the AQRP and QRPadillos mailing lists and will add my local club (Highland Lakes ARC) next month. You might consider doing the same on your favorite local lists. Many thanks to all. Had fun.
WØCH
Thanks for a fun evening, glad to see 20 meters cooperating. I've missed participating in the sprints and hope to be on more often.
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