Saturday, December 14, 2019

RESULTS: December 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: December 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint


* Footnote below

AK4JA
This was my first Spartan Sprint and I'm feeling a little porky. I need to lose some weight on the next go-around (I enjoyed this well enough I want to do it again). Worked NØTA on 40 and 80. Loudest signals were N5GW and WB5BKL. WB5BKL was a steady 589 signal here in the metro Atlanta area till near closing time. Nice to work AB9CA/7 in AZ, too. 6 contacts total with 1-watt power out (tried at 500 mw but wasn't being heard). Good fun! And like the Terminator said, "I'll be back." 73 de AK4JA

K9DRP
I thought 40 was going to work better this month as N5GW answered my CQ right out of the gate.  And it was good - for about 15 minutes, then zilch!  80 was working until the last half hour. I about quit 1/2 hour early due to lack of activity, but I keyed on. Should as well gone QRT for nothing was gained (I was able to hear WB9HFK in the last 30 minutes, but not able to log him). Worked K4BAI on both bands! Thanks much to AK4JA who had a difficult time getting me to copy his call correctly. And greetings to N4SO and K1QO on their first appearance in my log. I hope to work you many more times in the new year.  Happy Holidays to all, and special thanks to KI6SN for gathering up our results to make this fun for us. 72, Don, K9DRP

K3RLL
40m was pretty quiet here except for the lulling sounds of all the nearby S-5 electronic hash that does such a superb job of covering up QRP signals.  Experimented back and forth between two different antennas - both highly compromised - and feel fortunate for my two contacts. Many thanks to John and Jim. Spartan Sprinters have the best ears going!  72/73  de  Don K3RLL

NØTA
6 Q's on 40, and 6 on 80. Worked the first hour. Thanks! K3 @5w, doublet at about 25 ft.

K4BAI
5 QSOs on 40M. Heard several there who could not hear me. 40 in poor shape. Best DX on 40 was AB9CA/7 in AZ. On 80, band in very good shape. 10 QSOs. Little noise. QSOs from NH to CO. Need more activity! 73/72, John, K4BAI.

N5EM
Running KX3 here on internal batteries.  7 Q's on 40/80.  Again, nothing heard on 20M.

WB9HFK
Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W. Antenna 40M: OCF Dipole. Antenna 80M: 150 ft. random wire.

K9DRP
I thought 40 was going to work better this month as N5GW answered my CQ right out of the gate.  And it was good - for about 15 minutes, then zilch!  80 was working until the last half hour. I about quit 1/2 hour early due to lack of activity, but I keyed on. Should as well gone QRT for nothing was gained (I was able to hear WB9HFK in the last 30 minutes, but not able to log him). Worked K4BAI on both bands! Thanks much to AK4JA who had a difficult time getting me to copy his call correctly. And greetings to N4SO and K1QO on their first appearance in my log. I hope to work you many more times in the new year.  Happy Holidays to all, and special thanks to KI6SN for gathering up our results to make this fun for us. 72, Don, K9DRP

KB1M
Only heard 3 calls in the first hour, K3RLL and 2 others, and was spotted only by one station on Reverse Beacon. 73, Walt

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. 1 QSO on 20M, 5 QSOs on 40 and 10 on 80M. Removed one pleasant QRO chat (TNX KI5AL) and one dupe from score. Best signals: On 20M - AB9CA/7; On 40M N5GW; on 80M - K4BAI. Seasons greetings to all. CU in 2020. Had fun.

AB9CA/7
On the road and the antenna will not do 80. Made one Q on 20 and 9 on 40. Only 2'fer was WB5BKL. Prop seemed a little short. Nothing further East than IL and GA. Yet AK4JA from GA made the trip with only 1w. Prop can be a little hard to figure. Thanks for the Q's! 73, Dave, AB9CA/7

* HONORABLE MENTION: K1QO
Contacts 4 (not valid due to ...see below) so actually 0. My sincere apologies to K4BAI, WB9HFK, N5GW and K9DRP! I checked at 9 pm on 20, didn’t hear anything, checked 40 didn’t hear anything, checked on 80 and didn’t hear anything then I called on 3562.30 for awhile and got no answers. I went to 160 in case anyone might be there and heard C6AGU . . . who I just couldn’t resist trying to get so I turned my power up to 95 watts to get him.  Then I went back to 80 and heard K4BAI. I was so excited to hear him! Unfortunately, I failed to turn my power back down to 5W. I actually woke up in the middle of the night and had to check the radio and was crushed when I checked! I’m so sorry to all! I’m back on the radio after a couple years hiatus (I was a full time caretaker for him until he passed away). Again, I’m so very sorry I promise I won’t fail everyone next time. 72/88 K1QO, Ann

* FOOTNOTE: In the spirit of the holiday season, all stations who worked K1QO/QRO are still credited with working her. No worries. Honest mistake. Spartan Sprints have always been based on the Honor System. We roundly applaud Ann's honesty - and that of every SP operator over the years. Best community in amateur radio. - KI6SN 









Monday, November 18, 2019

RESULTS: November 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: November 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Back in FL for the winter and dealing with highly compromised stealth antenna. RBN spots showed little love at 3dB. Very fortunate that WB5BKL heard me calling him. Happy for my one contact tonight considering Nick was the ONLY station heard here. Not even ‘the CW voice of GA’ (BAI). Maybe next month . . .

K7TQ
Five watts, a QRP Guys 20-30-40 m vertical and marginal conditions make for a short night. Did manage to work the only station I could hear.

K4BAI
1:50 hours of listening and calling.  QSOs by band:  40M: 3. 80M: 6. Both 40 and 80 in good shape with loud signals and no noise, but need more activity. Next month I hope. 73/72, John, K4BAI

N5EM
Running KX3 here on internal batteries. 5 Q's on 40/80/160. Nothing heard on 20M. Thanks to WB5BKL for 1st 160M Q by sked on new antenna. 72, Ed, N5EM

AB9CA
Started on 20 but no one there. 40 was also light, only 2 there. 80 was the main band tonight, with 8 Q's. Only one 2-bander, W5QLF. Lost 2 to QSB. But a fun night anyway. Rig was K3 at 5w to wires. I was getting quite a few RBN spots but it appears there were few sprinters tonight. Hopefully business will pick up next month. 73 de Dave, AB9CA

K9DRP
What a tough night on 40!  Only able to work W5QLF on that band. I heard John, K4BAI, but he wouldn't take my call (did work him on 80 though). Once again, God Bless Texas for half of my contacts. First time using a LiFePO4 battery and it worked well with the Argo V. Hope to hear ya'll in the fox hunts. 72, Don, K9DRP

WB9HFK
Icom 7300 @ 5W Antenna: 150 Ft. Random Wire Weight: 25 lbs. I never heard anyone on 40M. CQs went unanswered. 80M was more noisy than normal at my QTH. Sorry to anyone I may have missed down in the noise. See everyone next month! 72, Mark

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. 2 QSOs on 40 and 4 on 80M. Heard K4BAI, K7TQ, and AB9CA on 40 but no contact. Best signals: 40M - K3RLL, 80M - N5GW and K4BAI.  I hope everyone has a grand Thanksgiving. Had fun.

K3JZD
Nothing at all heard on 40m. I had to break out my 'heavyweight radio' (KX3) and go to 80m where I use a sloped 59' EFRW. Worked Dave-AB9CA there. Heard John, K4BAI calling, but he wasn't hearing me. So, was another 1 contact month for me. Jody - K3JZD

NØOCT
Was anyone even really on? I sat tuning around 40m from Ø200 through Ø345 and heard nothing in MO. Even called CQ a few times. Either all the activity was on 80m, or everyone was worn out from November SS. 72, NØOCT

N5GW
Not much on 40 - heard K3RLL weak sig but he couldn't hear me. 80 much better during solar minimum.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

RESULTS: October 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: October 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Weak, weak signals – mine included – this evening on 40m. Very happy for my 6 contacts. Then about 0130, the party must have moved to 80m. Someday need to build something for that band.  Best signal was KB1M. Thanks for the good ears and nice contacts this evening. 72/73 … Don  

W5QLF
Plenty of signals heard here in South Texas. Worked 8 stations on 40 meters and 4 on 80 meters.It is a pleasure to be able to boost my QSO count now that winter time propagation is approaching. 73, Joe, W5QLF

NØTA 
Pretty good evening: 11 Q's on 40, and 5 on 80m. Thanks! K3 @ 5w, doublet, GenLog.

N3A/4 (K4BAI)
7 QSOs on 40. 4 QSOs on 80. Bands in fair condition, but activity down. My own call is K4BAI and N3A is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the NAQCC QRP CW Club. 72, John, K4BAI.

K3JZD
40 meters only. Used a bare QCX-40 with ear buds and KØMBT's MiniMini 3D printed key. Tried some smaller, lighter batteries this time --> used a pack that I made from ten 2/3 AAA NiMH cells.  Rated 320 maH (probably not really).   Got 3 watts out of the QCX-40 with that setup.   The plan was to search and pounce to make those batteries last for two hours.   But 40m was loooong.   The only one that I heard to pounce on was John - N0TA in CO.    Glad I got John right away because I soon no longer heard him any longer.  I could not hear any of the usual players - all were in too close.  I could hear a QRO special event station in UT who was right in the middle of the 7.040 crowd - heard two WA stations working him - but he never heard my 3 watts and eventually he faded away.  I was waiting to hear Hawaii coming in.   Finally I said damn the batteries - full speed ahead - and started calling CQ  (like that was going to accomplish something?)   The only two RBN spots that I got were in KS.  Did I mention that 40m was loooong?   I did hear one station responding to my CQs at one point, but I could not pull even one letter out of it.  At 0230z my small battery pack said that's enough of this stuff, and shut me down.  See you next month.  73,  Jody - K3JZD

WB9HFK
Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W. Antenna: OCF Dipole at 25 ft.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. 8 QSOs on 40 and 3 on 80M. Doubles with K9DRP and N3A/4. Best signals:  40M - KEØTT, 80M - K9DRP. Quite a change (in the positive direction) for me from last month. Happy Halloween to all! Had fun.









Monday, September 9, 2019

RESULTS: September 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint


SOAPBOX: September 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint


K3RLL
Slow start on 40m but things picked up pretty steadily until another contest had the nerve to intrude upon the frequencies we paid for! (GRIN)  Conditions weren’t great but sure better than watching TV. My thanks to the A.R.S. and the skilled and patient ops that pulled me out of the noise tonight. 72/73 … Don

NØTA
Not sure if the activity was low, or I wasn't hearing well. Quit after the first hour. Thanks for the Q's. K3 @5w, Vertical, GenLog.

WB9HFK
Part time. Poor conditions or not much activity. Hopefully, better next month! 72, Mark, WB9HFK

K9DRP
QSB, QRN, and HPM made conditions tough!  TNX KB1M fer the 20 contact!  K3RLL had the best sig on 40, but he quit before I got him in the log. Was able to connect with NØTA, K3JZD, and KFØN on 40. Next month has to be better! 72, Don, K9DRP

K4BAI
Lot of competition from high power stations in the HPM event. But signals on 40 and 80 were quite good. Could use some more activity next month. 73/72. John, K4BAI

KB1M
Better luck than last month, managed 8 Qs for 7 states. One contact on 20 the rest on 40. Short opening to GA. Gave K4BAI best signal of the evening. Thanks for the QSOs.  72/73, Walt

K3JZD
40 meters only. Used a bare QCX-40 with a mini 12v Li-Ion battery pack and earbuds. 2 watts into a 40m Dipole. This month I used a Mini-Mini 3D Printed Straight Key that was designed and built by K0MBT – smaller than his Mini Key that I used last month. Tough sledding due to the waning solar storm. Battery ran down to the shutoff point after 1.5 hours of calling CQ a whole lot. See yunz next month.  Jody - K3JZD

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. RBN could hear me well on 20, 40 and 80M. Too bad that doesn't count.  My thanks to John for the only Spartan Sprint contact. Five QRO QSOs omitted – worked several Hiram Percy Maxim stations during the lull. Had fun.

Monday, August 12, 2019

RESULTS: The August 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: The August 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint


KI4MZC
this was my first Spartan Sprint. I only worked the last half-hour or so, but it was pretty good for me. I heard a few other stations and almost got one DX. Oh well!  Things seemed to be a little noisy as they have been all weekend. I did get my friend, John, K4BAI, down in Columbus, Georgia, whom I rarely hear these days. Used a KX3 with computer logging and a straight key.  Antenna is a multi-band dipole. QTH is Cleveland, GA, about 90 miles north-east of you-know-where! I’ll see y’all next month!

K3RLL
Tried the QCX-40 tonight. When QRZ.Com showed all bands ‘poor’ (in red), they weren’t kidding. Best RBN report, of the few that heard me, was in Portugal ! Go figure? Terrible conditions here in PA tonight. Gave up early. Just not fun talking with the QRN crashes. HIHI. See you next month.  72/73 … Don
  
W5QLF
Nothing heard on 20 or 80 meters. Pickings were even sparse on 40 meters into South Texas. Signals came up a bit by 0130z with K4BAI coming in at his usual arm chair signal strength. Other stations who were patient enough to stick with me until the contact was complete included WB9HFK, N9GVP and W4VHH. 72, Joe, W5QLF

K3JZD
40 meters only. Used a bare QCX-40 with a mini 12v Li-Ion battery pack and earbuds.  2 watts into a 40m Dipole.  Used a 3D Printed straight key that was designed and built by K0MBT this time.  Solar Storm?  RF hole? Yes. Paid extra, but it took 35 minutes for me to get a RBN Spot while calling CQ. But no replies. Finally heard Mark - WB9HFK coming in just above the noise level and worked him.   After that, I could not get any more RBN Spots - guess I used up all of my credits.   Saw that some other regulars were getting some RBN Spots, but I was not able to hear any of them. Gave up after an hour - see yunz next month.  Jody - K3JZD

K4BAI
QSOs per band: 40M: 9, 80M: 3. Was about 20 minutes late in starting.?? Heard a MO station on 20M not in the sprint and a SOTA station. 40M was pretty good from IL north to PA, MN and NH and out to TX to the west. No 4 area stations heard. Worked GA, FL, and TX on 80M. See you all next month. 73/72, John, K4BAI

K9DRP
It was a tough night!  Very few sigs heard.  TNX to WB5BKL for half of my contacts (1 on 20, 1 on 40)! 73, Don, K9DRP

KB1M
Only 3 stations worked out of 4 heard on 40. IL was the hot state with 2 QSOs and GA got second place with 1. 20 was silent except for my own sidetone. Better days are coming, I'm sure. 72/73, Walt

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. Actually 12 QSOs but fully 1/3 were QRO. I guess I sounded really needy. 8 states this time. Best QRP signals:  20M - KØITT, 40M - K9DRP, 80M - K4BAI.  I try to remember to publicize the Spartan Sprint on the local QRP email groups. I hope you guys do also. The more the merrier. Had fun.








Friday, July 5, 2019

RESULTS: July 2019 Spartan Sprint


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SOAPBOX: July 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3ESE
not much to be heard on 20 or 80. skinny rig was ATS4A, T1 tuner, 3Ah Bioenno battery, Whiterook cootie, light headphones...1.5 lbs. antennas were the 20m EDZ at 50' and the 80m dipole at 70'.

K3RLL
Lots of activity on 40m this evening but not that many were Spartan Sprinters. Something was going on and apparently I didn’t get the memo. (SMILE)  Signals not too strong but the two best ones were KB1M in NH and K
ØZK in ME.  My G5RVjr has been beaming NE this evening. Thanks for the nice hour of enjoyable contacts.  72/73 … Don

K4EES
My first Spartan Spring. Enjoyed it.  13 Colonies seemed to be monopolizing the bands to an extent.  Lots for QRN. Only made one contact and he wasn’t participating in the contest, so not sure if it really counts? (Non-contest contacts count as long as the non-contester provides you with the standard information exchanged in the Spartan Sprint. - KI6SN)
K9DRP

Rough night working around the K2x QRO+ stations.  Worked 4 on 20, 4 on 40, and 1 on 80. K3JZD sure put forth a great effort calling on 40. Hope to catch everyone on FOBB this month!

K6CSL
Station is a Yaesu-FT-450 running 5 watts to 3 wire antennas and 1 vertical antenna.

K4BAI
A little confusing with the Firefly QRP having an one hour overlap with the Spartan Sprint. I have suggested to that club that they avoid a direct conflict in scheduling future sprints. Activity was pretty high during that hour, but I was unable to get three of the Fireflies to give
me their power, so I didn't count them in my QSO total. Thanks for all QSOs. 73, John, K4BAI

KB1M
6 Qs for 6 states. Sprint did not get my full attention as was also looking for 13-colony stations. Thanks for the QSOs. 72, Walt

WB9HFK

Icom 7300 at 5W, OCF dipole for 40M, and 150 Ft. random wire for 80M. Weight - 25 lbs. 72, Mark

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. 8 states this time. Best signals:  20M - N9NK, 40M - K4BAI, 80M - W5ACM. 20M was OK, 40M was so-so and 80M had a constant S-8 noise level.  Nice to
work both Bert and Arn in the same Sprint - both coasts! Had fun.

W5ACM
It was a difficult event for me this month. I could hear many stations “weakly”, but few could hear me. Many thanks to WB9HFK, K4BAI and WB5BKL for their patience so that we could at least get a few contacts during the event. All contacts were on 40M or 80M. I also have a few mechanical issues with the ATS-3a enclosure that need to be cured, but the batteries are holding in there! 72 de Andy, W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

K3JZD
40 meters only. Used a bare QCX-40 with a mini 12v Li-Ion battery pack and earbuds. 2 watts into a 40m Dipole. Used the 'straight key' on the QCX Board. 73, Jody - K3JZD

W5QLF
The normal QRP bandwidth that we have to ourselves was loaded with signals from the 13 Colonies Special Event and the Fireflies QRP Sprint. It was a chore to pick out the "SP" signals. Kudos to John, K4BAI for sending an exchange that worked for both the Fireflies Sprint and The Spartan Sprint. - Joe


Tuesday, June 11, 2019

RESULTS: June 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: June 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Three contacts, thanks totally to three very skilled and capable operators. Thank you Jim, Walt & John.  Tried bigger radio tonight; got less contacts. Gee, that's just not right. Conditions were abysmal, or maybe worse here in N-FL tonight.  Hmm..., maybe I should go out and see if my wire antenna is still up over the garage? Thanks to the entire staff and associates of A.R.S. for continuing to provide this monthly gathering of the faithful. See you next month.  72, ... Don

AB9BZ
1 contact, 64 oz. Heavy Case on the QCX. thanks for the contact, glad to get my QCX on the air. 72, Dave

K4BAI
20M very good. QSOs TX, FL, CA, KS, NH, MS. 40M: Pretty good. QSOs about same as on 20 plus IL. 80M: Not bad. QSOs to IL TX and FL. Totals per band: 80:3; 40:13; 20: 8. Thanks for all the QSOs. 73/72, John, K4BAI

K4FB
My first Spartan Sprint in several years.  Band conditions were pretty good. N5GW with 2 watts was loud here in Central Florida. Two band QSOs with K4BAI (40 and 80) and WB5BKL (20 and 40), thanks! KX3 @ 5 watts into a ground mounted Hustler 6BTV vertical.

W1PID
I ran the K2 at 5 watts. Best DX NK6A in CA. Nice to work some old pals. 73, Jim W1PID

K9DRP
20 started out great but the band fizzled out after 30 minutes. Lots of noise on 40 and even more on 80. TNX to K4BAI and K3ESE for two bands. I got to try out my "new" Argonaut V (it's a keeper!). Used a cootie tonight to lower the station weight (thanks guys for copying my fumble fist). I think the propagation gods have set my contact limit to 12. Logged 4 on 20, 5 on 40, and 3 on 80. Let's do it again next month.  73, Don

W5ACM
The ATS-3a was remarkably cooperative this month. My CW was pretty good thanks to the keyer contacts. I didn’t need any burnishing or maintenance. The batteries appear to be running well. I use a pair of 170 mAh LiPo cells. It makes 3W out, so it is good to go! I got good 20M CNDX and hope for more next month! VY FB to work K4BAI on 20M AND 40M. The QRN was BAD on 80M – i.e. no contacts down there. 72, de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

WB9HFK
Icom 7300 @ 5W - OCF Dipole and 150 Ft. Random Wire.

K3ESE
the bands were noisy, but functional. I was wondering if there was just a low turnout? I had fun, though, as always! 10 of my 14 QSOs were unique SPCs.

KB1M
8 QSO's for 6 states. After a fruitless weekend of trying to log a museum ship, the sprint was a  needed boost to a deflated ego. I am always amazed with the many great ears of QRP ops that I've worked during sprints. Thanks for the QSOs. 72/73, Walt

N5GW
My K1 with internal ATU was powered by an 800 mAh Lipo battery at 2 watts to a doublet. It was nice to hear 20M open again for about half my contacts.

Sunday, May 12, 2019

SCOREBOARD: May 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: May 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

WA4DOU
First SS in probably 10 years, but glad to be back. IC-7300 @ 5 w to a 2-element Yagi at 52' on 20m, and an 80/40m inverted V at 45'. 6 QSOs on 20, 6 on 40, and 2 on 80. Hope to be in the "skinny" category next month. 72 to all and thanks for the QSOs! BCNU, Roy WA4DOU

NØTA
Worked 30 minutes: 3 on 20m, and 5 on 40m. Thanks for the Q's. K3, Vertical, GenLog

K3RLL
Noisy conditions with weak signals, though probably not as weak as mine was this evening here in warm, toasty Florida. Pretty tough sledding but got RBN reports from Europe and Uruguay. Go figure. Thanks for the skilled and patient ops.  72 … Don

K3JZD
40m only. 4w QCX-40 with a battery pack and 40m dipole. As always, a fun event. Jody - K3JZD

K4BAI
20M was open good to the west and northeast at the start. 40M was OK all over, but went long before I could work K9QV in TN. But did get K9QV on 80. 80M was quite noisy with QRN, but still was able to work as far as TX. 3 bander with WB5BKL. 2 banders with NØTA, WA4DOU, and NK6A. Thanks for all QSOs. 73/72, John, K4BAI.

WB9HFK
Icom 7300 @ 5W and OCF Dipole. Weight: 25 lbs.

KB1M
QRN started out bad on 40, then for a while went to horrendous then back to bearable. 6 QSOs for 6 states. Always a fun evening. 72/73, Walt

W5ACM
The ATS-3a was doing reasonably well this month. My CW was “OK” but I had to burnish the paddle contacts after just a few minutes of operation. It was BAD… The batteries appear to be running well. I use a pair of 170 mAh LiPo cells glued to the top lid of the balsa-wood rig box. The radio makes 3W out, and this is the longest service I have had from these LiPo cells. I am impressed, and hope they continue to perform. Conditions were surprising. I was delighted to find 20M  doing really well! If we had more ops on 20M, it would have been superb. 20M was open to both coasts from my QTH. Participation was GOOD with new calls heard! I got 2 QSOs on 20M with NK6A in CA and WA4DOU in NC, and 3 QSOs on 40M. I didn’t even bother with 80M. The QRN I heard before the event was a tragedy… Be sure to check 20M before going to the lower frequencies next month, and stay on the air until the END. Thanks to all! 72 de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas EL29.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp.  Each month is different. Only two QSOs in the second hour. 8 states this time with best signals:  20M - NK6A, 40M - N5GW (at 2w!), 80M - W5ESE.  80M was disappointing. Nice to hear a couple of new-to-me calls and old friends. Had fun.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

SCOREBOARD: April 2019 Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: April 2019 Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint

K3JZD
Conditions were a tiny bit better than they have been lately.  Funny how "a tiny bit better" is something to celebrate, huh.   We will not know how to act whenever things get really better!!   As always, a fun event. 73, and thanks for keeping this event going. Jody - K3JZD

NØTA
Started on 20, No luck. 12 Qs on 40, and 3 on 80. Thanks! K3 @5w, Vertical, GenLog.   - 73, John, NØTA

K3RLL
Talk about wicked QSB!  RBN (my favorite and most reliable contact) reports ranged from 24db to an all-time low of 0db. Not to be outdone, another RBN skimmer said my diminutive radio made it to MINUS ONE db.  Some signals were booming in, however. Big signals into FL tonight were N5GW and W5QLF.  Thanks for the skilled and patient ops like WB5BKL who just wouldn't give up until we made it work.  72/73 .. Don

K4BAI
No signals on 20 but W1AW and no response to CQs on that band. 40 and 20M were quite good and activity picked up a bit. 40M saw QSOs as far away as NH, IA, CO and as close as FL and VA.  80M appeared not to have long skip.  Every signal heard was pretty strong.  QSOs out to MD, IA, CO. Thanks for all QSOs.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

N4ARY
This was my first Spartan Sprint. It wasn't easy, but I had a great time. Thanks for a fun event.

K9DRP
I think propagation and participation were both lesser this month. I couldn't get NØTA's attention to work him. Worked K4BAI on 40 and 80. I think I'll seriously try to get more "skinny" for the upcoming spring months. 73, Don, K9DRP

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp.  One QSO on 20M and the remainder split between 40 and 80M. One QRO contact removed from my score. Best signals:  20M - KB1M, 40 and 80M - K4BAI.  Very nice to work a couple of QRP folks I had not heard in a while. As always, my thanks to the organizers. Had fun.

W5ACM
The ATS-3a was doing quite well this month. My CW was “OK” with no additional burnishing on the paddle contacts. The batteries appear to be running well. I use a pair of 170 mAh LiPo cells glued to the top lid of the balsa-wood rig box. The radio makes 3W out, and this is the longest service I have had from this type of LiPo cells in this rig. I am impressed, and hope they continue to perform! Conditions were nothing special, but 80M was very noisy. Participation was UP! I got 6 QSOs on 40M, but a marginal 2 QSOs on 80M. Thanks to all! 72 de Andy, W5ACM Houston, Texas.

Friday, March 8, 2019

RESULTS: March 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: March 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3JZD
Lots of QSB and weak signals on 40m. Heard some that I could not copy a full call sign for. Nothing heard on 80m. Jody - K3JZD

W5QLF
Forty meters was very good for the first 30 minutes or so then I tuned down to 80 and found that band surprisingly good too.  Worked 7 stations on 40 meters and 4 on 80 meters.  K4BAI and NØTA on both bands. Thanks fellas!  72, Joe W5QLF

NØTA
Bands much better this time. 8 Q's on 40m, 12 on 80m. K3, Vertical, GenLog

K3RLL
Had trouble being heard tonight. Even the Reverse Beacon wasn't my friend. But still had fun. One contact ended up as a long QSO and a new radio friend, so to speak. This is great!  Thanks for the contacts.  72/73 ... Don

KA5HZV
Just getting back into radio and first time on the Spartan Sprint in quite a while. My CW is not as fast as it used to be but getting there. Got my first contacts on 40 m right at the start of the night and then three more on 80 m. 40 was quiet but 80 was very noisy here in the Abilene Texas area. Looking forward to next month. Thanks to NK9G, NØTA, and WB5BKL (from Putnam to Burnet). Ron

K4BAI
40M very poor.  QSOs in TX, CA, NH,  Heard NK9G/7, but Rick could not hear me.  Yet, he called me on 80M!  80M in good shape all over. 40M: 4 QSOs.  80M:  15 QSOs. See you all next month.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

NØAR
Good to hear so many familiar calls. My contact number is inching up even though the bands still seem awful. 80 was the workhorse. First half hour only heard one station. Then things improved. Ants: 80 m loop, 43 foot vert with tuner at base and active RX loop. 40" of snow and minus temps still, winter conditions one last time? 72s, Scott NØAR nr. St.Paul

K9DRP
40 meters started out good but soon went dead for me.  I worked W3KC and K3ESE on 40 and got them again on 80.  (I wish Lloyd would use that same antenna when he's the fox.)  Got to log several new calls this sprint. Used an EFHW for this event - it's a keeper. 73, Don, K9DRP

AB9CA/7
On the road, poor antenna, only for 40m. Result: not many contacts! Rig was FT-857 at 5W to vertical. RV lot is small so ant is crummy. See ya' next month!

WB9HFK
Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W; Antenna: 40M - OCF Dipole; 80M - 150 Ft. Random Wire

WA4AAK
Got a late start and heard nothing on 40m. The following patient and skilled operators pulled me out of the 80m noise: WB5BKL, K4BAI, W3KC, NØAR, and K9DRP. Thank you, everyone!

NK9G/7
Equipment weight: KX3 & amp; 4 Amp LiPo at less than 5 lbs. I went out portable in a park in Chandler, AZ. Park is built on top of garbage dump I am told. Conditions were pretty decent, SFI 78-8-1. 10 states. 9 Qs on 40, 6 Qs on 80. My 1st time doing this portable Spartan Sprint and it was fun as all portable ops. Rig was KX3 @ 5 watts. Battery: a 4 Amp LiPo which seemed weak by end of Sprint. Antenna is a 88’ Doublet up at 44’.

KB1M
Best Spartan Sprint score since last Sept. Thanks for the QSOs. 72/73, Walt

W3KC
Fun to participate in an SP again. 80 meters was noisy but pretty lively (12 contacts) plus a few on 40. An ice storm had taken down my CF Zepp, so I went with an end fed wire up 15 feet. 72, Chas

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. Quite an improvement on last month - actual propagation!  Had to fix the south end of the 40M extended double Zepp before the sprint - it's now slightly higher (the advantage of using trees for the supports!).  QSOs on 40 and 80M. 10 states this time - and doubles with NØTA, NK9G/7, and NØAR.  Best signal on both bands was KEØTT. Had to give up about 03:30Z or so - too tired.  My thanks to all.  Had fun.

Thursday, February 14, 2019

SCOREBOARD: February 2019 Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: February 2019 Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
QCX-40 and LiPO to after-dark only black vertical (HOA): Despite high local line noise here and what seemed like really poor conditions this evening, I appreciate the four patient and skilled ops who kept the evening from being a washout here in Florida. RBN Spots were up and down dramatically and showed skip to be long tonight. Time to practice on the Sunspot Dance around the vertical for better conditions.  72 ... Don

W5QLF
Much better propagation this month into South Texas.   Thanks to Mark, WB9HFK and John, K4BAI for Qs on 40 and 80.  Thank you also Larry, KFØN, Jeff, KE9V, John, NØTA, Don, K3RLL and Evan, WA4AAK for contacts on 40.  Things are looking up in 2019. 72, Joe, W5QLF

K4BAI
40 was poor: 4 QSOs. 80 was great: 9 QSOs from AL, CO, TX, IL, IA, MN. Just needed more activity.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

WA4AAK
Two contacts on 40m, and six on 80m, running 3W to 5W. Local noise levels were very high as usual, keeping me from giving decent signal reports. As always, the Spartan Sprint operators did an outstanding job.  Thanks to all, and especially Richard, KI6SN, for creating and sponsoring this event! 72!

KE9V
40 meter effort yielded a few SP contacts this evening. Operated from the shack using a KX3 into a dipole at 30 feet. Heard a couple other stations calling but couldn’t work them. Propagation wasn’t great but the band seemed quiet here. Thanks for the Qs hope for more next month.

NØTA
Another slow Spartan Sprint. Thanks for the Q's. Kx2, vertical, Gen Log.

WB9HFK
Icom 7300 @ 5W. Antenna: 40M - Gnd Mtd Vertical with 60 radials. 80M - 150 Ft. Random Wire

NØAR
Cndx seemed to be better this month! Thanks for doing this. The first half hour I didn't hear a single station in the sprint! Suddenly the "cone of silence" lifted and the fun started. Always fun to work familiar stations. Took W5ACM and me at least 3 attempts to complete an exchange, thanks for hanging in there Andy. Rig was my ol' trusty K2, boy that still sounds sweet, a 43' vertical, 80-meter loop and RX loop. The only band of use was 80 meters. Nothing on the higher freqs. this month. 73 Scott, near St. Paul

KB1M
I was able to work two of the three stations heard on 40. I thought 40 might come alive when K4BAI peaked at S8 here, but that was very short lived. QRN was very quiet so not an excuse tonight. States worked GA and MS.  73 Walt

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. QSOs evenly split between 40 and 80M. 9 states this time - nothing west of Colorado.  Best signals:  40M - K4BAI and KFØN, 80M - K4BAI and WB9HFK. QSB was at times brutal - my thanks to all that persevered.  Had fun.

W5ACM
The ATS-3a was doing quite well this month. My CW was “OK” with no additional burnishing on the paddle contacts. The batteries appear to be running well. I use a pair of 170 mAh LiPo cells. The radio makes 3W out, and this is the longest service I have had from this type of LiPo cells in this rig. Conditions were nothing special, but 80M was a bit better than last month, and participation was UP! I got 3 QSOs on 40M, but a surprising 5 QSOs on 80M. Thanks to all! 72 de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.



Tuesday, January 15, 2019

RESULTS: January 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: January 2019 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
QCX-40 to 33' Unun wire up and over the garage.  Tough sledding tonight with very high noise level and very low signal levels. I think I was getting out better than I was hearing as a couple of stations were kind enough to answer my CQ but I just couldn't copy them. My apologies. Anyone else feel they are too old to ever see the return of our long lost sunspots? 72, Don K3RLL FL

N5EM
Running KX3 here on internal batteries and an external small Li-Ion pack at 3W.  One QSO.  With 20M seemingly dead, it's all 40M here. 72, Ed, N5EM

K4BAI
Guess most everyone was watching football.  6 QSOs on 80M and 7 QSOs on 40M. W1AW was very strong here on 20M, but got no answers to CQs and heard no other stations on the band. Should have been able to work New England when W1AW is so strong. Thanks for the QSOs and Happy New Year.  73/72, John, K4BAI

N1XF
I am taking a CW Academy Level 2 class and our Monday session finished just after the Spartan Sprint started. I’ve been wanting to try this for some time and tonight was that night. I only made one contact, but that is enough for me tonight. That contact was W2JEK , Don in NJ, we were both running 5W and gave each other a generous 599.  He actually was 599 at the peak and tailed off to about 539 with some QSB. I am running a KX2 with the internal ATU so I can tune up basically anything.  My current “anything” is a 107’ length of “random wire” in my backyard fed through a 9:1 unun I made in a custom 3D printed enclosure that has been outside for 9 months (after being told the PLA I used shouldnt be used outside, it is currently in experiment mode). I don’t have a run of permanent coax into my “Man Nook” (its not really a shack, per se), so I run a 25’ length of RG-174 out through a window (using a cut up pool noodle to keep the 17 degree temps outside) when I want to get on the air. For my first time in the Spartan Sprint, I think I have stood on my soapbox and monopolized enough of your time. Thanks, 73, Glen, N1XF

K9DRP
I worked every SP station I heard (both of them). I saw several stations listed on RBN, but I couldn't hear them. Propagation just has to be better next month. TNX K4BAI and WB9HFK. 73, Don, K9DRP

AB5SS
Couldn't get on the air until 9:30 so just used the big rig and went straight to 80M.  

W5ACM
The ATS-3a was remarkably cooperative this month, even after missing two Sprints. My CW was “OK”. The keyer contacts could use some burnishing… The batteries appear to be running well. I use a pair of 170 mAh LiPo cells. It makes 3W out, so it is good to go! I am hoping for good 20M CNDX next month(wishful thinking?). VY FB to work W4VHH on 40M and WB9HFK and K4BAI on 80M! 
72 de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

WB9HFK
RIG: ICOM 7300 @ 5W; ANTENNA: 40M Hustler 6BTV GND MTD with 60 radials; 80M 150 FT. Random wire

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. 7 contacts and 7 states this time. Only 1 contact on 40M, though WB9HFK, K4BAI, K3RLL and KF0N were heard. Best signals:  40M - W4VHH, 80M - AB5SS. 
Worked N4FP at 1W so encouraging propagation on 80!  My thanks to all. Had fun.

KB1M
Very little heard, felt lucky to complete two QSO's on 40. Weak signals with QSB. 73 Walt

NØAR
Good grief. Put in an hour and worked everyone I heard. 72's to all. Scott NØAR nr. St.Paul, MN