RESULTS: December 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: December 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

 NA5N

Bands lousy compared to past few days due to long duration solar flare earlier. Worked 5 on 80; nothing hrd on 40M with old Ten Tec Argo. Worked NØTA, K4BAI, WB5BKL, NØAR and AB9CA/7. Called WB9HFK 812 times no luck. Gotta be better next month.  72 to all. NA5N

NØTA

Couldn't find a soul on 40m - all ten Q's on 80m. K3, doublet, GenLog.

K4BAI

0 signals on 20M.  40M not much better with 2 QSOs.  I counted 9 QSOs on 80M. Actually made 8 more for a total of 17 on 80M, but had left the sprint to cover a CW net and forgot to take the amp out of the line afterward.  Transceiver was running 5W, but with the amp, it was about 150W. So didn't count those 8 QSOs in my totals.  I'll try to do better next month.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

WB9HFK

Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W. Antennas: 40M OCF dipole; 80M 150 Ft Random Wire. Weight: 30 lbs.

KA5PVB

Pretty much a BUMMER tonight! Tuning across the 40 meter band I heard practically NOTHING in the CW portion of the band! Blasted away with my 650 milli-watt Little Joe (from September 1981 QST magazine. Called CQ SP for 1.5 hours and NO JOY at all here. Note - this xmtr is rock-bound and operated on 7.038 KHz. all evening. KA5PVB, no QSO's, station weight as follows:

Little Joe xmtr - 0.2 lbs.

Straight key - 1 lb

MFJ-971 QRP Tuner 0.5 lbs

FRG-100 receiver - 6.6 lbs

Headphones - 1 lb

Approximate station weight - 9.3 lbs.

Maybe next month will be better for this Sprint! Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 73, Chuck, KA5PVB, Alpine, TX

AB9CA/7

Weight: 30

Station: IC-7200 at 5w to vertical. No activity on 40, all Q's on 80. Maybe the ant needs some attention on 40? Worked only MN TX CO GA NM. John, K4BAI, in GA has magic ears and can hear anything. Being in AZ tended to skew things to the west. Also have a noise issue here which does not help. Thanks for the Q's, maybe things will be better next month. 73 de Dave, AB9CA/7

NØAR

That was sure an interesting sprint. No signals heard on 20 or 40 meters. 80 was it for the duration. Rig Kwd 590sg and 43' vertical. RX loop antennas and muffs. Happy Holidays.

K5MUG

Kx3 at 5w into inverted vee dipole at 40 ft, installed N/S.  Rough event, started out on 40m about 0210 UTC, very few signals,  worst I've heard on 40m in a very long time.  Set up on 7.039.5 and worked K0ZK/Arn in Maine at 0220 UTC, and W5QLF/Joe in nearby Helotes,Texas at 0230 UTC, both 559 and qsb - that was my only action. Intense thanks to each of you!  Thought I heard a few other attempts to reach me but readability was zilch so couldn't be sure.  Went to 7.031 and 7.041 to no avail, weren't even hearing the usual SKCC ops around 7.050 to .060 .  Stayed the limit - turned my radio off at  0402 UTC. Take care and Stay Safe. 72, Cray / K5MUG / San Antonio, TX

N4SO

Thanks to contacts  WB9HFK, K0ZK and W5ESE. Missing a few call signs. Rig this time was the Elecraft K2 and a 40 meter half square. Ken, N4SO

W5ESE

Used the Omni VI and a 300' Horizontal Loop. Nothing heard or worked on 20m, and only one QSO on 40m. 80m was the "money band" for me.

K3JZD

Had to use my not quite so Spartan KX3 to be able to utilize 80m.  Not much was happening on 40m in my neighborhood.  Even 80m was kind of long.  And I got pretty lonely during the second hour - I guess everyone was social distancing.   KX3 with LiIon Battery Pack running 5w with KØMBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key and Earbuds to an End Fed Random Wire.   73 & MC - Jody - K3JZD

K9EV

Wanted to make it for the final SS of the year. KX3 with a battery and random wire antenna. 40 was so noisy I gave up and moved to 80. Copied several sprinters there but they weren’t hearing me. Finally managed to work K4BAI so as not to get skunked. See you for the next one in a New Year. Happy Holidays! 73 de KE9V

K4PQC

Unfortunately I was tied up on a project and lost track of time and didn't start the sprint until about 1/3 of the way from the end.  I already had last month's 80 meter band module plugged into the transceiver and immediately heard John - K4BAI so I would stick with 80 meters.  The band was unusually quiet and I was able to work Then Mark - WB9HFK in IL with a strong signal and finally Jody - K3JZD with an extremely strong signal from PA. Between working these stations I also called CQ SP without any results.  Not as good of a performance as in previous months but fun nonetheless.

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. No contacts on 40M - though I did hear K4BAI, briefly and faintly.  5 Qs and 5 states - all on 80m. Best signal: NØTA. Pooped out after an hour. Had fun.

KI5KZM

First time. A little cold here in Arkansas. - Julie

RESULTS: ARS November 2020 Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: ARS November 2020 Spartan Sprint

 W5ACM

It was all 40M or 80M for me, but the QSB was difficult. There were a few new folks in there! I was glad to hear good ops on 40M. Although my ATS-3A can’t do 15M, it is quite effective on 20M, so I hope upper band conditions will improve. I am really getting a bit skeptical about the longevity of my elderly 130 mAh Lipo batteries,  I will watch them closely over the next few months. They are not puffing up, but I could not do the complete two-hour event without serious power drops. I was actually down to less than 2 Wats for the 80M contacts with AB9CA and WB5BKL. 72 de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. Eight QSOs on 40 and four on 80M. K4BAI had the best signals on both. Nine states this time. Pooped out after about an hour and a half. But - had fun.

WA4AAK

Didn't hear many SP stations, but had fun anyway. 72, Evan WA4AAK

KB1M

Windstorm damaged the antenna but still had a fun time. 73, Walt

KE4I

Conditions bad - lousy.

K3JZD

Used 40m only - I do not have a lightweight rig for any other band. I might have to go to something heavier to be able to use 80m during the Winter months as 40m seems to be longer (to somewhere) at 0200 Zulu than it has been for me at 0100 Zulu. Lots of people I normally hear and work could not be heard. I only got one RBN Spot in 90 minutes of calling CQ  . . .  Naked 40m QCX w/500 mAH LiPo Battery Pack running 4w with K0MBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key and Earbuds to a 40m dipole. 73 - Jody - K3JZD

K4PQC

Earlier this month hurricane Zeta came roaring through GA heading toward the Carolinas. I didn't notice that some branches that were holding up my loop had broken but the antenna was still up. During the afternoon of the Sprint the antenna fell partway to the ground.  There wasn't enough time or light left to reinstall the loop so I operated anyway with wire wrapped around several branches. The most active station heard was Arn - K0ZK with an exceptionally strong signal from  Maine. 72 de Phil - K4PQC

N4SO

Thanks to SP contacts N0TA, WB9HFK, K3JZD, N0AR, KA2DDI and K0ZD. Propagation after 0200Z has a geographic focus to CO, IL, PA, MN, NJ and ME. Dial frequencies were closely centered between 7040.6-7042.7 KHZ. Rig at this time is a Kenwood TS-530S and 40 meter half square. Ken, N4SO

W5ESE

Used the Omni VI and a 300' Horizontal Loop. Nothing heard or worked on 20m. 40m was in pretty fair shape, though.

N0AR

Conditions were all over the place. Good to work familiar calls. Bands of choice 40 and 80. Rig was KX3 @ 5 watts, 43-foot vertical antenna did the work. 73, Scott

WB9HFK

Only spent one hour this month. Fun time, however.

AB9CA

Another enjoyable sprint! Started on 40 and stayed for 30 min. Seemed to have worked everyone who could hear me. Logged 8 Qs, 5 of which were from TX. Also CO, ME, ID. Then moved to 80 and logged 4 of the pesky Texans again along with GA VA PA IL MN. Thanks to everyone for the fun evening! Hope to hear y'all again next month! 73 de Dave, AB9CA

K3RLL

New to me basic K1 feeding my after dark only stealth 4-BTV. (Darned HOA) 40m seemed to have a fair selection of participants this evening but most weren't hearing my booming signal but then who knows I how many I couldn't hear.  Reverse Beacon was not my friend this evening with low single digit SNR reports. So, I greatly appreciate those seven skilled and patient A.R.S. Ops with the good ears.  72/73 ... Don K3RLL

KI6SN

Conditions on 40 meters were practically non-existent, making chances for a Spartan Sprint contact Slim to None. And Slim just left town. It turned out to be a couple of hours of serious listening. Could barely hear a few stations in Texas, but couldn't catch their callsigns. Just the same, it was a lot of fun listening to band conditions vacillate between "I can barely hear anyone" and "ESP." Look for everyone in December! - 73, Richard

K7TQ

Started on 40 m with a nice SK chat with a BC ham then only two more Qs over the next 45 minutes.  November SPs have always been challenging.

N0TA

Strange evening: 2 contacts in the first hour, 12 in the second hour. All on 40m. QCX Plus, Doublet, and GenLog.

SCOREBOARD: ARS October 2020 Spartan Sprint

 For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard.

SOAPBOX: October 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

 K3RLL

Trying out my new/old early s/n bare bones K1, so fortunately found after foolishly letting the fully equipped one I built get away from me some years ago. Why don't we get smarter when we get older?  40m was fun this evening with LOTS of good signals. Some problems with my paddle and then the digital guys seeming to need the frequency I pay dues for (GRIN), but it was a great half-hour running into well-known calls that have become old friends over the years. Many thanks to entire staff of A.R.S. for continuing to host the Spartan Sprint.  72/73 ... Don, K3RLL

W5QLF

One contact on 20 meters but 40 meters was hopping. Lots of familiar calls this evening plus some new ones that I hadn't worked before. Even a 1 x 1 station left over from the California QSO Party.  Thanks for the enjoyable CQP weekend. 72, Joe, W5QLF

AA2MX

First time I tried a Spartan Sprint. Only had 30 minutes, but enjoyed the contacts and format. I will participate again. Thanks

NØTA

Good evening. Trying out a QRP Labs QCX+ -> 40m. Think I was running a little over 4w into a doublet. Thanks for the Q's! - John, NØTA

K3JZD

After finding and working Don-K3RLL and John-K4BAI on 40m, the band was pretty darned quiet here in WPA. So, I called CQ SP for a while. Whenever I saw that I was getting RBN Spots from UT, WA, AZ, and EA8 I began to understand why the band was so quiet. Mike-KD5KC popped in there very briefly for me. After doing a lot of listening to a CQ SP with heavy QSB, John-NØTA became copyable long enough for me to work him. And I give Charles-N4SO my chaser of the evening award. I could almost hear Charles replying to my CQs several times during the event before he eventually came up to where I could copy his call sign and work him.  For nights like tonight, I could have used some Spartan Sprint players from out on the West Coast! Naked 40m QCX w/500 mAH LiPo Battery Pack running 4w with KØMBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key and Earbuds to a 40m dipole. 73 - Jody - K3JZD

K4BAI

20M almost dead at the start. No Sprint signals heard and no answer to a few CQs. 40 and 80M were quite good. QSOs by band: 40M: 12. 80M: 10. On 40 worked from ME to CA and as close as TN. But could not hear N4SO in AL. On 80M worked MD to TX. Hope for more activity next month. Thanks for the QSOs.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

N2APB

Okay, so the signal was 'spartan' at 1W, but not so much the station this time. Used a Collins R390 receiver and a homebrewed Ameco AC-1 transmitter for operation on 40 (so-so condx) and 80 (hot but sparce). Fun connecting with medium skip on 80m here from TN to MD, NJ, TX, IL, GA and TN. Just love using the boatanchors - even took them out on FD once (and only once). Hope my signal didn't drift too much. No bad reports, so TNX guys! - 72, George, N2APB

K9DRP

Just acquired an older HB-1B (with 80 meters) that I used tonight. Really cut my station weight. Things seemed lively the first hour on 40, but the action died off after that. 7 contacts on 40 and 4 on 80. TNX to WB5BKL fer 2 bands. A third of my QSO's with Texas, thanks guys. 72, Don, K9DRP

WJ9B

I made a total of eight contacts, one on 20m and seven on 40m. I worked KØZK in Maine on 40 meters. Also worked xtations in Ga, Tx, Co, In, and Ca. Elecraft KX1 internal batteries and tuner, 1 watt measured output. Weight: one pound with batteries, ear buds, palm key. I used an 80m inverted V, apex at 80 feet  and fed with twinlead. Lots of signals heard on 40m. On 40m: I got a 229 RST from WB5BKL and 339 RST from NK6A; finally worked John, K4BAI, after several tries. 73, Will,  WJ9B

KD5KC

Lousy night, but it was still fun! I came home from a long day running the power grid. Just 45 min before the start-time I was getting good RBN hits on 15m. At the start-time I got no RBN hits on 15m and only 1 weak hit on 20m. CQ-ing for 20 min on 20m got zero contacts. Moved to 40m and that got me 9 contacts, AL, CA (twice), ID, ME, Tx (three times), UT. 80m got me two, GA and TX. I was lucky to get Alabama-N4SO, he was calling right on the edge of my CW-filter passband and I could barely tell something was out there. Once I got him tuned in we made a QSO of it. There may have been a few more that were just outside my filter. I got a whisper now and then, but wasn’t sure of I was being called or if it was just a nearby station on the scope. Perfect zero-beat isn’t necessary, but you need to get inside the filter passband to be heard . . . just a suggestion.  K0ZK – you earned that one. Wow, it was tough, but we hung in and didn’t give up. THANK YOU! Nice to hear some old friends again. I am not scheduled to work shift for the November Sprint, so maybe we try it again. I’ve repaired the sub-1-pound radio my Great Dane ate. I’m working on a new antenna for portable. Perhaps in the coming months I’ll climb a local SOTA summit and see if I can beat the all-time record I set way back in July of 2014. Mike, KD5KC, El Paso

W5ESE

Used the Omni VI and a 300' Horizontal Loop. Conditions on 20m were very tough. 80m was nice and quiet; good condx. All bands were "long".

K4PQC

What a difference a month makes....not many stations were heard on 40 meters as compared to last month's Spartan Sprint.  Most of my contacts were made on 80 meters this month.  The only Georgia station I heard or worked on either 40 or 80 was John, K4BAI, Usually when John calls CQ he has lots of stations answering his CQs but I kept hearing him calling CQ without a lot of answers.  Lots of QSB.  Stations heard one moment and then poof they disappeared. It is hard for me to call CQ for long periods... my small battery will run out of juice. Even without many contacts this Sprint is about as fun as it can be without laughing.

KB1M

I had fun evening working 9 QSO's for 7 states, very little heard on 20, 40 seemed good with some surprisingly strong sigs. 72, Walt

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp.  Nice activity this month with some new-to-me calls. 11 states this time. 11 QSOs on 40M and 6 on 80 - did not try 20M.  Almost 1/3 of those worked were using less than 5W - notably WJ9B and N2APB at 1W! My thanks to all. Had fun.

N4SD

First time reporting. Rig Icom 7300 @ 5% + PS and a heavy Brown Brothers Paddle ~ 16 lbs. total. Definitely a Tubby. Will shed some weight for next time.  Antenna: Home brew EFHW's 40-10 and 80-10 @ 30 Ft. - Sperry, N4SD

W3KC

All QSOs were 80 meters which was in quite good shape. Been a while since I have done an SP and it was fun. - 72, Chas, W3KC

WA4AAK

Just 4 contacts, all on 40m: K3RLL, N0TA, W5ESE, and W5QLF. Thanks for pulling my signal through the QSB! Hope to contact these Sprinters and more next time. 72, Evan - Huntsville, AL

SCOREBOARD: September 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

 For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard.

SOAPBOX: September 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

 

W1PID

20 meters was good to start ... NØTA in Colorado and WB5BKL from TX. I just didn't hear anyone else there. 40M was more active. It's always a Pleasure to work John. K4BAI in GA. He's a good operator and a real gentleman! Thanks all for the Qs. 73, Jim W1PID.

 

K3RLL
Nice to hear 40m alive and jumping this evening. Too bad there was this terrible QRN. (Half-hour passes...) Oh, that's the battery charger on my H-D. Duh!  Ran out and unplugged it and lost my frequency. Oh well, 9 nice contacts and almost a couple more.  Big signal tonight into FL was KE5JP - booming in.  Great fun and lots of familiar calls. Best hearing award goes to NØTA tonight. How he heard me, I'll never know.  72/73 ... Don

 
WB9HFK
Only worked about the first hour this month. See everyone next month! 73, Mark, WB9HFK
 
NØTA
Worked for an hour - most Q's in a long time. 13 States! Thanks! K3 @5w and a Doublet.
 
K9DRP
Used the Argo V tonight with a bug (bug really adds to station weight). 40 was the only game in town!  John, K4BAI did net me one contact on 80. KØZK had a great sig into ILL. TNX to K2PQ for sticking with me until I got his call right. Let's do it again next
month! 72  Don, K9DRP
 
KD5KC
11 contacts total, worked 9 on 40m, 2 on 80m, I could hear sigs on 20m, but no one calling CQ-SP.  CO-GA-IL-KS-ME-PA-TX all logged.  Condx were very noisy on 40m and 80m. This is a far cry from the undefeated record I set in July of 2014 with 206.1 QSOs per pound … but a career move takes a lot of nights away. Retirement is on the horizon. Perhaps I’ll be able to participate more soon. 11 QSOs / 30 pounds = 0.3667 QSOs per pound. I need to take out the little portable radio again. I did get it fixed after the Great Dane puppy ate the super-light-weight case. It is even lighter now, certainly competitive.
 
K4PQC
This month's conditions were much better than last month. Weather was clear and no storms so 40 meters was fairly quiet. My new 200 mah LiPo battery arrived in time for this month's Sprint so my rig is a little lighter by over 0.4 oz! I might be able to shave a little more weight by removing some wire and little used components and excess solder. I am using my trusty 160 meter loop or rather a modified rhombic without the terminating resistor @ 25'. Interesting that I didn't hear another station from GA. The picture is my rig with the cover removed.
 
K5MUG
Little better today, doubled my tally from last month. Signals still very weak tonight, had to work a little longer and dig a little harder. Dropped a few ounces for this month, my Elecraft Kx3/paddle started losing ground connection just before the August Sprint and I had to use an external paddle. A short tedious repair last week and it's in proper order and working well this month. Great group of folks tonight, thanks to all. Take care and stay well! Cray / K5MUG / San Antonio, TX
 
N4SO
Total contacts from Alabama: 10, all on 40 meters, with the best DX KØZK, Lebanon, Maine. Ken N4SO
 
W5ESE
Used the Omni VI and a 300' Horizontal Loop. Only made one contact on 20m, but 40m and 80m were in pretty good shape.
 
K4BAI
QSOs by band: 80M: 4.  40M: 21.  Total: 25. Thanks for all QSOs.
 
WA5BDU
Contacts: 8, Weight: 0.5 LBS, Power: 5 W, QTH: Arkansas. First time I've tried the Spartan Sprint in a long while. I wanted to get out the good old ATS3 again. Seemed like lots of activity. I stuck to 40 meters and used a 134' inverted-L. TU/73 - Nick, WA5BDU
 
WJ9B
I made a total of five contacts, one on 20m and four on 40m. Elecraft KX1 internal batteries and tuner, 1 watt measured output. Weight: one pound with batteries, ear buds, palm key. I used an 80m inverted V, apex at 80 feet and fed with twin lead. Lots of signals heard on 40m but few could hear my 1 watt signal. On 40m: I got a 229 RST from NK6A and 339 RST from KFØXV. Finally worked John, K4BAI, after many tries; NØTA had a strong signal and gave me RST 559. Three first-Mondays in a row, I am on a roll. 73, Will, WJ9B
 
K3JZD
Naked 40m QCX w/500 mAH LiPo Battery Pack running 4w with KØMBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key and Earbuds to a 40m dipole. Did anyone notice that there was a little QSB on 40m? Jody - K3JZD
 
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. Wow - propagation on 40M! One QSO on 20M, 3 on 80M and the rest on 40M.  Best signals: 20M - W1PID, 40M - KE5JP, 80M - W5ESE. Seemed like every other Op was named either John or Don! Had fun.
 
KFØXV
This was my very first Spartan Sprint. I work the 3pm to 11pm shift so I don’t get to Do many thing like this.This one happened to be on a holiday and I was off. I was able to get 9 states and 1 Canada, ONT. Hopefully I’ll get to do it again. I was able to work the full 2 hrs. KX2 @ 5 watts,  40/80 mtr Dipole. Joe/KFØXV

RESULTS: August 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

SOAPBOX: August 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL

40m was awfully quiet this evening. Signals were not loud here into rural PA but little background noise and no QRM so it was fun. Thank you ARS. Maybe it's time we start a GoFundMe page for sunspots.  Whatsa?  72/73 … Don

 

NØTA

Pretty slow. Quit after the first hour.

 

W5QLF

I had to wait until a line of thunderstorms had passed thru San Antonio before hooking up the antenna at 0130Z. The noise level wasn't that high on 40 meters but there were not many stations heard. WB9HFK had a remarkable lack of QSB on his signal and was the only consistent signal I heard for over 45 minutes on 40m. Worked NØTA, WB9HFK & K4PQC on 40 meters and AB9CA on 80 meters.

 

K4BAI

QTH: GA. QSOs by band: 40M: 6; 80M: 2. Lost the first one hourand 25 minutes to a power outage after an afternoon thunderstorm that brought down trees, power poles and lines. Had thought of using the car battery and sitting in the car in the garage and using the regular station antennas and a flashlight, but we decided to visit our daughter and her family a few blocks away where they did have power. Watched the Atlanta Braves lose badly to the New York Mets. Very thankful electricity came back on and gave us back air conditioning, ham rig, computers, TV, and outside safety lights. We have a battery back up for the burglar alarm, so never lost that. Thanks for all QSOs.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

 

WJ9B

Four contacts, nØta on 20m, plus three contacts on 40m (NØTA, NK6A, K4BAI). Elecraft KX-1 internal batteries and tuner, 1 watt measured output. Weight: one pound with batteries, ear buds, palm key. I used an 80m inverted V, apex at 80 feet fed with twinlead. I heard several others who could not copy my 1 watt signal. BTW, I purchased the kit to put 80 meters into the KX-1. Two months in a row, maybe I will remember: first Monday of the month!  73, Will, WJ9B

 

K9DRP

Even with nasty QRN I was able to log 1 on 20, 6 on 40, and 1 on 80. I heard WB5BKL on both 20/40, but not well/long enough to work him. K4PQC was the loudest on 40.  SPCs were CA, CO, GA, TX, IN, AL, and NM. Let's do it again next month! 73, Don, K9DRP

 

K5MUG

Using a KX3 at 5w into 20/40m fan dipole at 40 ft, installed N/S. Thunderstorm let up at my location (San Antonio) about 5 minutes or so before Sprint time letting me start up front, for what it was worth. Started on 20m with no stations heard, moved to 40m about 30 minutes in. Tagged AB9CA at 0136Z, with WB9HFK, K4BAI, N4SO, and K7PD following. Squeezed K7PD in the last minutes – thanks for your perseverance and patience. Tough night, heard a few that couldn’t hear or read my sig, lot of weak sigs and QSB, many repeats. Station of note:  K4BAI / John booming in at 599 plus from GA. Another enjoyable event, take care and 72, Cray / K5MUG / San Antonio, TX

 

W1PID

QSOs on 20M, 2. QSOs on 40M, 3. QSOs on 80M, 1. Thanks all. 73, Jim W1PID

 

KA5PVB

I was told about your group by Scott, W5ESE, whom I had worked last month in the 4 States QRP Second Sunday Sprint. I started out on 20 meters (14.060) at 8 PM last evening and called CQ for 15 minutes with no "takers"! Went to 40 meters (7.030) at 8:15 and called CQ for 45 minutes, again with no takers!) Gave up after an hour of listening to myself calling CQ. Questions: was I on or near the correct frequencies? (Yes: plus or minus 3.560, 7030 to 7040, and 14.060) My code speed here is only about 10-15 WPM, is this "too slow" for this group? (Not at all. Sprinters are always happy to slow down for other operators.) Equipment used: FT-817ND at 4 watts, 80/40 meter inverted V at 30 ft., MFJ-813 Pwr/Swr Meter, MFJ 949D Tuner, and headphones. Total weight of station is about 4.8 lbs. I enjoy working QRP levels for QSOs whenever possible and would enjoy trying again next month if speed is acceptable for the group! (ABSOLUTELY!) Best 73, Chuck Dobbins, KA5PVB, Alpine, TX. (Chuck, TNX for trying. Everyone has a night like your's once-in-a-while. PSE hang in there. CU in September - KI6SN)

 

W5ESE

Conditions weren't great, but it was much better than the July sprint. Used the Omni VI and a 300' horizontal loop.

 

K4PQC

Station weight: 90.70 grams = 3.2 oz. = 0.20 lbs.Terrible storms here in GA mostly from hurricane Isaias. Not so much the winds but lightning crashes that made making contacts very difficult. After moving to Bishop, GA this is my first Spartan Sprint in almost 4 years from my new QTH. 5 contacts on 40 meters and one on 80.  Rig: ATS 3B homemade PCB case and paddles <3 w using an 11.1 V LiPo 500 mah battery.  Ant: 160 meter loop @ 25'  Maybe next month will be a little quieter.

 

KB1M

20 and 40 seemed to be noisy with deep QSB. Best DX was with  N0TA (CO).   Thanks for the QSOs. 73, Walt

 

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp.  One QRO QSO removed. Eight states this time - NH and IN were popular. Best signals: 20m - KB1M; 40M - K4PQC; 80M - AB9CA.  Heard but not worked:  WØITT, NØTA.  3-fer with AB9CA. Several regulars missing - hope they are OK.  Had Fun.

 

AB9CA

Ran the IC-7200 at 5w to wires. Was a few min late getting started. 20 did not seem to have many on. Worked 2 from TX and 1 from CA. Moved to 40 which was the main band of the evening. Logged 11 there - NC NH AL CO PA VA TX. Then went to 80 and found a few more: NH TX IL GA MO. Thanks to WB5BKL for 3 bands, W5ESE and W1PID for 2. It was a fun evening. Of course we could always use a few more participating. Maybe business will pick up if the sunspots return. 73, Dave, AB9CA

 

RESULTS: July 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard.

SOAPBOX: July 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Back in what was supposed to be ‘cooler’ rural Pennsylvania for the summer, but pretty hot in the northeast right now. But that’s okay, as the heat may get to the ham bands. It’s nice to be up here in the country at 1150 ASL with an actual outdoor antenna. QRP is a lot more fun here than in flat FL with HOA antenna restrictions. Happy for the few contacts made in my half hour this evening as everyone had good signals and I even got a couple good signal reports. Amazing!  See you next month and thanks to A.R.S. … 72, Don

K4BAI
3 QSOs on 20; 14 QSOs on 40.  CQed on 80, but heard not SP activity there.  Until next month, 73/72, John, K4BAI.

NØTA
20m appeared open, just no activity. 40m a bit noisy due to static crashes. Quit after 45 minutes to save ears!

K3JZD
40m QCX w/500 mAH LiPo Battery Pack running 5w with K0MBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key and Earbuds to a 40m dipole.   Seemed like a low turnout this month.   But maybe it was just conditions.  Jody - K3JZD

WJ9B
Two contacts: one on 20m and one on 40m (WB5BKL and NØTA). Elecraft kx1 internal batteries and tuner, 1 watt measured output. I haven't participated in some time now.  I used an 80m inverted V, apex at 80 feet and fed with twinlead. I heard 3 or 4 others who could not copy my 1-watt signal.  I used the same rig during Field Day.  73, Will,  WJ9B

N4SO
Thanks to all and see you next time. Ken, N4SO

KE9V
Four contacts (K3RLL, K3JZD, K4BAI, WB9HFK). Another backyard activation for me using the KX3. It was also a 40 meter only operation. When 9pm (local) rolled around I moved up in the 7040-7045 space and started the chase. I managed to coax a few signals out of the aether fairly quickly then hung around until almost 10:30pm but never copied another station in the event. You can’t work ‘em if you can’t hear ‘em. Better luck (and results) next time. Thanks for the Qs and the fun!

WA4AAK
Impressive QRN! 40m contacts: NØTA, WB9HFK, K3JZD. 80m contact: AB9CA. It seems the 40m Sprint segment is getting squeezed between digital activity on 7.040 and a net on 7.045 or 7.046. Thanks to all! 72, Evan - Huntsville, AL

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp.  One QRO contact removed. Seven states this time.  Best signals:  20m - K9DRP, 40M - N4SO.  No contacts on 80M.  Nowhere near as good as last month, but ... Had fun.

NØAR
I started out with good intentions but the advancing TS activity was just too much. So Mark WB9HFK goes in the log as my one single contact on 40 meters. See you all next month! 73 Scott

W5ESE
A lot of atmospheric noise tonight, and 20m was in poor condition.

AB9CA
Ran the IC-7200 at 5w to the wires. Started on 20 and made only 1 QSO. Heard a couple who could not hear me. Moved to 40 and activity seemed sparse there as well. I concluded that prop was not cooperating. Went to 80 and made 1 Q there. Did work 1 QRO stn on 80 but not counting that one. Seemed that condx were rather punk. Hopefully condx will be better next month.  73 de dave ab9ca

K9DRP
Lots of signals on the bands tonight, but I didn't hear many SPers. 20 seemed to die early, but Texas scored me 2 contacts. Was trying to keep the weight down but the cootie was a lot of work for few contacts, so I had to add a couple of lbs switching over to the bug (I should learn to use a keyer). Sorry to the VA3 station I couldn't pull out. I'll work as long as there's any hope to log the contact.  I listened to John, K4BAI work an awful long time to get the power level of one station.

W1PID
3 QSOs on 40 and 1 QSO on 20. Thanks for the fun guys. 73, Jim W1PID

RESULTS: June 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: June 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL

Just wasn't getting any answers or getting much attention from RBN for first half-hour and then all of the sudden, someone turned up the signals on 40 meters tonight! RBN started hearing me and great ops started calling. I actually had a mini-pileup once. Amazing! It was great!  It was like having a real, actual, working good antenna or something! (GRIN)  Thanks for the contacts, the good ears and patient ops.  72/73 ... Don

AB9BZ

Fun sprint, ran 1W for 4 of the contacts, good to hear stations active. Thanks for the QSOs 72 de ab9bz

KI4KZS

I caught this sprint on the air and looked it up to find it was QRP! I love operating QRP, so I jumped in to make as many contacts as I could. This was my first time. It was a lot of fun and I hope to catch it again. 73, Brent / KI4KZS

K3JZD

Something different this month: 40m Pixie II w/380mAH LiPo Battery Pack Running 0.250w - K0MBT 3D Printed Mini-Mini Key - 40m dipole.   But, being crystal controlled and sitting on 7.045, I seem to have worked more SKCC folks than Spartan Sprint participants.   Jody - K3JZD

KW4JS

It has been several years since my last Spartan Sprint.  The hiatus was due to the work schedule.  I use to be competitive in the top 10 of the skinny division but alas, I am out of practice,  Worked only S&P with my weak signal and crummy antenna.  Thanks to everyone who pulled me out of the static and QRM.  I had great fun.

K9WIS

Antenna was 40M dipole up 8 feet strung between 2 bean poles in the back yard. Weather on the patio was warm . . . no mosquitos yet. Won't be so lucky next month. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been in Spartan Sprint. A fun casual contest. Found my original ARS member certificate No.80 back when I was AE9K. Brian, K9WIS

KI6SN

What an exciting evening from out here on the Left Coast. Lots of signals on 40-meters. It was fun hearing the band get longer and longer from SoCal as the Sun went down. Many thanks to K7PD, K7TQ, NK6A and WB5BKL for pulling my signal from the QRN. Heard but not worked were WB9HFK, K4BAI and W5ACM. It was so nice to finally work Nick, WB5BKL, after so many years. Our first SP contact! Hope to see everyone next month – Monday evening, July 6. 73, 72, Richard, KI6SN, Riverside, CA

NØAR

Ran the TS590 at 5 watts tonight. Vertical antennas and RX loop. All contacts on 20 and 40 meters. TS action so some QRN but 91 degs is a good trade off to snow! Had a VE call me with QRO, he had never run QRP and wasn't sure his rig would do it. So I told him what I was running and he came back and cranked it down to 5 watts. I was his first QRP contact ever! So the bug has bitten him and he's been directed to the web site and invited back to join in. Good fun all around!

AB9CA

K3 at 5w to Inv Vee. Started on 20 and was surprised to work 6 stns there - 4 TX plus CA and ID. Moved to 40 and picked up 11 from IL KY GA FL VA AL NH TN. Went to 80 and heard someone trying but could not get enough to copy. Sorry for that. Heard no one else there. I don't think there were any 2 banders tonight. Thanks for the Qs! Hope to hear everyone plus more next month. Dave ab9ca

W1PID

It was so great to see so much activity and so many old friends. 20 meters was tops. NK6A in CA. K7TQ in ID. WVØH in CO. Thanks, guys, for all the QSOs. Jim W1PID

NK6A

Band conditions were much improved this month.  I started calling CQ on 20M and received a call from ZL2IFB.He was QRO but I mention this because I worked him off the back of the beam at 5W. Worked into NH twice and the usual bunch of Texans.  40M was quiet here and grabbed a few more stations.  Don Minkoff, NK6A

KB1M

Had completely forgot about Spartan Sprint until 9:15 PM , and then could not really get into it. 73, Walt, KB1M

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp.  Propagation at last! Made 27 contacts, but three did not count.  Biggest thrill: having a ZL2 answer my CQ on 20 (he was QRO, so not counted). Also worked Richard, KI6SN! Best signals:  20M - K7TQ, 40M - KJ5XF, 80M - W5ESE (also had a three-bander with Scott).  Some regulars missing - hope all is OK. Let's do it again next month. Had fun.

K7TQ

I operated the Sprint using my mobile rig sitting at the top of the Lewiston Grade in Nez Perce county Idaho.  There is a 2,500 foot drop to the east and south which makes for great terrain enhancement.  Two farthest QSOs were with W1PID in NH and XE1ZYZ in Mexico.  Twenty meters was productive for about half an hour then 40 was the band to be on.  Hope to catch many of you again next month.

W5ESE

I was late getting to the shack this month, so just fired up the big rig. Good participation this month and fair conditions. Was great to work neighbor WB5BKL on 3 wavelengths. Pleased to meet some new entrants; Welcome!

K9QV

Finally dusted off the rig and got on the air again!  I was surprised how much activity I heard on 20m.  About 70% contacts on 20m, 30% on 40m and only one on 80m.  Battery was dead 10 minutes from the end. Time to replace it. The Sprint was a great time, just like I remember. Thanks to everyone.  de Drew.

W5ACM

It was fun to make some 20M contacts this month, but the QSB was difficult. All of my contacts were on 20M or 40M. There were the usual suspects, but a few new folks in there! I was glad to hear good ops on 20M. It looks like things will be improving for the summer months! Although my ATS-3A can’t do 15M, it is quite effective on 20M. I am getting a bit skeptical on the longevity of my elderly 130 mAh Lipo batteries.  I will watch them closely over the next few months. Sorry about the somewhat difficult CW on my end, but I tend to forget to burnish the copper contacts on the homebrew keyer paddles. 72, de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

x

RESULTS: May 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: May 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
QCX-40 & small LiPO: Not a lot of stations on, but I think the propagation "force" was active enough here in FL that most heard my peanut whistle.  "The Fourth Was With Me" tonight as even RBN heard me, for a change. (SMILE)  "Big Signal" was K4BAI who always hears me on the first call.  Thanks for the fun, and for so many good ears tonight.  72/73 ... Don

W5QLF
No signals heard on 20 meters. 40 meters was quite active here in South Texas. One contact was made on 80 meters. For such a slow beginning, I was surprised at the amount of activity that showed up at about 9:00 pm CDT. I enjoyed all the contacts. - Joe, W5QLF

WB9HFK
Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W, Antenna: OCF Dipole, Weight: 30 lbs. I only operated for first hour. The QRN here in IL was pretty bad this evening. I know I just could not pull out a few callers, unfortunately. 73/72, Mark - WB9HFK

NØTA
14 Qs, 30 lbs. 3 on 20m, the 11 on 40m. Quit a little early. First time I've worked KI6SN! Thanks for the Qs.

K4BAI
QSOs on 20 tonight; 18 QSOs on 40 including KI6SN; 2 QSOs on 80. Heavy static on 80 and only worked two stations in FL from my GA
QTH.  72, John, K4BAI.

NØZIB
This was my first Spartan Sprint and I could only operate for the last 45 minutes. Running 4 watts my farthest QSO from Missouri was NY at 814 miles.  Pretty happy with that.  Running QCX with the micro switch keyer, small battery and a qrp kit tuner. Looking forward to the next Sprint. 72s 


W5ESE
Used my AT Sprint 3 (2 watts), whiterook MK-44 paddles and walkman type earphones. Had a couple of nice ragchews in the mix. 73 - Scott

K3JZD
40m Naked QCX - 2/3 AAA NiMH Pack - 3w - 40m dipole - KØMBT 3D Printed Mini Key. Jody - K3JZD

K7PD
First time in the Sprint in quite awhile - I miss the days when it was crowded. One contact on 20 meters - XE2M in Mexico wasn't in the Sprint. 3 contacts on 40 
2 "Sprinters" KI6DS and AA6XA. One "Non-Sprinter". Used an N6HCN ATS-4 and 8 Rechargeable AAs - About 4 watts. 2-Band End-Fed Half Wave. 73, K7PD

KB1M
20 seemed to die very quickly after the first 15 minutes, but was rewarded with 3 Q's and 40 yielded 5 QSOs, total of 5 states worked. Worked  K4BAI and AB9CA  on 2 bands, also heard NØTA on 2 bands but not worked. Thanks for the fun evening, stay well!  72/73 Walt

KS4L
Brought out my 20+ year old K2 @ 5w into my multi-band EF antenna in the backyard trees. Fair conditions on 40. Nothing heard on 20. Nothing but static on 80 from approaching storm. Tnx for the QSOs!

W5ACM
It was fun to make some 20M contacts this month, but the QSB was difficult. All of my contacts were on 20M or 40M. I listened for a bit on 80M, but the noise level was very bad. After the first hour my two 170 mAh batteries in the ATS3a were still going strong. They are getting close to the end of life, but I will run them until they start puffing up. No complaints! 72 de Andy W5ACM, Houston, Texas.

KI6SN
Worked 40 meters and had a blast. TS-140 running 5 watts to an inverted V at 15 feet. Many thanks to John, NØTA; Delbert, K7PD; and John, K4BAI for pulling my signal out of the noise. We really appreciated K4BAI's May SP announcement on QRP-Lreminding ops about the first-Monday event. 73, Richard, KI6SN, Riverside, CA

RESULTS: April 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: April 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. Worked 8 states.  20M - 4 QSOs, 40m - 5 and 80M -1.  Best signals were:  20M -NK6A, 40M - K5MUG, 80m - W5ESE.  Some familiar calls missing.  Hope it was merely scheduling or Propagation - nothing worse. 40M conditions seemed unusual - heard more Texas stations than normal.  My time was limited, but I had fun.

AB9CA
Rig was K3 at 5w to vertical. Started on 20 and found 5 of those pesky Texans - WB5BKL N5EM W5ACM W5QLF W5ESE. I heard nothing but TX on 20. Then went to 40 and picked up 13 more. No 80m tonight. Only 2 banders were W5QLF and N5EM. Best DX would be either K6YK or NK6A in CA or K7TQ in ID. Had only 45 min as I needed to get some other stuff done. Thanks to all for the Q's. Hope to hear everyone, plus more, next month . . . 73 de Dave AB9CA

W5ACM
It was great fun to make some 20M contacts this month, and work some new stations. WB5BKL sent an event reminder via the Houston QRP remailer. Thanks Nick! All of my contacts were on 20M or 40M. I couldn’t get on 80M because I have not tuned the 80M whip on my new vertical antenna (Hustler 5-BTV), but it really didn’t matter. After the first hour my two 170 mAh batteries in the ATS3a were drained! They may have reached end of life, but I will run them again next month to see what happens. I have two 200 mAh LiPo batteries ready to go, but they will be slightly heavier. This has been the longest run for a pair of the small LiPo batteries I have had… No complaints.

WA4AAK
Pleased to see 20m open to TX, CA and NH at the start! Six contacts on 20m, two on 40m, zero on 80m. No luck after 1 hr. Forgot to pare down station weight before starting, so ran heavy. Mark, WB9HFK, once again had the strongest signal heard. Hope all stay well... 72, Evan - Huntsville, AL

KB1M
Nice to see 20 was open at the start, and was able to get 3 QSO's, 40 was very noisy and was able to make 3 Q's between static crashes, for total of 5 states.  72/73, Walt

WB9HFK
ICOM 7300 @ 5w. 40m - OCF dipole; 80m – vertical

W5ESE
Used an AT Sprint 3 from KD1JV I assembled about 15 years ago (2 watts).
Still a fun rig. Paddles were Whiterook MK-44 and used walkman type earphones. First entered Spartan Sprints in 2004, and glad that they're continuing! 73 – Scott

K5MUG
Hello to all, first time participating in the Spartan Sprint, nice event.  Thanks to Joe, W5QLF, for introducing me to the ARS Qrp group (and for tonight's local contact), and thanks to all for the fun tonight. Got a late start, made all contacts on 40m. Hope to have 80m antenna to work with soon to add to the pot. Thanks again to the group! – Cray, K5MUG

K7TQ
First SP in way too long a time. Good to contact several old friends. KX2 at 5W in my recently-completed mobile set-up which just sits waiting for when we can once again roam the countryside.

NØTA
13 Q's on 40m, 3 on 80m. 7 of the Q's were with stations in Texas! Thanks for the Qs. K3, Doublet, GenLog.

K3JZD
DST and getting on 40m one hour earlier made a difference.

W5QLF
A reasonable day in the neighborhood. One Q on 20m and One on 80m plus and additional 8 on 40m.  Apologies to John, N0TA for wasting valuable air time making him a dupe before I'd confirmed his call.  He graciously worked me on 80m giving me a second valid contact.  Thanks John. Charles, AB9CA, was my first contact on 20m and was the only signal I heard on 14 MHz. He graced my log again on 40m for another QSO count. Charles, your 40m signal held up quite well into the second hour. Cray, K5MUG, came back to me for an across-town contact on 40m. We both live in the San Antonio area and I'm sure we’ll discuss this contact at the next club meeting. Joe, W5QLF

N5EM
Running KX3 here on internal batteries. 2 Qs on 20M. Good signals, too. Hope to see more on 20 next month. Rest (6) were on 40M. I only had an hour, so cut it short. 72, Ed, N5EM

RESUTS: March 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: March 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

WA4AAK
Heard very few Sprint stations and was fortunate to contact two: NØTA, and KB1M. Thanks, everyone! Evan WA4AAK, Huntsville, AL

KB1M
40 was noisy with QRN, QSB  and generally weak signals, WB9HFK had a consistently good signal. Six stations worked were all between 911 miles to 1136 miles with an average distance of 1057 miles. Thanks for QSO's, 72/73, Walt

AB9CA
Rig was FT-857 at 5w to Inv vee up about 35 ft. 40m only for me. My S8 noise was there at first but N0TA and W5QLF were able to punch through. It then went away for a few min. I called and logged W0ITT KFØN N4SO. Then it returned. Someone was answering a CQ when it came back and I could not copy through the noise. Sorry I could not pull you out. After that I shut down. No fun with all that noise. Thanks for the Q's! Next month I should be at another site and hopefully will be without the noise. 73 de dave, ab9ca/7

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. Nothing heard on 20 - 4 QSOs each on 40 and 80M.  40M seemed long. Best signals:  40M - WB9HFK, 80M - NØTA. Quit early but had fun.

K5GQ
Lots of work to get 80m module for ATS3 TO WORK and ONLY made 1 Q (on that band). TUNED up and down but did not find many stations. Maybe in June things will be better -  next Monday night available. Mark

KF5TWJ
First try. Not too good but still had fun. Will try again.

NØAR
Good to work so many station on 40 (six total). 80 was pretty bad in my neck of the woods, only one contact. Lots of TS crashes. Sure sign spring is on the way! 72's Scott

NØTA
Six on 40m, 4 on 80m. Thanks for the Q's.

K3JZD
Next Sprint, looking forward to DST and getting on 40m one hour earlier. 40m QCX - 3w - 40m dipole. Jody - K3JZD

K3RLL
QCX-40 and LiPO battery to black, after-dark-only 4-BTV: We certainly had a nice evening on 40 meters without the wicked QSB tonight. Signals were good (that is, except mine) and ran into a few ops I've not heard in a long time. Big signal heard here in FL this evening was KA4FDM in MD who was booming in as if he was next door.  Nice to hear N3FCS again.  Always fun to connect with K3JZD & KB1M. What a great hobby and a fun 40 minutes.  72 ... Don

RESULTS: February 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: February 2020 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL

As they say, life begins (and ends) on 40m due to antenna restrictions here, and 40m was ripe with QSB this evening. But eight very skilled ops with good ears made it fun. Tried the KX3 tonight with the attached paddles that were acting up. My apologies.  RBN reports were dismal so was very pleased to make some contacts.  My appreciation to the entire staff of A.R.S. and good QRP ops for keeping the Spartan Sprint alive and well.  72/73 ... Don

NØTA

2 Q's on 40m, 9 on 80m. K3@5w, doublet at 25', GenLog.

K4BAI

Activity better tonight than recently.  Both 40 and 80M were in very good shape.  Worked from CO to NH on both bands.  40M was long and WB9HFK couldn't hear me calling him.  But 80M had pretty good short skip to AL and also good signals from CO, TX, NH, IL.  Thanks for all QSOs.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

K3JZD

40m propagation keeps killing me.  Gets crazy for me after  0100 zulu.  I had a long N-S path this time.  Heard and worked Don - K3RLL in FL.  I was hearing Don on 40m for about an hour. But I could not hear anyone else on 40m. During the second hour I slid down the 40m band and used my lightweight 3 watts to work a Dxpedition in El Salvador and then a DXpedition on Cocos Island. But they were not giving out Spartan Sprint exchanges, so I did not count them. Did I mention that my path was a long N-S path? QCX - 3w - 40m dipole.   Jody - K3JZD

NØAR

Good to hear a bunch of familiar calls. 40 and 80 were both loaded with QRN. Signals were overall poor with some serious QSB at times. Only heard one call West of me! Rig 590sg and rx loop, 43' vertical and lots of radials. 73, Scott, near St.Paul, MN

WB9HFK

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

WA4AAK

Enjoyed contacting 7 Sprinters! 5 on 80m, 2 on 40m.  72, Evan WA4AAK - Huntsville, AL

WB5BKL

3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp. QSOs on 40 and 80M. Heard K4BAI and AB9CA/7 on 20 but not worked.  Best signals: 40M - K4BAI, 80M - W5ACM. Doubles with K4BAI and W5ACM. Both 40 and

80M seemed in good shape here.  No stations west of me except AB9CA/7 in AZ. Had fun.

KA5HZV

Had fun using my newly built QRP LABS QCX tranceiver at 3 watts into a (semi) mutiband dipole. Thanks to NØAR, K4BAI and N4SO for picking my little signal up. While working K4BAI I bumped something in the rig and jumped to another part of the band instantly. My apology was accepted by K4BAI and I was able to complete the QSO. Looking forward to next month and better condx. Ron

KB1M

Nothing heard on 20 and 40 seemed to be nearly dead, 3 QSOs, worked FL, GA, and AL. 72/73, Walt

KØNXV

First try using 5W to a multiband endfed - heard a number of calls on 40M but only got 2 contacts. Wasn't sure just what frequencies are considered QRP on the bands. For 40M I thought it was 7030 ad 7122 khz and probably spent too much time there but it seemed that everyone was in the 7138-7148 range. On 80M I tried 3560 khz but heard no one. Took me quite a while to figure out just what 72 meant! :)  Was very fun and I hope to get more people involved in the future. Thanks! Don - K0NXV PS - next time I'll use my 40M qrp rig and battery.

W5ACM

It was great fun to get back in the Spartan Sprint for me this month. WB5BKL sent a reminder via the Houston QRP remailer, and I had no time conflicts!. All contacts were on 40M or 80M. I had a few mechanical issues with the ATS-3a enclosure, but I burnished the homebrew key contacts, and had almost quality CW. The batteries are holding in there and the antique vertical is doing well! I think this is the longest run for a pair of the small LiPo batteries I have had… No complaints!

AB9CA/6

Still on the road. Have a noise issue in this location. For the first hour it was gone but then came back. When it is on it is about S8. Unless you are at least S5 to S6 I doubt I could hear you. After it came back I spun the knob for a while but then shut down. Made no contacts on 20 although did call there for a few min. 6 Qs on 40 (CO AL CA TX) and 2 on 80 (TX). Then the noise returned. Rig was FT-857 to an Inverted V on 40 and vertical on 80. Hope for better condx next month!  73 de dave ab9ca/7

K1QO

I made sure I was turned down to 5W this month!!!  2 on 40M and 4 on 80 M for me.  Thank you John, K4BAI for the two bander, and I’m sorry I had so much trouble...operating in the dark and being rusty was a bad combo for me, my apologies!!!  I promise to do better next time....I hit the wrong key on 40M so I sent an agn by accident, then on 80 I know my signal was very weak and I had a lot of noise.  It’s really great to have a contest like this to try out new things and I’m working on a new antenna for 80M this gave me the opportunity to test it out. I was shocked to hear N0TA booming into northern NH on 80M wow...and KEØTT was also pretty loud in MN.  The fourth contact was WB9HFK on 80..I’m pretty sure I heard Larry, W2LJ in there at some point but never made a contact.  I only had two contacts on 40M, John was one and the other was WA4AAK, however I missed out on W5QLF...I did hear but left or faded before I could try.  Many thanks to KI6SN for continuing this sprint!!!!   72/88 de K1QO, Ann

N4SO

Thanks to Spartan Sprint operators: AB9CA/7, NØAR, WB9HFK, W5ACM, KA5HZV and WB5BKL. KEØTT on the heard and failure to work list. Ken N4SO