NQ2W
TenTec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 ft. Seemed like there was quite a bit of activity and there were some stations I heard but didn't work because I couldn't get through the mini pile ups. I tuned away from them and, when I came back, they were gone. There was one station who called me and I just couldn't get his call because of QRN and QSB. Hopefully, next time we'll complete the QSO. For the most part, signals were tough copy but NK9G and K4ORD were FB into Albany. My homebrew paddle was acting up and made my sending less than acceptable - I apologize and hopefully have it adjusted for next month. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers. Hope to see you all next month.
K5GQ
Rig ATS-3; 5w; Force 12 C3SS; 40' ; dipole for 40M. Audio was low on 20M but OK on 40M not sure what could cause that. Did not hear many stations on 40M.
WB5BKL
K1 @ 5 Watts to a 40M extended double-Zepp and a 20M wire delta loop. I knew it was not going to be a good night when the K3 cratered minutes before the start of the sprint. I had to scramble to get the K1 wired and connected -it was evident that I need both more organization and standardization around here. The K1 (a 2-bander) did well on 20m but it did not like the 40M ED-Zepp. I made 7 Qs on 20M and 4 on 40M (with a big miss-match). 40M seemed on the noisy side to me. Oh well. Had fun.
W9CJS
Tough night. I guess most of us were watching the NCAA Basketball finals. The storm front east of us made receiving difficult even with DSP on and the narrow filter in ... But, as usual I had fun. K4ORD and K4BAI had terrific signals into the Chicago area. Other stations were typically 459.
WA8HSB
This month found me in northwestern MS near Clarksdale on business. Rig was my KX-1 @ 3 watts to my BuddiStick. Was only able to operate for a short period and there was quite a bit of QRN and wind in the area due to the storm that passed through a couple hours earlier. Thanks to all for making this a fun event!
K5JHP
Was only able to work 45 minutes of the contest. K3 transceiver, 20 meter EDZ on 20 and 40. Did not work 80. Be back next month. Condx seem to be getting better.
KIØII
30 minutes to play. 40 very noisy, did not try 80.
K4ORD
Was good to hear 20M open in the sprint, the QRN on 40M was very bad here at least S9, I may have missed some calls because of it. Listened on 80M but only heard QRN. I worked VE3MO and thought he said 5W, but he made it clear through the QRN he was running 500MW, HI. I missed the spring last month as I was building my new K3, it seems to be working great, now I have to get used to all the features, it can go down to 100MW so i can still do QRP with it. Hope to see everybody next month.
NK6A
20M sounded great for the first hour. Many stations in the log at 3W. The weather has turned to Spring so it might be time to head outdoors next month.
W5ESE
High winds in my area created unbelievable QRN.Rig is a KD1JV AT Sprint 3 (@3W), with a 9.6V wall wart and Whiterook MK-44 paddles. Antenna is a 300' horizontal loop, fed with open wire line. Will also submit my log to ARRL's 'Logbook of the World.'
K4BAI
20M was quite good at the start with good signals from New England, WI, TX, WY, and points west. Unfortunately, I had a logging problem at the start with the computer (my fault) and missed QSOs with K5JHP and K5GQ, who were calling me (very sorry guys). 10 QSOs on 20M. That band began to close here and I went to 40M. Signals on 40 were quite strong, but QRN was terrible. A line of strong thunderstorms was just west of us and passed through here an hour after the end of the Sprint. Think I pulled out everyone who was calling, but may have missed a few under the QRN. 28 QSOs on 40 as close as NC, AL, TN and FL and out to CA and ME. Only DX was VE3EDX on 20M. Activity seemed pretty good. Called CQ for a few minutes on 80M in the last 20 minutes, but heard no Sprinters under the very heavy QRN. Heard K6JSS/5 in NM on 20 and 40, but don't believe he was in the Sprint. Please join in the GA QSO Party this weekend. There are QRN awards for CW, SSB, and mixed modes. Click here for details. It is our 50th year of GQP and we expect activity from all 159 counties. I will be operating the KU8E/M station with N4DU. Our call will be W4R/M and we hope to operate in 35 GA counties. Work special one-by-one calls to spell out G-E-O-R-G-I-A for a special certificate. Also special recognitions for any who (like myself) operated in the first GQP in 1962 and in this year's event.
W1PID
ATS-4 at 3W with 8AA cells. OCF dipole. Operated for about 35 minutes. Best DX: NK6A in CA. 20M kept dying and coming back to life. Thanks all for the fun.
WT5RZ
Worked KD9KC on 40 and 80, we tried 20M early and late, but that was just a no go. WC7S, I worked twice but only once counts, thanks though because he is my first Wyoming CW contact, and that made the night worth it! WB6BKL, I am sorry, I seem to really have a hard time on your call sign. I guess I better work on that some.
W5ACM
My ATS-3a does not tune 15M, so I started on 20M. I heard someone working WA5BUC here in town. I heard and worked many regulars, but also some new ones in Wyoming, California and Florida. It was very good, but about 50 minutes into the event, the battery voltage began to sag. I checked out 40M and 80M, but got only noise with some unworkable signals buried in the QRN. The grand total was eight QSOs on 20M. It was GREAT to get back on 20M with the antique vertical. I checked the batteries and found that the recent 190 mAh replacement cell was puffing up. This is not a good sign for a Li-Po cell. Both cells have been retired - one to the trash, and the other (still hanging in there) to the Li-Po collection. I found two new 170 mAh, 3.7 V Li-Po cells in the shack and have installed them. First I cleaned out old epoxy, removed excess solder on the power leads, and got it all together without shorting anything out. It is important to keep the weight down! We will see if these new replacements can perform next month.
KD9KC
Yaesu FT-817 @ 5 watts. I was able to get my station weight a bit lower this contest. First, I pulled the internal battery pack, and used 3 A-123 LIFEPO4 cells in series externally. They have a really high power density, and only weigh 3 ounces each or 9 ounces total. Next, I picked up a little key on E-bay that only weighs 1.44 ounces. The old key was 3.73 ounces. 20m=5, 40m=6, 80m=1. Once again 40m was the band. I started off on 20m, and made only 4 contacts - K5GQ, K4BAI, NK6A and W5ACM. Good start. On 40m, I quickly worked WT5RZ, K4BAI, NK6A, W5ESE and WB5BKL. Not bad for 40m. After fruitlessly calling CQ on 40m a while, I went to 80m. On 80m, I worked WT5RZ. Now, WT5RZ is a good friend, and he lives about 15 miles away. That was it for 80m. I went back to 40m and caught KI0II, then back to 20m and really struggled to get K4ORD. Thank you James for trying on that one - it was rough. For the last 31 minutes I called CQ everywhere - no others heard. I am on day-shift next month, so I will just make it home in time. CU-all then.
WC7S
Was great warm up and fun to hear lots of friends, K4BAI - John Mr. Ears of Ga, K6CSL - Bert, Mr Patience of Ca, W5AJD and W5HNS and all the other great ops too. The radio is an AT4 with a 9v battery, and 720 foot of wire on 40 and a lonely vertical on 20. C U next time, with a serious effort... and a little radio. Thanks for all the fun.
WB4MNK
Had fun on 20,40 but QRN on 40 kept me from working 4 other stations. Just could not pull them through.
WA5BUC
Bands were noisier than I expected tonight, especially 40 and 80. Heard some activity on 15 before the Sprint, so started there. No response to my CQ. Then on to 20. 5 Q's there. My remaining 2 were on 40. Heard no Sprint activity on 80 tonight. 72's to all. Hope next month is better for us all.
AI4SV
I was running 5W to a ground-mounted vertical, more or less resonant on 40m. I've only participated since the winter, so this was my first time have contacts on 20m -- three of them towards the beginning of the event, two of them in Texas. Forty should be my strong band given antenna resonance, but in addition to my local noise there was some strong QRN. I poked down to 80m at couple points, but only heard one station calling. I called for the last 15 minutes or so, but no bites. I'm really looking forward to the next few SSs and hopefully some nice weather. I'm keen to try out my TenTec 1320 and for once weigh in as a skinny.
AB9CA
Rig was K2 at 5w to OCF dp at 40'. Quit after 30 minutes. The storms were too close and too loud. There was someone, W9C??, calling at the end but he was nearly completely drowned out by the noise. Figured that was an omen. Thanks to those who stopped by. 9 contacts on 20 and 5 on 40. 20 sounded good but soon ran out of folks who could hear me. 40 was much too noisy. Fun, if to short of a time. See you next month.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Soapbox Comments: March '11 Spartan Sprint
NQ2W
TenTec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 feet. The antenna was covered with 3/8 inch of ice and the SWR was much higher than usual. I had to use my tuner to feel comfortable transmitting with such a high SWR. It took me nearly an hour to make my first QSO using search and pounce and I think there was more activity than the past few Sprints. Oh well...I don't think I'll have to worry about ice next month but you never know. AB0CD almost heard me but then QSB took him out of the picture...thanks for the try...maybe next month we'll complete the QSO. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers. Hopefully, we'll connect next month.
K6JSS/7 (K7TQ)
I used the QRP ARCI Club call to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Since I announced my fq on QRPSPOTS, the score should not be counted in the standings. In any case, it was a fun time. 20 m was open for a few minutes. 40 m was, as usual, the workhorse band. 80 m didn't yield much success. The number of folks on the air brought back memories of when the Spartan Sprint yielded nearly 100 Qs. Thanks to all who stopped by.
AI4SV
The background noise on 40m decent, and I have the impression that propagation was generally good this evening, so I would have liked to have done better, but I guess I'm still learning the ropes. I'm definitely doing better when calling, so I think I need to work on my pouncing skills. Until next month - cheers.
AE4TC
Good to hear some new calls. Was surprised to make a contact on 20m. Managed 16 QSO's mostly 40m. Running the FT817 at 5w into a ground mounted vertical. Thanks to all.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5 Watts to a 40M extended double-Zepp and a 20M wire delta loop. Started out skinny but the m/c battery dropped to 10.4V on transmit, so I went back to mains power. After removing dupes, I had 1 Q on 20M (K6JSS/7), 11 on 40M and 10 on 80M. It was very pleasant to enter four new (to me) calls in the log. Most difficult station to hear: W5ACM. Easiest: W5ESE. All three of us are in TX. Had fun.
WB4MNK
Sure enjoyed the Sprint and was able to use my KX1 to a S9v antenna which work really good. Just need the operator to practice a little more and become efficient. The kind of fun an old man should have.
W9CJS
As the contest period started, both 80 and 40 were essentially dead. I only worked 2 stations the first half hour. I returned after a half hour break and voila!! There were more stations on both 40 and 80meters, but signals weren't too loud. I received one RST of 339 ... at least he was honest. .... heh
W4NJK
Excellent conditions for a time on 20M got 3 SPC's; On 40M got 4 SPC's inall worked GA, ID, WA, CA, AZ, MN, TX from here in CA. Ant. 40M half Square @ 5W in Icom.
NK6A
Forty meters sounded great but only had 45 min to operate. Got real windy here in Southern California and I had to crank down my antenna and disconnect cables.
W5ACM
I could only hear signals on 80M, and it was NOISY! Then, one of my LiPo batteries puffed up and DIED with a QSO almost in progress and about 25 minutes left in the event. Others in the Houston area heard and worked stations on 40M, but I didn’t. The RTTY stations took over. Thanks to WB5BKL, K4BAI and W4VHH for my 3 contacts. The rig was my usual ATS-3A with two 200 mAh LiPo batteries and the ancient 18AVQ vertical. I have removed the dead battery, and have another similar (used) 190 mAh cell epoxied into the balsa case – ready for next month. I have been hearing and working DX on 10M during the day, and was hoping for some 20M contacts, but not yet. Maybe next time!
KIØII
20 was good but short lived. 40 was decent and busy. 80 was tuff going. Enjoyed the SP.
VA3RKM
K2, 5w, verticaLl.
AA4GA
My first Spartan Sprint. All QSOs on 40m, I made a pass through 20m about half-way through the contest and heard RK0AB with no takers, so I called him and he came right back...unfortunately I couldn't get his power, so I couldn't count the QSO for the SS! Running FT817ND on internal batteries at 5 watts to a Par 10/20/40 up about 50' or so. The Bencher paddle really added to the weight...I'll have to do something about that to work on my skinny score! CU next time!
W5ESE
Good conditions and participation this month. I used a KD1JV AT Sprint 3A with a 9.6V wall wart and Whiterook MK-44 paddles. My antenna was a 300' horizontal loop, fed with open wire line. Good to hear some new folks playing in this event that I hadn't contacted before (welcome!), as well as old friends.
K4BAI
20M was open to the west at the start (4 QSOs). 40M was quite good for stations as far away as AZ and WA and NH and as close in as VA and FL. Know NC and GA stations were QRV, but they were within my skip zone. Great bonus to work the QRPARCI 50th Anniversary celebration station for this week in ID, K6JSS/7, operated by Randy, K7TQ. 24 QSOs on 40. 80M was fair with QSOs out to NM. A few in TX and CO couldn't hear me calling. Did hear VE3CGC on 40M calling W5ESE, but no QSO this month. With increasing sunspots, we need to be sure to check 20M in the sprints rather than going straight to 40M. See you all next month.
K3RLL
Plagued by digital QRM all over what used to be "our" QRP frequencies, I almost gave up but came back later and found a few Spartan Sprinters on 40 meters -- including K6JSS/7. (Thank you!) Nothing heard here in FL on 80 or 20. Am submitting my log to save someone else from being last on the list.
KU7Y
I'm not even sure if the second contact copied my info ok or not as he went into the noise as he came back to me! At least I worked K6JSS/7 for the test!
WT5RZ
Got a 30 minute late start due to some personal obligations, but had a blast...heard a lot of folks, but couldn't seem to get my signal to all of them.
ABØCD
First time I put the Hendricks QRP Kits PFR3 (Steve Weber KD1JV design) on the air for the Spartan Sprint. Just had 20/40 available for the contest. Good band condx until 40 went quiet. Great test for the rig. Operated from home with an 88-foot doublet up 23 feet and a Palm paddle using the PFR3's internal keyer. Ran the PFR3 on 8 internal AAs that have been in the rig for several months. Looking forward to the summer Bumble Bee.
KD9KC
The wind was howling in El Paso, so out-door operating was out of the question tonight. Started out on 20m. Got 3 contacts in 18 minutes, and another 5 minutes of CQing got nothing more, so off to 40m. Got 5 contacts in 40 minutes on 40m, then tried 80m at the top of the hour. Averaged about 1 contact every 10 minutes on 80m. There were a few stations calling who just couldn't hear a reply. I heard WA5BUC and KI0II get several replies, but they just kept on CQing.... frustrating. Heard several new calls in the sprint - WELCOME to you all - please do come back. All in all, another fun sprint. Looking forward to next month.
WA5BUC
Good Sprint tonight. Started on 20. Gave a couple of CQ's before moving to 40. Made 9 Q's on 40. Then went to 80 for 2 Q's before finishing on 40 with another Q. Rig tonight was my FT-817ND at 5w to a 100' end-fed inverted vee up 40' or so in Houston.
K6CSL
Just a short hunt to find ZL1CDX on 28019KHz. I found no one on 15M or 20M, then I finally found AE6N in AZ on 40M.
KBØKFX
This was my second sprint and had much better results this time. I think I ran out of 40M contacts working only this single band. The band was very quiet with easy to copy signals. I notice this sprint seems to have a wide variety of speeds compared to others I have participated it. Elecraft K1, 5W, 80M Loop up 25ft.
WD8KRV
Ten Tec 1340 and Center Fed Zepp. 5W.
K5JHP
K3 to 20 meter EDZ . 40 was good for first 45 minutes, then seemed to go away, at least everyone seemed to leave. North and South prop seemed to be the best. Worked from GA to NH to MI but CO was only state west of the Mississippi heard from the TX coast. Looking forward to next month.
W1PID
ATS-4 3W OCF dipole.
NW2K
First time. Need to put the station on a diet.
KB5JO
1W, ATS-3B, 88' doublet.
K5GQ
ATS-3 5W dipole at 25' WOW those RTTY stations were strong. Did not hear anyone on 20M. Went to 40 and found a clear spot. ATS-3 has a narrow 400Hz filter Thanks to W8RTJ; KE0G; K4BAI; K5JHP; WA4AN; W4VHH; WT5RZ for working me.
Also glad to work a new station WT5RZ.
TenTec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 feet. The antenna was covered with 3/8 inch of ice and the SWR was much higher than usual. I had to use my tuner to feel comfortable transmitting with such a high SWR. It took me nearly an hour to make my first QSO using search and pounce and I think there was more activity than the past few Sprints. Oh well...I don't think I'll have to worry about ice next month but you never know. AB0CD almost heard me but then QSB took him out of the picture...thanks for the try...maybe next month we'll complete the QSO. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers. Hopefully, we'll connect next month.
K6JSS/7 (K7TQ)
I used the QRP ARCI Club call to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Since I announced my fq on QRPSPOTS, the score should not be counted in the standings. In any case, it was a fun time. 20 m was open for a few minutes. 40 m was, as usual, the workhorse band. 80 m didn't yield much success. The number of folks on the air brought back memories of when the Spartan Sprint yielded nearly 100 Qs. Thanks to all who stopped by.
AI4SV
The background noise on 40m decent, and I have the impression that propagation was generally good this evening, so I would have liked to have done better, but I guess I'm still learning the ropes. I'm definitely doing better when calling, so I think I need to work on my pouncing skills. Until next month - cheers.
AE4TC
Good to hear some new calls. Was surprised to make a contact on 20m. Managed 16 QSO's mostly 40m. Running the FT817 at 5w into a ground mounted vertical. Thanks to all.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5 Watts to a 40M extended double-Zepp and a 20M wire delta loop. Started out skinny but the m/c battery dropped to 10.4V on transmit, so I went back to mains power. After removing dupes, I had 1 Q on 20M (K6JSS/7), 11 on 40M and 10 on 80M. It was very pleasant to enter four new (to me) calls in the log. Most difficult station to hear: W5ACM. Easiest: W5ESE. All three of us are in TX. Had fun.
WB4MNK
Sure enjoyed the Sprint and was able to use my KX1 to a S9v antenna which work really good. Just need the operator to practice a little more and become efficient. The kind of fun an old man should have.
W9CJS
As the contest period started, both 80 and 40 were essentially dead. I only worked 2 stations the first half hour. I returned after a half hour break and voila!! There were more stations on both 40 and 80meters, but signals weren't too loud. I received one RST of 339 ... at least he was honest. .... heh
W4NJK
Excellent conditions for a time on 20M got 3 SPC's; On 40M got 4 SPC's inall worked GA, ID, WA, CA, AZ, MN, TX from here in CA. Ant. 40M half Square @ 5W in Icom.
NK6A
Forty meters sounded great but only had 45 min to operate. Got real windy here in Southern California and I had to crank down my antenna and disconnect cables.
W5ACM
I could only hear signals on 80M, and it was NOISY! Then, one of my LiPo batteries puffed up and DIED with a QSO almost in progress and about 25 minutes left in the event. Others in the Houston area heard and worked stations on 40M, but I didn’t. The RTTY stations took over. Thanks to WB5BKL, K4BAI and W4VHH for my 3 contacts. The rig was my usual ATS-3A with two 200 mAh LiPo batteries and the ancient 18AVQ vertical. I have removed the dead battery, and have another similar (used) 190 mAh cell epoxied into the balsa case – ready for next month. I have been hearing and working DX on 10M during the day, and was hoping for some 20M contacts, but not yet. Maybe next time!
KIØII
20 was good but short lived. 40 was decent and busy. 80 was tuff going. Enjoyed the SP.
VA3RKM
K2, 5w, verticaLl.
AA4GA
My first Spartan Sprint. All QSOs on 40m, I made a pass through 20m about half-way through the contest and heard RK0AB with no takers, so I called him and he came right back...unfortunately I couldn't get his power, so I couldn't count the QSO for the SS! Running FT817ND on internal batteries at 5 watts to a Par 10/20/40 up about 50' or so. The Bencher paddle really added to the weight...I'll have to do something about that to work on my skinny score! CU next time!
W5ESE
Good conditions and participation this month. I used a KD1JV AT Sprint 3A with a 9.6V wall wart and Whiterook MK-44 paddles. My antenna was a 300' horizontal loop, fed with open wire line. Good to hear some new folks playing in this event that I hadn't contacted before (welcome!), as well as old friends.
K4BAI
20M was open to the west at the start (4 QSOs). 40M was quite good for stations as far away as AZ and WA and NH and as close in as VA and FL. Know NC and GA stations were QRV, but they were within my skip zone. Great bonus to work the QRPARCI 50th Anniversary celebration station for this week in ID, K6JSS/7, operated by Randy, K7TQ. 24 QSOs on 40. 80M was fair with QSOs out to NM. A few in TX and CO couldn't hear me calling. Did hear VE3CGC on 40M calling W5ESE, but no QSO this month. With increasing sunspots, we need to be sure to check 20M in the sprints rather than going straight to 40M. See you all next month.
K3RLL
Plagued by digital QRM all over what used to be "our" QRP frequencies, I almost gave up but came back later and found a few Spartan Sprinters on 40 meters -- including K6JSS/7. (Thank you!) Nothing heard here in FL on 80 or 20. Am submitting my log to save someone else from being last on the list.
KU7Y
I'm not even sure if the second contact copied my info ok or not as he went into the noise as he came back to me! At least I worked K6JSS/7 for the test!
WT5RZ
Got a 30 minute late start due to some personal obligations, but had a blast...heard a lot of folks, but couldn't seem to get my signal to all of them.
ABØCD
First time I put the Hendricks QRP Kits PFR3 (Steve Weber KD1JV design) on the air for the Spartan Sprint. Just had 20/40 available for the contest. Good band condx until 40 went quiet. Great test for the rig. Operated from home with an 88-foot doublet up 23 feet and a Palm paddle using the PFR3's internal keyer. Ran the PFR3 on 8 internal AAs that have been in the rig for several months. Looking forward to the summer Bumble Bee.
KD9KC
The wind was howling in El Paso, so out-door operating was out of the question tonight. Started out on 20m. Got 3 contacts in 18 minutes, and another 5 minutes of CQing got nothing more, so off to 40m. Got 5 contacts in 40 minutes on 40m, then tried 80m at the top of the hour. Averaged about 1 contact every 10 minutes on 80m. There were a few stations calling who just couldn't hear a reply. I heard WA5BUC and KI0II get several replies, but they just kept on CQing.... frustrating. Heard several new calls in the sprint - WELCOME to you all - please do come back. All in all, another fun sprint. Looking forward to next month.
WA5BUC
Good Sprint tonight. Started on 20. Gave a couple of CQ's before moving to 40. Made 9 Q's on 40. Then went to 80 for 2 Q's before finishing on 40 with another Q. Rig tonight was my FT-817ND at 5w to a 100' end-fed inverted vee up 40' or so in Houston.
K6CSL
Just a short hunt to find ZL1CDX on 28019KHz. I found no one on 15M or 20M, then I finally found AE6N in AZ on 40M.
KBØKFX
This was my second sprint and had much better results this time. I think I ran out of 40M contacts working only this single band. The band was very quiet with easy to copy signals. I notice this sprint seems to have a wide variety of speeds compared to others I have participated it. Elecraft K1, 5W, 80M Loop up 25ft.
WD8KRV
Ten Tec 1340 and Center Fed Zepp. 5W.
K5JHP
K3 to 20 meter EDZ . 40 was good for first 45 minutes, then seemed to go away, at least everyone seemed to leave. North and South prop seemed to be the best. Worked from GA to NH to MI but CO was only state west of the Mississippi heard from the TX coast. Looking forward to next month.
W1PID
ATS-4 3W OCF dipole.
NW2K
First time. Need to put the station on a diet.
KB5JO
1W, ATS-3B, 88' doublet.
K5GQ
ATS-3 5W dipole at 25' WOW those RTTY stations were strong. Did not hear anyone on 20M. Went to 40 and found a clear spot. ATS-3 has a narrow 400Hz filter Thanks to W8RTJ; KE0G; K4BAI; K5JHP; WA4AN; W4VHH; WT5RZ for working me.
Also glad to work a new station WT5RZ.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Soapbox Comments: February '11 Spartan Sprint
KBØKFX
I had fun trying my first Spartan Sprint. The bands seemed kind tough and tapered off towards the end. There were a few OPs moving along at blazing code speeds, but was able to return with my super slow straight key. I look forward to giving it a try again.
K5GQ
Called CQ on 40M - did not have anyone answer. Listened on 80 but did not hear anyone.
W5ACM
I could only hear signals on 80M, and it was NOISY! I spent a few minutes prior to the event burnishing the brass contacts on the ultra-thin plywood paddle. It certainly helped for better CW, but if you can't hear them, you can't work them. Thanks to W9CJS and WB5BKL for my TWO contacts. Can it get any worse? The rig was my somewhat tattered ATS-3A with two 200 mAh LiPo batteries and the now ancient 18AVQ vertical. Once again, my ears hurt! Come on 20M, or for that matter, 40M!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5 Watts to a 40M extended double-Zepp and a 20M wire delta loop. Made 1 contact on 20M, 8 on 40M and the remainder on 80M. Worked KD9KC on all three bands! Mike must have been just the right distance away this evening. Only worked N4BP and K4BAI on one band - very unusual. I missed a few on 80M but will put the blame on the S7-S8 noise level here. Thanks to all. Had fun.
AE4TC
Enjoyed this one a little more than previous ones. Ran my FT-817 on new rechargeable AA's which lowered the weight but I had to QRT with 30 minutes to go. The 817 was shifting back and forth between 5w and 2.5 w as the voltage was dropping on transmit. 40m was the best band for me with 12 QSO's and a lower than normal noise level. Best DX was W7OM in Wa. with NK6A a close second. K4ORD was my only contact on 80m. 13 QSO's total running a FT-817 5w into a vertical. Thanks!
WA4SQM
40M was THE band here. It was quite active at the beginning of the sprint but I had to interrupt ops for about an hour. When I returned, it was just about dead...talk about bad timing!
K4ORD
Some stations were very strong and some very weak on both 40 and 80M. The QRN level was very low so that helped a lot. Activity was way down this time. Made 6 QSOs on 40M and 11 on 80M. Rig K2 @ 5W, ants were 40 and 160M dipoles. Thanks to all.
NK6A
Used new K3-P3 at 5W to my Force 12C4. All 40M.
W5HNS
40 meters was it for me. With my propagation, signals were mostly weak. Contacts included both coasts, WA,CA and FL, SC. Seven of my contacts answered my CQs. Several callers I missed as they were at ESP levels. I called the other two.
KE4YH
Rig used was SW-40 running 1.5 watts to a loop at 24 feet. I had fun and will try to remember next month. Thanks to NQ2W for trying but no contact.
N4BP
Where was everybody? Quit after a half hour, nobody to work. One QSO on 80M with K6JSS/
Ø
, the ARCI 50th Anniversary club station, from MN this week.K4BAI
Let the time slip up on me this month and only got on for the last five minutes. I'll do better next month.
NQ2W
Ten Tec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 feet. No real loud signals...except those calling VP8ORK! The stations worked were just above the noise or right in it. There was a KE4 that called me but QSB took him away before we could complete the QSO...hopefully, next time we'll QSO. I heard KD9KC calling CQ once or twice and then he was gone. Heard N4BP down in the QRN but he didn't hear me. All in all, there was enough going on to keep it interesting, challenging, and fun. Thanks to all the participants and thanks to the organizers. I hope to hear you all next month.
K5JHP
Lousy band condx here tonite. Did not hear many stations on at all. Don't know if it was propagation or lack of interest. Band was plagued with deep QSB and seemed to be extra long. Hope for better condx next month.
KD9KC
After a stressful day at work, the Spartan Sprint was just what I needed. My only 20m contact was WB5BKL. After 10 minutes of calling CQ on 20m, I switched to 40m. 40m was the band - worked NK6A, K7TQ, WB5BKL (again), W7OM, KK5NA and W5HNS. At the top of the hour I went to 80m and worked WT5RZ and WB5BKL (again). Called CQ on 20m, 40, and 80m after that with no replies. In the final 15 minutes I heard W9CJS and W5ACM, but neither replied to my calls to them. It was fun.
N4SAM
2w, ATS3/9v battery, antenna delta loop apex 55 feet. One contact on 40, five on 80. Conditions on 80 seemed to be good.
AI4SV
Could barely hear beyond the noise on 40, and 80 was a qsb roller coaster. I tried calling CQ rather than S&P for the first time, so I guess that's something (if nothing else, it speaks of desperation.
WT5RZ
had fun. Hard to hear. KD9KC's DSP unit (from W4RT) allowed him to get a couple of contacts that I could not hear well enough to get all of call sign to try!
W1PID
Man ... that was the roughest spartan sprint ever. Very poor participation and bands were poor with rapid QSB. Nothing on 20 meters. 3 QSOs on 40m. 7 QSOs on 80m. Best DX W7OM in WA on 40. Rig: ATS4 at 3 watts with OCF Dipole. 8 AA batteries at about 11V. Thanks all for the fun.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Soapbox Comments: January '11 Spartan Sprint
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5 Watts to a 40M extended double-Zepp. Nice to be back after missing the December sprint. Enjoyed working some new calls. TX led the state count, followed by GA - but that might have been due to my extended time on 80M. I only made one contact with a state to the west (AZ - W9CF). Thanks to all. Had fun.
WB4MNK
First time I have played in the ARS sprint. Just getting into QRP and this sprint really helped me. Hope you guy’s didn’t mind a few mistakes from me. I will be listening out for everyone next month.
AE4TC
Got a late start but was able to manage 9 contacts, 4 on 40 and 5 on 80. Using the usual FT817 5w into a ground mounted vertical. Best dx was TX. Thanks to all.
K9FO
Had fun with Flexradio 1500 and laptop. Conditions OK on 40 and 80. 7 out of 16 QSOs in TEXAS! Happy New Year to all. Thanks for having the contest.
KEØG
Elecraft K-3 at 4 watts to 2 switchable dipoles, each 74' long and 50' up. Fed with balanced lines and 2 Johnson Matchboxes. Also made 4 QSO's on 80M with 50' T-top vertical. Thanks to all for the great ears out there. 2 QSO's (40 and 80M) with K4ORD. W5ESE, W5ACM. K4BAI and I QSO'd on 80M, then went to 40M to try it, but no copy either way. Big sigs in MN: W5ACM on 40M; W8SX on 80.
KIØII
First SP in quite a while and only 20 minutes. Had fun.
AB9CA
Rig was K2 at 5w mostly to OCF dipole but also used the 160m Inv L. Had only an hour to spend. 40 was the most active. 20 Q's there - CA to NH and SC to ID. Nothing very close. The band seemed in good shape but somewhat long. Did not try 20. Not much activity on 80, at least while I was there. Only 3 contacts. Hopefully it picked up later. Noise level was OK on all bands. Thanks to all who stopped by and hope to hear you next month. Thanks to all who do the work to make these fun evenings possible.
WA4SQM
20M was dead here. Propagation to the west was in on 40M but still didn't hear very many stations.
N4BP
Started a half hour late and quickly ran out of sprinters to work on 40M. S9+ noise level on 80M, no signals copyable. Had to quit after 30 minutes.
K4BAI
Again this month, conditions on 40 and 80 were pretty good, but activity is still low compared to past years. Thanks for all QSOs. Happy New Year.
W5ESE
Almost forgot about the Sprint, so had to hurry out to the shack to avoid missing it. I was a tubby this month. The radio was my Ten-Tec Omni 6, and the antenna was a 300' horizontal loop. Good participation this month. Thanks to everyone for the QSOs.
NQ2W
Ten Tec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40'. Didn't hear much activity...worked the three stations I heard CQing and no one answered my CQs. I submitted a reminder/announcement regarding the Sprint on QRZ.com in an effort to boost participation. From my perspective, it didn't help. Hopefully, other stations benefitted from the announcement. Hope to hear more folks next month.
W5ACM
Bounced between 40M and 80M with some periods of "rig off" to conserve batteries. Conditions were poor all over, but at least the noise level dropped as the night wore on and eight contacts were logged! The rig was my somewhat tattered ATS-3A with two 200 mAh LiPo batteries and the now ancient 18AVQ vertical. A few new calls were logged, like K9FO and WB5BKL. KE0G was contacted on both 40M and 80M. Once again, my ears hurt! Come on 20M!
W9CF
I was testing my newly built ATS-4a on 40m running about 5W when I heard CQ SP. I looked up the rules to make sure I knew the exchange and made 2 contacts. Afterward I weighed everything. The W5JH baby black widow paddle, 12V switching power supply, and their cables really added to the weight.
W5HNS
40m was the band for me. Heard nothing on the other bands. Heard only one sig west of me and that was KI0II. I am in San Antonio. Strongest sig was AB9CA followed by John K4BAI. John tried to tell me something after the exchange but deep QSB took him out right then.
WA5BUC
This is my best Spartan Sprint ever. Slow start, but things picked up. K5JHP, KI0II, N4BP, K4LY and WB4MNK on 40. K5JHP, KE0G, W5ESE, and WB5BKL on 80. Rig: FT-817ND running 5 watts to a 100' end fed wire. Best wishes for 2011 to all.
K4ORD
Conditions here were pretty good with low noise on both 40 and 80M .made 5 qso's on 40M and 20 on 80M. Best dx was K6DGW in CA on 40M. Checked 20M several times but heard nothing. Rig K2 @ 5W and 160 and 40M dipoles. Thanks to all and HNY.
KB2FCV
I orignally tried firing up my little Rockmite on 40 meters around 9 p.m. EST but there was no activity whatsoever. Since I don't own anything small and lightweight for other bands, I used my Icom 746 with the power all the way down to 5w on 80 meters and made about 5 QSOs in the last 15 minutes. This is my first try at this Sprint. I'll plan on getting on earlier to try to catch some 40m activity with my Rockmite. Down the road I'll build a KX1 which is replacing my K2 (now sold). I think I have a Pixie II for 80m somewhere which I may try to find and put on the air next month since all of the activity I heard was on 80. This is definitely fun!
AJ4MJ
First time. My “spartan” rig was 40M only – band was too noisy. Switched to my “tubby” and worked 80M. Great fun!
K5JHP
Fair night, I suppose, but not too many stations on. 4 contacts on 80 meters and 12 on 40. 20 meters was void here in South Texas. Hope for better prop next month.
K3/10 @ 5 Watts to a 40M extended double-Zepp. Nice to be back after missing the December sprint. Enjoyed working some new calls. TX led the state count, followed by GA - but that might have been due to my extended time on 80M. I only made one contact with a state to the west (AZ - W9CF). Thanks to all. Had fun.
WB4MNK
First time I have played in the ARS sprint. Just getting into QRP and this sprint really helped me. Hope you guy’s didn’t mind a few mistakes from me. I will be listening out for everyone next month.
AE4TC
Got a late start but was able to manage 9 contacts, 4 on 40 and 5 on 80. Using the usual FT817 5w into a ground mounted vertical. Best dx was TX. Thanks to all.
K9FO
Had fun with Flexradio 1500 and laptop. Conditions OK on 40 and 80. 7 out of 16 QSOs in TEXAS! Happy New Year to all. Thanks for having the contest.
KEØG
Elecraft K-3 at 4 watts to 2 switchable dipoles, each 74' long and 50' up. Fed with balanced lines and 2 Johnson Matchboxes. Also made 4 QSO's on 80M with 50' T-top vertical. Thanks to all for the great ears out there. 2 QSO's (40 and 80M) with K4ORD. W5ESE, W5ACM. K4BAI and I QSO'd on 80M, then went to 40M to try it, but no copy either way. Big sigs in MN: W5ACM on 40M; W8SX on 80.
KIØII
First SP in quite a while and only 20 minutes. Had fun.
AB9CA
Rig was K2 at 5w mostly to OCF dipole but also used the 160m Inv L. Had only an hour to spend. 40 was the most active. 20 Q's there - CA to NH and SC to ID. Nothing very close. The band seemed in good shape but somewhat long. Did not try 20. Not much activity on 80, at least while I was there. Only 3 contacts. Hopefully it picked up later. Noise level was OK on all bands. Thanks to all who stopped by and hope to hear you next month. Thanks to all who do the work to make these fun evenings possible.
WA4SQM
20M was dead here. Propagation to the west was in on 40M but still didn't hear very many stations.
N4BP
Started a half hour late and quickly ran out of sprinters to work on 40M. S9+ noise level on 80M, no signals copyable. Had to quit after 30 minutes.
K4BAI
Again this month, conditions on 40 and 80 were pretty good, but activity is still low compared to past years. Thanks for all QSOs. Happy New Year.
W5ESE
Almost forgot about the Sprint, so had to hurry out to the shack to avoid missing it. I was a tubby this month. The radio was my Ten-Tec Omni 6, and the antenna was a 300' horizontal loop. Good participation this month. Thanks to everyone for the QSOs.
NQ2W
Ten Tec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40'. Didn't hear much activity...worked the three stations I heard CQing and no one answered my CQs. I submitted a reminder/announcement regarding the Sprint on QRZ.com in an effort to boost participation. From my perspective, it didn't help. Hopefully, other stations benefitted from the announcement. Hope to hear more folks next month.
W5ACM
Bounced between 40M and 80M with some periods of "rig off" to conserve batteries. Conditions were poor all over, but at least the noise level dropped as the night wore on and eight contacts were logged! The rig was my somewhat tattered ATS-3A with two 200 mAh LiPo batteries and the now ancient 18AVQ vertical. A few new calls were logged, like K9FO and WB5BKL. KE0G was contacted on both 40M and 80M. Once again, my ears hurt! Come on 20M!
W9CF
I was testing my newly built ATS-4a on 40m running about 5W when I heard CQ SP. I looked up the rules to make sure I knew the exchange and made 2 contacts. Afterward I weighed everything. The W5JH baby black widow paddle, 12V switching power supply, and their cables really added to the weight.
W5HNS
40m was the band for me. Heard nothing on the other bands. Heard only one sig west of me and that was KI0II. I am in San Antonio. Strongest sig was AB9CA followed by John K4BAI. John tried to tell me something after the exchange but deep QSB took him out right then.
WA5BUC
This is my best Spartan Sprint ever. Slow start, but things picked up. K5JHP, KI0II, N4BP, K4LY and WB4MNK on 40. K5JHP, KE0G, W5ESE, and WB5BKL on 80. Rig: FT-817ND running 5 watts to a 100' end fed wire. Best wishes for 2011 to all.
K4ORD
Conditions here were pretty good with low noise on both 40 and 80M .made 5 qso's on 40M and 20 on 80M. Best dx was K6DGW in CA on 40M. Checked 20M several times but heard nothing. Rig K2 @ 5W and 160 and 40M dipoles. Thanks to all and HNY.
KB2FCV
I orignally tried firing up my little Rockmite on 40 meters around 9 p.m. EST but there was no activity whatsoever. Since I don't own anything small and lightweight for other bands, I used my Icom 746 with the power all the way down to 5w on 80 meters and made about 5 QSOs in the last 15 minutes. This is my first try at this Sprint. I'll plan on getting on earlier to try to catch some 40m activity with my Rockmite. Down the road I'll build a KX1 which is replacing my K2 (now sold). I think I have a Pixie II for 80m somewhere which I may try to find and put on the air next month since all of the activity I heard was on 80. This is definitely fun!
AJ4MJ
First time. My “spartan” rig was 40M only – band was too noisy. Switched to my “tubby” and worked 80M. Great fun!
K5JHP
Fair night, I suppose, but not too many stations on. 4 contacts on 80 meters and 12 on 40. 20 meters was void here in South Texas. Hope for better prop next month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)