Saturday, March 9, 2013
Soapbox: March 2013 Spartan Sprint
K1QO
Great to hear so many familiar calls from the QRP community and especially the QRP Foxhunt group. Breakdown was: 5 Q's on 3.5, 5 Q's on 7 and 2 on 20. I missed NK6A on 20 due to my own fault...Don you were a nice signal into NH, I had a problem on my end but by the time I fixed it I didn't hear you anymore :( As always K4BAI is a gentleman and FB op!! Nice hearing these other wonderful hounds/foxii; WB5BKL, N5GW (who I worked on two bands), N4SX (nice 1Watt signal), AB9CA, WA4ZOF and NQ2W. I also worked WA8ZBT. And of course my neighbor N1IX (three bands). Thanks to all!
K3RLL
Getting a bit more practice with the little Mountain Topper Altoids rig and amazed how tiny 1.3 Ah LiPo holds up. This may have been one of my best efforts tonight. Nice contacts tonight but missed a few with ‘near misses’. WB5BKL had best signal tonight into FL.
AB9CA
Had only an hour but was fun as always. Used the K2 at 5w. Started out on 20 but only 1 contact there. Went to 40 and picked up 5. Then went to 80 and picked up 12. Worked W2LJ, KE5G, and W3KC on both 40 and 80. 80 was in good shape and hardly any noise. 40 seemed to go long early. With the time change next month things will likely be different. See everyone then!
N5GW
Both 40 and 80 were quiet on the K1 tonight, even with a cold front moving in. My NiMH batteries and I faded at the same time (9:30), but I was able to work almost everyone I heard.
NØAR
I gave it my best but only lasted an hour. 4 q's on 40, 3 on 80. There's a big snow storm over my area and the qrn was only eclipsed by the lack of signal levels! Rig here was my K2 at 4 watts with the 240' inverted L and two low noise rx antennas, yea life in the burbs now mandates them. l'll work the rest of you next
month. :) 73 from snowy MN.
WA4ZOF
A lot of strong sigs this eve, thanks to everyone.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 11 QSOs this month. 20M was DEAD. I made five contacts on 40M, and worked six on 80M. That's a first for me, i.e. more contacts on 80M than 40M. The noise level wasn't too bad on 80M. My backyard vertical uses a resonator at the top for any very narrow piece of 80M that you wish to work. Mine is peaked at 3560, and it's nice when conditions cooperate. Hoping for some 20M ops next time!
K4BAI
Good conditions. Activity fair. 20M open to W6/7 at start. Two QSOs. 40M good beyond several hundred miles. 20 QSOs. DX out to CA, NH, and VE3. 80M good all over. DX out to NH, TX, MN and the catch of the contest, 6Y6T in Jamaica who was also QRP. Thanks for all QSOs. Hope to see you all and many others next month.
N4SX
Using a K2 w/internal battery and running 1 watt, I started out calling CQ on 40, but after 5 mins. and no takers, I checked out 20. Only heard 1 very weak station there, so checked out 80 and it was about the same. Went back to 40 where things picked up a bit and stayed there until 0300 or thereabouts and then dropped down to 80 for about 30 minutes until no new calls were heard and my battery was very low. I got 8 stations on 40 and 4 on 80. Thanks for all the qso's guys......it sure was fun.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m, an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m, and a ground mounted, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. Two Qs on 20, eight on 40, and four on 80. Still battling some man made, intermittent QRN on 80. Quiet and then bam...S9 or above. Thanks for the repeats, I appreciate them...especially K4BAI and K1QO. Had doubles with NK6A and K4BAI. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers. Always a pleasure and a privilege to have the opportunity...until next time.
W3KC
Equal number of QSOs on 40m and 80m. 20m was in bad shape (zero QSO's there). Thanks to all the good operators - it was fun.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. Completely forgot the sprint in February - just absentmindedness, I guess. 12 states this month with 80M being the money band. Worked NK6A and K4BAI on two bands. N4SX had a FB signal to TX with 1 Watt. My thanks to all the sprinters and the organizers.
Had fun.
K7TQ
20 m finally had some life. I got 4 Qs there before everyone left for 40, or the band folded up. Next month with the longer daylight should be even better. Catch several of you then.
W1PID
I ran an IC-7000 at 5W to an OCF dipole. Operated for a half hour. Best DX was NK6A in CA. Next was K7TQ in ID. Not enough participation... but nice to meet old friends.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Soapbox: February 2013 Spartan Sprint
N4SX
Well this was the first Sprint I've worked in many moons, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Indeed. I turned my K2 down to 1 watt and commenced to having fun! Worked stations as far as TX, MN, and NH from here in GA. A number I could not make it to though, as you might expect. Did I mention it's been a looooong time since I've participated in a Sprint? :) K4BAI had the strongest signal, (can you say BOOMING?) being only a couple hours away, and K4ORD was the next in order. I plan to be back next month, and wish you all....excuse me........all y'all.....Happy QRP!
K3RLL
Still working with my MTR and tiny LiPo battery (that was dying) but not hearing many stations here on 40 tonight. Thanks for those who pulled me out of the noise.
W3KC
Good fun with 11 Qs on 80 and 4 Qs on 40.
K4ORD
Was busy and almost forgot about the Sprint, but got in the last 30 minutes all on 80M and made 10 QSOs.conditions seemed good here in VA all were good copy after I got some tuned in my narrow filter on the K3, antenna was 80M dipole up 35.' We need more activity!
K4BAI
20M was long and only one QSO there (NK6A). 40M was poor at first, but improved later on. 8 QSOs on 40. 80M was quite good, but there was little activity. 14 QSOs on 80. Worked NK6A on all three bands. Let's try to have more activity in Spartan Sprints so it will be interesting to work the whole 2-hour period.
W1PID
I operated for a little less than an hour. 20 meters was dead. I had 7 QSOs on 40M and 2 QSOs on 80M. I ran the Icom 7000 at 5W to an OCf dipole. Nice to work Larry W2LJ.
NK6A
S5 noise level on all bands. Couldn't hear a lot of activity for some reason. Did manage to work K4BAI on three bands. 80M for me is a real challenge. John has got very good ears.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3. It is now over eight years old and continues to perform quite well with three new 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 11 QSOs this month. 20M was OK into California (NK6A), but then went absolutely dead. I made six contacts on 40M, and worked four on 80M. The noise level wasn't too bad on 80M. My backyard vertical uses a resonator at the top for any very narrow piece of 80M that you wish to work. Mine is peaked at 3560, and it's nice when conditions cooperate. Hoping for more 20M ops next time!
WB4MNK
Bands seem down a bit but still had a blast. Thanks to all the stations that hung in there with me.
WA8MTI
FT817nd, T1 to 80m doublet. 20 was dead so started on 40 with three contacts. Slow going with lots of QRO QRM. Switched to 80 and added 5 more. Thanks to those wit the great ears that pulled out my 2.5w sig.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m, an inverted V at 40ft for 40m, and a ground mounted, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. Started out on 20 - nuthin'. Went to 40 and was able to make 10 Qs with QRPers in FL, TX, IL, GA, AL, CO, and ON. Changed the filter board and made 6 more Q's on 80 with stations in GA, MD, NY, MI, VA, and ON. Logged K4BAI on both bands. Both 40 and 80 were noisy here. If you called and I didn't hear you it probably was because of the QRN here in Albany ... always a challenge on the lower bands. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers. Always a pleasure and a privilege to have the opportunity ... until next time ... dit dit.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Soapbox: January 2013 Spartan Sprint
N1DN
This was my first Spartan Sprint ever, and I got here through the back door. I was following the HAMjitsu Club Spotter site for flying pigs to add to my WAP award soaring total of "1". Larry, W2LJ was spotted by one of the reporting station. I'm a big fan of Larry's blog, so I wasted no time heading down to 80 meters to hear him calling CQ. Larry, I appreciate the contact! I realized from his exchange I'd found the SP, and I heard a number of additional stations calling. Thanks to AA4GA, KB8U, and K4ORD for the contacts. Ok...I showed up with 18 pounds of gear, so I "missed the boat" here, but I plan to be back next month with an FT-817 and small key.
AA4GA
Sorry I haven't had a chance to get in on the Spartan Sprint in a while! I decided to use my Porta Paddle instead of the super-light touch keyer, thinking that my sending might be a little better with the PP due to the extra weight, but the paddle moved around more than I'd like causing some erratic sending - sorry folks! I was using a leg strap, but I can't get that tight enough around my leg to totally immobilize the paddle. I also used a 950 mAH LiPo that was not fully charged, and operated until I ran it as low as I dared! ATS-3B at 4 to 5 watts and 80m doublet. This is pretty close to what I would use on a SOTA activation, but will probably go a little lighter next time.
K7TQ
Tonight I used my 15+ year old Wilderness Radio 40A, earbuds, homebrew paddles, and 8 AA batteries. With the mighty 2 W I got 4 QSOs in the first 11 minutes, then no more. Heard WB5BKL and W1PID but I couldn't get their attention. W7IEX in nearby NV had a great signal. The 4 Qs spanned the US from NV to GA. I'll use the same setup in Feb and hope 40 m is more productive.
K3RLL
MTR xcvr with tiny LiPo battery and QRP paddle: Finally getting my station weight down, but not hearing many other Spartan Sprinters. 20 meters was dead here and 40 meters wasn’t that far behind tonight. Thanks for those who pulled me out of the noise tonight.
WVØH
Tough night, lots of neighborhood QRN to deal with. N5GW, VE3XT, VE3EDX and K4BAI were only Q's on 40, the rest on 80. Whew, glad that's over.
W1PID
I operated with an Icom 7000 and a Windom OCF on both 40 and 80 meters. made 4 QSOs on 40M and 5 QSOs on 80.
K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W, dipole, inverted vee. 20M was dead. 6 QSOs on 40 M (NH, ID, CO, NJ, NY). 18 QSOs on 80: VA, MS, GA, CO, TX, PA, OK, MI, TN, MD, IL. 40M was OK. 80M
was quite good. Heard but did not work NQ2W on 80M. Heard a NV station on 40, but didn't hear his call. Too many QRPers must have been watching the BCS Championship. Hope for more stations on the air next month. Thanks for all QSOs. Happy New Year to all.
W3KC
Running 5 watts to a ZS6BKW antenna. All contacts were on 80 meters.
K5JHP
K3, inverted V for 80. It was a night for 80 meters. Worked one station on 40 the remainder were on 80. Noise and QSB were plentiful. Till next month.
N5GW
More QRN than SP stations on 40M. Interestingly, there was less QRN on 80M. I was using the CFZ hanging between two big oaks and the K1 with internal NiMH battery
pack, not fully charged. After the first hour, the voltage dropped to 8.6V, and the rig started chirping. So I dug out some alkaline AA cells for the second hour. I hope to be ready for FYBO and Feb. SP early next month.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m, an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m, and a ground mounted, near bottom-loaded vertical for 80m. Started out on 20m but heard
nothing and no one answered my CQs. Moved to 40m and made 8 Q's - 4 from TX, 1 each from CO, FL, GA, and MS. Changed the filter board out to move down to 80m where I
made 6 more Q's to MD, MI, MS, NH, TX, and VA. Had two banders with N5GW and WB5BKL. Thanks to all of the participants and thanks to the organizers. Always a pleasure . . . Happy New Year to everyone. Looking forward to next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a dipole or a 40m extended double Zepp. Started very slow, but activity picked up as the evening wore on - I suspect that was BCS-Championship related. Nothing heard on 20m but 40 and 80m were OK. Worked 13 states but only NQ2W on two bands. Thanks to all. Had fun.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3. It is now eight years old and continues to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 13 QSOs. 20M was absolutely dead. I made six contacts on 40M including VE3XT in Ontario, and worked seven on 80M. The noise level wasn't too bad on 80M. My backyard vertical uses a resonator at the top for any very narrow piece of 80M that you wish to work. Mine is peaked at 3560, and it's nice when conditions cooperate.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Soapbox: December 2012 Spartan Sprint
C6AKQ (N4BP)
Rig - K3 @ 5W, Ants: 40M inverted-V @ 80ft & 80M inverted-V @ 100ft. 40M - 46 QSOs 80M - 13 QSOs. Called by HA3MK on 40M and UT1IR on 80M. By far the most Q's I've had in a Spartan Sprint. Location: Freeport, Grand Bahama. Thanks for the Q's!
K7TQ
For the December SP, I got out the lighter weight equipment
to give it a re-test run in preparation for some SOTA activations that I hope
to do this coming spring and summer. Instead of
the usual K3, I used a KX1 with its paddle, ear buds, and a 1.2 AHr gel
cell. Still a bit heavy at 2.4 lbs, but
much lighter than the K3. Strong signals from N0AR and KF0N plus a handfull of other stations
made for an enjoyable time until 40 m went long in about an hour. Every time I get out the KX1 paddles it takes a while to get use to them. I'm using that as an excuse for the sloppy
sending. Catch you all in the next SP.
K3RLL
First run with new Steve Weber MTR, LiPo, Altoids Poor Man's
Paddle and earbuds. Finally have a light
station for the Spartan Sprint and didn't many on. Go figure? My thanks to K2ZC, K4BAI, KE0G and WA8ZBT right at the close
for my contacts tonight.
NG3Z
Well after a long absence I thought I'd give the SP a shot.
Couldn't stay the whole time but made a few for the WA mult. Didn't get going
until 02:30 so went directly to 40M and condx were excellent. Made 11 Q's and then ate
dinner. Got back on the radio at 03:20 and worked AL and MN on 80M. I could
hear Bob C6AKQ (N4BP) CQing on 3560 but he never did hear me. On 40M I worked C6, GA, TX (3
times), MN IA, ID, OH, VA, MS. So a pretty good outing tonight. I haven't done
SP in many months so it was fun to get into it again. BTW, thanks Randy K7TQ for hanging
in there on 40M.
K4BAI
One QSO on 20, 21 QSOs on 40, 15 QSOs on 80. WB5BKL on all three bands. Pretty good conditions on 40 and 80M, but
need more activity. Happy Holidays to
all and see you this weekend in the ARRL 10M contest from NQ4I (guest op
both modes) and next month for another Spartan Sprint.
K4ORD
Only got on for the last hour as we had our local club
Christmas dinner tonite, made 2 QSOs on 40 then on to 80 where the qrn was
kicking up a bit, seems at times I could hear stations that were in the qrn but too weak to
copy. Made 3 qso's on 40M and 12 on 80M. looking forward to the ARRL 10M CW
CONTEST this weekend, hope the band is in good shape.
KA5CJJ
Rig: K2 and 40M Inverted V @ 5 watts. I've operated this
event a few times before but thought I would submit a log this time (a first). Good band conditions on 40M here. Worked stations
on both coasts. Made one contact on 80M
with my setup. 40 seemed to be in good shape - I heard some very good
signals. I enjoyed my 1 hour of activity and hope to try again next month. Thanks to everyone!
AB9CA
My usual setup of K2 at 5w to one of two 100' wires. Started
on 20 but no one answered any calls. Went to 40 after 5 min and there were a
few there - 8 Q's, 6 SPC - but not much activity. The band was quiet, virtually no QRN
and seemed to be on the long side. Went to 80 after an hour and things picked
up. 16 Q's, 10 SPC's there. Virtually no QRN, very quiet for 80. Sounded more like 20
often does. The band seemed in good shape. Worked from WA to C6 (although WA
really was ESP). Worked C6AKQ, N0AR, WB5BKL, and W5ACM on both bands. Bob, C6AKQ, was
stronger on 80 than 40. Good to hear everyone and thanks for the Q's. This is a
good event, we just need more participation.
K2ZC
This was my first sprint. I stumbled across the listing on
one of my contest calendars and thought I would check it out. I recognized a
lot of callsigns from other QRP events. I only made 4 contacts because this sprint runs at
the same time as my local radio club weekly 10 meter net. I used my Flex 1500
and netbook with an estimated total weight of 5 lbs. to a dipole up about 30'. One contact
was with K4BAI, a fox I have hunted many times. I'm not too sure about how to
submit a log or soapbox so if someone would inform me of the correct procedure it would
be most appreciated. Thank you for another great QRP event.
W5DPT
I started out as none qrp (thinking I would just give others
some contacts) then I detuned the radio and worked my last 2 of the 5 Q’s as
QRP. N5DY, OK; C6AKD, FL; N5GW, MS; (ALL HP) KC5CLL, AR; N0AR, MN (BOTH QRP). Low
noise on the 40 meter band about 7040
KHz and signals were 559. I enjoyed the fun.
KFØN
ATS-3 at 3 to 4 watts to an 80 meter loop antenna. A shorter
daylight period and lower SSN resulted in no signals heard on 20 meters. High line noise also wiped out 80 meters, so all my activity was confined to 40 M. Holiday activities probably reduced
participation too. Not many stations
heard; no east coast signals either, but the Midwest folks were very strong, indicating intense NVIS
propagation. My best CONUS DX was Paul,
NG7Z (WA) who had a very good signal in
here the whole evening. It was also a treat to work Bob, C6AKQ, who was a good 569
from the Caribbean. I look forward to
seeing you all in January!
W5ACM
The backup rig - my HEAVY ATS-3 in the Altoids can continues
to perform quite well with three LiPo batteries, built-in keyer paddle and
lightweight earbuds had 5W out and provided a final total of 12 QSOs. The batteries were
fully charged this month, and I did a lot of calling CQ. Conditions were
marginal on 40M, so it was difficult to make many contacts. QSOs with C6AKQ on 40M and 80M were a
welcome bit of excitement though. 40M was good for 7 contacts, and 80M gave up
an additional 5 QSOs. Plenty of regulars, and a few new ones this month. Strange
propagation and NOTHING on 20M from my QTH. I was using my backyard vertical.
Come on January!
N5GW
K1 at 3W with internal NiMH batteries to hb tuner and cfz at
40' hanging between two big oak trees. 40M was the main band as usual, but 80M
was pretty quiet for a change. Since I had the 80/40 board in the K1, I couldn't
check 20M. I could have made more contacts, but was also watching the NFL
football game. HI! CU all next month.
W1PID
Operated the Small Wonders DSW 40 at 2 watts. Best DX was
Bob C6AKQ. Worked only 40 meters because there was nothing on 20 or 80.
Propagation poor. Participation poor.
Only operated for five minutes. Had fun as always. Thanks to
all.
K4PQC
Only had a chance to work the Sprint for the last hour. 40 and 80 were the only bands I found active
and these were fairly quiet here in North Georgia. I did have one contact in MN on 80 that was exciting. Using KD1JV's AT - Sprint 3-B running 4 watts
to a 160 meter horizontal loop at approximately 30 feet.
NK6A
Bands were poor. Where was everyone? Only copied a few stations here for well over
an hour. N5GW had the loudest signal. John, K4BAI has great ears. I thought I heard him on 80 but I wasn't heard. Next month I will try
again. 0230 I gave up.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended
double Zepp. Worked K4BAI on three bands and four stations on two bands. It was fun to work the C6 station, but my best DX was NG7Z in WA. Best signal here in the Texas hill country
was WA8ZBT - only about 180 miles away.
Thanks to all. Had fun.
KE9V
Band conditions were light. Only heard three stations
calling CQ SP and was only able to work one of those, Bob, C6AKQ. Hoping for
better conditions and more activity in January. See you then.
NØAR
I think conditions were a bit down. Nothing on 20, made 15
contacts each on 40 and 80. Lots of qrn as we even had a bit of TS activity up
here in MN. Big signal goes to Wo0w who lifted the rig right off the table! NVIS was
alive and well. Nice to bag C6AKQ on both bands. My rig was K2 running 5 watts
to a 240 long inverted L with lots of radials. RX antenna was a loop (borrowed a
PIxelSat) and a 30' wire up 6.'
WA8MTI
Caught the sprint an hour into it. Only made one 40m. Went to 80m and heard more SPers but band was
noisy here in MI. Managed 4 more Qs. FT817 was packed away so used the FT2000 @ 5w into doublet.
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