ANNOUNCING: ARS 2013 FOBB

RULES:
Adventure Radio Society 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees, Sunday, July 28

            The Adventure Radio Society Flight of the Bumblebees is a four-hour event held annually on the last Sunday of July. It is open to all radio amateurs.

2013 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

Sunday, July 28

1700 to 2100 UTC

CONTEST PERIOD BY TIMEZONE (Local Time)

·                    1 p.m. to 5 p.m.   – Eastern

·                    12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Central

·                    11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mountain

·                    10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pacific

·                    7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Hawaii

The contest period accommodates multiple time zones simultaneously. No matter where you live, there will be time for Bumblebees to travel to a field operating site, set up their station, operate the contest, and travel home.

WHO CAN PLAY?

Both home-based and portable operations are encouraged.

WHAT QUALIFIES AS A BUMBLEBEE?

Participants who operate portable from field locations are designated as Bumblebees. They get to their operating site principally under their own power by walking, biking, boating, and so on. The distance traveled to the site is at the Bumblebee’s discretion. Bumblebees add /BB to their calls. (NOTE: Home-based stations do not add /BB to their callsign.)

IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER

If you plan to operate the 2013 FOBB portable – in other words, from a field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification number. Instructions for obtaining a Bumblebee number are in the next section, below, headlined "Apply for a 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees Number."

There is no limit to the number of Bumblebees. You may apply for, and receive, a Bee number at any time up to July 28 prior to the contest.

GROUP OPERATION

Group operation is welcome in the Flight of the Bumblebees. You may operate under a single call and report a single score, or under multiple calls and report multiple scores. In any event, you are limited to operating a single transmitter at a time.

POWER OUTPUT

To keep with its minimalist theme, maximum FOBB power output is 5 watts.

OPERATION

We operate CW on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters, around standard QRP frequencies.

           

EXCHANGE

• /BB: If you are a Bumblebee, your exchange is RST, state/province/country, and your Bumblebee number.
• Home Stations: If you are home based, your exchange is RST, state/province/country, and your power.

Here are examples of exchanges:

Bumblebee KI6SN/BB (Bumblebee No. 5) sends:

579

CA

BB 5 or NR 5

Home-based station KI6DMB sends:

579

CA

5W

PLAYING IN 2013 FOBB

Everyone in the contest can work anyone else in the contest. In other words:

·                    Home-based stations can work other home-based stations and Bumblebees.

·                    Bumblebees can work other Bumblebees and home-based stations.

SCORING

Here are the details:

·                    Each contact is worth one point.

·                    The same station can be worked on different bands for additional QSO points and multipliers.

·                    Contacts with Bumblebees generate a multiplier of three. NOTE: If you worked KI6SN/BB on two bands, it counts as two Bumblebee contacts.

Here’s an example of how your score will be calculated:

• Say, you make 21 FOBB contacts on 40 meters.
• You make 32 FOBB contacts on 20 meters.
• In that combined total of QSOs, you contacted 14 Bumblebees. NOTE: If you worked KI6SN/BB on two bands, it counts as two Bumblebee contacts.
• To determine your multiplier, multiply 14 Bumblebees times 3.

Using the FOBB Scoring Formuala:

• Contacts: 21 + 32 = 53
• BB Multiplier: 14 X 3 = 42
• Total: 53 QSOs X 42 BB Multiplier = 2,226 Total points

COMMENDATIONS

Separate but equal commendations are awarded to the high scores for the home based and Bumblebee participants. We will also commend Bumblebees in the following categories:

• Most interesting equipment
• Most fascinating FOBB venture
• Most beautiful site
  
  

SUBMITTING YOUR FOBB DATA:

Send your FOBB 2013 Reports via email to:

< ARSBumblebees@gmail.com >

REPORT FORM:

Your:

• Full name
• Callsign
• Location of FOBB operation:
• Total number of contacts (all bands):
• Total number of Bumblebees (all bands):
• Comments about your 2013 FOBB experience:

Photographs of your adventure are welcome and encouraged.

RESULTS:

Results and soapbox comments will be reported on the ARS Spartan Sprint and FOBB website. That posting will be announced on the QRP-L mailgroup.

SAFETY:

As with all ARS events, please keep safety in front of mind when conducting operations in the field. Such things as weather, power lines, terrain, dehydration and fatigue can be lethal. Above all, we want all participants to have a fabulous and safe experience.

– 73, Richard Fisher, KI6SN,
The Adventure Radio Society

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

FIELD STATIONS:
Apply for a 2013 Flight of the Bumblebees Number

            The Adventure Radio Society Flight of the Bumblebees is a four-hour event held annually on the last Sunday of July. It is open to all radio amateurs.

2013 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

Sunday, July 28

1700 to 2100 UTC

CONTEST PERIOD BY TIMEZONE (Local Time)

·                    1 p.m. to 5 p.m.   – Eastern

·                    12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Central

·                    11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mountain

·                    10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pacific

·                    7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Hawaii

The contest period accommodates multiple time zones simultaneously. No matter where you live, there will be time for Bumblebees to travel to a field operating site, set up their station, operate the contest, and travel home.

IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER

If you plan to operate the 2013 FOBB portable – in other words, from a field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification number. Here’s how:

1. CHECK THE DATABASE: An online database has been set up to show assigned Bumblebee numbers. Visit: < http://bit.ly/15aGgN1 >.

2. OFFER THREE OPTIONS: Check the database  < http://bit.ly/15aGgN1 >  for eligibility. Then send an email to:

 < ARSBumblebees@gmail.com > with:

• Your Callsign
• Your First Name
• The field location you anticipate to be operating from
• Your Top 3 Choices for FOBB Number

3. YOUR FOBB NUMBER ASSIGNMENT: Check the database, < http://bit.ly/15aGgN1 >,after submitting your top three choices to see which number you have been assigned. The number listed in the database is your official 2013 FOBB number.

– 73, Richard Fisher, KI6SN,

The Adventure Radio Society

Results: July '13 ARS Spartan Sprint

(Please click on scoreboard for an enlarged view.)

Soapbox: July 2013 ARS Spartan Sprint

K6XM
This was my first Spartan Sprint, and a bit of a learning experience. I didn’t get the portable antenna that I was making finished in time, so had to use the home station antenna. My station was a KX3 with built in paddle and was run off of its internal rechargeable batteries. I had a bit of a learning curve with the KX3, since I hadn’t had much opportunity to use it. I started 1/2 hour late, which appears to have been a serious mistake. Everyone seemed to give up on 20 meters before I had a chance to work them, even though the band was still open. I ended up on 40 meters, which didn’t really start to open until near the end of the contest. I could hear several east coast stations (very weakly) on 40, but they couldn’t hear me. Lots of room for improvement for next time. Thanks for running the contest,

K3RLL
Just assembled KX3 to G5RVjr here in PA tonight with a real, honest-to-goodness outside G5RV antenna. What fun QRP can be with a reasonable antenna. What a difference from my attic dipole in FL. Didn't hear much on 20 meters and 40 was slow to warm up, but it came on nicely.  Very happy with the 14 patient ops who came back to me tonight as I was learning how to use the new rig.  Thanks to all.

K4FB
KX3 @ 5 watts to a  ground mounted 6BTV vertical.  Nice to work several stations on both 20 and 40.

KI6SN
FT-817ND and EFHW with counterpoise served well on 40 meters. Operated "in the field" - my back yard - fully off the grid. K4BAI and AB9CA heard and worked me an hour before sundown. Amazing. Other stations pulling me out of the din were K6XM, K7TQ, WB5BKL and W5ACM. Superb operators. Great to work old friends and make new ones. Many thanks to all.

AB9CA
Was a fun sprint as usual. The bands seemed to be in fair shape. Noise was not as bad as sometimes. Rig was FT-857 at 5w to 100' of wire. 9 Qs on 20, 16 on 40, and 3 on 80. Worked K6XM, WA5RML, W1PID, W5ACM, AE4TC, W0CH, NQ2W, (and maybe a couple of others I have overlooked) on 2 bands. Worked no one on all three. Got a late start and quit a bit early so only about an hour and half on the air. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Some were tough to pull out, requiring several fills. But they are always worth it!! Hope to hear everyone next month.

AE4TC
It's been a while since participating in the sprints. It was good to hear some familiar calls and some new ones. Wasn't able to operate the whole event. Managed 11 QSO's, 6 on 20m and 5 on 40m. FT 817, 5w into an inverted vee @ 45 feet. Next month will operate battery with portable paddles and smaller tuner.

WA5RML
FlexRadio 1500 @5 wts to vertical (20M) and G5RV (80/40M); Weight of 13.7 lbs includes laptop, power supply, Vibroplex paddles, FlexControl knob.  My first Spartan Sprint in awhile -  Tough night to jump back in!  9 QSOs included: (a) 20M - NK6A, KI6J, (b) 40M - K4BAI, K4FB, AB9CA, W0CH, N5GW, and WA8REI (Hi Ken!  Tough QSO!), and (c) 80M - AB9CA (again).  Heard Randy, K7TQ on 20M at the start, but he couldn't pull me out.  Thanks to all how participated!

K7TQ
Stayed home this month, but used the light weight gear at 1.3 lbs. 20 m was the best band with 8 Qs.  I ran out of stations around 0140 so off to 40 m.  Not much cooking there with only 4 more.  Good signals on 20 from WB0WQS and on 40 from K4BAI and K6XM.  Nice to work Richard, KI6SN, who runs the show.  Catch you all next month.

W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 11 QSOs this month. I only managed two contacts on 20M with W1PID in NH and NK6A in CA. The band was OPEN but QRP stations were very hard to find. Everyone had apparently migrated to 40M a bit too early, but noise conditions on the lower band were not bad and the contacts were solid. AB9CA in AL made a foray to 80M - nice signal - my only 80M QSO. My backyard vertical uses a resonator at the top for any very narrow piece of 80M that you wish to work. Mine is peaked at 3560, and it's nice when conditions cooperate. June was not up to the quality of the April event, but the season for higher band cooperation is not over yet! Hoping for more 20M ops next time!

W1PID
Best DX W7OM in WA. Finally worked K7TQ. Great to hear Larry, W2LJ, and Ken WA8REI! 20 meters was the best producer. Nice to see activity picking up.

K4BAI
Nice write up on Spartan Sprint in WorldRadio Online Magazine.  Had hoped it would result in more activity this month, but activity was still down from the past. 20M was open, but not really good at the start, but kept returning to 20M and made 9 QSOs on that band.  27 QSOs on 40M, which was the money band this time.  Heard no activity and got no answers to CQs on 7030 kHz. All 40M QSOs were between 7040 and 7042 kHz.  Worked 3 CA stations to the west and as far as NH to the north. Best signals were from LA, TX, OK.  No skip zone noticed as made QSOs in FL, AL, and TN. Nice to work local newcomer KK4BNC on 20M.  Thanks for all QSOs.

NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. I wasn't aware of the rule change for determining station weight until last month's posting of the SP results. I apologize for my oversight and have corrected my station weight to include my antenna tuner and associated cables...now I have an incentive to better adjust my mini-beam so I can forego using the tuner and get my weight back down...now, where did that doggone time go? Signals seemed to either be strong or weak with few in the middle range. Regardless, I was able to log 13 Qs on 20m and 10 Qs on 40m. Two-banders included N5GW, K4BAI, AB9CA, and WB5BKL. Of the QRPers, K3RLL was loudest but two QRO stations, one from VA and one from PA, were ear-busting loud. As usual, very enjoyable. Looking forward to the BB and other upcoming QRP events this month.

N5EM
Using KX3 with internal AA NiMH, running 5W to R7 vertical and dipoles.  Band seemed open; made 2 QSOs; worked NK6A on 20M and K4BAI on 40M.  Heard bits of others.

N5GW
I was on vacation staying in a cabin on the Cumberland Plateau with the xyl. I had the K1 running at 3W with internal battery pack to a HB microtuner and CFZ in a big oak tree. The bands were not in great shape due to QRN from local T-storms, and also deep QSB at times. Most sigs were weak, except for a few including K4BAI who must have good antennas. Most Q's were on 40. 20 faded here after about 46 min. However it's always fun when the outside temp is 73 instead of 93 back home in MS.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp.  All QSOs were on 20 and 40M.  14 states this time with a lot of the usual suspects and a few new-to-me calls.  I sure would like to see more activity.  I try to publicize the sprint on the AQRP and QRPadillos mailing lists and will add my local club (Highland Lakes ARC) next month.  You might consider doing the same on your favorite local lists. Many thanks to all.  Had fun.

WØCH
Thanks for a fun evening, glad to see 20 meters cooperating.  I've missed participating in the sprints and hope to be on more often.

Results: June 2013 Spartan Sprint

(For enlarged view, please click on scoreboard)

Soapbox: June 2013 Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
MTR to “Stealth Vertical”.  It was nice that 20 meters was open again tonight, but when it seemed to feel ‘worked out’, I stumbled on down to 40 meters but didn’t hear a single Sprinter there.  Must be time to turn off the radio and call the X-XYL?  Thanks to those who pulled me out tonight.  Best signal here tonight was WB5UDA.

NKØE
It was fun to return to the Sprint after not having Played in quite some time. Ran my KD1JV AT Sprint II on a gel cell, feeding a Norcal Doublet through my Elecraft T1 tuner and BL1 balun. The Norcal Doublet was supported at the top of my 20-ft telescoping fiberglass pole in my back yard, and I operated from my patio. What a beautiful night here in Colorado! Worked only 12 stations this evening (apologies to N6GA for butchering his callsign). Heard good signals on 20 but almost everyone on 40 was down in the mud. W1AW code practice was loud and clear on 40, though. This was the first operation for the Norcal Doublet, and I have to say I was pleased with its performance. Thanks everyone for a great evening!

N5GW
I had the "Sprite" (homebrew 20 meter SS rig) fired up to 1.2 watts into a CFZ at 40'. I had ordered a LiPO battery to keep the weight down, but it hadn't arrived, so an 8 cell AA alkaline pack was used. The battery weighs more than the xcvr (8 oz vs. 5 oz). Hope to see many of you next month with a 6 oz ( 0.375 lb) station!

W3KC
The bands were quite noisy here in MD. While activity seemed a little sparse, I was able to make a few QSOs on 20, 40, and 80 - and enjoyed the event.

W1PID
I ran an FT-817 at 2.5 watts to a 65 foot wire running out of a second story window. The antenna is pretty minimal . . . but I worked NK6A in California and OM5OA in the Slovak Republic. I tried 80 meters with it and worked AB1AV (Bill gave me a 539). Thanks guys for the QSOs.

AB1AV
All contacts on 20m and 80m. I couldn't raise any sprinters near 7030 or 7040.  Using ATS-3 to home antenna: an 88 ft doublet up about 50 feet.  Am I supposed to count 
the weight of my antenna tuner too (MFJ 949E this time)?  The rules used to say count up to RF connector of the rig; now they say everything but antenna and feedline. I could have used a lighter tuner. (NOTE: The weight of your tuner is included in your total station weight. The weight of your feedline and antenna are excluded from the station's weight - KI6SN)

K1QO
Ran KX3, at 5W to OCF Dipole, Paddlette and IPad with Pigtail.  Breakdown by band: 1 on 10M (N1IX)  1 on 15M (N1IX), 8 on 20M (N4SX, NK6A, N1IX, WA8ZBT, K3RLL, NK9G, N5GW, WB5BKL) 2 on 40M (NQ2W, N1IX) and 1 on 80M (N1IX). Great 1 watt signals from N5GW and N4SX . . . very cool - you guys rock! As always, nice to get NK6A, the thrill of coast to coast QRP always has that big wow factor with me...thanks Don for hearing my signal! Rick, NK9G came booming in from WI . . . and always comforting to hear calls I'm familiar with. Thanks, N1IX, my neighbor and friend for the Qs on 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 . . . that makes it an offical Worked 5 Band, Newton, NH . . . Other contacts were with WA8ZBT in TX, K3RLL in FL, WB5BKL in TX all on 20M. 40M had a lot of noise last night so I didn't hear anyone besides NQ2W on 40M. Many thanks to the Adventure Radio Society . . . these are great chances each month to try out different setups, rigs etc.  This month I tried a new set up with the KX3, Paddelette, and Ipad and hand logging . . . I think it might be the set up I use for a couple outside QRP events later this year.

NK6G
This is the first Spartan Sprint for me in years. Great to work the regulars. I had the K1 packed away but pulled it out and enjoying it once more. Good to work the boys out in California.  K6CSL, N6GA, NK6A and KA6GSC. I had a lot of fun. We will do it again!

NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted V at 40ft for 40m. Started out on 20 and made 14 Qs before moving to 40 for 10 more. Things slowed down so I moved to 80 - which meant switching filter boards - to make 1 Q with W3KC. Probably should have moved back to 40 but I didn't want to switch the filter board, again. On 20, N4SX and N5GW were running kinda close to each other. I answered N4SX and both came back to me. After that Q, I tuned down just a little to work N5GW. Both were 
running 1W...FB. Thanks to WA4CHQ for sticking in there. We made it work! Doubles with only W9LR. Worked 3 NH SPers in row! Thanks to all. I hope to hear you all next month.

NK6A
Tried 20, 15 and a bit on 40.  20 Qs and 15 different states. Conditions what they were, I was surprised to work NH (three different stations) and NY. I heard many new stations on.

K7TQ
For the June SP,I again went to the mountains east of Moscow, ID to set up my KX1 and SOTA Beams Band Hopper for a nice less than 2 lbs station.  Set up went well and 

I even made a QSO before the contest started.  The first contest QSO was with NK6A and it went poorly.  The paddles weren’t making good contact and I could barely get the exchange out.  The second QSO didn’t happen because I couldn’t get them to send W3KC.  I switched to the G4ZPY ones and did work W3KC.  Next the KX1 reported that the 10 cell NiMH battery pack voltage was only 7 V.  At that point I switched to Plan B, K2 and 7 AHr battery.  After 13 Qs on 20 m, I moved to 40 m at 0201Z and got 4 Qs before a nearly half hour long dry spell when I got WA8PGE with 2 minutes to spare.  Two band contacts were with KC7PM in UT, NK9G in WI, and WA8PGE in OH.  It was a good evening for being out in the woods and on the radio. On the way home, I ran the truck heater for a short while.  I suspect that not many others needed a heater after the Spartan Sprint.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. Not much heard this time - all QSOs except 3 were on 20 M.  Worked NQ2W, WA8MTI and NK9G again on 40M.  Removed two QRO QSOs from my total.  No contacts on 15 or 80M.  Lost of familiar calls missing in my log - hope it was just poor conditions  My thanks to all. Had fun.

N1IX
I used my battery powered KX3 and laptop computer. Most of the activity was centered around the QRP frequency on 20 meters. Forty meters was very noisy here. I was only able to hear KQ2W in NY. The only station worked on multiple bands was Ann, K1QO. K4SX and N5GW both had very nice signals using just one watt. It was great  to work both Don, NK6A and  Rod, W7OM on the left coast. Other stations worked were WA8ZBT, WB5BKL, and WB5PG in Texas. Also, K3RLL in FL and Rick, NK9G in WI. I will try to stay awake for the entire sprint in July.

NN9S
Electraft KX3 @ 5 watts, running on internal batteries. PAR Endfedz 10/20/40 dipole slung into backyard tree. Operated from roofdeck on garage.






  

Results: May 2013 ARS Spartan Sprint

(Please click on the Scoreboard for an enlarged view.)

Soapbox: May 2013 ARS Spartan Sprint

KØUU
20 meters only! K2 w/ internal battery, R7 vertical.

AD5TF
1 lb station - HB-1B internal batteries, base loaded wire vertical, 6 radials

W5HNS
Decided to participate from the field. Loaded up the K2, Batteries, Inverted Vee fed with ladder line, auto remote tuner and a Jackite 31 ft telescoping pole. Also lawn chair, small table and logsheet. Decided to set up on the fringe of an elementary school parking lot near home. I have set up there at least a dozen times before. Forgot tent stakes for the antenna. Took me an extra 30 minutes to figure out how to anchor those two ends of that inverted vee but I got all set up and was ready to roll 5 minutes after the event started for my time zone. Two employees from the school approached me. They were custodians. One of them informed me - now this is her story - that someone called the school district police and reported a man on the school grounds with a radio antenna. The key here was the antenna. The police then called the custodians and told them to come out and tell me to shut it all down. I think the custodians made the call. I had not even turned on the radio at that point. The girl offered to call the police office back to give them a better picture of what was happening. While she did that I made two contacts on 20m. Sounded like activity might be pretty good. But no luck tonight. I was told to shut it down and I did.

K3RLL
MTR and amp; 1800 mAh Chinese LiPo to ‘Stealth nighttime-only vertical” (darned homeowner’s association) – Nice to hear 20 meters not only open late, but strong tonight. Some really good signals on the Sprint, including WB5BKL, K2YGM and W2LJ just pounding into Florida. Didn’t hear anyone on 40 meters but maybe I got there too late. Thanks and hope to see you next month.

N5GW
I have been homebrewing a SP radio since Feb. and just yesterday got enough bugs ironed out to be able to use it this month. It covers 20M only, xtal controlled TX, DC RX, internal PicoKeyer with HB micropaddles. It's in a clear plastic case and weighs only 5.2 oz. The battery pack is eight alkaline cells. Headphones by Sony. Whole station weighs 0.84 lbs. Antenna CFZ. After the first hour of the sprint, everyone disappeared - guess they went to 40M. But it was lots of fun using a homemade radio. I may get a LiPO battery for next month to cut the weight even more.

W3KC
Bands were good. OPs were great. Fun was abundant.

K6CSL
I started on 10m and progressively moved through 15m, 20m then 40m, before I found one QSO with K7TQ in ID. Band conditions here in Central CA were very noisy due to lightning storms in progress about 30mi northwest of me in the San Joaquin Delta. 

N4SX
I'm still using my weak battery in my K2, so this time I left my charger connected and added a pound to my weight. It really is a lite unit. I ran the whole 2 hours (I did take a few minutes out to check-in to a traffic net) this time and got 11 more contacts than my past few where I have been stuck on 16. I really appreciate everyone pulling my 1 watt signal out of the ether. I'm using a Mystery Antenna which I raised a few more feet today and now have the apex about 35-36 feet up. I got 13 on 20, 8 on 40, and 6 on 80, so 20 still seems to be the best and that should go up with summer and longer days coming on. Maybe next month I'll get my Wilderness Sierra out with my new AA NiMh batteries which just arrived and have a much lighter setup. It was a blast guys....thank you for all the contacts.

N5XL
There I was fiddling with the power setting on the KX3, calling CQ and seeing what RBN skimmers could hear my 1 watt signal when I get K4BAI coming back to me and making a contest like exchange. Cool! 1 watt makes the trip! Shortly thereafter, WB8LZG calls me and the same thing happens. Hmmmm. I glance up from the KX3 and notebook and see the RBN skimmers are logging a LOT of calls, many I recognize, all hanging around the 20 meter qrp watering hole. Ok, so what have I stumbled into? A quick check reveals I've literally stumbled into the May Spartan Sprint. Well, by this time, I've added W5ACM and N5GW to the log and I guess I am now participating in the May Sprint without even realizing it! Much thanks goes out to each and every one of the 10 stations that heard my 1 watt signal from central Arizona and put me in their logbook. All of the contacts I made were on 20 meters, even though I tried calling CQ on 40m. The last call in the log was with N5OBC with 13 minutes left to go (sorry Mark, I missed your call initially but got it sorted in the end). From what I could tell from this side of the Continental Divide, 20 meters sounded to be in pretty good shape. So my first ever Spartan Sprint is done. It catches me completely off guard and totally unprepared. How embarrassing! Regards to all from the Sonoran Desert.

W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3. It worked flawlessly for the event. All of the CW errors were induced by the operator... 20M was sooo good, I got slow and complacent. I simply enjoyed the great signals and easy contacts from California to New York. You could say that I had become fat, dumb and happy. Yes, it was GOOD, and I enjoyed it! I finally migrated to 40M, but was surprised at the lack of contest operators. I worked W3KC on 40M, but no others until I found N4QA up the band a bit. It finally occurred to me that he was not in the contest, and in fact, the contest was long over! Oh well, it was an excellent QSO, and I did not include it in my total QSO count. Did I mention that N5XL and N4SX were only running ONE WATT?!? Thanks to the 20M conditions, they had excellent signals. Hoping for more of this in June!

K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W, TH6DXX, dipole, inverted vee. QSOs by band: 20: 19; 40: 20; 80: 4. Bands in good condition. Activity rather sparse. Thanks for all QSOs. 20M: QSOs from NH to WA to AZ plus KH6G and VE7OM (yes, worked W7OM too). First response was from G5LP in England, but couldn't get Lionel to send me his power, so he didn't count. 40M: QSOs from NH to CA and as close as N4SX, also in GA. 80M: NH, MD, GA, and TX. Lots more QSOs could be made if more stations were active and those who are active try all bands that could be open. Hope to meet many of you at Dayton.

WB8LZG
Ten Tec Argo 509 on gelcell battery fer power. at 4w to dipole up 35 ft. Not exactly "skinny" as the Argo isn't any KX1, es my battery is 6er7 lbs. total weight abt 10-12 lbs. Worked 5 stns on 20m in abt 1/2 a hr . N4SX , N7TX , N5XL, K4BAI , NK6A . Hope to CUL in next months SP Sprint.

K1QO
Wow...great signal from N4SX on 20M and 80M with 1 Watt in GA, you are an inspiration. It was very cool to hear Randy from ID, K7TQ on 40M, I remember Randy from the QRP Foxhunts and a lot of QRP contests...great to hear you last night (I think the last time I might have worked you was when I held the call AB1DR)!!!! Worked both N1IX (my neighbor) and K4BAI on 20/40/80. And this time I didn't miss NK6A, so cool to hear Don's FB signal from CA on 20!!! Always nice to hear my fox hunt buddy, W2LJ and worked him on 40. Cool to hear WB5BKL in TX. I also worked: K3RP, AB0TO, NQ2W, KQ2RP, W3KC and K2YGM. Tried a new setup for outdoor operating, hopefully for the ARS Bumblebee this summer; KX3 with AA batteries, Ipad with Pigtail and Bluetooth keyboard for logging. I apologize for a bit of QLF'ing when I started...the KX3 memory keys and the IPad was a bit much for me to handle so I went to Plan B and continued the contest. Many thanks to KI6SN for the Adventure Radio Society and these sprints and all of the FB ops who participate in this contest!!!! QRP'ers are the nicest and most patient hams in the world...it's so cool to be part of this group!

N1IX
Used my KX-3 and IPad/pigtail interface with the hamlog app. This combination really works well and is a great portable alternative for anyone who can’t use a paddle or key. I also used it for the QRP to the field event last week. All the QSO’s were made using my OCF dipole at 35 feet. Not very much activity early but it picked up after the first half hour. Eight QSOs on 20, eleven on 40 and three on 80. Worked N4SX on 40 and 80. He had a great signal using only one watt. He told me that I was his third NH QSO on 40. Happy to see that we were well represented.

NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. I think this maybe the most Q's for me during a Spartan Sprint. Ended up with 13 on 20 and 13 on 40. For the most part signals were quite strong on both bands. Had doubles with K4BAI, N4SX, and WB5BKL. Worked 2 SP'ers from Thunder Bay, ON on 20...that's never happened before...pretty cool. I wonder how many SP'ers have worked two stations from Albany, NY during a Sprint. All in all a very enjoyable time. Thanks to all. I hope to hear you all next month.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. 13 states this time, most of them on 20M. Worked only two stations on all three bands (20, 40 & 80M): K4BAI and N4SX. Only two stations using less than 5W this time, but N4SX was one of them! 80M was strange. K4BAI usually booms in here, but John was pretty weak and Terry was proportionally weaker. Removed one QRO station (at 9.7W) from my score, but will try to talk him into joining us next month! My thanks to all. Had fun.

N5OBC
As a last minute effort I screwed my 20 m coil on the Hustler fold over whip got out the KX1 and Western Electric Mini key. I made one contact, and it was here in Oklahoma to a station a few hours away. Still fin and thanks for the sprint. Any one watt contact is way better than no contacts!

K7TQ
I headed into the mountains east of Moscow, ID for the May SP. Gear included K2, G4ZPY paddles, 7 AHr battery, SOTA Beam 20/40 m dipole, and a Jacklite pole. Set up of the antenna took about 10 minutes. The temperature was a very pleasant upper 60s the entire time. I was able to watch the sunset which happened about the time the SP ended. 20 m was good with 17 Qs from the starting bell to 0145 Z when I changed to 40 m for another 10 Qs. 20 m covered CA to NY and 40 was good for CA to NH, so coast to coast on both bands. I got 6 ops on both bands, K4BAI, N4SX, NK6A, NQ2W, W3KC, and WB5BKL. This was the 2nd time I've used the antenna and it performed well. I hope to get out again in June.