RULES:
Adventure Radio Society 2023 Flight of the Bumblebees, Sunday, July 30
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.
2023 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees
Sunday, July 30
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 2023 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 2023 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 30 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 NE6SW / BB (Bumblebee No. 73) sends:
579
CA
BB 73 or NR 73
Home-based station WN1DWL sends:
579
MA
5W
PLAYING IN 2023 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 NE6SW/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 Formula:
- 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 2023 Reports via email to:
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 2023 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 email group.
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.
FIELD STATIONS:
Apply for a 2023 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.
2023 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees
Sunday, July 30
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 2023 FOBB portable – in other words, from a field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification number. Here’s how:
2. OFFER THREE NUMBER OPTIONS: Check the database for eligibility, Then send an email to:
ARSBumblebees@gmail.com with:
- The field location you anticipate to be operating from
- Your Top 3 Choices for FOBB Number
– 73, Richard Fisher, KI6SN,
The Adventure Radio Society
