Friday, October 8, 2010
Soapbox Comments: October '10 Spartan Sprint
W8YMO
K3 @ 5 watts. Near Cleveland, OH.
WA4SQM
This was the black hole of Sprints! I heard ZERO activity on 20M and 40M was not a lot better here. The stations I did hear I could not raise, and QSB was significant. At first I thought I had radio or antenna issues, but I tried switching around all the gear and experienced the same results. Well... there's always next month!
AE6N
This was the first time I have operated the Sprint for a couple years. All contacts were on 40 meters. The band was very noisEy here in Arizona.
N4KGL
Rig: Sierra 2W on 40 mtr, 1W on 80 mtr Antenna: Doublet. Power 11 AA cells. This was my first Spartan. I enjoyed the QRP to QRP contacts.
K4BAI
FT1-MP, 5W, TH6DXX, dipole, zepp, inverted vee. I was determined to participate this month despite cataract surgery on my "good eye" Monday morning. I have distoted vision in the other eye due to macular degeneration. I set up the program early and failed to check the comuter keying. When the contest period started, I discovered the computer wouldn't key the rig. This has happened once before, but I don't know why. After the first QSO, I rebooted the computer, but that didn't help, so I used my keyer and paddle for the entire two hours. 20M was open from CO west and north, but WG0AT was the only strong Sprinter heard. K7TQ was solid copy. I called a few other western stations without success and changed to 40M. 40M seemed very good, little noise, and little QRM. But there didn't seem to be the usual activity level and the skip zone was out as far as VA. West coast signals, particularly W7OM, were strong. I took off three minutes at 02Z for a state traffic net and tried 80M after the net. 80M w as also quiet with good signals out to TX, VA and IN, but noting from the ME. See you next month.
WB8LZG
Used the Big Rig tonight with the power turned down, to dipole @ 30ft. Had the K2 on the bench for recal. 20m was dead hr in Mich. at start of the sprint. 40m was vy noisy, es vy hard to pull some out of the mud. went to 80 es grabbed a couple Q's but didnt hr alot of activity. pulled the plug after an hr. see u all next time.
VE3MO
Wow, conditions were rough last night. I was receiving better signal reports then I was giving which makes me wonder if my QRN is locaL. 80m was my producing band but I was using a wire sloper cut for 20m and 40m to receive on and my windom, up 40 feet, to transmit on. Thanks to those who were persistent enough to stick with me.
KB2FEL
Ft817 set at 1w into a G5RV up about 55ft. I had a geat time and thanks for the event.
NG7Z
Well, another sprint is in the books. I finally broke the 30 Q barrier tonight. I started out on 20M and picked up five before the band died. Moved to 40M at 0110 and stayed there until the end. 40M was pretty busy up until 0200 and then things slowed WAY down. Thanks to Randy, K7TQ, for the only Q on 80M. Got two band contacts with K7HBN, W5ACM and WA5BKL. Texas was very well represented. See y'all next month.
KD0GAF
My first Sprint. Only managed two contacts in the short time I was able to play, but had a good time dragging out the PFR-3. I'll do better next month.
W5ACM
One more time with the heavily used pair of 3.7 VDC, 200 mAh LiPo batteries on my ATS-3A! They did well for the whole event, but that's probably due to fewer contacts and judicious "CQ-ing". I was hoping for some time on 20M, but conditions only allowed one QSO with NG7Z up there. The majority of the QSOs were on 40M with lots of familiar calls like N4BP, AB9CA, K4BAI and W5ESE. The noise on 80M was terrible, but I did manage three QSOs before I ran back to 40M for a final QSO with K3RLL. This was a tough one. I am hoping for better conditions in November. Perhaps the LiPo batteries will go yet another month. We'll give it a try! The old vertical is doing fine, and the rebuilt micro-thin-plywood keyer paddle is holding up well. The weight varies from month to month due to the number of bands I operate. Three bands means three daughter boards, thus more weight.
K6CSL
My station is Tubby, home station on commercial power. A Yaesu FT-450 running 5W output to 1 of 3 antennas. A Delta Loop, an Indoor- end-fed, coaxial dipole that is mounted on the center ceiling beam of my mobile home. An Indoor Horizontal Square Loop 12ft on each side, mounted in the ceiling of my radio room. I live in a mobile home park that allows no visible antennas.
KF6U
Rig is Hendricks PFR-3A running 3W out with internal batteries. Antenna 180 ft horizontal delta loop at 30 ft. Worked 40 meters only. Experienced a lot of QSB, and band went long during last 30 min. Enjoyed the sprint and thanks to all who participated.
K3RLL
Conditions sounded better this evening so even though my time was limited, it was nice to make some contacts. Many thanks to those who pulled me out of the noise tonight.
AB9CA
Rig was K2 at 5w to OCF 80m dp. Condx didn't seem to be too bad but weren't all that good either. Made no contacts on 20. Stayed there only a short time. Thought 20 might be weak when I could barely hear W1AW's Kw signal. Made 26 contacts on 40 and 9 on 80. Was a good evening despite the QSB. The noise seemed to be down a bit. Maybe winter condx will soon be here. The QSB made for especially tough copy of a couple of Q's - KD1JV being one of those. Sorry, Steve, but parts of your call kept getting sucked out every time - but we eventually made it. Thanks to everyone who stopped by - and for all the fills - and especially to those who do the work to make these sprints possible. Hope to hear you next month!
K5JHP
Someone turned off 20 after 10 minutes. 40 and 80 were good except for the QSB and noise here on the coast. Let's hope for less noise next month!
K7HBN
I used a Ten Tec R4020 on alkaline batteries, and I sent 5 watts as my power, but I think it was actually between 3 and 4 watts.
N4BP
In spite of working with our power company for months, my power line noise is about as bad as it's ever been. Apologies to those I could not copy tonight who were lost in the noise. Rig: K3. Antennas: A4S, 40/80 Trap Dipole.
WA5BUC
Went with my RockMight 20 tonight to keep the weight down. Heard some activity at the start. W5ESE. Guess the event starts too late for 20 to do much before it folds. Turned on my FT-817 to confirm the band was dead at about 0140Z. Let's see what next month brings.
N8WE
AB9CA was the best signal. N4BP, K5JHP, W5SNI, K3RLL, and tried hard to get KD1JV!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w to a 20M delta loop or a 40M extended double Zepp. My QSOs were roughly evenly split between 20, 40 and 80M. Nothing heard here on 15M. I had hopes of working several on all three bands, but no joy. Best signals: on 20M - K7TQ, on 40M - AB9CA and on 80M - W5ESE (full disclosure: Scott is pretty darn close). It was nice to hear several 1W signals. Had fun.
W5ESE
Had fun in the Spartan Sprint. First time back on the Sprint since June. Used an AT Sprint 3 and a 300' horizontal loop fed with open wire ladder line. 80m was the money band for me. Submitted my log to the ARRL's Logbook of the World.
AE4TC
Had a good time. Thanks to all who pulled me out of the noise. 20m was a disappointment, didn't hear a peep. Managed 13 contacts. 8 on 40m and 5 on 80m. Rig was a FT817, 5w into a ground mounted vertical.
NQ2W
Used my TenTec 1340 to the inverted vee at 40 feet. The band was in and out and short and long. N4BP and K4BAI were not as loud as usual. AB9CA was strong. Worked IN and TX. Heard W7OM - was loud - and then was gone. Thanks to everyone for the Q's and thanks to the organizers. Please listen for me during the NYQP - CU then or next month.
W1PID
I got home late from work and operated for 8 minutes and worked 6 stations on 40 meters. I haven't missed a Spartan Sprint in at least 10 years! Thanks all.
WA5RML
FT-817nd @5wts + 80/40M dipole; First Spartan Sprint in almost a year. Could only get on for the last 30 minutes – probably the worst time slot! Band conditions seemed to be very poor. At first, I was wondering whether I’d missed the event completely. I still managed to snag AB9CA (Dave), NG7Z (Paul), NQ2W (Tony?), and WB5BKL (Nick). Alabama, Washington, New York, and Texas in that order – go figure. Thanks, guys, for digging my signal out of the noise!
K3 @ 5 watts. Near Cleveland, OH.
WA4SQM
This was the black hole of Sprints! I heard ZERO activity on 20M and 40M was not a lot better here. The stations I did hear I could not raise, and QSB was significant. At first I thought I had radio or antenna issues, but I tried switching around all the gear and experienced the same results. Well... there's always next month!
AE6N
This was the first time I have operated the Sprint for a couple years. All contacts were on 40 meters. The band was very noisEy here in Arizona.
N4KGL
Rig: Sierra 2W on 40 mtr, 1W on 80 mtr Antenna: Doublet. Power 11 AA cells. This was my first Spartan. I enjoyed the QRP to QRP contacts.
K4BAI
FT1-MP, 5W, TH6DXX, dipole, zepp, inverted vee. I was determined to participate this month despite cataract surgery on my "good eye" Monday morning. I have distoted vision in the other eye due to macular degeneration. I set up the program early and failed to check the comuter keying. When the contest period started, I discovered the computer wouldn't key the rig. This has happened once before, but I don't know why. After the first QSO, I rebooted the computer, but that didn't help, so I used my keyer and paddle for the entire two hours. 20M was open from CO west and north, but WG0AT was the only strong Sprinter heard. K7TQ was solid copy. I called a few other western stations without success and changed to 40M. 40M seemed very good, little noise, and little QRM. But there didn't seem to be the usual activity level and the skip zone was out as far as VA. West coast signals, particularly W7OM, were strong. I took off three minutes at 02Z for a state traffic net and tried 80M after the net. 80M w as also quiet with good signals out to TX, VA and IN, but noting from the ME. See you next month.
WB8LZG
Used the Big Rig tonight with the power turned down, to dipole @ 30ft. Had the K2 on the bench for recal. 20m was dead hr in Mich. at start of the sprint. 40m was vy noisy, es vy hard to pull some out of the mud. went to 80 es grabbed a couple Q's but didnt hr alot of activity. pulled the plug after an hr. see u all next time.
VE3MO
Wow, conditions were rough last night. I was receiving better signal reports then I was giving which makes me wonder if my QRN is locaL. 80m was my producing band but I was using a wire sloper cut for 20m and 40m to receive on and my windom, up 40 feet, to transmit on. Thanks to those who were persistent enough to stick with me.
KB2FEL
Ft817 set at 1w into a G5RV up about 55ft. I had a geat time and thanks for the event.
NG7Z
Well, another sprint is in the books. I finally broke the 30 Q barrier tonight. I started out on 20M and picked up five before the band died. Moved to 40M at 0110 and stayed there until the end. 40M was pretty busy up until 0200 and then things slowed WAY down. Thanks to Randy, K7TQ, for the only Q on 80M. Got two band contacts with K7HBN, W5ACM and WA5BKL. Texas was very well represented. See y'all next month.
KD0GAF
My first Sprint. Only managed two contacts in the short time I was able to play, but had a good time dragging out the PFR-3. I'll do better next month.
W5ACM
One more time with the heavily used pair of 3.7 VDC, 200 mAh LiPo batteries on my ATS-3A! They did well for the whole event, but that's probably due to fewer contacts and judicious "CQ-ing". I was hoping for some time on 20M, but conditions only allowed one QSO with NG7Z up there. The majority of the QSOs were on 40M with lots of familiar calls like N4BP, AB9CA, K4BAI and W5ESE. The noise on 80M was terrible, but I did manage three QSOs before I ran back to 40M for a final QSO with K3RLL. This was a tough one. I am hoping for better conditions in November. Perhaps the LiPo batteries will go yet another month. We'll give it a try! The old vertical is doing fine, and the rebuilt micro-thin-plywood keyer paddle is holding up well. The weight varies from month to month due to the number of bands I operate. Three bands means three daughter boards, thus more weight.
K6CSL
My station is Tubby, home station on commercial power. A Yaesu FT-450 running 5W output to 1 of 3 antennas. A Delta Loop, an Indoor- end-fed, coaxial dipole that is mounted on the center ceiling beam of my mobile home. An Indoor Horizontal Square Loop 12ft on each side, mounted in the ceiling of my radio room. I live in a mobile home park that allows no visible antennas.
KF6U
Rig is Hendricks PFR-3A running 3W out with internal batteries. Antenna 180 ft horizontal delta loop at 30 ft. Worked 40 meters only. Experienced a lot of QSB, and band went long during last 30 min. Enjoyed the sprint and thanks to all who participated.
K3RLL
Conditions sounded better this evening so even though my time was limited, it was nice to make some contacts. Many thanks to those who pulled me out of the noise tonight.
AB9CA
Rig was K2 at 5w to OCF 80m dp. Condx didn't seem to be too bad but weren't all that good either. Made no contacts on 20. Stayed there only a short time. Thought 20 might be weak when I could barely hear W1AW's Kw signal. Made 26 contacts on 40 and 9 on 80. Was a good evening despite the QSB. The noise seemed to be down a bit. Maybe winter condx will soon be here. The QSB made for especially tough copy of a couple of Q's - KD1JV being one of those. Sorry, Steve, but parts of your call kept getting sucked out every time - but we eventually made it. Thanks to everyone who stopped by - and for all the fills - and especially to those who do the work to make these sprints possible. Hope to hear you next month!
K5JHP
Someone turned off 20 after 10 minutes. 40 and 80 were good except for the QSB and noise here on the coast. Let's hope for less noise next month!
K7HBN
I used a Ten Tec R4020 on alkaline batteries, and I sent 5 watts as my power, but I think it was actually between 3 and 4 watts.
N4BP
In spite of working with our power company for months, my power line noise is about as bad as it's ever been. Apologies to those I could not copy tonight who were lost in the noise. Rig: K3. Antennas: A4S, 40/80 Trap Dipole.
WA5BUC
Went with my RockMight 20 tonight to keep the weight down. Heard some activity at the start. W5ESE. Guess the event starts too late for 20 to do much before it folds. Turned on my FT-817 to confirm the band was dead at about 0140Z. Let's see what next month brings.
N8WE
AB9CA was the best signal. N4BP, K5JHP, W5SNI, K3RLL, and tried hard to get KD1JV!
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w to a 20M delta loop or a 40M extended double Zepp. My QSOs were roughly evenly split between 20, 40 and 80M. Nothing heard here on 15M. I had hopes of working several on all three bands, but no joy. Best signals: on 20M - K7TQ, on 40M - AB9CA and on 80M - W5ESE (full disclosure: Scott is pretty darn close). It was nice to hear several 1W signals. Had fun.
W5ESE
Had fun in the Spartan Sprint. First time back on the Sprint since June. Used an AT Sprint 3 and a 300' horizontal loop fed with open wire ladder line. 80m was the money band for me. Submitted my log to the ARRL's Logbook of the World.
AE4TC
Had a good time. Thanks to all who pulled me out of the noise. 20m was a disappointment, didn't hear a peep. Managed 13 contacts. 8 on 40m and 5 on 80m. Rig was a FT817, 5w into a ground mounted vertical.
NQ2W
Used my TenTec 1340 to the inverted vee at 40 feet. The band was in and out and short and long. N4BP and K4BAI were not as loud as usual. AB9CA was strong. Worked IN and TX. Heard W7OM - was loud - and then was gone. Thanks to everyone for the Q's and thanks to the organizers. Please listen for me during the NYQP - CU then or next month.
W1PID
I got home late from work and operated for 8 minutes and worked 6 stations on 40 meters. I haven't missed a Spartan Sprint in at least 10 years! Thanks all.
WA5RML
FT-817nd @5wts + 80/40M dipole; First Spartan Sprint in almost a year. Could only get on for the last 30 minutes – probably the worst time slot! Band conditions seemed to be very poor. At first, I was wondering whether I’d missed the event completely. I still managed to snag AB9CA (Dave), NG7Z (Paul), NQ2W (Tony?), and WB5BKL (Nick). Alabama, Washington, New York, and Texas in that order – go figure. Thanks, guys, for digging my signal out of the noise!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Soapbox Comments: September Spartan Sprint
KB5JO
K2 @ 5 watts to an 88-foot doublet.
WA5BUC
Was limited to 20 meters tonight. Seemed like a lot of QRN. Glad for the 3 Q's.
KØNWT
Home tonight on the G5RV. I heard NK6A in CA from GA tonight, but he couldn't hear my 5W. I did get to connect with NG7Z in WA on 2 bands.
K5JHP
Using K3 to a TA33jr for 20 and a 20 meter EDZ for 40 and 80. 20 yielded good results for the first half hour, 11 ctcs, with 10 on 40 and 2 on 80. All in all a fair night. Be back next month.
AB9CA
Rig was an old Icom IC-707 dialed back to 5w. Antenna was usual OCF 80m dp. Most of the activity seemed to be on 40. Tried 20 early but only 1 Q there. Did get 3 Q's on 80 late in the 'test - the rest were on 40. Lots of noise here with all the tropical activity. Know I missed a few that I just could not pull out. Total time was about a hour with a break or two in there. Thanks to all who stopped by and we'll look for you next month. Thanks to the guys who do the work to make it possible. Always a fun event!
WØLGU
Good conditions and great fun. A brief thunderstorm added to the adventure.
WA2OQJ
Yaesu Ft-817 @ various power levels - 1 QSO @ 500mw, 1 QSO @ 1 watt 3 QSO's @ 5 watts....Ant: 80 mtr Dipole laying on the roof...My 1st go at a Spartan Sprint, didnt even venture near 20 meters, 40 had most action that I could find although after some really great milliwatt success this past 2 weeks, I couldnt seem to buy at a contact at QRPp levels tonight (finally snagged W2SH/1 on 80 for my mw Q!) now that I have one under my belt I'll be back to actually produce a score next time!
K6DGW
Labor Day, didn't expect a huge amount of activity, but was somewhat surprised. 9 states. KX1 [w/tuner and 30m] and paddle with Li-Poly 800 mAh battery, ear buds. Half and half, 40 and 20.
NG7Z
Finally had a chance to do the sprint after many months. Started off SO2R on 20M and 40M but only one Q on 40. The rest were on 20M so stayed there for the first half hour then went to 40M. That yielded 16 contacts. CQ'd on 40 and 80 and picked up 2 on 80 until the end. Had several 2 band contacts and WA8ZBT on 3 bands. Didn't hear N4BP which was surprising. Usually Bob is an easy Q on 20 and 40. Nice to work familiar calls again. 80 should be better in October. CU next time.
KD9KC
Where to begin. Certainly not my best Spartan Sprint effort. I had a visitor in the shack, Ron - WT5RZ. Ron is a relatively new ham, has a Yaesu FT-817, and has never tried a CW contest, or even tried CW for that matter. Ron came by especially to watch me work the Spartan Sprint. Why he asked me to show him CW I don't know ... We spent as much time chatting as we did anything else. I did work 5 stations. I ran the whole contest at 2.5 watts. Usually I swap batteries in the middle of the sprint. I wanted to see if I could go the whole 2 hours on 1 battery. I did, but I am not sure it was a real test with only 5 contacts and a few CQs. As 15m was dead here, I started on 20m. First was N7TQ in Idaho, then KG7Z in Washington state, and last on 20m was AF4O who answered my CQ. I tried several more CQs on 20m with no luck, so I jumped to 40m. On 40m I worked W5HNS near San Antonio and WA8ZBT near Dallas, both Texans.. With about 30 minutes to go Ron and I looked at 80m, but didn't make any contacts. It was just too noisy. So we just chatted a little more. I either need to do this more often, or not at all.
W1PID
I operated about a half hour with an IC-7000 at 5W and an OCF dipole. Best DX was NK6A on 20M. Thanks all.
K4BAI
All three bands seemed to be in good condition. Activity was only fair on 20M, pretty good on 40, and almost NIL on 80. Did work K0NWT and K4ORD on 80. Thanks for all QSOs.
K4UPG
This was my second Sprint and the bands were much better. Due to rain I setup a portable station on my porch and ran my Sierra to a 44" doublet with peak at 20 ft and ends at 16.5 ft thanks to new Black Widow Crappie poles. It tuned up well and I was amazed to be hearing Eu stations on 40m again! Great to hear the ionosphere still has some bounce left in it! Did not make too many contacts but had fun reading the mail and listening to the various qso's from MI and some other contest that seemed to be going on at the same time. Worked 6 states last night but heard about about 10 Eu stations, 4 VE's and some Latin American SSB activity too. Fun way to spend the night.
NI8N
What a cool way to check out a new antenna. I ran a K3 at 5 watts into a new 40 meter delta loop. By plotting the sections worked, I could see where the main lobes were.
WA4SQM
Started on 20M but the band seemed to go pretty quick here. 40M was defintely the best band for last night. Running a little less than 2W, I was amazed at the great ears of the OP's, particularly W7OM -Atlanta to Seattle on that power on 40M is amazing! Thanks also to the patience of several stations, including W5HNS. The noise that my dogs can generate can really be distracting and it always seems to happen when I am on the air.
N4UN
ATS-3A at 5 W, Vertical Loop and OCF Dipole. LiPo battery pack, KX1 paddle, and ear buds. 20m was in better shape this month. 40m was very active, but not many SP stations heard. Only one Q on 80m, lots of QRN here. Nice signals from WA, AB, and CA on 20m. Thanks to all.
AI3G
Another fun sprint. KX1 @ 3 watts, longwire antenna indoors. Will try again next month.
W5ACM
The 200 mAh LiPo batteries in the ATS-3A are starting to fade! One cell was dropping fast just 20 minutes prior to the end of the event. I had to shut down completely 15 minutes early, but still had a great time. Twenty Meters tried to cooperate, and it was fun. However, 40M wasn’t bad and easily provided 10 of my 14 contacts. It was great to work W5HNS who recently moved out of Houston, and also WG0AT up in CO. There were lots of familiar callsigns and a few new ones – excellent! The old vertical is still doing well, but it looks like new batteries will be needed before next month.
NQ2W
Used my Ten Tec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 feet. Seems to be working okay. Pretty happy with the results and some stations actually answered my CQ SP. Thanks to everyone that participated and thanks to the organizers. Hope to see you all next month.
W4NJK
Most fun was when NY then MN responded to my CQSP. Antenna: 40M Half SQ wire ~25 feet.
AF40
My nearby field site is nice except got another visit from PD. Not a bad thing just a tad unnerving. Evidentially this is a place on a routine patrol because it was about the same time as the last visit. No big deal though, after i explain the unusual nature of what I'm doing this one said "carry on." 20 was closing down but held long enough to make a few contacts. 40 was good but the usual crowding and summer crashes. My pneumatic launcher made from an old fire extinguisher, metal pipe fittings and a pvc barrel proved to work well especially spraying wd40 down the barrel. Cleared an approx 100' tree trailing the #20 wire directly into the tree. This made for a nice 100' vertical with 5 radials thrown on the ground. I use a pvc capsule for the ammo. Fun to hear everyone. Cooler months coming and im ready for them. Been a long hot summer here.
KS4L
Using my new K3 at 5w into 80m inverted vee at 45'. Only had 45 minutes, but enjoyed 40m with moderate noise level and got 10 contacts there, then 80m with high noise and weak signals for 3 more contacts.
WB5BKL
K1 @ 5w with 40M EDZepp + 20m delta loop. All but three of my Qs were on 20M. The K1 does not match the 40M extended double Zepp well. However, even with the big miss-match, I did get W0LGU, K4BAI and WA7OJY on both bands. This is also my first non-tubby submission. Note to self: Motorcycle batteries are heavy! Had fun.
K4ORD
Activity was much better than August made 9 qso's on 20M, 27 on 40M and 2 on 80M. 20M was pretty good, 40M had lots of qrn up to S9, 80M had heavy qrn. Rig K2@ 5W ant's were 40M and 160M dipoles and 20M wire vee. Hope to see everyone next month.
K7TQ
20 m was good for most of the time, even late, but few takers after 0130 Z. I even got an 80 m QSO.
K2 @ 5 watts to an 88-foot doublet.
WA5BUC
Was limited to 20 meters tonight. Seemed like a lot of QRN. Glad for the 3 Q's.
KØNWT
Home tonight on the G5RV. I heard NK6A in CA from GA tonight, but he couldn't hear my 5W. I did get to connect with NG7Z in WA on 2 bands.
K5JHP
Using K3 to a TA33jr for 20 and a 20 meter EDZ for 40 and 80. 20 yielded good results for the first half hour, 11 ctcs, with 10 on 40 and 2 on 80. All in all a fair night. Be back next month.
AB9CA
Rig was an old Icom IC-707 dialed back to 5w. Antenna was usual OCF 80m dp. Most of the activity seemed to be on 40. Tried 20 early but only 1 Q there. Did get 3 Q's on 80 late in the 'test - the rest were on 40. Lots of noise here with all the tropical activity. Know I missed a few that I just could not pull out. Total time was about a hour with a break or two in there. Thanks to all who stopped by and we'll look for you next month. Thanks to the guys who do the work to make it possible. Always a fun event!
WØLGU
Good conditions and great fun. A brief thunderstorm added to the adventure.
WA2OQJ
Yaesu Ft-817 @ various power levels - 1 QSO @ 500mw, 1 QSO @ 1 watt 3 QSO's @ 5 watts....Ant: 80 mtr Dipole laying on the roof...My 1st go at a Spartan Sprint, didnt even venture near 20 meters, 40 had most action that I could find although after some really great milliwatt success this past 2 weeks, I couldnt seem to buy at a contact at QRPp levels tonight (finally snagged W2SH/1 on 80 for my mw Q!) now that I have one under my belt I'll be back to actually produce a score next time!
K6DGW
Labor Day, didn't expect a huge amount of activity, but was somewhat surprised. 9 states. KX1 [w/tuner and 30m] and paddle with Li-Poly 800 mAh battery, ear buds. Half and half, 40 and 20.
NG7Z
Finally had a chance to do the sprint after many months. Started off SO2R on 20M and 40M but only one Q on 40. The rest were on 20M so stayed there for the first half hour then went to 40M. That yielded 16 contacts. CQ'd on 40 and 80 and picked up 2 on 80 until the end. Had several 2 band contacts and WA8ZBT on 3 bands. Didn't hear N4BP which was surprising. Usually Bob is an easy Q on 20 and 40. Nice to work familiar calls again. 80 should be better in October. CU next time.
KD9KC
Where to begin. Certainly not my best Spartan Sprint effort. I had a visitor in the shack, Ron - WT5RZ. Ron is a relatively new ham, has a Yaesu FT-817, and has never tried a CW contest, or even tried CW for that matter. Ron came by especially to watch me work the Spartan Sprint. Why he asked me to show him CW I don't know ... We spent as much time chatting as we did anything else. I did work 5 stations. I ran the whole contest at 2.5 watts. Usually I swap batteries in the middle of the sprint. I wanted to see if I could go the whole 2 hours on 1 battery. I did, but I am not sure it was a real test with only 5 contacts and a few CQs. As 15m was dead here, I started on 20m. First was N7TQ in Idaho, then KG7Z in Washington state, and last on 20m was AF4O who answered my CQ. I tried several more CQs on 20m with no luck, so I jumped to 40m. On 40m I worked W5HNS near San Antonio and WA8ZBT near Dallas, both Texans.
W1PID
I operated about a half hour with an IC-7000 at 5W and an OCF dipole. Best DX was NK6A on 20M. Thanks all.
K4BAI
All three bands seemed to be in good condition. Activity was only fair on 20M, pretty good on 40, and almost NIL on 80. Did work K0NWT and K4ORD on 80. Thanks for all QSOs.
K4UPG
This was my second Sprint and the bands were much better. Due to rain I setup a portable station on my porch and ran my Sierra to a 44" doublet with peak at 20 ft and ends at 16.5 ft thanks to new Black Widow Crappie poles. It tuned up well and I was amazed to be hearing Eu stations on 40m again! Great to hear the ionosphere still has some bounce left in it! Did not make too many contacts but had fun reading the mail and listening to the various qso's from MI and some other contest that seemed to be going on at the same time. Worked 6 states last night but heard about about 10 Eu stations, 4 VE's and some Latin American SSB activity too. Fun way to spend the night.
NI8N
What a cool way to check out a new antenna. I ran a K3 at 5 watts into a new 40 meter delta loop. By plotting the sections worked, I could see where the main lobes were.
WA4SQM
Started on 20M but the band seemed to go pretty quick here. 40M was defintely the best band for last night. Running a little less than 2W, I was amazed at the great ears of the OP's, particularly W7OM -Atlanta to Seattle on that power on 40M is amazing! Thanks also to the patience of several stations, including W5HNS. The noise that my dogs can generate can really be distracting and it always seems to happen when I am on the air.
N4UN
ATS-3A at 5 W, Vertical Loop and OCF Dipole. LiPo battery pack, KX1 paddle, and ear buds. 20m was in better shape this month. 40m was very active, but not many SP stations heard. Only one Q on 80m, lots of QRN here. Nice signals from WA, AB, and CA on 20m. Thanks to all.
AI3G
Another fun sprint. KX1 @ 3 watts, longwire antenna indoors. Will try again next month.
W5ACM
The 200 mAh LiPo batteries in the ATS-3A are starting to fade! One cell was dropping fast just 20 minutes prior to the end of the event. I had to shut down completely 15 minutes early, but still had a great time. Twenty Meters tried to cooperate, and it was fun. However, 40M wasn’t bad and easily provided 10 of my 14 contacts. It was great to work W5HNS who recently moved out of Houston, and also WG0AT up in CO. There were lots of familiar callsigns and a few new ones – excellent! The old vertical is still doing well, but it looks like new batteries will be needed before next month.
NQ2W
Used my Ten Tec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 feet. Seems to be working okay. Pretty happy with the results and some stations actually answered my CQ SP. Thanks to everyone that participated and thanks to the organizers. Hope to see you all next month.
W4NJK
Most fun was when NY then MN responded to my CQSP. Antenna: 40M Half SQ wire ~25 feet.
AF40
My nearby field site is nice except got another visit from PD. Not a bad thing just a tad unnerving. Evidentially this is a place on a routine patrol because it was about the same time as the last visit. No big deal though, after i explain the unusual nature of what I'm doing this one said "carry on." 20 was closing down but held long enough to make a few contacts. 40 was good but the usual crowding and summer crashes. My pneumatic launcher made from an old fire extinguisher, metal pipe fittings and a pvc barrel proved to work well especially spraying wd40 down the barrel. Cleared an approx 100' tree trailing the #20 wire directly into the tree. This made for a nice 100' vertical with 5 radials thrown on the ground. I use a pvc capsule for the ammo. Fun to hear everyone. Cooler months coming and im ready for them. Been a long hot summer here.
KS4L
Using my new K3 at 5w into 80m inverted vee at 45'. Only had 45 minutes, but enjoyed 40m with moderate noise level and got 10 contacts there, then 80m with high noise and weak signals for 3 more contacts.
WB5BKL
K1 @ 5w with 40M EDZepp + 20m delta loop. All but three of my Qs were on 20M. The K1 does not match the 40M extended double Zepp well. However, even with the big miss-match, I did get W0LGU, K4BAI and WA7OJY on both bands. This is also my first non-tubby submission. Note to self: Motorcycle batteries are heavy! Had fun.
K4ORD
Activity was much better than August made 9 qso's on 20M, 27 on 40M and 2 on 80M. 20M was pretty good, 40M had lots of qrn up to S9, 80M had heavy qrn. Rig K2@ 5W ant's were 40M and 160M dipoles and 20M wire vee. Hope to see everyone next month.
K7TQ
20 m was good for most of the time, even late, but few takers after 0130 Z. I even got an 80 m QSO.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Soapbox Comments: August 2010 Spartan Sprint
K6DGW
I'm tubby, K2+SLA battery on our deck. 9 on 20, 4 on 40, had to QRT about 30min early.
K5JHP
Boy the bands were in terrible shape. Must have been the solar event of several days ago. Looking fwd to next month, without the solar activity.
KØNWT
FT-450AT at home in the AC into a g5rv running 5 watts. Lots of noise tonight, but still fun! Good to hear John K4BAI again. ThankS!
KB1PBA
Very bad QRM on 40m.
K6CSL
Beginning 20 was lively but very noisey. K7TQ had a big, big signal on 40. CU all again next month. Bert, K6CSL PS: My station is Tubby, but runs 5W.
WA5BUC
Good to work K4BAI, K5JHP, W4VAB, N4UN, WA9TZE, N5GW, & NQ2W. Also heard K5GQ but couldn't connect. Let's see what September brings.
AE7CG
Worked Andy, W5ACM in Houston, TX and Gene, N5GW in Vicksburg, MS. So nice that QRP operators listen for QRP signals!
NQ2W
Rig used this month was a TenTec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 feet. The last few times I used this rig I didn't make any contacts so I re-aligned it. My efforts paid off as I was able to work each station I heard. Unfortunately, the 40m band conditions here weren't that great. Thanks to everyone that heard me and thanks to the organizers. Hope to CU in the NAQP and next month during the SP.
K4BAI
20M was open at the start, but no one answered my CQs on that band and the two stations I could hear, K6DGW and NU7T couldn't hear me calling them. After ten minutes, I went to 40, which seemed OK, but activity was down. 19 QSOs on 40 . I could hear and work stations as close as TN. Best DX on 40 was K7TQ in ID and VE3MO. Best signal on 40 and 80 was WA9TZE, but Jim was chirpy. 80M was a pleasant surprise with 13 QSOs. Pretty good for August. Best DX on 80 was W2JEK in NJ and WB5BKL in TX. Rig: FT1000MP at 5W, WM-2 watt meter, 88' CF zepp, 40M dipole, 80M inverted vee dipole. Hope for more activity and therefore more fun next month. And hope to work you all in NAQP CW this Saturday.
W1PID
20 meters was long at the very beginning of the sprint. I worked K7TQ in ID, NU7T in NV, K6DGW in CA and W7OM in WA in the first ten minutes of the sprint. Periodically the band went dead. It went long in several waves during the next hour. I quit after about 40 minutes, but listened on an hour for another half hour. I ran the FT-817 and an OCF dipole. Thanks for all the QSOs.
N1VWD
I have been away for a while, good to be back, I had a good time. IC-703+ @ 5W into a Windom at about 35 feet.
N4UN
KX1 at 4 W into an OCF dipole at 25 feet. External AA battery pack, Palm mini paddle, and ear buds. Started off on 20m with no luck. Did hear K6DGW and NU7T, but they could not copy me. On to 40m for a few contacts, but lots of QSB. Stayed too long on 20 and 40 searching. On 80m there was lots of activity. Better luck here even with 4 watts; surprising to me. Thanks much to all.
WA4SQM
20M band was pretty quiet here. 40M was typically noisy with summertime static.
K6APW
Weak propagation. Heard several participants on 20 and 40 meters but almost buried by QRN.
N5GW
K1 with paddlette on battery to hb tuner and cfz. Too hot for outdoors (heat index 107).
W5ACM
Band conditions were not quite as reasonable for the sprint this month compared to July. The QSB on 20M was a bit difficult, but I got nine contacts before moving down to 40M. The ATS-3A continues to perform well. The two 200-maH LiPo's were charged after the July sprint and then again just before the start time for the August event, and held up with no problems, even with a fair amount of CQ ops. Unlike last month, the conditions on 40M were not as good as expected, but when I moved to 80M, I could only make one contact with K4BAI before the noise level got to me. It was an exciting Spartan Sprint! Three contacts were with stations running less than three Watts, including KI6J at one Watt and AE7CG and WA4SQM at two Watts. Nice!
W8YMO
Elecraft K3 near Cleveland, OH.
WA9TZE
5W to Kenwood TS-870 to a 3 el beam at 50 feet. Enjoyed getting back in the Sprints again. 20M, had 9 QSOs AND 6 states. And on 40m had 19 QSOs and 13 states. 80M had a lot of QRN due to approaching storms, but got 10 QSOs and 8 states. See you next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w with 40M EDZepp + 20m delta loop. Worked a few new (to me) calls and got WA9TZE on three bands. Though most of my Qs were on 20m, it seemed pretty tough to me. Had fun.
KD2MX
Got off to a quick start on 20M as the band was long. Worked NU7T, K7TQ, K5JHP & N5GW in quick succession. K6DGW was very loud here but he didn't have a clue that I was there. Tried for a good while to work him and then the band dropped out. Nothing heard on 40M. Tried some CQs to no avail. Just used my FT-897 @5watts into the home big loop.
AE4TC
This was a challenging sprint for me. I felt like my ears were going to bleed at the end of it. 5 QSO's on 20m the best dx was W7OM in Wa. 2 QSO's on 40m and had to break out the ZM2 tuner for 80m were I was able to make 5 more QSO's. Total QSO's 12 running a FT817 @ 5w into a ground mounted vertical with 40 radials.
K4ORD
Made 5 QSOs on 20M best DW was WA, 10 on 40M and 10 on 80M. The QRN was low on 80M for a change. Near the end on 40M the QRM was very bad from digital signals or whatever it was. Rig was K2 @ 5W ANTs were 160M and 40M dipoles and 20M wire vee. Thanks to all for the qso's, CU next month.
WA8HSB
Business travel took me and my KX-1 & Buddistick to Umatilla, OR this month. Operated from McNary Beach overlooking the Columbia River just upriver from McNary Dam. Nice view and weather! It was interesting operating from the NW. Had 4 Qs on 20m and 2 Qs on 40m. Heard a couple of East Coast stations on 20m; W1PID and one from ME but, signals weren't strong enough to make a go.
I'm tubby, K2+SLA battery on our deck. 9 on 20, 4 on 40, had to QRT about 30min early.
K5JHP
Boy the bands were in terrible shape. Must have been the solar event of several days ago. Looking fwd to next month, without the solar activity.
KØNWT
FT-450AT at home in the AC into a g5rv running 5 watts. Lots of noise tonight, but still fun! Good to hear John K4BAI again. ThankS!
KB1PBA
Very bad QRM on 40m.
K6CSL
Beginning 20 was lively but very noisey. K7TQ had a big, big signal on 40. CU all again next month. Bert, K6CSL PS: My station is Tubby, but runs 5W.
WA5BUC
Good to work K4BAI, K5JHP, W4VAB, N4UN, WA9TZE, N5GW, & NQ2W. Also heard K5GQ but couldn't connect. Let's see what September brings.
AE7CG
Worked Andy, W5ACM in Houston, TX and Gene, N5GW in Vicksburg, MS. So nice that QRP operators listen for QRP signals!
NQ2W
Rig used this month was a TenTec 1340 to an inverted vee at 40 feet. The last few times I used this rig I didn't make any contacts so I re-aligned it. My efforts paid off as I was able to work each station I heard. Unfortunately, the 40m band conditions here weren't that great. Thanks to everyone that heard me and thanks to the organizers. Hope to CU in the NAQP and next month during the SP.
K4BAI
20M was open at the start, but no one answered my CQs on that band and the two stations I could hear, K6DGW and NU7T couldn't hear me calling them. After ten minutes, I went to 40, which seemed OK, but activity was down. 19 QSOs on 40 . I could hear and work stations as close as TN. Best DX on 40 was K7TQ in ID and VE3MO. Best signal on 40 and 80 was WA9TZE, but Jim was chirpy. 80M was a pleasant surprise with 13 QSOs. Pretty good for August. Best DX on 80 was W2JEK in NJ and WB5BKL in TX. Rig: FT1000MP at 5W, WM-2 watt meter, 88' CF zepp, 40M dipole, 80M inverted vee dipole. Hope for more activity and therefore more fun next month. And hope to work you all in NAQP CW this Saturday.
W1PID
20 meters was long at the very beginning of the sprint. I worked K7TQ in ID, NU7T in NV, K6DGW in CA and W7OM in WA in the first ten minutes of the sprint. Periodically the band went dead. It went long in several waves during the next hour. I quit after about 40 minutes, but listened on an hour for another half hour. I ran the FT-817 and an OCF dipole. Thanks for all the QSOs.
N1VWD
I have been away for a while, good to be back, I had a good time. IC-703+ @ 5W into a Windom at about 35 feet.
N4UN
KX1 at 4 W into an OCF dipole at 25 feet. External AA battery pack, Palm mini paddle, and ear buds. Started off on 20m with no luck. Did hear K6DGW and NU7T, but they could not copy me. On to 40m for a few contacts, but lots of QSB. Stayed too long on 20 and 40 searching. On 80m there was lots of activity. Better luck here even with 4 watts; surprising to me. Thanks much to all.
WA4SQM
20M band was pretty quiet here. 40M was typically noisy with summertime static.
K6APW
Weak propagation. Heard several participants on 20 and 40 meters but almost buried by QRN.
N5GW
K1 with paddlette on battery to hb tuner and cfz. Too hot for outdoors (heat index 107).
W5ACM
Band conditions were not quite as reasonable for the sprint this month compared to July. The QSB on 20M was a bit difficult, but I got nine contacts before moving down to 40M. The ATS-3A continues to perform well. The two 200-maH LiPo's were charged after the July sprint and then again just before the start time for the August event, and held up with no problems, even with a fair amount of CQ ops. Unlike last month, the conditions on 40M were not as good as expected, but when I moved to 80M, I could only make one contact with K4BAI before the noise level got to me. It was an exciting Spartan Sprint! Three contacts were with stations running less than three Watts, including KI6J at one Watt and AE7CG and WA4SQM at two Watts. Nice!
W8YMO
Elecraft K3 near Cleveland, OH.
WA9TZE
5W to Kenwood TS-870 to a 3 el beam at 50 feet. Enjoyed getting back in the Sprints again. 20M, had 9 QSOs AND 6 states. And on 40m had 19 QSOs and 13 states. 80M had a lot of QRN due to approaching storms, but got 10 QSOs and 8 states. See you next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5w with 40M EDZepp + 20m delta loop. Worked a few new (to me) calls and got WA9TZE on three bands. Though most of my Qs were on 20m, it seemed pretty tough to me. Had fun.
KD2MX
Got off to a quick start on 20M as the band was long. Worked NU7T, K7TQ, K5JHP & N5GW in quick succession. K6DGW was very loud here but he didn't have a clue that I was there. Tried for a good while to work him and then the band dropped out. Nothing heard on 40M. Tried some CQs to no avail. Just used my FT-897 @5watts into the home big loop.
AE4TC
This was a challenging sprint for me. I felt like my ears were going to bleed at the end of it. 5 QSO's on 20m the best dx was W7OM in Wa. 2 QSO's on 40m and had to break out the ZM2 tuner for 80m were I was able to make 5 more QSO's. Total QSO's 12 running a FT817 @ 5w into a ground mounted vertical with 40 radials.
K4ORD
Made 5 QSOs on 20M best DW was WA, 10 on 40M and 10 on 80M. The QRN was low on 80M for a change. Near the end on 40M the QRM was very bad from digital signals or whatever it was. Rig was K2 @ 5W ANTs were 160M and 40M dipoles and 20M wire vee. Thanks to all for the qso's, CU next month.
WA8HSB
Business travel took me and my KX-1 & Buddistick to Umatilla, OR this month. Operated from McNary Beach overlooking the Columbia River just upriver from McNary Dam. Nice view and weather! It was interesting operating from the NW. Had 4 Qs on 20m and 2 Qs on 40m. Heard a couple of East Coast stations on 20m; W1PID and one from ME but, signals weren't strong enough to make a go.
Friday, July 9, 2010
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