Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Results: December 2015 ARS Spartan Sprint


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Monday, December 28, 2015

Soapbox: December 2015 ARS Spartan Sprint

NK6A
The A index was 26.  Conditions were dismal here in Southern California. I tried 20M on a lark and that was dead. Next I tried 40, I saw no signals on my P3. I kept tuning and watching when finally I heard a few very weak ESP-type signals. Dave, AB9CA, has great ears.  John, K4BAI, also has great ears. I was surprised that I was heard.  Four contacts and four different states.  All in the South.  MS, TX, GA and AL. Where was everyone?  I called it quits at 03:30Z.

K1QO
Conditions were a bit strange!  The best signal award (besides neighbor N1IX who lives a half mile away) goes to N5GW I didn't expect to hear MS coming through like gangbusters ... cool, and second place goes to AB9CA ... nice signal Dave!!!  Always a thrill to get "BAI" on multi bands I was so glad to get John on 40 and 80!  Good to hear WA1CZQ/1, friend and glue for NEQRP club!  I listened hard for local NH QRP'ers on 80 when I called but I didn't get any takers ... I'll try again next month. Thanks neighbor N1IX for triple bander and thanks to K3RLL for the contact on 40!  See everyone next month and happy holidays to all! 72/88 de Ann

K3RLL
Once again, 20 meters was as empty as my wallet but action slowly started to build again this evening on 40m. Despite the fair propagation numbers published today, signals sounded weak this evening with a couple of notable exceptions: K2YGM and N9WAY. Thanks to all for the contacts and for those whose efforts make this monthly event possible.

NQ2W
K1 at 5 W to a 2-element mini-beam at 25 ft for 10, 15, and 20 meters, an inverted V at 40 ft for 40 m, and a homebrewed, near-bottom loaded, ground mounted vertical for 80 m. Not much activity for this sprint ... low participation or less than optimal conditions...maybe both. K4BAI accounted for half of my contacts and my only QSOs on 20 and 80. Thanks to AB9CA, K3RLL, and N5GW for getting me in their logs. Have a great holiday season and I hope to hear a lot of SPers in 2016.  72, Will

N1IX
Great conditions on 40M for the first 10 minutes then they deteriorated rapidly. John, K4BAI was very loud, stronger than I’ve heard him in a long time. It was great to work Jim, W1PID on 80M and work my neighbor Ann, K1QO on 3 bands. Sorry I missed you Carl, WA1ZCQ/1 but great to hear you in the Sprint. Overall participation in this sprint seemed very low but that may have been the poor conditions. Also, we have a new Randy, KCØCCR in KS called me. Hope you all have a great holiday. See you in the sprints next year. 72 Dave – N1IX

N5GW
I was running the KX3 at 3 watts with internal ATU and internal batteries to the CFZ. On 40M the antenna was loaded like a center fed dipole, and on 80M like a "T" vertical with metal porch roof ground. I listened on 20M at first but heard nothing. 40M was the main band with 19 Q's. Only 5 Q's on 80M. It is interesting why one of the two bands (40 or 80) will be the best on a given date this time of year.

K4BAI
FT1000MP, 52, TH6DXX, dipole, inverted vee, zepp.  20M was open to New England, NY and TX at the start, but only two QSOs made there. 40M was pretty good all over with 14 QSOs from CA to MN to NH and ON.  Heard and called several stations who could not hear me. Skip was too long for near by QSOs. 80M was also good with 9 QSOs form TX to MN to NH and as close as AL.  Thanks for all QSOs.  Hope we can have more activity next month. 73/72, John, K4BAI

W5ACM
The December 2015 Spartan Sprint was noisy at my QTH, but not impossible. I found no stations on 20M, so went directly to 40M since I missed the first 30 minutes of the event. Work got in the way… There were a few stations on 40M, but the bulk of my operation ended up on 80M, with an interesting exception. While tuning to 7040 from 7030 (power-on default for the ATS 3a), I ran across VP5/W5CW on 7033. No pileup and reasonable conditions between Turks and Caicos and Houston, so I got that one in the log. From my location, the strongest signal of the night was WB5BKL on 80M. Nick was booming in. The antenna continues to be my antique 14AVQ vertical and power out was a maximum of 3W. The 170 mAh LiPo’s are certainly puffing up, but I will keep running them until they blow! C U in 2016 es 72 de Andy W5ACM (Houston, TX)

W5QLF
I made only two contacts and these were both on 40 meters. Twenty was dead to me. Thank you Gene, N5GW and Charles, AB9CA   I could copy other stations but the QSB took out critical characters voiding  valid contacts. The rig is a FlexRadio 6300 using a Butternut HF-9V vertical over 60 radials. It is very disheartening to see a CW trace on the waterfall but not be able to copy the audio.

N5EM
Nobody heard on 20M. Went straight to 40M.  Worked 3 there, and WB5BKL on 80M using my R7 (40 - 10). I have to get that 80M loop up before January!

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double 
Zepp.  Only 14 Qs and 8 states split between 40 and 80M.  Heard a couple of below ESP signals that I could not pull out of the mud - though both bands were unusually quiet here. Sorry about that. Only one contact in the last 30 minutes.  Best signals:  40M - K4BAI, 80M - AB9CA. Let's all hope for better propagation _and_ more participation next year. Happy Holidays to all and see you in 2016! Had fun.

WB8LZG
Hello sprinters, here's my SP Log. RAN HEAVY USING THE BIG RIG TURNED DOWN TO 5W. 30+ LBS. 73 Gregg

Monday, November 16, 2015

RESULTS: November 2015 Spartan Sprint


For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard.

SOAPBOX: November 2015 Spartan Sprint

W5QLF
Very Spartan tonight.  Worked N4BP in Florida, NK0E in Colorado and W5HNS about 5 miles away all on 40 meters.  Twenty was totally dead. That’s it!  Phooey.

NKØE

Happy to be on the air again after a year hiatus due to selling a house, buying another, and moving. Ran the KX3 at 5W into a half-size G5RV. Didn't hear a ton of signals but happy to work the usual suspects. Thanks all!

K3RLL
Back in warmer FL for the winter and living again under the tyranny of antenna restrictions, but my highly compromised stealth antenna managed to find eight great Spartan Sprinters out there tonight on 40 meters.  Didn’t hear a peep on 20m again tonight, even though the propagation numbers looked okay.  Hot spots into FL this evening were TX and MD. Anyhow, thanks for the fun and appreciate each one of my pleasant eight contacts this evening. 72 de K3RLL

N9WAY

Still new to Spartan Sprints.  Sat on my deck with an HB-1B, a gel cell, and a small homebrew paddle.  Antenna is a 40m OCF dipole. Thanks for all the returned calls - another fun sprint.

W3KC
Contacts were sparse on 40 and 80 and nothing was heard on 20.
Rig was the venerable IC703 (5 watts) to a 90 ft doublet via a homebrew link tuner. 72 Chas W3KC

NC4RT
20 meters was problematic again.  I switched over to 20 a few times, and called CQ a bit but heard no activity.  After about an hour of calling CQ and making only 3 qsos on 40m, I returned to the Panthers game ;-).  My rig:  K1, LiPo battery with diodes to drop the voltage, ear buds, Vizkey:  1,426 grams.
72 de NC4RT

NQ2W
K1 at 5 W to a 2-element mini-beam at 25 ft for 10, 15, and 20 meters, an inverted V at 40 ft for 40 m, and a homebrewed, near-bottom loaded, ground mounted vertical for 80 m. Nothing happening on 20 meters. 12 QSOs on 40 but there was quite a bit of QSB and sometimes, digital QRM. I received a lot of RBN spots on 80 but only 1 reply to my CQs. Looking forward to next month's SP. 72, Will

W5HNS
An all 40 meter sprint for me this month.  Heard very few signals but those stations were working folks I could not hear.  So I knew there was more activity.  My antenna for this event was an end fed 40/20 strung as an inv vee with apex at about 25 feet. Henry W5HNS

W1PID
2 QSOs on 40 meters. Operated just a few minutes. Not much activity.

AH6AX
This was my first Spartan sprint; I’m new QRP op.  Enjoying the new challenge.  I managed to find 5 SP stations – but only played for an hour.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp.  Well, that was better than last month - but not by much. I apologize to those stations I could not pull out of the noise. Though I operated the whole time, all of my QSOs except one were in the first hour. Several regulars were missing from my log.  Best signals:  40M - NK0E, 80M - AB9CA (and Dave was my only QSO on 80).  I sincerely hope you did better than I did.  Happy Thanksgiving to all and see you in December. Had fun.

W5ACM
The November 2015 Spartan Sprint was noisy at my QTH, but not quite as BAD as October! In fact it was greatly improved, although I found no stations on 20M. There were a few stations on 40M, like W4VHH and NQ2W. A quick look at 80M found N5GW, and then back to 40M. NC4R and N9WAY finished that band for me. Back down on 80M found a strong AB9CA over in Alabama for contact number 6 on the night. The antenna continues to be my antique 14AVQ vertical and power out was a maximum of 3W. I had to do a few minor repairs on the ATS 3a prior to the event, and noted that the LiPo’s are certainly puffing up, but it all worked! C U in December es 72 de Andy W5ACM (Houston, TX)

N5EM
Conditions seemed OK on 40.  Heard no QRP stations on 20M. Worked two on 40M  with the dipole lying on the roof after storm took down a tree branch.  Lost the 80M antenna (such as it was) completely.  Got to be better in December!  Usually run the KX3 at 3W but all the way to 5W this time! 72, Ed - N5EM

AB1AV

Used my newest portable Tx/Rx... Advantages: built-in key & tuner to save weight & clutter.  Disadvantages: xtal-controlled Tx limits flexibility; regen Rx hears many stations at once; oak enclosure and 300v power-supply add to the weight!  But I had fun with the Paraset making one contact each on 40 & 80 meters.

N5GW
2 watts - K1 on 800 mAh LiPO at 2W to CFZ. 20M was dead at this QTH. 40M in fair shape except sprinters few and far between. Very little heard on 80M. Don't know how much was band condx vs. poor participation.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Scoreboard: ARS October 2015 Spartan Sprint

For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard

Soapbox: ARS October 2015 Spartan Sprint

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 20M delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. (Tap-tap-tap...  "Is this thing on?") This may be my worst score ever. Spartan Sprinters I could find were mostly at the noise level here in the Texas hill country.  NQ2W found me - but I lost Will in the noise.  We did connect successfully later. I heard a consistently strong NC4RT calling most of the evening (with few takers), but not much else.  7 QSOs and 7 states. Best signals:  20M - K7TQ, 40M - NC4RT, 80M - K4BAI (and John was my only QSO on 80).  I sincerely hope you did better than I did.  Looking forward to a better November sprint. Had fun.

K3RLL
A terrible dark cloud of invisible RF-blocking dust must have descended upon little Redbank Valley PA for the October Spartan Sprint as nobody was heard on 20m and only managed four contacts on 40m – and I feel very fortunate for the patience of those four ops. Thank you. Maybe conditions will be better next month back in FL. (It’s getting cold up here!)

NØTA
Super slow in Colorado - quit after the first hour with 1 Q on 20, and 6 on 40. Testing MTR 5B, which appears to work just fine. John, N0TA.

N9WAY
All but one contact on the noisy 40m band.  QRP is always amazing.

N5BGZ
Well I made two contacts.  The bands were very noisy here in North Texas, but I managed to contact one on 20 and one on 40.  I heard  in the sprint.  But it was a nice (although cool) evening in the yard at the picnic table.

K4BAI

Started on 20. Could hear K7TQ, but Randy couldn't hear me calling. Went to 40 and W7OM called and suggested we QSY to 20, so I did. Didn't hear W7OM on 20, but called and worked K7TQ and NQ2W. Heard KK4BNC working NQ2W, but he didn't answer my CQs.  NK6A as calling CQ, but Don couldn't hear me calling him. Back to 40 where there was very little activity. In next 50 minutes, worked WA8MTI, NQ2W, K2YGM, N0TA (on 7033), K3RLL, N9WAY, and AD0HQ all with good signals. Then to 80 for K2YGM with a good signal.  Since no one else was calling, I went to 3549 kHz and was NCS for the late GA State Net (GSN) and had a short chat with my college roommate from 55 years ago, K4QPL.  Then back to 5W on 80 and worked N4SX and WB5BKL. Tried to QSY to 40 with WB5BKL, but no signals from him on that band. Back to 80 for the end with a QSO with W5ACM. Conditions weren't too good, but we could surely use some more activity next month!  73/72, John, K4BAI.

NC4RT
I made 0.00 qsos on 20 meters.  I tried calling CQ several times during the Sprint on 20, but never heard anyone, and never heard a reply.  Apologies to Don NK6A: my key chose the moment of your call to me to gunk up.  It took 5 minutes and some Flitz to put it back in service.  Your signal was good and strong here; I was sorry to lose you ;-) I made a total of 6 QSOs:  4 to TX, 1 each to WA and WI. I made 2 QSOs during the 1st hour, 4 during the 2nd hour.  Maybe next month!

K7TQ
A tough night for 1 W on 20 m only.  I was trying to add to my worked 30 states total with 1 Watt. Band was good for about 1/2 hour and open for another 1/2 hour, but by then most had moved to 40m. Thanks to all who stopped by. Catch you all next month.

NQ2W
K1 at 5 W to a 2-element mini-beam at 25 ft for 10, 15, and 20 meters, an inverted V at 40 ft for 40 m, and a homebrewed, near-bottom loaded, ground mounted vertical for 80 m. Conditions weren't that great and I think activity was down...Two banders with K4BAI and KK4BNC. I had the best RBN spots on 80 but had no contacts there...I think I heard K4BAI but he was way down in the QRN. Tnx for the Qs and hope to hear you all next month, hopefully, with better conditions. 72, Will

Friday, September 11, 2015

Results: September 2015 Spartan Sprint




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