SCOREBOARD: February 2022 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: February 2022 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
QRZ.Com showed very promising conditions but they must not be collecting data from my little corner of Florida tonight.  Signals were weak here, and RBN said so was mine even with my wet string HOA antenna. Thanks for those skilled and patient ops who heard me and the dedicated sponsor (KI6SN) of this fun event. Best signal tonight was W5QLF.  72/73 ... Don

AB9CA/7

Used the IC 7200 at 5w and a 28 foot vertical. If you heard me calling and answered, and I seemed to be deaf, you probably have a point. I am staying in an RV park and all new RVs have an unfiltered switch mode power supply to provide 12 V. There is lots of noise here. I apologize if I couldn't pull you out, but just too much noise. Thanks to the 10 that I was able to hear. All on 40. Tried 20 but nothing there. I will probably still be here next month, so do your best to be loud!  73 de dave, ab9ca/7

NØTA
10 on 40m, and 7 on 80m. Thanks for the Qs. QCX+, 5w on 40m, and QCX Mini, 5w on 80m. Doublet antenna at 30 ft, GenLog. - 73, John, NØTA

WVØH
Well, this was a pretty fun evening and seems the bands were in decent shape from Colorado this evening. I worked 10 sprinters, 9 of them on 40 and 1 repeat (WB9HFK on 80). I was using my MTR-4Bv2. I had a ragchew in the first hour with Dennis, KK6QON on 40 and that was enjoyable. My best DX was probably VA. Had a couple of locals. Thanks again for putting this all together each month. I do appreciate it. 72, WVØH, Myron

K4BAI
40M was long, but in good condition otherwise.  6 QSOs on 40. 80M was quite good and had 8 QSOs there. Best DX on each band was John, N0TA, in CO.   Also good signals from NY (NQ2W), MN (NØAR), VA, AL, GA, IL, IN and TX.  Thanks for all QSOs and hope to work you all QRP next month.  Heard W1PID calling K4PQC on 80M but he didn't call me. 73/72, John, K4BAI

N8HWV
Unfortunately didn’t lose weight over the month; Darn New Year’s Revolutions. 80 m was in great shape. Heard everyone quite easily through the minor QSB. Happy with five QSOs given my 25 minute operating time. Nate, N8HWV

NQ2W
Started out on 20m but heard no one and no one answered my CQs. I did get a few spots. 40m provided for 8 QSOs from CO, TX (2), FL, GA, IL, IN, and MI. 80m provided for 9 QSOs from CO, TX, GA (2), VA, IL, IN, and WI (2). Two banders with NØTA, K4BAI, WB9HFK, and WA9TGT. W5QLF was loud on 40m. WB9HFK took that honor on 80m. I have been snowshoeing through the woods around the house shooting lines up in some trees for a new 40m antenna. Hopefully, I'll have that done for next month and my 40m signal will be improved. Thank you for the Qs and the opportunity to participate. Looking forward to next month. 72, Will, NQ2W

NØAR
Only heard sprint activity on 40 tonight. Ran the Kwd 590 and 43’ vertical with a couple of Rx loops. Worked everyone I heard. Tuff conditions up here. Fun to log a few familiar calls! 73 Scott,near St.Paul

AA9RK
40 meters didn't work out, but 80 was surprisingly good from Wisconsin.  My station isn't quite slimmed down for minimum weight yet.  Tonight I used a Ten Tec Argo 556 and CW Morse travel paddles, along with my usual home antenna tuner and power supply.  I put 4 watts into a short doublet up about 15 feet.  Thanks for the contacts, all.

WA9TGT
All my contacts were made on 80 & 40 meters. Both bands seemed quieter this month making the contest more pleasurable. I was using a KX2 at 5w, 135’ EFHW Antenna. Kinda seemed like there were more participants in the Sprint this month. – Donnie / WA9TGT

WB9HFK
Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W. Antenna: 40M Hustler 6BTV Vertical with 60 Radials.  80M End Fed 150 Ft. Wire. Weight: 30 Lbs

K4PQC
Before the Sprint I didn't hear many stations on 40 meters so I knew that I would just operate 80 with less weight for the extra band filters. The weather here in N. Georgia was cool and fairly clear and  80 meters was quiet with occasional static crashes. The loudest station I worked was John - K4BAI a little over 125 miles away.  All the rest of the OSOs were almost DX:  MN, IL, VA,  NY, TX, WI CO surprising that I didn't hear anyone from the surrounding. A slow start for the first half hour with only two contacts then the signals starting appearing when calling CQ. There were 2 stations that called and I couldn't get their call signs because of either static crashes or QRM or else my score would be higher. My passband is only about 300 Hz and if I turn on the wide band it is about 3 KHz of double side band which is fine if there aren't any adjacent signals. Using the narrow passband, it is almost impossible to hear stations that are only a few hundred Hz away. The rig is a lightened Steve Weber - KD1JV AT SPRINT III.  Homemade paddles and lightened ear bud. I use a 300 mah LiPo battery. It weighs in at 57.5 grams. 72 to all and thanks for the QSOs. Hope to work you on the SP next month, Phil

N9OHW
2 QSOs on 40m, NØTA and AB9CA/7, both strong here into the SF Bay Area.  No other sprinters heard on 40m by the time I got on. I further lightened my station to 8.2 Oz. by using the new N6ARA TinyPaddle. MTR-3B with an old 9V battery for 1 Watt output. Antenna was a Buddipole tuned to 1:1 with the loading coils, no tuner needed. Got a late start, so many sprinters were probably on 80m. for most of my operating time. Looking forward to the coming months when higher bands will be open during the sprint.  73, Mike N9OHW

W9TCR
Only one contact but a lot of fun with the $12, half watt S-Pixie, $12 worth of lipo batteries, wire antenna and contact between FL and IN. Pixie xtals are 7.024 Mhz, in the wrong part of the band for my 12 wpm. Got new xtals coming will be better set for next month.  Thanks for putting this on. 73, Tim

W4NLT
That was ugly. Noise levels made things difficult. Couple of QSOs on 40M then had to shift to 80M where I snagged some of the usual suspects. Higher bands dead. Got Mark WB9HFK on both bands. K4PQC had good sig with 2W. 72. Chasing Foxes next.

KI6SN
Extremely high noise level in SoCal doomed any chance for Spartan Sprint contacts. No other Sprinters were heard, but it was great fun listening into the noise for the slightest whisper of CW. Fingers crossed for better condx in March. Hope to see everyone next then. 73, Richard, KI6SN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCOREBOARD: January 2022 Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: January 2022 Spartan Sprint

NA5N

Only worked 5: WB5BKL and WB8ZBT on both 40 and 80M, and K9DRP once on 40M. Hardly even heard much other activity - not even John K4BAI. Heard neighbor and friend Mike KD5KC in El Paso briefly on 80M, but no luck. January is the annual SKCC Straight Key Month to work the host of special K3Y stations. This is a big deal trying to get a clean sweep of worldwide K3Y stations. I've heard some of our QRP friends working the K3Y stations. So between SKCC and the holidays, should have more activity next month. Did I mention band conditions were also awful?

K3RLL

Pretty wicked QSB tonight on 40m, but nice level of activity. Thanks for the contacts.  72/73 ... Don

AA9RK

Band conditions were miserable here.  I hope we get some propagation next month.

WVØH

Thanks again for a fun evening. I worked 2 guys on 40m with a weight of 0.680 pounds. - WVØH Myron

K4BAI

20M dead at the start. 40M OK for 7 QSOs from FL to IL to CA. 80M OK for QSOs from NY to IL to TX. Thanks for all QSOs and Happy New Year to all. 73/72, John, K4BAI.

N8HWV

FTDX-1200@5W. EFHW@15ft, home QTH. First timer for the Spartan Sprint. Will lose some weight for the next try. 73, Nate

KD5KC

It’s been a while.  I just retired a couple of months ago.  I decided I would make the Spartan Sprint for Jan-2022.  I went and dug out my record-holding Spartan Sprint radio (see July 2014 scores).  Several years ago my Great Dane stepped on it.  I had finally repaired it, but all three batteries were dead-dead-dead.  RATZ!  So I cranked down the home station to 5-watts.  Better to get on as a tubby than not at all. Heard some weak activity on 20m, but no contacts after 30 minutes of tuning and calling CQ.  Jumped to 40m and worked WB9HFK in IL, WB5BKL in TX, WA8ZBT in TX, and K9DRP in IL.  Called CQ for about 10 minutes with no further luck.  Jumped to 80m, and worked WA8ZBT in TX again, K9DRP in IL again, caught K4BAI in GA, and WB5BKL in TX again.  Spent the last 20 minutes between 40m and 80m calling CQ with no luck. Really nice to hear some old friends again.  Hey guys, like Arnold says . . . I’m BACK !  I’ve been eying my Spartan Sprint radio some more. Now that I’m retired, I need to get new batteries for it, and I think I can shave the weight down a little more. Last time I weighed it, it was 0.1157 pounds according to my gun powder scale, which is good to 1/70,000th of a pound (1/10th grain). Can I get it down to 0.1000 pounds?  Gunna try.  Stay tuned for Feb-2022. - Vy73  –  Mike  –  KD5KC – WRFF851 –  El Paso – Texas  –  DM6

K9DRP

12 contacts, 1.7 lbs. station weight. Took my rig (HB-1B), cans, cootie, and battery pack to the Post Office today for an official weighing.  Logged 6 contacts on 40, and 6 on 80. Half of my QSOs were from Texas again. Also got Paul, NA5N from NM. WB5BKL made a near impossible exchange with my 3 watt station, but I worked him, K4BAI, WA8ZBT, and KD5KC on both bands. Thanks for the fun! 72, Don, K9DRP

NQ2W

Patience...1 QSO on 20m, 2 on 40m, and 5 on 80m. The first 4 came within the first half-hour of the sprint, the last 4 came within the last half-hour of the sprint. That's a lot of calling and tuning with no results for the middle hour. 20m could have supported more QSOs...I was spotted on RBN around the 0300Z hour. 40m continues to puzzle me but I do have a new antenna planned. 80m has been the "go to" band. Had a two-bander (40 & 80) with WB9HFK, tu, Mark. Thanks to all for the Qs and the opportunity. I appreciate your patience and perseverance. Happy New Year! 72, WIll, NQ2W

NK6A

What happend to all the people? I was trying my new radio and watching the band scope and only found 2 stations on 40M calling CQ. Thank You  Nick, WB5BKL and John, K4BAI. I saw no other activity on my scope.  After 1 Hr and 15 min and had enough and bailed.

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp or a 40M dipole. 8 states this time. Best signals: 20M - NQ2W, 40 and 80M - WA8ZBT. Heard but not worked: AB9CA & W5QLF. Doubles with K4BAI, WA8ZBT, NA5N, K9DRP, KD5KC. Terrible noise problem on 80M might be local. Gave up after about 90 minutes. Had fun.

K3JZD

Conditions have been better. My four contacts were on 40m. Calling CQ on 80m did not stir up any activity there. KX3 with a 18650 LiIon battery pack and Whiterook key. 73 - Jody - K3JZD

WA9TGT

I was using my RS-918, 6800ma Lithium-ion battery, Antenna 40~10 Mtr EFHW wire. All contacts were made using 2 watts RF out on 40 meters. My 5 contacts were made within the first hour of the contest. Just couldn’t seem to get anymore the second hour. Donnie / WA9TGT

RESULTS: December 2021 ARS Spartan Sprint

 

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SOAPBOX: December 2021 ARS Spartan Sprint

 NA5N

RIG: Ten Tec Scout at 5W, no tuner (5 lb.)
KEY: 1938 McElroy bug (8 lb.)
TOTAL WEIGHT: 13 lbs.
QSOs: 3 (40M) K4BAI, K9DRP, N9OHW

Heard a few others on 40M, but they couldn't hear me. Running S5-6 noise here for some reason. Couldn't raise anyone on 80M. 72, Paul NA5N (Editor's note: The Adventure Radio Society is a staunch supporter of NA5N's annual Zombie Shuffle. Details: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/ZOMBIE/pg.htm )

K3RLL

Signals were weak tonight on 40m but at least the noise level seemed almost absent.  Hmm, did I hook up my antenna? RBN spots were weak too.  Yes, I'm sure I reconnected my wet string HOA antenna. Nice mix of long time radio friends and some new good ops this evening. Sure made for a nice hour on the December Spartan Sprint - 72, Don, K3RLL

WO9B

This is my first SP entry.  I have played in the event several times, but never sent in an entry.  Feels good to finally complete the paperwork.  We operate a small net on Monday nights at 8:00 PM local time called the Slow Speed QSO Net.  It is intended to encourage CW operations for those that are a bit on the rusty side.  We have used the Spartan Sprint as a way to give them experience with a CW contest format.  So if the entrants have seen WI entrants more than usual, that might be the reason.  Regardless, I've enjoyed the event and look forward to the first Monday every month. Vy 72, MJ, WO9B

K4BAI

Operated about 1 hour and 20 mins.  No signals on 20M. 40M was long and signals were weaker than usual. 80M wasn't long, but signals were weaker than usual. Made 6 QSOs on 40M and 6 QSOs on 80M. Thanks for the QSOs.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

K9DRP

Bands were long tonight!  Hooked up the HB-1B for a lite weight station.  The mini key caused me some trouble; RBN listed me as K9DAEP a couple times!  Not a lot of activity this evening, but I was able to work both coasts. It helps when you and the calling station (NK6A) know what the other's exchange will be. Yet I couldn't get thru to my neighbor, WB9HFK. Gud to work some new calls tonight!  72, Don

K5MUG

Kx3 @ 5w into a ZS6BKW inverted Vee oriented N/S at 40 feet. My struggle this evening, so very special thanks to Dave/AB9CA, on/K9DRP, onnie/W9TGT, and Don/K3RLL for tonight's log. 20m was totally dead for the sprint on my end tonight - not really surprised. 40m was nothing to brag about, and it just died out after I worked Dave at 0256 UTC. In the next 15 minutes I heard four or five stations calling that were trying to get thru but couldn't pull them out. Thanks to all, take care and stay safe,  72, Cray / K5MUG / San Antonio, TX

NQ2W

This one was a challenge...Started on 20 meters, nothing. Only 1 completed QSO on 40 meters. WO9B and WA9TGT answered my CQ but I couldn't hear them after my exchange. After the Sprint, I did spot searches on fellow Spartan Sprinters on the RBN. From those searches, I have concluded that 40 meter propagation wasn't that great during the Sprint AND I have to make improvements in my 40 meter antenna system - the delta loops just aren't performing, as expected. My 40 meter RBN spots are fewer and weaker than other Spartan Sprinters - Excelsior! 80 meters was a little noisy but was good for 6 QSOs. I'm happy to say that I was able to put WO9B and WA9TGT in the log. Thank you all for the opportunity. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope to hear you in 2022, Will, NQ2W

WB5BKL

K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M extended double Zepp or a 40M dipole. 7 states this month. Best signals:  40M - WB1LLY, 80M - WB9HFK. Heard AA9RK but could never pull him out of the noise (S4 on 40M and S5 on 80). It seemed that every other contact was named 'Don'. Quit after Mark and Don on 80M. Had fun.

W4NLT

Only activity was on 80M although there was some propagation on 40M. Tried a few CQs there but no response. Good to see some of the usual suspects. - 72.

AB9CA

Slim pickin's. I'm out in AZ. Worked only 2, both in TX. Heard NK6A but did not complete. Maybe next month will be better. 73, Dave

KW4EE

This was my first attempt at operating QRP. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of stations that I heard. WB9HFK was the only station I heard calling CQ near the QRP frequencies on 80 meters. I also listened on 40 meters near 7030 and 7112 kHz. No on heard there. I tried calling CQ on 80 for about 10 minutes, but no call backs. I'll try another one, but this one was too quiet for me. 73, Kevin Alt

SCOREBOARD: November 2021 Spartan Sprint

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