Monday, December 12, 2016

RESULTS: December 2016 Spartan Sprint


For an enlarged view, please click on the scoreboard.

SOAPBOX: December 2016 Spartan Sprint

KB1M
5 watts to dipole at 30 ft. QSB seemed to be very deep, along with generally weak signals. I appreciate each QSO and those who tried to work my station. As always these sprints make for an enjoyable evening. 73/72, Walt

W1PID
Operated about 10 minutes. Nothing heard on 20M 2 QSOs on 40 meters. Nothing on 80 meters. Thanks to W3KC and W4VHH for the QSOs. 73 Jim W1PID

W5QLF
One contact on 40m and one on 80m.  Heard a couple of signals on 40m but not enough for a full call sign or a QSO. The December numbers are likely to be as puny as the November results. Very disheartening for QRP operations this winter. Station here in TX is a Butternut HF-9V vertical. That may explain why most signals are in the noise for me. 73, Joe W5QLF

K3RLL
Very few squeals in either the front 40 or the back 80 this evening. Missed AB9CA. Dave just couldn't hear me squealing. Thank goodness for KB1M in NH. He has 'saved my bacon' yet again! Thank you Walter. Thought maybe I had a local problem but saw reports coming in from Reverse Beacon Network.  Signal reports were something short of good but apparently signals were transmitting, just not enough listeners out there. Thanks for the fun. See you next month. Maybe propagation will be better to us then. 72, Don K3RLL

W3KC
Not many signals heard - the bands were marginal. Did contact W4VHH on two bands. Hoping for better conditions next time. 72, Chas W3KC

VE3DTI
I operated QRP from my shack (ICOM 703 at 5W and endfed 50+ Ft vertical wire w/ RT-100 tuner). Propagation was erratic with huge QSB: No “CQ SP” was heard in 20m. I made several calls at 14.060 MHz to no reply. I QSY to 40m with similar experience . . . Then all of a sudden I heard PJ2/KB7Q. Gene was not calling “CQ SP” from IOTA SA-099, but since our contact was “during Sprint”, I thought you might take it. ( Then for several minutes nothing again… until very faint, deep within the noise, I heard a “CQ SP” de AB9CA. We spent several minutes in the QSO. Much appreciated Charles! 73, de Jose VE3DTI/VA3PCJ

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp.  Only 3 states this time - but that was better than last month with 0 states (I forgot).  Maybe my worst score.  Conditions seemed 'fair' (one of the QSOs was with a 1W station), but not much activity. Best signals: 40M - W4VHH, 80M - AB9CA.  Heard Don (K3RLL) on 80 but could not attract his attention. The best of the season to all from Nick, Elizabeth and Bella the Boxer (BB). May 2017 bring us better propagation. Had fun.

W5ACM
Certainly not as bad as November! The ATS-3a was operating superbly with 3W out to the vertical, and my CW was better than usual thanks to some contact polishing prior to the event. Conditions on 40M were pretty good, but the coverage was sparse and there were few takers. Hoping for better in January, but glad that we had something better than the deplorable results of November! 72 de Andy W5ACM Houston, TX EL29eq

Thursday, November 17, 2016

RESULTS: November 2016 Spartan Sprint

Click here to see this month's scoreboard

SOAPBOX: November 2016 Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
For a while there, I thought Walter in NH and I had 40 meters all to ourselves this evening, but then heard Chas in MD. Well, that makes a grand total of . . . let’s see now . . . yes, TWO Contacts.  Many thanks to Walter and Chas and my apologies to anyone else out there in Radioland who may have called and I didn’t hear you.  Hope to hear and maybe work lots more of our group next month. Once this election is over, I’m sure the bands will improve. After all, aren’t they promising everything? 72, Don K3RLL

W3KC
Very slim pickings on election eve. IC703 (5w) to a 90 ft doublet via a homebrew link tuner on 40 and 80. 72 Chas W3KC

W5ACM
Some of the worst conditions EVER! 20M was dead. 40M didn’t sound much better. 80M was typical NOISE. Only the dedicated and few stuck it out for this one. My TWO contacts were with W3KC on 40M and the ever-present K4BAI on 80M. I heard K7TQ on 40M, but he could not hear me. The ATS-3a was operating superbly with 3W out to the vertical, and my CW even sounded good to me. Maybe we will get past this difficult time with the December Sprint. 72, de Andy W5ACM Houston, TX EL29eq

K4BAI
20M dead at the start.  40M very long at the start. Heard K7TQ, but Randy couldn't hear me callling him. Thought there should be a lot of activity on 80M, but that was not to be. W3KC just before 0300Z and W5ACM at about 5 minutes before the end.  Called CQ SP for about one hour and 15 minutes with only the two calls.  Took out time around 0300Z for the local CW traffic net and a QSO with my college roommate, K4QPL. Hope for better conditions and more activity next month.  73, John, K4BAI.

KB1M
Lonely night, only heard one other station (FL), luckily we were able to complete the QSO. I hope others had better propagation. 73 Walt

Saturday, October 8, 2016

RESULTS: October 2016 Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: 2016 October Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
I know I’m getting older but am concerned that conditions are not going to come back while I’m still around. (Sigh)  Many thanks to those skilled ops who pulled my call out of the noise on 40m & 80m tonight. 72/73 … Don

K4BAI
QSOs by band: 20M = 2; 40M = 17. 80M: 2. Only QSOs on 20 were in CA. 40M was good to W1/2/3/5 and 8. Both QSOs on 80M were in AL 1:45 minutes of operation. Thanks for all QSOs. Lowest power station worked was N3OO running 500mW. 73/72, John, K4BAI.

W3KC
Good to get in a few SP contacts after lapse. IC703 (5w) to a 90 ft doublet via a homebrew link tuner on 40 and 80. 72 Chas W3KC

KBØETU
Thanks to WA4ZOF & K4BAI for my first two contacts in years for the Spartan Sprint. Thought the bands were really noisy - hard to hear anyone. Nevertheless, a fun sprint. Hope to work more. 72, Phil

W5ACM
Not quite what I wanted, but it was fun! I had been listening to 20M earlier in the evening, and decided that it would be best to skip 20M and go straight to 40M for the event. What I found was certainly acceptable – very little QRN and a rift in the space continuum providing a pipeline to Georgia. Nearly half of all of my contacts were with stations in GA land. Everything else was random. I only managed one contact on 80M – K4BAI in Georgia… The ATS-3A was solid at 3W out for the two-hour period – no problems this month. Let’s hope for better 20M ops next time! 72 de Andy W5ACM Houston, TX EL29eq

AA4GA
Well...I thought about the Sprint on the way into work, and since it's been a while, decided I'd give it a go. I even gave the Sprint a little publicity on the NoGA QRP reflector. After an unfortunately long day at work I stopped at the store for groceries and a 9v lithium battery. No luck on the battery. Had a nice visit with Mrs. AA4GA, and we watched TV until about 9:15...but I figured a 15 minute late start wouldn't hurt much. Up in the shack, I put my rig together and discover that the power lead for my rig has a broken wire.  After an inordinate amount of time fixing that, I pulled out my old 9v Lithium, and sure enough, it's no good.  So, I dig in my SOTA bag for a small LiPO and come up with a little 950 mAH battery.  By the time I get it all put together and make my first contact, it's 9:47. I mostly CQ (I've got plenty of battery for it!) and plug away....by 10:28, I've made my last 40 meter QSO...so I QSY to 80 meters. I make one contact there and....that's it. Back to 40 for the last 10 minutes...I'd probably have had a better Skinny score if I'd never gone to 80. Oh well. All-in-all, lots of fun - I don't know why I don't work this more often than I do! Rig:  ATS-3b in Altoids tin, LiPO, Micro TeNeKe, cheap no-name earbuds to a 1/4 wave GP for 40 and 1/4 wave GP for 80. See you next time!

W5WIL
Heard K6EU on 20m but he couldn't hear my 1w. No other signals so moved to 40m and worked a few despite QSB. Back to 20m and worked NK6A. Back to 40m to finish the hour I had. Thanks to W4QO for diligence. MTR3 at 1w to 240' doublet. 73 ... Dennis

KB1M
Managed to work 4 states from N.H., Al., Ga., Tx., and Me., nobody was very strong, only one QSO on 20 mtrs, other six on 40. My thanks to the good ears that pulled my sigs out of noise. Hopefully there will be better conditions next month. 73/72 Walt KB1M

AB9CA
Unfortunately did not appear to be a lot of activity. Noise level was moderate. Ended up with 42 spots on RBN (mostly on 40) so condx seemed to be fair. Started on 20 and worked NK6A and K6EU in CA. Heard no one else. Went to 40 and worked a few. W5WIL was loud with his 1w from OK. Later worked another OK station, KV6Z, who was also loud. Must have had a good path from south AL to OK. Ended up with 11 on 40, 2 on 20, and 2 on 80. There were no 2 banders nor 3 banders. Most interesting Q of the evening was K0ZK, Arn, up in ME. He was right at ESP levels but very patient. Took a few repeats but we got it done. I did get lectured for 5 or 10 min by a guy from NC who said my QRP signal was so weak I would never be heard any anyone. I then proceeded to work OH NH TX TX NY MD OK and ME on that freq. Could have worked plenty more if there had been more activity. Thanks for the Q's and see everyone next month. 73 de dave, ab9ca/4

WB5BKL
K2 @ 5W to a 2-element 15M delta loop, a 20M wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. Back to using the re-aligned and updated K2. Quite a radio. Conditions have been uniformly poor here in central Texas recently. Worked Don (NK6A) on 15M then the band closed as if a switch was thrown. Only 9 S/P/Cs this time.  Best signals: 15M - NK6A, 20M - WA2FBN, 40M - K4KJP. My closest contact was Dave, AB9CA in AL. Had fun.

KB1M
Managed to work 4 states from N.H., Al., Ga., Tx., and Me., nobody was very strong, only one QSO on 20 mtrs, other six on 40. My thanks to the good ears that pulled my sigs out of noise. Hopefully there will be better conditions next month. 73/72 Walt KB1M


Friday, September 9, 2016

RESULTS: Sept. 2016 ARS Spartan Sprint

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SOAPBOX: Sept. 2016 ARS Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Nothing heard on 20m  this evening and feel very fortunate that some of our best ops were able to dig me out of the noise tonight to make a grand total of (let’s see, … add the first one to the second two, carry the last one) of FOUR contacts.  While our better ops strive and achieve ever higher scores, I think I’m working my way down the sunspot cycle. (SMILE)  72/37 … Don

K7TQ
I used my 1 Watter on 20 for the first 45 minutes. Six folks were able to work my 1 W in spite of what looked like poor solar numbers. Four were in TX, one in OK which was a two-way 1W, and one in IN.  Pretty good for 1 W from ID. Switched to the big rig and 5W, K3, for 40 m and made 14 Qs with several two band folks. Tried 80 m, but heard nothing.

K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W, zepp, inverted V. Only operated the second hour this month. QSOs by band: 40: 8; 80: 4. Hope for more activity next month.  15M was dead here. 20M was almost dead and no answers to CQs and no sprinters heard on that band this month. 40 and 80 were both OK.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

WJ9B
Contacts: 20m: WB5BKL, WB4BKR, WA8ZBT; 40m: NK6A, K4BAI, WA8ZBT, K7TQ, WB5BKL, AF7M. Total weight of Station (KX1, internal tuner, light headset) was 1.5 pounds. Total number of contacts during Sprint: 9. I used the KX1ON on an AC power supply at just under 5 watts output. No 80 meters on it! The antenna was an 80m inverted V fed with ladder line, the apex at about 90 feet. I'm sure I would do better with a regular dipole; precious loss in just 5 watts with the inverted V ends at about 30 feet, HI. I was surprised that John, K4BAI, could hear me as he was very weak compared to the August SP. I called CQ often with only two replies. Four stations calling CQ didn't hear my call: N7DQ/KL7, W5ACM, K5OPB, and K9QV. It was fun to work fellow Idaho station K7TQ, Randy. He sent an email to me right after SP was over. For a second straight month I would  say participation in SP is down compared to what I recall from an increasingly distant past! Why the low participation in SP when there seems to be a resurgence of straight keys and qrp? See you next month!  73, Will, WJ9B

AB9CA
Icom 7200 to 100' wire. Things were kinda slow. Maybe that was due to it being the Labor Day holiday? But could stick around for only about an hour. Had to do some other stuff. Came back once or twice and found a quick new one. Condx did not seem to be very good. Very little was heard on 20m. I had started an hour earlier with the MI Labor Day QRP Sprint and had worked no one on 20 even then. I did get more spots during the SP than during the MI event. Maybe the band improved as the evening went along? 40m seemed to be in pretty good shape but had quite a bit of QRN. Heard only K4BAI on 80. Band breakdown is 1/14/2 on 80/40/20. Don't think I had any 2-banders. Thanks for the Q's and see everyone next month. 73 de Dave, AB9CA/4

WB9BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 20 wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. Got the K3 back in service. 9 states this time - and all signals seemed relatively weak with deep QSB. Best signals:  20M - WJ9B, 40M - NK6A, 80M - WA8ZBT. Also worked a Cuban, but did not include him in the total. I worked several Spartan Sprinters in the CWOpen on Saturday. My thanks to all. Had fun.

W5WIL
Used an MTR-3 with a 9V battery regulated to 6V gave me 1W QRPp. Used the palm paddle and ear buds to keep the weight down. Setup in the yard with a portable 40M dipole at 15'. Only two contacts; K7TQ and AB9CA as I had some confusion with a competing sprint and 40M had bad QRN. 73 and Thanks, Dennis, W5WIL

W5ACM
Wow! That was a serious strain! Can the bands get any worse? Although both 170 mAh LiPo batts were topped off, the bands were very difficult. I called CQ on 20 and 40M with marginal results. Let’s hope for better results next month! 72 de Andy W5ACM Houston, TX EL29eq

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Results: August 2016 Spartan Sprint

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Soapbox: August 2016 Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Tough going here for August's SP. Don’t know whether everyone got stung by bees during the FOBB or band conditions just continue to wane on us. Anyhow, happy for the ten skilled ops able to pull me out of weak conditions this evening on 20m and 40m. Two bander Andy W5ACM and the lone big signal tonight was Walt KB1M.  Thanks to all and the full and entire staff sponsoring this fun monthly event.  72/73 … Don K3RLL

WJ9B

I worked K4BAI and W5ACM on 20m and 40m.  I worked WB5BKL on 20m, and he was my only contact on 80m.  N5GW (MS) had a good  559 signal on 40m running only two watts.  There was a net on 3560 khz so I searched around 3562 kHz where I found WB5BKL. This is my first Spartan Sprint in quite awhile, and first Sprint since moving from FL to ID in 2011.  I need to use my Elecraft KX1 (20m/40m only), purchased and built years ago for use in Spartan Sprint....complete with batteries and internal antenna tuner.  It is very light but only about 3 watts output.

K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W, TH6DXX, zepp.  Very little activity tonight. Maybe everybody was worn out from the FOBB on Sunday. QSOs by band: 20M: 7.  40M: 14.  No signals heard on 10 or 20 or 80. Called CQ SP on 80 for a long time and only heard static crashes. We had had rain and thunderstorms earlier in the evening.  20 and 40 seemed to be in pretty good condition, but lack of activity was a big problem. No QSOs in the last 43 minutes despite calling CQ constantly. Went to sleep in the chair and the computer  was still calling "CQ SP" after the period was over. No answers then either. Let's try for more activity next month. 73/72, John, K4BAI

N5GW

I was using the KX3 with internal bats and ATU to a CFZ. 20M yielded only a few mostly weak sigs. 40M was QRNish as to be expected in midsummer. I didn't try 80M. Participation seemed to be down again, with only a few regular ops around. Maybe FOBB wore everyone out.

K7TQ
I went back into the mountains east of Moscow, ID where I had done FOBB the day before.  Same rig, K2, and 20 m dipole at 40 feet between the pine trees plus a 20/40 m inverted Vee on a Jacklite pole. Not a lot of activity, but I did get four of the usual suspects, K4BAI, AB9CA, WB5BKL, and W5ACM on both 20 and 40. All the 20 m Qs were far to the east or TX as were the ones on 40. Bert, K6CSL, was loud from CA on 40, but I never did hear his exchange. 20 m was still open near the end, 0250Z, when I could hear K4BAI calling CQ. Catch you all next month.

NK6A

I once again used my MTR-5B  with 9V battery and palm pico paddle. My battery after 2 sprints is barely 8V and might be time to retire it. Operating 3 W down to 2 W.  6 states. Thanks everyone for having good ears.

KB1M

20 m died in first 30 minutes here in N.H., but was rewarded with my first QRP Ca  with NK6A. Not much heard on 40, only 2 contacts through the QRN. 73, Walt

WB5BKL

Used a new-to-me K2 @ 5W to a 20 wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. I am still in 'newbie' mode with the K2 - and apologize for the fumbling. My score is worse than last month but better than the month before that. Nothing on 15M, 4 on 20M, 5 on 40M and 1 on 80M.  40% of my contacts were from Idaho!  Only 6 states this time.  Best signals:  20M - N3VKM, 40M - N5GW, 80M - WJ9B. I guess Gene had is 40M rotatable rhombic pointed toward the Texas hill country again this month. Nice to work several FOBB participants again Monday evening. My thanks to all (including the organizers). Had fun.

NFØN
After my surprise win in July's Skinny division, it was good to see W5ACM back to reclaim the skinny crown! I did shave some weight by switching to three AA-size Three contacts on 20m and then 6 on 40m over about 80 minutes. It was coast-to-coast from IA to CA, PA, GA, MA and more. No two-band contacts, but lots of regulars. Let's hope we can keep promoting this fun event.

AB9CA
K3 at 5w to 100' wire. A bit of a late start. Ended up being active for only 45 min. 3 Q's on 20, 7 on 40. 20 was long - NH ID CA. 40 shorter - MS IL ID PA IA TX. Only 2-bander was K7TQ in ID. Most stations were weak, but prop has been rather strange lately. Hope to see everyone next month. 73 de dave  ab9ca/4

W5ACM
Conditions were much better than I expected on 20M and 40M. Great fun with the ATS3a at 3W! 72 de Andy W5ACM - Houston, TX






Sunday, July 10, 2016




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 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 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 2015 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 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:

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 2023 FOBB number.


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

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Scoreboard: July 2016 ARS Spartan Sprint


Please click on the Scoreboard for an enlarged view.

Soapbox: July 2016 ARS Spartan Sprint

KB1M
QSO's 40M: 3, 20M: 4, for 6 states, working K4BAI on each band. I had wanted to try QRPp, but band conditions seemed weak, so went with the usual 5 watts. The Reverse Beacon Network showed my signals radiating poorly so was surprised to do as well as I did on 20M. As always it's pleasure to meet up with other QRP ops. in the various sprints. 73, Walt, KB1M

K3RLL
Nice to be here in rural PA for the summer with an actual outside antenna and some elevation.  While things started out slowly on 20m, they seemed to build up steadily on 40m this evening with lots of familiar calls and even a couple of Two-Fers, thanks to K4BAI and AB9CA.  Nice to run into W1PID and K2YGM again. Sometimes these QRP Sprints are like old home week. Many thanks to those who sponsor them for us. They’re worth twice what we’re paying them. (Smile)  72 … Don

NØAR
Happy 4th of July to all! Fun way to spend a couple of hours. I know the dog appreciated being in the shack. KX3 @ 5W with 80 m NVIS loop or 43' vertical and lots of radials. A whole lot of TS qrn. 20 went out in a flash and 40 was shifting around a lot. K4BAI had the big signal most of the night. Best catch AA5B/M.  A lot of signals came and went away quickly. 72 Scott NØAR

K4BAI
15M was open to the North East at the start.  Only W2IX in NJ heard and worked. 20M was pretty good and 13 QSOs there from New England to Wis, to Ida, to Tx.  20 QSOs on 40M from New England to WI, MN, IA, ID, TX and NM and as close as FL and SC. Thanks for all QSOs.  Hope everyone had a good Fourth of July.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

NK9G
Used KX3, Yagi & Rotatable Dipole QSB & noise on 40 made it tough. Missed at least a half dozen on 40. C U All again.

NØFN
his was my first time back in the Spartan Sprint in a while and it was great to be back. The MTR kept the weight way down but kept me off of 80 meters at the end. I got only K4BAI on 20m at the start (how many ears does he have!?) and the rest of my contacts were on 40m. The most patient award goes to K7TQ in ID and it was great to hear a few new to me callsigns. The band was very noisy here and it made we wish for a gain knob!

AB9CA
Wasn't sure what the turnout might be with it being a holiday. But it was a fair turnout. Station was K3 at 5w to 100' wire. 21 total contacts with 12 on 20 and 9 on 40. Had only an hour before needing to do other things. SPC's on 20 were TX TN NH MN PA and ID. 3 TX, 4 NH, 2 PA. On 40 they were PA MN FL ID SC IA TX. 2 PA, 2 TX. 2 banders were WB5BKL, W5QLF, N0AR, K3RLL, N3FCS, and K7TQ. Thanks to everyone that stopped by and see ya'all next month. 73 de dave ab9ca/4

K1GTS
Armed with an 817 and just under 1W of RF, I tried my first Spartan Sprint in a LONG time. There was a lot of QRN and some QSB, so not the best evening for weak signal work, but I managed to get 3 stations on 20m and 3 on 40m.  Also heard a few others that I just couldn't pull out of the noise...maybe next time. Signals were low and noise was high, but special thanks to K4BAI in GA for sticking with me despite the conditions (and my stuttering fist).

W1PID
Used the IC-7000 with OCF dipole. AB9CA was the only really strong station on 20M. K7TQ in Idaho was the best DX. Thanks gang for the QSOs. 73 Jim W1PID

K7TQ
A good first half hour on 20 then slow rest of the time on 20 and 40. Both mobiles, NØEVH/M and AA5B/M, were loud.  Got WB5BKL and K4BAI on both bands.

K4LY
First timer, but have worked most of the sprint regulars in the past. I was trying out a new Elad DUO I bought a week ago. Thanks and 73, Doug K4LY

AB1AV
Rig ATS3, Zmatch to 88' doublet up 65'.  Started on 20m, found 5 stations by 9:30 PM EDT (0130Z), then broke for traffic net duty. After that, 20m seemed to be played out, and all I found on 40m were 13-Colonies stations who were only hearing QRO callers. No luck on 80m either.  Thanks to those who participated on this holiday evening!

Friday, June 10, 2016

Scoreboard: June 2016 Spartan Sprint

For an enlarged view, please click on the Scoreboard

Soapbox: June 2016 Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Soapbox: Sort of tough going here in wet Florida this evening with Tropical Storm Colin blowing outside, but no lightning so great evening to see who we can hear on the Spartan Sprint.  Both 20m and 40m were open but a little tough to hear through the storm QRN.  My apologies to several stations kind enough to call and I just couldn’t hear you. Thanks to the ENTIRE Spartan Sprint staff for their efforts to promote QRP and radio fellowship with this enjoyable monthly event. - Don, K3RLL

KC5TTY
My second sprint (last one was about 10 years ago?) Lots of fun but the mosquitoes ate me up and I had to retreat from the battlefield.  My cw is bad so thanks to K7TQ for pulling me out. Rig was a MFJ 9200 with 20 and 40 meter band modules, 8 pack of AA batteries, ALT-T tuner and wire antenna consisting of a 51 foot piece in the air and a 16 foot counterpoise. Tuner probably tuned wrong anyway.  Still it was worth the effort and I made my goal.  1 contact for the first time in 10 years.  This is great!  Steve, KC5TTY, in Mosquitoville, Oklahoma

AC8AP
It has been a while since I participated in the Sprints and was good to give it a go in June. Conditions not the best but got a few in the log. 73, Alan, AC8AP

K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W, TH6DXX, dipole, zepp, inverted vee. 20M was fairly long with TX and western stations, plus K3RLL in FL.  40M was a bit noisy, but skip was short and was able to work as close as GA and FL and out to ME and CA. We could use more activity. Almost every QSO was a chore and it would be more fun with more stations QRV. 80M was OK with several QSOs in TX.  QSOs by band:  20M: 8.  40M: 15. 80M: 4. Looking forward to more activity next month.  73/72, John, K4BAI.

NKØE
First sprint for me in a few months. Didn’t get on until almost halfway through the event, but squeaked out 5 contacts over the course of 20 minutes or so using my KX3 and a G5RV antenna up about 30 ft. Conditions were noisy on 40m. 73, Dave, NKØE

K3CKO
My call is  K3CKO. Name is Bob. I worked your contest as a non-member. (Editor's note: ARS does not really have "members." Our activities are open to all radio amateurs with an interest in low-power, lightweight operations. We are honored to have your SP participation. - KI6SN) I made 5 contacts. My rig was a KX3 at 5 watts using a 20 ampere battery charged by a solar cell. Antenna was Trap dipole for 40 and 20 meters I operated outdoors on my patio. The weight of my KX3, Battery, and Les Logan Speedx bug was 10.2 pounds. I made one contact on 20 meters and heard nothing more. I switched to 40 meters and made four more contacts. I heard several other stations but none that I could copy well. It was a good fun sprint and the first QRP sprint I have been successful in. Most QRP sprints I have tried were on weekends and are obliterated by contesters. I like the late evening sprint. I have been doing well in the SKCC weekend sprints which are QRO. I am new to QRP. If my operating meets your standards I would like to be a member. Respectfully, Bob Swarm, K3CKO (Welcome aboard, Bob! Hope to see you in the July 4 SP! - KI6SN)

NK6A
Decided to operate with my newly built MTR-5B.  Skinny category. Palm paddle and 9V battery, ear buds. Weight was just  under 11 oz. The Reverse Beacon Network showed my getting out to NH and PA. Power was just under 3W on 20 and 3 W on 40. Quite happy with my results. A lot of good ears out there. Thanks. 9 states. Many Texans, MS, Ohio and GA.  Although I was heard on the East Coast, I did not work anyone there.

KB1M
K1 at 5 watts, 40mtr dipole and 20 mtr invert v at 30ft coax fed. 20mtrs very poor in N.H. only was able to work WA8ZBT in TX. who had a big signal, also had a good sig on 40. 4 stations on 40 with AC8AP OH the strongest. First day back on the air in a month, it seemed like a year with no radio. First time I weighed station, key is 65% of total. 73, 72, Walt KB1M

KB4BKR
Various things have interfered with participating in the SP until this last one.  20m seemed reasonably active though I heard more stations than I was able to contact. 40m had lots of QRN from storms in the SE USA, and I didn't hear too many stations at all. The MTR continues to amaze me as a marvel of compact but usable design, and the Palm mini paddle is a good companion. I used an MFJ 17' whip with a base loading coil and 3 radials as a vertical, and it may turn into my favorite portable antenna.  Had to finally quit when the mosquitoes got too thick on the back porch. 73, Scott

AE7CG
Very happy to have QSOs with W5ACM and NK6A.

W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3a with two 170 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 3W out to my antique 18AVQ vertical and a final total of NINE QSOs this month. The bands were relatively quiet on 20M and 40M with a few stations heard on 20M but many more on 40M. K7TQ seemed to be doing quite well in the early part of the event on 20M from his Idaho QTH. It was noisy on 80M, but I managed a single contact with K4BAI. Compared to last month this was GREAT, and there appears to be hope for better 20M ops next month! The batteries survived the abuse and will be pressed into service in July. 72, de Andy, W5ACM - Houston, TX

N5GW
KX3 with internal bats and ATU to CFZ. 20M didn't sound all that good. 40M was noisy with summer QRN. Only one contact on 80M with K4BAI. Participation was down, I suppose due to vacation season.

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 20 wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. Better than last month - but not by much. 4 QSOs on 20m, 7 on 40 and 2 on 80. No triples this month. Most signals were weak and the bands seemed noisy here. Best signals:  20M - W7TAE, 40M - N5GW (at 2W!), 80M - WA8ZBT. My thanks to all.  Had fun.








Friday, May 6, 2016

Scoreboard: May 2016 Spartan Sprint



For an enlarged view, please click on the scoreboard

Soapbox: May 2016 Spartan Sprint

K3RLL
Experimenting with stealth antennas this evening but neither one must work because I didn’t hear many Sprinters. And then a big storm rolled in so ran out into the rain to take down the two antennas under test, put them all away, come back inside, dry off, and switch to indoor heavily loaded dipole.  Just amazed anyone could hear me. Much credit to those kind enough to dig me out of the noise this evening. With the storm raging and few stations heard, it was time to fold in earlier than usual but thanks for the fun. 72/73 … Don

AB9CA/4
In a nutshell, prop seemed to be awful. The prop numbers looked better than the airwaves sounded. Worked only 9 stations. All but one of those was weak or very weak. The noise did not seem to be as bad as I had expected given how close the storms were. Did not work fill time, had other things going on. Probably spent only about 45 min total. All but one of the contacts was on 40. Got no answers on 20 and only one on 80. Thanks go out to the few that could hear me. Hopefully things will be better next month!  73 de dave, ab9ca/4

KFØN
Somewhere in my distant past, I recall reading an article in which the author stated that the waning years of a sunspot cycle have more solar storms than the other phases of the same cycle. I am beginning to think that author was on to something! The conditions last night were a good example; what a mess! With the recent sunspot numbers up for several days running and more sunlight on the northern hemisphere, I was thinking that the conditions on 20M would be wonderful. I think I could have heard more activity from a 50 ohm resistor last evening.  Of the five stations I could copy, I was able to work three: AB9CA,(AL), WB5BKL(TX) and K4ARQ(FL), all on 40M  Thanks guys for pulling me out of your local noise. Maybe things will quiet down a bit for June's SP. I sure hope so! 72's to all, Larry, KFØN

WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a 20 wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. My worst performance since October. Ugh. One QSO each on 20 and 80 - the remainder on 40M.  Best signal of the evening was AB9CA. Always notable was N5GW's fine signal @ 1W. I hope it was just me and everyone else had big totals!  My thanks to all. Had fun.

N5GW
 I was using a K1 with LiPO but had forgotten to recharge the battery from last outing. So I missed about half of the Sprint. On 20M I only heard/worked NK6A. On 40M only WB5BKL and K3RLL. Otherwise nothing heard in the way of Spartan Sprinters. I guessed that it was mostly poor participation, since band conditions didn't sound that bad.

NK6A
Band conditions were the pits!  I was only on 20 for the first hour during my daylight and all I heard and saw on the scope was noise. Called CQ continuously and finally found a few stations.  N5GW with 1 watt.  Another station,N5EM, with just 3 Watts. I was greedy and using 5W. Still, know-one heard me. How come I didn't hear anyone. Checked my coax, my meter, my antenna.  OK, let's try 40. Nada. Did I have the wrong date or time? I know when to quit and after 1.5 hours it was time to pull the plug.
See you next month when I will try using my new light weight MTR-5B.

W5QLF
Egad! I thought that the winter Propagation doldrums were long gone after the good results experienced during the April 2016 Spartan Sprint. Not so, it seems after the band performances experienced May 3rd.  The N0NBH Propagation data showed an A = 031 and a K = 5.  I saw nor heard a single carrier on 20 meters and only one very weak signal from Alabama on 40 meters. Thank you Dave, AB9CA for my one contact for the evening. Joe, W5QLF, Helotes, TX

W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3a with two 170 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 3W out to my antique 18AVQ vertical and a final total of THREE QSOs this month. I got on about 20 minutes late and thought that my antenna or radio had quit. It was relatively quiet on 40M with few stations heard and noisy on 80M, also with few stations heard. What a mess! The ever-present WB5BKL was 579 on 80M - great signal from Austin. The batteries survived the abuse - again! 72 de Andy W5ACM - Houston, TX

WA5BUC
Only had 1 Q on 40 with AB9CA. Fred, WA5BUC

N5EM
Very strange Sprint. Worked NK6A solid S5 - S7 on 20M - and heard nobody else. Then went to 40M and worked AB9CA in AL - and heard nobody else. Using my KX3, internal batteries and attached keyer to the built-in speaker. Weird.