K3RLL

If it wasn’t for Mark WB9HFK, there wouldn’t have been ANY joy at all on the 40m Spartan Sprint this evening. We can always count on the Power of IL for a good signal and even better ears. 20m was as empty as my piggy bank and I don’t have antenna capability for 80m.  (Actually, not much on 40 either, but we live to please our HOA.) Thank you ARS for maintaining and sustaining our monthly Spartan Sprint. Your efforts are appreciated. 73 and HNY, Don

K4BAI

Activity poor this month.  Maybe too close to the holiday. 20M was open at the start to the west at least. Worked a station in AZ running 100W just before 0200Z.  No answers to CQ SP calls on 20.  So went to 40 and worked 7 QRP stations in W9 land plus PA and VA plus a 75W HB rig guy in CO.  Worked IL and WI on 80M.  Last QSO was very rewarding with QRP station KC4NYK who said it was his first CW QSO.  He has a 5W QCX rig.  Will send him a QSL as a memento.  Happy New Year to all.  73/72, John.

WA9TGT

All contacts were on 40 meters. The band seemed long from the start of the sprint. Once again it seemed like very poor participation for the Spartan Sprint. I’m going to say once again that the lack of participation is becoming somewhat discouraging. My radio this month was my Penntek TR-35, Whiterook single lever paddle, 12v 2000ma lithium-ion battery, Apple earbuds. Station antenna is a 80~10 EFHW made from #22 gage poly stealth wire up only 13 ft at its highest point. Donnie Garrett WA9TGT Fort Wayne, IN

K3JZD

All of my QSOs were on 40m.  I was on during the middle hour.  Pretty low holiday turnout.   Four watts with a purpose built 40m QCX Mini, small 500mAH LiPo battery pack, small 3D printed key, and ear buds.    40m Dipole at 25'.    72 - Jody - K3JZD

WA9AGG

Thank you to the sponsors of this fun filled activity. Your efforts are appreciated. Conditions at my QTH were poor and did not hear many stations on any band. Looking forward to February Sprint.

WA9CWE

Had fun on the first Sprint of 2024.  Can’t say the band conditions were very good, as I made few contacts, but did hear some big signals from the Straight Key night event.  Looking forward to each first Monday this year.  IC-705, Straight Key, G5RV @ 20 ft.  73,  WA9CWE - Steve, Alexandria, IN

WA9CWE

Had fun, but the band conditions in Central Indiana were the worst in my 18 months of Sprint participation.  Only made 2 contacts with regulars, but didn’t hear many of those who I usually contact.  I guess the RF gods weren’t looking favorably upon me!  Anyway, looking forward to the new year and hope for better conditions.  IC-705, G5RV at 20’, straight key.   73, Steve, WA9CWE  Alexandria, Indiana

K4PQC

What an evening!  40 meters was the pits but it was my only band filter available. The noise measured with the K4 after the Sprint was over S-5 with what sounded like a sawtooth or motor running.  This was atmospheric noise and I heard it on all my antennas. Most of my time was spent running on 7041.0 and I only made 2 QSOs S&P. I was spacing out the CQs to conserve battery power which also might make fewer Ops hear my call. Because of the noise it took several tries to complete the Qs and I apologize to "FZR" as this was the only part of the call I copied before going into the noise. My first contact was WB9HFK and I heard Mark making several Qs but couldn't copy those he worked. 72/73 to all and hope next month (year) will be better, Phil K4PQC

N4HAY

QSO's: 5 all on 40m in first hour

SPC: NC

Station weight: 0.316 pounds 

RIG: Modified ATS III. 

POWER: 2 Watts

Battery: 7.4V 720mAh LiPo

ANTENNAS: Trap inv vee 80/40, fan dipole 20/15/10. up 30ft.

BANDS CHECKED: 80/40/20

Station weight breakdown

ATS 3 in Altoids tin: 2.2oz

Battery:   1.35oz

Earplugs: 0.4oz

Modules 80/40/20: 0.3oz

Paddles: 0.8oz

TOTAL WEIGHT 5.05 oz = 0.316 pounds

I tried S&P and running. All the contacts made were good copy but I heard few stations. Thanks to all. 72 de N4HAY

WA9AAG

Thank you to the sponsors of this fun filled activity. Your efforts are appreciated. I stayed on 40 meters the entire Sprint since the other bands had little or no activity. The noise level at my QTH was S8 and I only made 6 contacts.  There could have been calls below the noise and if I missed some I apologize to those folks for not making the QSO.  Hopefully the January Sprint will be more successful. If not, that’s OK, it will still be a lot of fun.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL. 73, Gerry, WA9AAG

N5GW

I was using my K1 at one watt with internal ATU, 800 mAh LiPO and attached minikey to a doublet. Only one station heard on 20M, but 40M was in good shape. 73, Gene N5GW

WA9TGT

One of the worst nights I have had working the Spartan Sprint for a good while. I hear very few SP operators during the entire 2 hours period. Plus a lot of normal CW QSO’s on or very near 7.030 along with the annoying on and off 7.040 MHz heterodyne. Only had 2 contacts logged in going into the second hour. Band just seemed weird last night. All my contacts were on 40 meters, no luck on 20 meters at all. My radio equipment was my Venus SW-3B, Whiterook paddles, 12v 2000ma Lithium-ion battery, and earbuds. Antenna is a 80~10 Mtr EFHW that’s not up very high. We need far more  participation in the monthly Spartan Sprint! A Google groups.io email group might greatly help promote the monthly contest but I’m just not familiar with setting it up myself. 73, Donnie / WA9TGT

WØPWE

The bands seemed pretty flat tonight. I was running my homebrew XCVR at 5 watts and I operated 20,40,80 meters with a dipole on 20 and remote tuned doublet on 40 and 80. Only 6 contacts. Tubby division. 73 - Jerry - WØPWE

K3RLL

No Spartan Sprinters home tonight on 20m, even though a net there had good strong signals. But 40m had a few, and all heard had good signals. Big signal tonight was Gene N5GW and his One-watt thunderbolt from MS. Gene was just booming into FL tonight.  Happy for my three contacts in a light field. My thanks to the complete staff of ARS for the fun all these years. 72/73, Don, K3RLL

 K3RLL

So glad to be back on the Sprint. Neighbor lady drove into my house, got all three of my cars and disabled my antenna and gear but back on the air at last. Whew!Condx not the best but thanks for the ‘good ears’ out there with my four contacts this evening and nice to connect with former neighbor and mentor back in PA, K3JZD. Big signals this evening?  I didn’t hear them. Did you?  72/73, Don K3RLL

WB9HFK

Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5WAntenna: EFHW @ 30 Ft.Weight: 30 lbs.

K4WY

First time on this sprint. Lots of familiar QRP calls. 72 Jack K4WY

K4BAI

All QSOs on 40M.  No activity heard on 20 or 80 in first hour and no answers to CQs on 20M. Nice to hear some new calls. Thanks for

all QSOs. 73, John K4BAI

K4PQC

I was working on my band filters and only had the one for 40 meters. Things started out a little slow plus this band was very noisy, some local... maybe the neighbor's electric fence. Lots of new players that I worked for the first time. So, as the evening wore on the activity picked up and this month is my personal best Spartan Sprint.  Thanks for your good ears and for sticking with me. For those who are new to the Spartan Sprint this is a description of my station: The transceiver is a lightened Steve Weber - KD1JV designed AT Sprint III with homemade paddles, lightened ear phone and a single cell 3.7V 820mAh LiPo battery with a DC to DC boost circuit bringing the voltage up to 11V. The receive drain is +/- 35ma depending on the receive signal strength. Transmit drain is about 750ma depending on the battery condition. The battery can last almost the full duration of the Sprint depending on S & P or Running, which drains the battery faster. I have an inline power meter to read my transmitting power. From the antenna connector which is a modified SSMB there is a 1' section of RG-58 with an SSMA adaptor on one end and adaptor connected to a Daiwa switch, inline power meter, another Daiwa switch, 4' RG-58 to a lightning arrestor, 25' RG-58, to a 1:9 balun connected to a knife switch, 35' 450 Ohm twin lead connected to a 160 meter full wave loop (570' 18 gauge green insulated stranded wire) at 35'. All together there is a combination of 15 mechanical connections made up of a combination of connectors and adaptors plus about 80 feet of feed line. 72, Phil K4PQC

WA9AGG

Thank you to the sponsors of this fun filled activity.  Your efforts are appreciated. I didn’t make contact with some of my regulars but made some new ones.  I was on 40 mtrs the entire time due to poor activity on the other bands.  Looking forward to next month. 73, Gerald WA9AGG

KE9V

Off to a bad start as I confused myself over the recent time change. Managed just three QSOs all on 40 meters. Band conditions not great. Hopefully better for the end of the year wrap-up next month. Thanks to all for the fun and the adventure! Jeff, KE9V

K3JZD

All of my QSOs were on 40m.  Seemed like maybe we had a little impact from the sun's recent activity. Or maybe just low participation this month.  Four watts with a purpose built 40m QCX Mini, small 500mAH LiPo battery pack, small 3D printed key, and ear buds. 40m Dipole at 25'. 72 - Jody - K3JZD

WA9CWE

The band conditions in Central Indiana were poor for the event this month. I stayed on 40 as 20 & 80 were dead to me, and I struggled to get contacts ending up with 9 in 7 States. Did not hear most of the regulars this month. I look forward to next month! Rig is an IC-705 and G5RV at 20 feet.  J38 Key.  The internal battery in the 705 holds up well for the 2 hour event.73,  Steve, WA9CWE

N8HWV

The band conditions in Central Indiana were poor for the event this month.  I stayed on 40 as 20 & 80 were dead to me, and I struggled to get contacts ending up with 9 in 7 States.  Did not hear most of the regulars this month.  I look forward to next month!  Rig is an IC-705 and G5RV at 20 feet.  J38 Key  The internal battery in the 705 holds up well for the 2 hour event.73, Steve N9HWV

N4HAY

The band conditions in Central Indiana were poor for the event this month. I stayed on 40 as 20 & 80 were dead to me, and I struggled to get contacts ending up with 9 in 7 States. Did not hear most of the regulars this month. I look forward to next month!  Rig is an IC-705 and G5RV at 20 feet.  J38 Key. The internal battery in the 705 holds up well for the 2 hour event.73,  Steve N4HAY

WA9CWE
Rig: Icom 7300 @ 5W
Antenna: EFHW @ 30 Ft.
Weight: 30 lbs.

Had another fun night with the Sprint.  Band conditions here in Central Indiana were very poor for the first 45 minutes…..Called and called without results.  Then the band came in for about an hour and I got 10 contacts in 5 States.  Did not hear a number of the regulars though.  Anyway, it was a good evening even though I’m still a rookie CW op.  IC-705, straight key and G5RV at 20’. 73, Steve, WA9CWE

WA9TGT
Power Level: 4 watts
Total Number Contacts: 14
Total Equipment Weight: 10.0 oz

I missed last month Sprint due to relocating to Ft Wayne, however I’m now back on the air. My antenna at the new QTH is a 40~10 meter EFHW that’s only up 13 ft at its highest point. I was pleasantly surprised how well it did last night in the Spartan Sprint. I was also able to work several of the Muncie, IN and surrounding area near my old hometown. All my contacts were on 40 meters tonight. Band seemed to be up and down for the entire sprint tonight but again it was a very enjoyable Spartan Sprint! Donnie / WA9TGT

K4BAI

All 13 QSOs on 40 between 7040 and 7044 kHz. No activity heard on 20 or 80 and no answers to CQs on those bands. 20 and 80 were both open for non contest QSOs though.  We should try for a few minutes on 20 at the start, then got to 40 and go to 80 for the last half hour. In the Peanut Powered Sprint Sunday (which ended at 0000Z) there was a good bit of 80M QRP activity.Thanks for all QSOs (almost half of them were with stations in IN and most were with stations in the 9th call area. Did also work KK4R in VA and N0AR in MN.  K0HNL in MA was QRV and worked a couple of the 9th area stations, but couldn't hear me calling him.  TS590SG at 5W, wire antennas. 72, John, K4BAI

AA9OM

This my first sprint. The bands must have been open. I was operating from Pokagon State Park. I set my power at 5W and as I started scanning I ran across a POTA activator working a pile up. I switched to POTA node and made 50 contacts at 5W. Only nine on the sprint, but I’m new. Thanks for the patience of everybody who worked a newbie. Darrell, AA9OM

WB9HFK
Rig: Xiegu X6100 @ 5W Antenna: EFHW @ 30 Ft. Weight: 30 Lbs. Checking out new rig!

K3RLL
Pretty light turnout this evening. Must have been something good on TV? Thanks for the contacts; mostly regulars and a few new (at least to me). Nice. 72/73 Don

AB9CA
Well, it helps if you get started at the right time. I was late again tonight. Rig was K3 at 5W to inverted vee. 40 was the main band, 12 contacts there. 4 on 20 and 3 on 80. Only two bander was WO9B on 40 and 80. Prop seemed pretty good. I was getting quite a few spots but the noise was somewhat high on 40 and 80. Thanks for the fun and we hope to see everyone next month. 73 de Dave AB9CA

AA9RK and KD9NZB
40 meters was hot. Conditions were phenomenal.  A new ham joined us in the park for the company and we all had a great time.

K3JZD
All of my QSOs were on 40m. 40m was sort of all over the place this evening for me, which was nice. Four watts with a purpose built 40m QCX Mini, small 500mAH LiPo battery pack, small 3D printed key, and ear buds. 40m dipole at 25'. 72 - Jody - K3JZD

K4BAI
Got a late start and no activity heard on 20M or on 80M.  All QSOs on 40M. Thanks for each one.  72, John, K4BAI

K4PQC
This is quite a change from the last 2 months.  On the first Monday for both July and August we had tremendous lightning storms during the entire Spartan Sprints. Today there are no storms within 150 miles, so why are the bands so noisy? Before the SP I listened to all the bands that I have filter modules, 80, 40, (30) and 20 meters. All of these bands had noise levels more than S-5 and 80 meters was the worst. To save rig weight I just stayed on 40 alternating between S & P and running. I was asked about my station so here it is in brief:  The transceiver is a lightened Steve Weber designed ATS-3 using homemade paddles and earbud and for the power supply an 800 mah single cell LiPo with a battery boost.  The antenna is a diamond shaped 160 meter horizontal loop at 35' fed with 40' 450 Ohm ladder line, a 9:1 balun and another 25' of RG-58 into the shack. The sad part is, I now have 13 connections between the RF jack and the antenna. I measure the output power with an inline meter between 2 switches. Hopefully the WX will allow more participation in the future.  72/73 to all and thanks for the fun, your good ears and for the QSOs. Phil, K4PQC

WA9AGG
Another fun filled Spartan Sprint. Most of my contacts were on 40 even thought I had a noise level of S7. Here is a tip for reducing weight.  Remove all the knobs, feet, and cabinet panels that you can from the QRP rig. Shorten the cable from the key to the rig. Use the rig speaker instead of earbuds. Use the smallest battery that runs out of power just as the event ends. None of these reduce much weight but together they can help. Thanks again to the sponsors. LONG LIVE QRP AND THE GUYS THAT MAKE IT HAPPEN. Regards, Gerald / WA9AGG

AF5Z
Thanks for the contacts. I used a MultusSDR Proficio with 5 watts output to a 1/4 wave vertical with base and radials at 6 feet height. The weight of a 20 amp linear power supply and Vibroplex bug puts me in the tubby division! 72, Bob, AF5Z

 The Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint is a two hour QRP contest on the first Monday of every month encouraging QRP operators to get on, or near standard QRP frequencies for an evening of fun.

SCOREBOARD

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k_XEUpFKNnIi2Qs9xNDbJ5gewW7JwQuha8G0dwOCHPs/edit#gid=0

SOAPBOX

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W7aqXbOqgd2JBypRZG3SgIZwckaogZhsjYK5HtTitFY/edit

2023 ARS Flight of the Bumble Bees tally

Here is a snapshot of the activities in this year's "Flight of the Bumble Bees" held July 30. It includes Pictures of Bumble Bees in the field, a Scoreboard with each entrant's QSOs, multiplier and final score, and the Roster of who the more than 100 bees were, including the location of their field operation.

There is a link to Comments from operators from across North America. An FOBB Soapbox consolidates operators' descriptions of experiences during the four-hour competition.

Please click the links below for details.

Thanks for everyone's participation. It's never too early to plan for 2024 FOBB.

73,

Richard

Richard Fisher, KI6SN
Co-founder, the Adventure Radio Society
Riverside, CA
(951) 232-1373

Photos
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16HvAs1ridie9AdeLxg_nC56A-axYR3hZ

Scoreboard
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WVwc8kIHRlJ0iiyFvpSP59f1CDytBk170dPcEb4nGB0/edit?usp=sharing

Roster
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1onAsqMAvYBWp5Ifcpg3fXNYNxrx0dvPfxNWk1-rmP_o/edit#gid=0

Soapbox
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EoqVITb2HqzsDEu2BlRsCboS_mq4VNODuoPOG7yIZ64/edit

The Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint is a two hour QRP contest on the first Monday of every month encouraging QRP operators to get on, or near standard QRP frequencies for an evening of fun.

• /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.

• 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.

• Contacts: 21 + 32 = 53
• BB Multiplier: 14 X 3 = 42
• Total: 53 QSOs X 42 BB Multiplier = 2,226 Total points

• Most interesting equipment
• Most fascinating FOBB venture
• Most beautiful site

• Full name
• Callsign
• Location of FOBB operation
• Total number of contacts (all bands)
• Total number of Bumblebees (all bands)
• Comments about your 2023 FOBB experience:

As with all ARS events, please keep safety in front of mind when conducting operations in the field. Such things as weather, power lines, terrain, dehydration, and fatigue can be lethal. Above all, we want all participants to have a fabulous and safe experience.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

FIELD STATIONS:

Apply for a 2023 Flight of the Bumblebees Number

            The Adventure Radio Society Flight of the Bumblebees is a four-hour event held annually on the last Sunday of July. It is open to all radio amateurs.

2023 ARS Flight of the Bumblebees

Sunday, July 30

1700 to 2100 UTC

CONTEST PERIOD BY TIMEZONE (Local Time)

·                    1 p.m. to 5 p.m.   – Eastern

·                    12 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Central

·                    11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mountain

·                    10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pacific

·                    7 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Hawaii

The contest period accommodates multiple time zones simultaneously. No matter where you live, there will be time for Bumblebees to travel to a field operating site, set up their station, operate the contest, and travel home.

IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE, GET A BUMBLEBEE NUMBER

If you plan to operate the 2023 FOBB portable – in other words, from a field location – you’re invited to request a Bumblebee identification number. Here’s how:

1. CHECK THE DATABASE: An online database has been set up to show assigned Bumblebee numbers. Visit: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1onAsqMAvYBWp5Ifcpg3fXNYNxrx0dvPfxNWk1-rmP_o/edit#gid=0

2. OFFER THREE NUMBER OPTIONS: Check the database 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, https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1onAsqMAvYBWp5Ifcpg3fXNYNxrx0dvPfxNWk1-rmP_o/edit#gid=0 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

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TbvRcL1kd_AGwVuibkCXhNr7m9jaUI5GfGVYGyzsGK0/edit#gid=0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rXsHyxv2ZrF6K1KWIddhhS1S1DGtv0VOLYLxQGvO-hE/edit

 The Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint is a two hour QRP contest on the first Monday of every month encouraging QRP operators to get on, or near standard QRP frequencies for an evening of fun.

The Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint is a two hour QRP contest on the first Monday of every month encouraging QRP operators to get on, or near standard QRP frequencies for an evening of fun.