2024 Flight of the Bumblebees

The annual Flight of the Bumblebees will be held on Sunday, July 28, 2024.

The event  will be in a four hour daytime window, from 1700 to 2100 UTC.

This casual QRP CW event consists of 'Bumblebees' who are operating portable stations at outdoor locations, and 'Home Stations' who try to work as many of these 'Bumblebees' as possible.

This event is open to all operators.  Anywhere.  Being at the top of the sunspot cycle, this year's  event has the potential to be very interesting.

Operators who want to go out and setup a portable station at some outdoor location, and be a highly sought after 'Bumblebee', need to obtain a "Bumblebee Number". 

The window for obtaining your 2024 'Bumblebee Number' is now Open.

The https://ars-qrp.com web site will explain the whole process.

I'll be out there as a 'Bumblebee' - hoping to work you during the event.

72,

Jody - K3JZD - 4SQRP 1196

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The  VE Session at the W2QW Raritan Valley Radio Club Hamfest was a mixed bag. We ended up with 8 candidates. One gentleman was an Amateur Extra who let his license lapse. He successfully passed the Element 2 Technician exam and will get his Extra privileges reinstated.

Two other General Class Hams upgraded to Amateur Extra in advance of that question pool changing at Midnight tonight, and we gained one new Technician. Unfortunately, four candidates walked away empty handed.

A bit of a rant. I send each candidate who contacts me in advance with an e-mail that contains EVERYTHING they need to know about the exam session - date, time, location, and all they need to bring with them. I also include links to the proper places to get an FRN and where they can fill out a 605 form.

Everyone showed up at 8:30 and we started exams promptly at 9:00 AM. A little after 9:30, a candidate showed up to whom I had sent that e-mail several months ago. He had no FRN, no Form 605 and was totally unprepared. Normally, I would have tried to accomodate, but helping him get started from scratch would have been disruptive to the rest of the group. I asked him to come to our next regular session.

I just don't understand how someone can come so late and so unprepared when such pains are taken to make sure they have as smooth and problem free an experience as possible. If only he had followed instructions!!! Argh! I hate it when stuff like that happens.

After the exam session ended, I had intended to walk the flea market, but there were other chores to accomplish. I really didn't need anything, but it would have been nice to hook up with friends. Maybe at the Sussex Hamfest in about two weeks.

72 de Larry W2LJ 

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

If you've been a regular reader of Jeff KE9V's blog, you'll know that he's wondered a few times as to what's happened to the ARS Spartan Sprint. There have been no updates since January, and that is very strange, indeed.

In an e-mail on the QRP-L e-mail reflector Phil K4PQC confirmed that he has heard from W6JJZ that Rich KI6SN has been seriously ill and is no longer capable of managing a computer or the ARS Spartan Sprint, or the Flight of the Bumblebees later this year in July.

Richard's address is available on QRZ.com and I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing from all of us - even if it's one of your QSL cards with some "Best wishes, thinking of you - hope you get well soon" on it, or something like that. In the meantime, I'm also pretty sure that Rich would never turn down any prayers offered for his well being and recovery.

On the bright side, Bruce Horn WA7BNM has agreed to host the Spartan Sprints and FOBB on his 3830scores.com site.

According to Phil, Bruce will be coming up with submittal forms for these events within a few days. I don't know if anyone has participated in the February or March events as there was no formal notice given for them, but if you did, you'll be able to report your scores there. I'm not sure how publicity and notifications for these events is going to be handled going forward, but I'll make sure to talk them up here. That may not be much in the limited reach this blog has - but at least it's something. We have precious few really good QRP events as it is. I'd hate to see these go away.

Personally, I've never used the 3830scores site before. Phil says it's really easy and I'll take him at his word and will give it a shot for the May Spartan Sprint, which will be Monday, May 6th. Hope to hear you all there.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!