Sunday, June 9, 2013
Soapbox: June 2013 Spartan Sprint
K3RLL
MTR to “Stealth Vertical”. It was nice that 20 meters was open again tonight, but when it seemed to feel ‘worked out’, I stumbled on down to 40 meters but didn’t hear a single Sprinter there. Must be time to turn off the radio and call the X-XYL? Thanks to those who pulled me out tonight. Best signal here tonight was WB5UDA.
NKØE
It was fun to return to the Sprint after not having Played in quite some time. Ran my KD1JV AT Sprint II on a gel cell, feeding a Norcal Doublet through my Elecraft T1 tuner and BL1 balun. The Norcal Doublet was supported at the top of my 20-ft telescoping fiberglass pole in my back yard, and I operated from my patio. What a beautiful night here in Colorado! Worked only 12 stations this evening (apologies to N6GA for butchering his callsign). Heard good signals on 20 but almost everyone on 40 was down in the mud. W1AW code practice was loud and clear on 40, though. This was the first operation for the Norcal Doublet, and I have to say I was pleased with its performance. Thanks everyone for a great evening!
N5GW
I had the "Sprite" (homebrew 20 meter SS rig) fired up to 1.2 watts into a CFZ at 40'. I had ordered a LiPO battery to keep the weight down, but it hadn't arrived, so an 8 cell AA alkaline pack was used. The battery weighs more than the xcvr (8 oz vs. 5 oz). Hope to see many of you next month with a 6 oz ( 0.375 lb) station!
W3KC
The bands were quite noisy here in MD. While activity seemed a little sparse, I was able to make a few QSOs on 20, 40, and 80 - and enjoyed the event.
W1PID
I ran an FT-817 at 2.5 watts to a 65 foot wire running out of a second story window. The antenna is pretty minimal . . . but I worked NK6A in California and OM5OA in the Slovak Republic. I tried 80 meters with it and worked AB1AV (Bill gave me a 539). Thanks guys for the QSOs.
AB1AV
All contacts on 20m and 80m. I couldn't raise any sprinters near 7030 or 7040. Using ATS-3 to home antenna: an 88 ft doublet up about 50 feet. Am I supposed to count
the weight of my antenna tuner too (MFJ 949E this time)? The rules used to say count up to RF connector of the rig; now they say everything but antenna and feedline. I could have used a lighter tuner. (NOTE: The weight of your tuner is included in your total station weight. The weight of your feedline and antenna are excluded from the station's weight - KI6SN)
K1QO
Ran KX3, at 5W to OCF Dipole, Paddlette and IPad with Pigtail. Breakdown by band: 1 on 10M (N1IX) 1 on 15M (N1IX), 8 on 20M (N4SX, NK6A, N1IX, WA8ZBT, K3RLL, NK9G, N5GW, WB5BKL) 2 on 40M (NQ2W, N1IX) and 1 on 80M (N1IX). Great 1 watt signals from N5GW and N4SX . . . very cool - you guys rock! As always, nice to get NK6A, the thrill of coast to coast QRP always has that big wow factor with me...thanks Don for hearing my signal! Rick, NK9G came booming in from WI . . . and always comforting to hear calls I'm familiar with. Thanks, N1IX, my neighbor and friend for the Qs on 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 . . . that makes it an offical Worked 5 Band, Newton, NH . . . Other contacts were with WA8ZBT in TX, K3RLL in FL, WB5BKL in TX all on 20M. 40M had a lot of noise last night so I didn't hear anyone besides NQ2W on 40M. Many thanks to the Adventure Radio Society . . . these are great chances each month to try out different setups, rigs etc. This month I tried a new set up with the KX3, Paddelette, and Ipad and hand logging . . . I think it might be the set up I use for a couple outside QRP events later this year.
NK6G
This is the first Spartan Sprint for me in years. Great to work the regulars. I had the K1 packed away but pulled it out and enjoying it once more. Good to work the boys out in California. K6CSL, N6GA, NK6A and KA6GSC. I had a lot of fun. We will do it again!
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted V at 40ft for 40m. Started out on 20 and made 14 Qs before moving to 40 for 10 more. Things slowed down so I moved to 80 - which meant switching filter boards - to make 1 Q with W3KC. Probably should have moved back to 40 but I didn't want to switch the filter board, again. On 20, N4SX and N5GW were running kinda close to each other. I answered N4SX and both came back to me. After that Q, I tuned down just a little to work N5GW. Both were
running 1W...FB. Thanks to WA4CHQ for sticking in there. We made it work! Doubles with only W9LR. Worked 3 NH SPers in row! Thanks to all. I hope to hear you all next month.
NK6A
Tried 20, 15 and a bit on 40. 20 Qs and 15 different states. Conditions what they were, I was surprised to work NH (three different stations) and NY. I heard many new stations on.
K7TQ
For the June SP,I again went to the mountains east of Moscow, ID to set up my KX1 and SOTA Beams Band Hopper for a nice less than 2 lbs station. Set up went well and
I even made a QSO before the contest started. The first contest QSO was with NK6A and it went poorly. The paddles weren’t making good contact and I could barely get the exchange out. The second QSO didn’t happen because I couldn’t get them to send W3KC. I switched to the G4ZPY ones and did work W3KC. Next the KX1 reported that the 10 cell NiMH battery pack voltage was only 7 V. At that point I switched to Plan B, K2 and 7 AHr battery. After 13 Qs on 20 m, I moved to 40 m at 0201Z and got 4 Qs before a nearly half hour long dry spell when I got WA8PGE with 2 minutes to spare. Two band contacts were with KC7PM in UT, NK9G in WI, and WA8PGE in OH. It was a good evening for being out in the woods and on the radio. On the way home, I ran the truck heater for a short while. I suspect that not many others needed a heater after the Spartan Sprint.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. Not much heard this time - all QSOs except 3 were on 20 M. Worked NQ2W, WA8MTI and NK9G again on 40M. Removed two QRO QSOs from my total. No contacts on 15 or 80M. Lost of familiar calls missing in my log - hope it was just poor conditions My thanks to all. Had fun.
N1IX
I used my battery powered KX3 and laptop computer. Most of the activity was centered around the QRP frequency on 20 meters. Forty meters was very noisy here. I was only able to hear KQ2W in NY. The only station worked on multiple bands was Ann, K1QO. K4SX and N5GW both had very nice signals using just one watt. It was great to work both Don, NK6A and Rod, W7OM on the left coast. Other stations worked were WA8ZBT, WB5BKL, and WB5PG in Texas. Also, K3RLL in FL and Rick, NK9G in WI. I will try to stay awake for the entire sprint in July.
NN9S
Electraft KX3 @ 5 watts, running on internal batteries. PAR Endfedz 10/20/40 dipole slung into backyard tree. Operated from roofdeck on garage.
MTR to “Stealth Vertical”. It was nice that 20 meters was open again tonight, but when it seemed to feel ‘worked out’, I stumbled on down to 40 meters but didn’t hear a single Sprinter there. Must be time to turn off the radio and call the X-XYL? Thanks to those who pulled me out tonight. Best signal here tonight was WB5UDA.
NKØE
It was fun to return to the Sprint after not having Played in quite some time. Ran my KD1JV AT Sprint II on a gel cell, feeding a Norcal Doublet through my Elecraft T1 tuner and BL1 balun. The Norcal Doublet was supported at the top of my 20-ft telescoping fiberglass pole in my back yard, and I operated from my patio. What a beautiful night here in Colorado! Worked only 12 stations this evening (apologies to N6GA for butchering his callsign). Heard good signals on 20 but almost everyone on 40 was down in the mud. W1AW code practice was loud and clear on 40, though. This was the first operation for the Norcal Doublet, and I have to say I was pleased with its performance. Thanks everyone for a great evening!
N5GW
I had the "Sprite" (homebrew 20 meter SS rig) fired up to 1.2 watts into a CFZ at 40'. I had ordered a LiPO battery to keep the weight down, but it hadn't arrived, so an 8 cell AA alkaline pack was used. The battery weighs more than the xcvr (8 oz vs. 5 oz). Hope to see many of you next month with a 6 oz ( 0.375 lb) station!
W3KC
The bands were quite noisy here in MD. While activity seemed a little sparse, I was able to make a few QSOs on 20, 40, and 80 - and enjoyed the event.
W1PID
I ran an FT-817 at 2.5 watts to a 65 foot wire running out of a second story window. The antenna is pretty minimal . . . but I worked NK6A in California and OM5OA in the Slovak Republic. I tried 80 meters with it and worked AB1AV (Bill gave me a 539). Thanks guys for the QSOs.
AB1AV
All contacts on 20m and 80m. I couldn't raise any sprinters near 7030 or 7040. Using ATS-3 to home antenna: an 88 ft doublet up about 50 feet. Am I supposed to count
the weight of my antenna tuner too (MFJ 949E this time)? The rules used to say count up to RF connector of the rig; now they say everything but antenna and feedline. I could have used a lighter tuner. (NOTE: The weight of your tuner is included in your total station weight. The weight of your feedline and antenna are excluded from the station's weight - KI6SN)
K1QO
Ran KX3, at 5W to OCF Dipole, Paddlette and IPad with Pigtail. Breakdown by band: 1 on 10M (N1IX) 1 on 15M (N1IX), 8 on 20M (N4SX, NK6A, N1IX, WA8ZBT, K3RLL, NK9G, N5GW, WB5BKL) 2 on 40M (NQ2W, N1IX) and 1 on 80M (N1IX). Great 1 watt signals from N5GW and N4SX . . . very cool - you guys rock! As always, nice to get NK6A, the thrill of coast to coast QRP always has that big wow factor with me...thanks Don for hearing my signal! Rick, NK9G came booming in from WI . . . and always comforting to hear calls I'm familiar with. Thanks, N1IX, my neighbor and friend for the Qs on 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 . . . that makes it an offical Worked 5 Band, Newton, NH . . . Other contacts were with WA8ZBT in TX, K3RLL in FL, WB5BKL in TX all on 20M. 40M had a lot of noise last night so I didn't hear anyone besides NQ2W on 40M. Many thanks to the Adventure Radio Society . . . these are great chances each month to try out different setups, rigs etc. This month I tried a new set up with the KX3, Paddelette, and Ipad and hand logging . . . I think it might be the set up I use for a couple outside QRP events later this year.
NK6G
This is the first Spartan Sprint for me in years. Great to work the regulars. I had the K1 packed away but pulled it out and enjoying it once more. Good to work the boys out in California. K6CSL, N6GA, NK6A and KA6GSC. I had a lot of fun. We will do it again!
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted V at 40ft for 40m. Started out on 20 and made 14 Qs before moving to 40 for 10 more. Things slowed down so I moved to 80 - which meant switching filter boards - to make 1 Q with W3KC. Probably should have moved back to 40 but I didn't want to switch the filter board, again. On 20, N4SX and N5GW were running kinda close to each other. I answered N4SX and both came back to me. After that Q, I tuned down just a little to work N5GW. Both were
running 1W...FB. Thanks to WA4CHQ for sticking in there. We made it work! Doubles with only W9LR. Worked 3 NH SPers in row! Thanks to all. I hope to hear you all next month.
NK6A
Tried 20, 15 and a bit on 40. 20 Qs and 15 different states. Conditions what they were, I was surprised to work NH (three different stations) and NY. I heard many new stations on.
K7TQ
For the June SP,I again went to the mountains east of Moscow, ID to set up my KX1 and SOTA Beams Band Hopper for a nice less than 2 lbs station. Set up went well and
I even made a QSO before the contest started. The first contest QSO was with NK6A and it went poorly. The paddles weren’t making good contact and I could barely get the exchange out. The second QSO didn’t happen because I couldn’t get them to send W3KC. I switched to the G4ZPY ones and did work W3KC. Next the KX1 reported that the 10 cell NiMH battery pack voltage was only 7 V. At that point I switched to Plan B, K2 and 7 AHr battery. After 13 Qs on 20 m, I moved to 40 m at 0201Z and got 4 Qs before a nearly half hour long dry spell when I got WA8PGE with 2 minutes to spare. Two band contacts were with KC7PM in UT, NK9G in WI, and WA8PGE in OH. It was a good evening for being out in the woods and on the radio. On the way home, I ran the truck heater for a short while. I suspect that not many others needed a heater after the Spartan Sprint.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. Not much heard this time - all QSOs except 3 were on 20 M. Worked NQ2W, WA8MTI and NK9G again on 40M. Removed two QRO QSOs from my total. No contacts on 15 or 80M. Lost of familiar calls missing in my log - hope it was just poor conditions My thanks to all. Had fun.
N1IX
I used my battery powered KX3 and laptop computer. Most of the activity was centered around the QRP frequency on 20 meters. Forty meters was very noisy here. I was only able to hear KQ2W in NY. The only station worked on multiple bands was Ann, K1QO. K4SX and N5GW both had very nice signals using just one watt. It was great to work both Don, NK6A and Rod, W7OM on the left coast. Other stations worked were WA8ZBT, WB5BKL, and WB5PG in Texas. Also, K3RLL in FL and Rick, NK9G in WI. I will try to stay awake for the entire sprint in July.
NN9S
Electraft KX3 @ 5 watts, running on internal batteries. PAR Endfedz 10/20/40 dipole slung into backyard tree. Operated from roofdeck on garage.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Soapbox: May 2013 ARS Spartan Sprint
KØUU
20 meters only! K2 w/ internal battery, R7 vertical.
AD5TF
1 lb station - HB-1B internal batteries, base loaded wire vertical, 6 radials
W5HNS
Decided to participate from the field. Loaded up the K2, Batteries, Inverted Vee fed with ladder line, auto remote tuner and a Jackite 31 ft telescoping pole. Also lawn chair, small table and logsheet. Decided to set up on the fringe of an elementary school parking lot near home. I have set up there at least a dozen times before. Forgot tent stakes for the antenna. Took me an extra 30 minutes to figure out how to anchor those two ends of that inverted vee but I got all set up and was ready to roll 5 minutes after the event started for my time zone. Two employees from the school approached me. They were custodians. One of them informed me - now this is her story - that someone called the school district police and reported a man on the school grounds with a radio antenna. The key here was the antenna. The police then called the custodians and told them to come out and tell me to shut it all down. I think the custodians made the call. I had not even turned on the radio at that point. The girl offered to call the police office back to give them a better picture of what was happening. While she did that I made two contacts on 20m. Sounded like activity might be pretty good. But no luck tonight. I was told to shut it down and I did.
K3RLL
MTR and amp; 1800 mAh Chinese LiPo to ‘Stealth nighttime-only vertical” (darned homeowner’s association) – Nice to hear 20 meters not only open late, but strong tonight. Some really good signals on the Sprint, including WB5BKL, K2YGM and W2LJ just pounding into Florida. Didn’t hear anyone on 40 meters but maybe I got there too late. Thanks and hope to see you next month.
N5GW
I have been homebrewing a SP radio since Feb. and just yesterday got enough bugs ironed out to be able to use it this month. It covers 20M only, xtal controlled TX, DC RX, internal PicoKeyer with HB micropaddles. It's in a clear plastic case and weighs only 5.2 oz. The battery pack is eight alkaline cells. Headphones by Sony. Whole station weighs 0.84 lbs. Antenna CFZ. After the first hour of the sprint, everyone disappeared - guess they went to 40M. But it was lots of fun using a homemade radio. I may get a LiPO battery for next month to cut the weight even more.
W3KC
Bands were good. OPs were great. Fun was abundant.
K6CSL
I started on 10m and progressively moved through 15m, 20m then 40m, before I found one QSO with K7TQ in ID. Band conditions here in Central CA were very noisy due to lightning storms in progress about 30mi northwest of me in the San Joaquin Delta.
N4SX
I'm still using my weak battery in my K2, so this time I left my charger connected and added a pound to my weight. It really is a lite unit. I ran the whole 2 hours (I did take a few minutes out to check-in to a traffic net) this time and got 11 more contacts than my past few where I have been stuck on 16. I really appreciate everyone pulling my 1 watt signal out of the ether. I'm using a Mystery Antenna which I raised a few more feet today and now have the apex about 35-36 feet up. I got 13 on 20, 8 on 40, and 6 on 80, so 20 still seems to be the best and that should go up with summer and longer days coming on. Maybe next month I'll get my Wilderness Sierra out with my new AA NiMh batteries which just arrived and have a much lighter setup. It was a blast guys....thank you for all the contacts.
N5XL
There I was fiddling with the power setting on the KX3, calling CQ and seeing what RBN skimmers could hear my 1 watt signal when I get K4BAI coming back to me and making a contest like exchange. Cool! 1 watt makes the trip! Shortly thereafter, WB8LZG calls me and the same thing happens. Hmmmm. I glance up from the KX3 and notebook and see the RBN skimmers are logging a LOT of calls, many I recognize, all hanging around the 20 meter qrp watering hole. Ok, so what have I stumbled into? A quick check reveals I've literally stumbled into the May Spartan Sprint. Well, by this time, I've added W5ACM and N5GW to the log and I guess I am now participating in the May Sprint without even realizing it! Much thanks goes out to each and every one of the 10 stations that heard my 1 watt signal from central Arizona and put me in their logbook. All of the contacts I made were on 20 meters, even though I tried calling CQ on 40m. The last call in the log was with N5OBC with 13 minutes left to go (sorry Mark, I missed your call initially but got it sorted in the end). From what I could tell from this side of the Continental Divide, 20 meters sounded to be in pretty good shape. So my first ever Spartan Sprint is done. It catches me completely off guard and totally unprepared. How embarrassing! Regards to all from the Sonoran Desert.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3. It worked flawlessly for the event. All of the CW errors were induced by the operator... 20M was sooo good, I got slow and complacent. I simply enjoyed the great signals and easy contacts from California to New York. You could say that I had become fat, dumb and happy. Yes, it was GOOD, and I enjoyed it! I finally migrated to 40M, but was surprised at the lack of contest operators. I worked W3KC on 40M, but no others until I found N4QA up the band a bit. It finally occurred to me that he was not in the contest, and in fact, the contest was long over! Oh well, it was an excellent QSO, and I did not include it in my total QSO count. Did I mention that N5XL and N4SX were only running ONE WATT?!? Thanks to the 20M conditions, they had excellent signals. Hoping for more of this in June!
K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W, TH6DXX, dipole, inverted vee. QSOs by band: 20: 19; 40: 20; 80: 4. Bands in good condition. Activity rather sparse. Thanks for all QSOs. 20M: QSOs from NH to WA to AZ plus KH6G and VE7OM (yes, worked W7OM too). First response was from G5LP in England, but couldn't get Lionel to send me his power, so he didn't count. 40M: QSOs from NH to CA and as close as N4SX, also in GA. 80M: NH, MD, GA, and TX. Lots more QSOs could be made if more stations were active and those who are active try all bands that could be open. Hope to meet many of you at Dayton.
WB8LZG
Ten Tec Argo 509 on gelcell battery fer power. at 4w to dipole up 35 ft. Not exactly "skinny" as the Argo isn't any KX1, es my battery is 6er7 lbs. total weight abt 10-12 lbs. Worked 5 stns on 20m in abt 1/2 a hr . N4SX , N7TX , N5XL, K4BAI , NK6A . Hope to CUL in next months SP Sprint.
K1QO
Wow...great signal from N4SX on 20M and 80M with 1 Watt in GA, you are an inspiration. It was very cool to hear Randy from ID, K7TQ on 40M, I remember Randy from the QRP Foxhunts and a lot of QRP contests...great to hear you last night (I think the last time I might have worked you was when I held the call AB1DR)!!!! Worked both N1IX (my neighbor) and K4BAI on 20/40/80. And this time I didn't miss NK6A, so cool to hear Don's FB signal from CA on 20!!! Always nice to hear my fox hunt buddy, W2LJ and worked him on 40. Cool to hear WB5BKL in TX. I also worked: K3RP, AB0TO, NQ2W, KQ2RP, W3KC and K2YGM. Tried a new setup for outdoor operating, hopefully for the ARS Bumblebee this summer; KX3 with AA batteries, Ipad with Pigtail and Bluetooth keyboard for logging. I apologize for a bit of QLF'ing when I started...the KX3 memory keys and the IPad was a bit much for me to handle so I went to Plan B and continued the contest. Many thanks to KI6SN for the Adventure Radio Society and these sprints and all of the FB ops who participate in this contest!!!! QRP'ers are the nicest and most patient hams in the world...it's so cool to be part of this group!
N1IX
Used my KX-3 and IPad/pigtail interface with the hamlog app. This combination really works well and is a great portable alternative for anyone who can’t use a paddle or key. I also used it for the QRP to the field event last week. All the QSO’s were made using my OCF dipole at 35 feet. Not very much activity early but it picked up after the first half hour. Eight QSOs on 20, eleven on 40 and three on 80. Worked N4SX on 40 and 80. He had a great signal using only one watt. He told me that I was his third NH QSO on 40. Happy to see that we were well represented.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. I think this maybe the most Q's for me during a Spartan Sprint. Ended up with 13 on 20 and 13 on 40. For the most part signals were quite strong on both bands. Had doubles with K4BAI, N4SX, and WB5BKL. Worked 2 SP'ers from Thunder Bay, ON on 20...that's never happened before...pretty cool. I wonder how many SP'ers have worked two stations from Albany, NY during a Sprint. All in all a very enjoyable time. Thanks to all. I hope to hear you all next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. 13 states this time, most of them on 20M. Worked only two stations on all three bands (20, 40 & 80M): K4BAI and N4SX. Only two stations using less than 5W this time, but N4SX was one of them! 80M was strange. K4BAI usually booms in here, but John was pretty weak and Terry was proportionally weaker. Removed one QRO station (at 9.7W) from my score, but will try to talk him into joining us next month! My thanks to all. Had fun.
N5OBC
As a last minute effort I screwed my 20 m coil on the Hustler fold over whip got out the KX1 and Western Electric Mini key. I made one contact, and it was here in Oklahoma to a station a few hours away. Still fin and thanks for the sprint. Any one watt contact is way better than no contacts!
K7TQ
I headed into the mountains east of Moscow, ID for the May SP. Gear included K2, G4ZPY paddles, 7 AHr battery, SOTA Beam 20/40 m dipole, and a Jacklite pole. Set up of the antenna took about 10 minutes. The temperature was a very pleasant upper 60s the entire time. I was able to watch the sunset which happened about the time the SP ended. 20 m was good with 17 Qs from the starting bell to 0145 Z when I changed to 40 m for another 10 Qs. 20 m covered CA to NY and 40 was good for CA to NH, so coast to coast on both bands. I got 6 ops on both bands, K4BAI, N4SX, NK6A, NQ2W, W3KC, and WB5BKL. This was the 2nd time I've used the antenna and it performed well. I hope to get out again in June.
20 meters only! K2 w/ internal battery, R7 vertical.
AD5TF
1 lb station - HB-1B internal batteries, base loaded wire vertical, 6 radials
W5HNS
Decided to participate from the field. Loaded up the K2, Batteries, Inverted Vee fed with ladder line, auto remote tuner and a Jackite 31 ft telescoping pole. Also lawn chair, small table and logsheet. Decided to set up on the fringe of an elementary school parking lot near home. I have set up there at least a dozen times before. Forgot tent stakes for the antenna. Took me an extra 30 minutes to figure out how to anchor those two ends of that inverted vee but I got all set up and was ready to roll 5 minutes after the event started for my time zone. Two employees from the school approached me. They were custodians. One of them informed me - now this is her story - that someone called the school district police and reported a man on the school grounds with a radio antenna. The key here was the antenna. The police then called the custodians and told them to come out and tell me to shut it all down. I think the custodians made the call. I had not even turned on the radio at that point. The girl offered to call the police office back to give them a better picture of what was happening. While she did that I made two contacts on 20m. Sounded like activity might be pretty good. But no luck tonight. I was told to shut it down and I did.
K3RLL
MTR and amp; 1800 mAh Chinese LiPo to ‘Stealth nighttime-only vertical” (darned homeowner’s association) – Nice to hear 20 meters not only open late, but strong tonight. Some really good signals on the Sprint, including WB5BKL, K2YGM and W2LJ just pounding into Florida. Didn’t hear anyone on 40 meters but maybe I got there too late. Thanks and hope to see you next month.
N5GW
I have been homebrewing a SP radio since Feb. and just yesterday got enough bugs ironed out to be able to use it this month. It covers 20M only, xtal controlled TX, DC RX, internal PicoKeyer with HB micropaddles. It's in a clear plastic case and weighs only 5.2 oz. The battery pack is eight alkaline cells. Headphones by Sony. Whole station weighs 0.84 lbs. Antenna CFZ. After the first hour of the sprint, everyone disappeared - guess they went to 40M. But it was lots of fun using a homemade radio. I may get a LiPO battery for next month to cut the weight even more.
W3KC
Bands were good. OPs were great. Fun was abundant.
K6CSL
I started on 10m and progressively moved through 15m, 20m then 40m, before I found one QSO with K7TQ in ID. Band conditions here in Central CA were very noisy due to lightning storms in progress about 30mi northwest of me in the San Joaquin Delta.
N4SX
I'm still using my weak battery in my K2, so this time I left my charger connected and added a pound to my weight. It really is a lite unit. I ran the whole 2 hours (I did take a few minutes out to check-in to a traffic net) this time and got 11 more contacts than my past few where I have been stuck on 16. I really appreciate everyone pulling my 1 watt signal out of the ether. I'm using a Mystery Antenna which I raised a few more feet today and now have the apex about 35-36 feet up. I got 13 on 20, 8 on 40, and 6 on 80, so 20 still seems to be the best and that should go up with summer and longer days coming on. Maybe next month I'll get my Wilderness Sierra out with my new AA NiMh batteries which just arrived and have a much lighter setup. It was a blast guys....thank you for all the contacts.
N5XL
There I was fiddling with the power setting on the KX3, calling CQ and seeing what RBN skimmers could hear my 1 watt signal when I get K4BAI coming back to me and making a contest like exchange. Cool! 1 watt makes the trip! Shortly thereafter, WB8LZG calls me and the same thing happens. Hmmmm. I glance up from the KX3 and notebook and see the RBN skimmers are logging a LOT of calls, many I recognize, all hanging around the 20 meter qrp watering hole. Ok, so what have I stumbled into? A quick check reveals I've literally stumbled into the May Spartan Sprint. Well, by this time, I've added W5ACM and N5GW to the log and I guess I am now participating in the May Sprint without even realizing it! Much thanks goes out to each and every one of the 10 stations that heard my 1 watt signal from central Arizona and put me in their logbook. All of the contacts I made were on 20 meters, even though I tried calling CQ on 40m. The last call in the log was with N5OBC with 13 minutes left to go (sorry Mark, I missed your call initially but got it sorted in the end). From what I could tell from this side of the Continental Divide, 20 meters sounded to be in pretty good shape. So my first ever Spartan Sprint is done. It catches me completely off guard and totally unprepared. How embarrassing! Regards to all from the Sonoran Desert.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3. It worked flawlessly for the event. All of the CW errors were induced by the operator... 20M was sooo good, I got slow and complacent. I simply enjoyed the great signals and easy contacts from California to New York. You could say that I had become fat, dumb and happy. Yes, it was GOOD, and I enjoyed it! I finally migrated to 40M, but was surprised at the lack of contest operators. I worked W3KC on 40M, but no others until I found N4QA up the band a bit. It finally occurred to me that he was not in the contest, and in fact, the contest was long over! Oh well, it was an excellent QSO, and I did not include it in my total QSO count. Did I mention that N5XL and N4SX were only running ONE WATT?!? Thanks to the 20M conditions, they had excellent signals. Hoping for more of this in June!
K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5W, TH6DXX, dipole, inverted vee. QSOs by band: 20: 19; 40: 20; 80: 4. Bands in good condition. Activity rather sparse. Thanks for all QSOs. 20M: QSOs from NH to WA to AZ plus KH6G and VE7OM (yes, worked W7OM too). First response was from G5LP in England, but couldn't get Lionel to send me his power, so he didn't count. 40M: QSOs from NH to CA and as close as N4SX, also in GA. 80M: NH, MD, GA, and TX. Lots more QSOs could be made if more stations were active and those who are active try all bands that could be open. Hope to meet many of you at Dayton.
WB8LZG
Ten Tec Argo 509 on gelcell battery fer power. at 4w to dipole up 35 ft. Not exactly "skinny" as the Argo isn't any KX1, es my battery is 6er7 lbs. total weight abt 10-12 lbs. Worked 5 stns on 20m in abt 1/2 a hr . N4SX , N7TX , N5XL, K4BAI , NK6A . Hope to CUL in next months SP Sprint.
K1QO
Wow...great signal from N4SX on 20M and 80M with 1 Watt in GA, you are an inspiration. It was very cool to hear Randy from ID, K7TQ on 40M, I remember Randy from the QRP Foxhunts and a lot of QRP contests...great to hear you last night (I think the last time I might have worked you was when I held the call AB1DR)!!!! Worked both N1IX (my neighbor) and K4BAI on 20/40/80. And this time I didn't miss NK6A, so cool to hear Don's FB signal from CA on 20!!! Always nice to hear my fox hunt buddy, W2LJ and worked him on 40. Cool to hear WB5BKL in TX. I also worked: K3RP, AB0TO, NQ2W, KQ2RP, W3KC and K2YGM. Tried a new setup for outdoor operating, hopefully for the ARS Bumblebee this summer; KX3 with AA batteries, Ipad with Pigtail and Bluetooth keyboard for logging. I apologize for a bit of QLF'ing when I started...the KX3 memory keys and the IPad was a bit much for me to handle so I went to Plan B and continued the contest. Many thanks to KI6SN for the Adventure Radio Society and these sprints and all of the FB ops who participate in this contest!!!! QRP'ers are the nicest and most patient hams in the world...it's so cool to be part of this group!
N1IX
Used my KX-3 and IPad/pigtail interface with the hamlog app. This combination really works well and is a great portable alternative for anyone who can’t use a paddle or key. I also used it for the QRP to the field event last week. All the QSO’s were made using my OCF dipole at 35 feet. Not very much activity early but it picked up after the first half hour. Eight QSOs on 20, eleven on 40 and three on 80. Worked N4SX on 40 and 80. He had a great signal using only one watt. He told me that I was his third NH QSO on 40. Happy to see that we were well represented.
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted vee at 40ft for 40m. I think this maybe the most Q's for me during a Spartan Sprint. Ended up with 13 on 20 and 13 on 40. For the most part signals were quite strong on both bands. Had doubles with K4BAI, N4SX, and WB5BKL. Worked 2 SP'ers from Thunder Bay, ON on 20...that's never happened before...pretty cool. I wonder how many SP'ers have worked two stations from Albany, NY during a Sprint. All in all a very enjoyable time. Thanks to all. I hope to hear you all next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. 13 states this time, most of them on 20M. Worked only two stations on all three bands (20, 40 & 80M): K4BAI and N4SX. Only two stations using less than 5W this time, but N4SX was one of them! 80M was strange. K4BAI usually booms in here, but John was pretty weak and Terry was proportionally weaker. Removed one QRO station (at 9.7W) from my score, but will try to talk him into joining us next month! My thanks to all. Had fun.
N5OBC
As a last minute effort I screwed my 20 m coil on the Hustler fold over whip got out the KX1 and Western Electric Mini key. I made one contact, and it was here in Oklahoma to a station a few hours away. Still fin and thanks for the sprint. Any one watt contact is way better than no contacts!
K7TQ
I headed into the mountains east of Moscow, ID for the May SP. Gear included K2, G4ZPY paddles, 7 AHr battery, SOTA Beam 20/40 m dipole, and a Jacklite pole. Set up of the antenna took about 10 minutes. The temperature was a very pleasant upper 60s the entire time. I was able to watch the sunset which happened about the time the SP ended. 20 m was good with 17 Qs from the starting bell to 0145 Z when I changed to 40 m for another 10 Qs. 20 m covered CA to NY and 40 was good for CA to NH, so coast to coast on both bands. I got 6 ops on both bands, K4BAI, N4SX, NK6A, NQ2W, W3KC, and WB5BKL. This was the 2nd time I've used the antenna and it performed well. I hope to get out again in June.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Soapbox: April '13 Spartan Sprint
K3RLL
Getting to appreciate the little MTR and tiny LiPo battery but the light paddle leaves much to be desired. At least that is my story and I’m sticking to it. Nice signals tonight on 20 meters and nice to work WB5BKL on both 20 and 40 tonight. Big signal tonight down into FL was K4ORD. 72 es tnx to those who make this fun possible.
N4SX
Well another one come and gone, and still 30 minutes left as I write this report. My K2 internal battery gave out again at the 1 hour 20 minute mark. That will be remedied before next month. I ran the Sprint again this month at 1 watt the whole way. 8 contacts on 20, 7 on 40, and 1 on 80 meters. Just at the very end as my battery was giving up the ghost I may have been doing 50mw or so as AB9CA could not pull me out of the mud next door in Alabama, but the qrn was sure heavy on 80 and still not good on 40. Contacts all the way from CA to WA to NH and even FL, so I got the corners covered! Lots of fun again guys and thanks for all the contacts and pulling out my 1 watt.
N5OBC
Been working on sprint nights. Finally got one off, used the KX3 to a wire dipole for two contacts then it was family time. Bands have been rough the past few days. Good to be back on a sprint.
K4ORD
Started on 20M, band seemed in good shape a few S9 signals, made 8 qso's on 20M, 16 on 40M and 6 on 80M. Qrn was heavy on both 40 & 80 some signals strong some weak. Nice to work WB5BKL on three bands. Ran my K2 @ 5W to dipoles. Thanks for all the contacts.
WA8HSB
It has been a long time since I participated in a Spartan Sprint due to other commitments on Monday evenings. This month found me in Houston, TX on business so I gave it a go. Found my key a bit mangled when I took it out of its case so the first couple of contacts were a struggle until I got it readjusted - sorry John & Dave. Guess I need a more substantial case. Used my KX1 with the BuddiStick mounted on the rental car rear window. Did not hear any activity on 20m but, was able to make 4 Qs on 40m - basically the Gulf Coast - East to West: K4BAI in GA, AB9CA in AL, N5GW in MS, and W5ACM in TX. In between Spartan Sprint contacts I worked two Cuban stations on the low end of 40 - not bad at all!! Hope to be back soon.
W1PID
Good Sprint I operated for an hour with an ICOM 7K at 5W to an OCF dipole. I worked W7OM in WA on both 20 and 40. Worked NK6A and N6GA in CA on 20. Took a piece of traffic on 80! Really. I worked my pal Bill AB1AV. Then he sent QTC 1. I sent QRV and there was a message from fellow QRPer N3AO. What a hoot. Thanks all for the contacts.
K4BAI
Good conditions. 20M had very strong signals, but only a few of them. 40M was good almost everywhere. 80M had a lot of QRN, but strong signals from TX to PA. Thanks for all QSOs. Breakdown of QSOs per band: 20M: 9. 40M: 25. 80M: 8. FT1000MP, WM-2 QRP Watt Meter, 5W, TH6DXX, dipole, inverted V.
N5GW
20 was open for the first half hour; then only a few west coast stations heard. 40 was noisy with QRN from approaching wx front, but not too bad for my K1 at 3 watts.
W3KC
Bands were pretty noisy. I had only the wide filter in the Icom 703 (neat little rig), I really need to get a cw filter installed. Running 5 watts to the zs6bkw, I made the most Q's on 40 but several on 20 and 80. As always, lots of fun and good operators.
AB9CA
Station was the K2 @ 5w to 100' wire. Condx seemed to be pretty good. Not much noise. On 20 worked from CA to NY from the Gulf Coast. 40 was not quite so long but still good. 8 Q's on 20, 13 on 40 and 1 on 80. John, K4BAI, over in GA was booming in on 40. That sounds good for the 40m fox hunt! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and see ya'all next month!
NQ2W
K1 running 5W to a mini-beam at 25ft for 20m and an inverted V at 40ft for 40m. Ten Qs on 20 and eight on 40. Never tried 80 - thought there would be too much QRN from the snow in the air! Had doubles with K4BAI, WA8ZBT, AB9CA, and N5GW. Overall, signals were pretty good with only an occasional lost dit or dah due to a static crash. Thanks for the repeats. Good to work a few new calls during the SP - welcome, and I hope to hear you again. Always good to hear the "regulars" and I hope to hear you again, as well. Always a pleasure and a privilege to be added to your log. Hope to be back next month.
WB5BKL
K3/10 @ 5W to a wire delta loop, a 40M dipole or a 40M extended double Zepp. No contacts on 15M, but worked K4ORD and K4BAI on 20, 40 and 80M. Worked 15 states with N1WPU as the best DX. 28 Qs is a personal best for the Spartan Sprint. Thanks to all, including the organizers! Had fun.
KK4CIS
Was tuning around on 40m and heard someone sending "CQ QRP TEST K4BAI" so finally figured out there is a 2hr contest on the first Monday of each month, read the short list of rules and exchange format, turned the K3 down to 5w and sent a reply. That worked pretty well, so ran across another caller. Moved up the band a bit and started calling CQ. Two stations came back to me fairly quickly and after that, no takers. Figured everybody moved to 80m since it was fairly late in the contest.
Hopefully, can improve my QSO/Weight ratio next month.
W5ACM
Still using the ATS-3 with three 300 mAh LiPo batteries, providing 5W out and a final total of 19 QSOs this month. However, I spent far too much time calling "CQ". The batteries were drained about 30 minutes before the end of the event. 20M was NOT DEAD! Last month 20M was a tragedy. This month it was a delight! The majority of my contacts were on 20M from NH to CA and FL. Nice! On 40M I had fun, but nothing like 20M. 80M was typical with only a few contacts. I got K4BAI on all of the bands that I pursued. My backyard vertical uses a resonator at the top for any very narrow piece of 80M that you wish to work. Mine is peaked at 3560, and it's nice when conditions cooperate. Hoping for some more fantastic 20M ops next time! It was the best SS in quite a while!
AB1AV
ATS-3, touch keyer, LiPo, 88' doublet up 55.'Didn't start until after a 9:30pm traffic net, staying on 80 meters where the net was. Ran into W1PID, for whom I had just picked up traffic, and relayed it to him! By the time I tried 40 and 20 meters there we're no sigs to be heard.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
