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Paul NA5N posted the preliminary results of QRP to the Field 2014 to QRP-L last night.  For the whole enchilada, you can go here: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/qrpttf/2014/ttf.htm

As you can see, W2LJ came firmly in the middle of the pack – a mere mosquito (Skeeter – Hi!) on the butt of the esteemed leaders.  So, rule of thumb ……. if you ever hear me in a QRP Sprint or any other QRP contest – have no fear! I am a Giver Of Points only, and will most likely never threaten your lead.  😉

Oh, and many, many thanks to Paul Harden NA5N for hosting this really fun QRP event year after year and doing all the hard work that it takes to keep something like this running.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Disappointingly, there was not a lot of activity last night in the QRP ARCI Hoot Owl Sprint.  My guess would be that between the CQ WWPX Contest and Holiday weekend BBQs and other activities, that most folks were probably too pooped to pop.

I was on for approximately 2 and 1/2  hours, from 8:30 PM local time to 11:30 PM local time (0030 – 0300 UTC). I worked a total of 17 stations – mostly up and down the East coast.  I did work John N0EVH in Missouri and I did have a nice little QSO with Rumi LZ2R who was calling CQ USA from his QTH in Bulgaria.  He was running his K3 at 5 Watts and we were 569 both ways.  I think he was looking for counties, but I got the exchange needed for the Sprint, so as far as I’m concerned, it counts and it was by far my best DX for the night.

The last 1/2 hour, from 0230 to 0300 UTC was just me calling CW with no takers. That’s when I decided to pack it in for the night. The KX3 was plugging away calling CQ and I started nodding off a little bit. I’m sure if there was more activity, I would have stayed on until the allotted time was up, which would have been local Midnight (0400 UTC). But the rig automatically calling CQ over and over is kind of like driving down a long highway in the rain with the windshield wipers on. The constant rhythm of CQ with no breaks can kind of lull yout to sleep.

 According to Reverse Beacon Network, there is how I was being heard last night.

I spent just about all of my time on 40 Meters.  I did make one QSO on 80 Meters and three on 20 Meters, featuring the one with LZ2RS.  Other than that, everyone seemed to be concentrating on 40 Meters in the 7.030 MHz neighborhood. As far as antennas go, I was using mostly my 88′ EDZ on 40 meters and for my very brief foray into 80 Meters. On 20 Meters, I used the Butternut HF9V.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

One of my favorite contest/Sprints is coming up this weekend.  The Hoot Owl Sprint, sponsored by QRP ARCI is this coming Sunday evening.  I guess I had lost focus, or wasn’t paying attention, as this came as a surprise to me when Jim W4QO announced this on the NoGA Group reflector yesterday.

The Hoot Owl Sprint is always held on Memorial Day Weekend, here in the US. The rub is that it doesn’t feel like Memorial Day weekend as far as the thermometer is concerned.  It feels more like late April or early May around here.  It’s been chilly and wet for the most part, lately.  We have had very few days where the temperatures have gone into the mid or upper 70s. And the forecast for the weekend is for basically more of the same. Ugh.

I also believe that Monday evening will be the MI QRP Memorial Day Sprint, but I haven’t seen any announcements regarding that, either.  Keep your eyes peeled. (Update: As per the MI QRP Website (should have looked there, first – DUH!) there will only be a Labor Day Sprint this year.)

I am hoping that it will stay dry enough so that I can test out a 53 foot radiator with the 9:1 UNUN at the park at some point this weekend.  According to the SWR Chart on the Balun Designs website, a 53 foot radiator will yield decent SWRs on all bands 80 through 10 Meters. If I get an opportunity to play and the results bear out, then this will be one of the antennas that will be used at the SPARC Field Day effort.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Today was QRP to the Field for 2014, and it was also my birthday. What a present! Although I didn’t get to spend anywhere near as much time on the air as I would have liked, I got a little air time in and that’s always a good thing.

The theme for today was Tres de Mayo in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Well, here in New Jersey there really aren’t an abundance of locales with a Mexican flair. So I got a little creative.

Yes, I placed some Chipotle Mayo next to me while I operated.

I got to experiment a bit too. I used both my Par EndFedz and the EARCHI 9:1 Unun with a 36 foot radiator. The Par EndFedz performed as expected. The EARCHI performed much better than last time. The extra three feet of wire made a big difference. The KX3 handled the wire well on all bands, 40 through 10 Meters with minimal clicking and clacking from the auto tuner.

In the hour or so of operating time that I got in, I worked about a dozen or so stations. Included were some very familiar calls like Mert W0UFO, Jerry N9AW, Rick NK9G, Dave AB9CA, Gene N5GW and Kelly K4UPG among others.

So even though I didn’t get a lot of operating time in, I did learn more about the EARCHI end fed. I think it will serve well as an all around multi band antenna for portable ops.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

I truly had a blast this past weekend working 20m SSB contacts and giving away 5 points as a VE during the year long ARRL Centennial QSO Party.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog posting, I will be representing the Centennial State of Colorado when the W1AW/Ø portable operations schedule makes a stop in Colorado.  W1AW/Ø will be on the air from Colorado 21-27 May.  My contest operating is typically limited to Field Day and the Colorado QSO Party, so I wanted to spend some time on the air over the next few weeks brushing up on my “operating a pile-up” skills. 

I spent about 3 hours “on the air” over the Easter weekend and managed to add about 180 SSB contacts to  my log.  If you’ve done any operating the past few days you are well aware that band conditions have been up and down.  I was surprised at the feedback I received regarding my audio quality.  I think fellow hams are surprised to know that I’m running just 100w into a hamstick dipole mounted just above my roofline.  But this is the way for those of us living in HOA-hell.

Of course, I also have some weird issue going on with my Yaesu FT-950.  I promise I didn’t let the magic smoke out, but something is seriously wrong with my SSB workhorse.  You can read more about some of the testing I’ve done here.  As I stated in that blog posting, I do plan to try another power supply.  I’ll be pleasantly surprised if the issue is with my current power supply.  But I’m also prepared to quickly send my 950 to Yaesu California.  I need to get it back in time for when I operate W1AW/Ø.

If I had the privilege to work you over the past weekend, thank you for answering my CQ and I most certainly look forward to working you again soon.

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK

Mark your calendars, the ARRL Centennial QSO Party will make a stop in the Centennial State of Colorado in May.  The dates are 21-27 May and yours truly has signed up to represent Colorado in this incredible event. 

I’m sure by now you’ve already heard about the ARRL Centennial QSO Party and hopefully you’ve already been busy making contacts.  I’m slightly behind schedule, but thankfully each of the 50 states will be on the air twice during the calendar year.   My goal is to work them all.

When I first learned of the opportunity to represent Colorado in this event I knew I wanted to sign up for a operating slot or two.  While my station is a small pistol in the world of high power contest stations, I’m still excited to put the Centennial State of Colorado on the air from my home QTH during the ARRL Centennial QSO Party.

Currently my on-air timeslots are 22 May (00:00 – 03:00 z) 20m Phone and 25 May (15:00 – 18:00 z) 20m Phone.  You can learn more about this year long event by visiting the ARRL Centennial QSO Party website. 

I may sign up for additional timeslots if the need requires.  As we get closer to the event date, I’ll be sure to post a reminder.  You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook where I’ll post real time information on where you can find me on the bands. 

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK