Rich is a VERY busy man! He edits and is largely responsible for a lot of the content of WorldRadio and CQ VHF. So in between running around with his hair on fire trying to meet the deadlines for two very popular publications, he also manages FOBB and the monthly Spartan Sprints. That is a lot to have on your plate!
I would ask for you all to be as patient as possible. The new edition of QST came out, and sure enough, FOBB is listed in "The Contest Corral" as occurring on July 28th, the last one of July. I am sure that within the next few weeks (if not sooner), Rich will be making an announcement about FOBB on QRP-L. My advice to you all is keep your eyes peeled and your stingers sharp.
Speaking of Summer time outdoor QRP operating events - please make sure to keep two others in mind! The first being "SYBO - Scorch Your Butt Off", which is being sponsored by Rem K6BBQ. This is scheduled for Saturday, July 20th. This is a semi-inaugural event as SYBO is Rem's current edition of the Bubba event, which went by the wayside. For all the details, please visit Rem's SYBO Website by clicking on the contest name in this paragraph.
The second event, of course, is the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt. The Skeeter Hunt will be held on the second Sunday of August - which is the 11th, this year. You can sign up for a Skeeter number by sending me an e-mail at w2lj@arrl.net. When you request a Skeeter number, please include your name, call and the state from which you plan to operate. This years theme is "Bodies of Water" and you can earn bonus points by operating close to a body of water, whether that be a lake, pond, river, brook, ocean, etc. Rules can be found at the hyperlink above.
Now, the reason that I am bringing up the Skeeter Hunt is that I received an e-mail from someone who informed me in that correspondence that it was his third request for a Skeeter number! I checked my spam folder and I never found the two initial Skeeter number requests, and that has me a bit concerned. If you have requested a Skeeter number and haven't gotten one - it's not because I have put you on "ignore". It's because I haven't received your request. I try my best to respond to all requests as quickly as possible - certainly within 24 hours.
So as a backup - here are three ways to request a number, in order of preference on my part. If number 1 doesn't work, try number 2, and then finally number 3. I'll get you a Skeeter number if I have to come out to your house and deliver it personally!
Number 1 - send an e-mail to w2lj@arrl.net
Number 2 - send an e-mail to w2lj@verizon.net (sometimes the ARRL reports funky things about that arrl.net domain thingy)
Number 3 - Leave a comment on any blog post. Since comments are on moderation to avoid spam, I have to manually review each one - so that should be a safe "last fallback".
Last year, we had 123 people sign up for Skeeter numbers, and as of today, number 67 was assigned. I would like to top last year's total if at all possible. Last year over 50 log summaries were sent in and I would like to exceed that, also. The top five scores and the high score for each state/province got a nifty certificate last year, and that will be repeated this year. And this year, SSB has been added as a category for those of you who prefer not to pound brass. So there's truly something for everyone - no reason not to come out, join us and have a blast!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
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