SYBO - Scorch Your Butt Off - the Summer answer to Freeze Your Butt Off.
This is always fun and is yet another good reason to get you and your QRP gear out into the Great outdoors!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Showing posts with label SYBO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SYBO. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 06, 2016
As Summer is upon us ......
One of several popular Summer QRP Sprints is happening this coming Sunday.
SYBO - Scorch Your Butt Off - the Summer answer to Freeze Your Butt Off.
This is always fun and is yet another good reason to get you and your QRP gear out into the Great outdoors!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
SYBO - Scorch Your Butt Off - the Summer answer to Freeze Your Butt Off.
This is always fun and is yet another good reason to get you and your QRP gear out into the Great outdoors!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Sunday, July 26, 2015
FOBB after action report
The weather held off! For the duration of the Flight of the Bumblebees, I was not bothered by rain, lighting, or thunder. In fact, one really couldn't ask for better weather! Throughout it was warm, in the upper 80s (32C), but where I was located there was a light breeze, and I was in a shady spot.
I went up to Washington Rock State Park, a favorite QRP operating haunt of mine. The trees are tall, there are plenty of picnic tables and not too many people to classify as "crowded". I arrived at about 12:20 PM EDT and promptly launched the antenna line. Once again, the Joplin MO ARC pneumatic launcher did not dissapoint. I easily shot a line over a tree at what I would estimate to be was the 60-65 foot level.
You can see the gray jacket of the coax running up to the PAR END FEDZ which was the antenna of choice for the day. I didn't put up the NorCal, but I think I will for the Skeeter Hunt.
As with any of these QRP Sprints, the activity level was low from the beginning. Before it got busy, I was joined by good friend and fellow SPARC member Dave Hackett KD2FSI who brought me a cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and a cinnamon roll. After finishing off his coffee, Dave asked if I would mind if he set up his portable station. I was estatic to have the company!
I went up to Washington Rock State Park, a favorite QRP operating haunt of mine. The trees are tall, there are plenty of picnic tables and not too many people to classify as "crowded". I arrived at about 12:20 PM EDT and promptly launched the antenna line. Once again, the Joplin MO ARC pneumatic launcher did not dissapoint. I easily shot a line over a tree at what I would estimate to be was the 60-65 foot level.
You can see the gray jacket of the coax running up to the PAR END FEDZ which was the antenna of choice for the day. I didn't put up the NorCal, but I think I will for the Skeeter Hunt.
As with any of these QRP Sprints, the activity level was low from the beginning. Before it got busy, I was joined by good friend and fellow SPARC member Dave Hackett KD2FSI who brought me a cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and a cinnamon roll. After finishing off his coffee, Dave asked if I would mind if he set up his portable station. I was estatic to have the company!
Dave set up his gear for for 6 Meters and also tried for some JT65 contacts while I played Bumblebee. It was great to have the company, as four hours can be a long time when you're alone. Dave and I are hoping to make a trip to High Point before Summer ends for a SOTA activation.
Of the 35 QSOs that I ended up making, all but seven were on 20 Meters. I don't know if there was a severe lack of activity on 40 Meters; or if I just couldn't hear what activity may have been there. I had almost an S7 background noise level on 40 Meters, which astounded me. I was in the middle of a state park on battery power and the RF hash was worse than at my house in my suburban neighborhood!
When I took this photo of my KX3, there was no signal present on frequency, at least none that I could hear!
20 Meters, was the "money band" but was full of QSB. At times, various stations, such as NK9G, K4BAI, AB9CA, KX0R and NM4T would qualify as "the loudest station on the band" only to totally disappear from ear shot within a very few short minutes, only to come back strong again at a later time.
Despite that, it was a good time. And as Dave KD2FSI said, "If it was easy, it wouldn't be fun." and he hit the nail on the head with that one. My disappointments were not making 40 QSOs, a personal goal I had set, and not being able to work Kelly K4UPG, fellow QRP Polar Bear. I heard him several times on 20 Meters, but couldn't make myself heard. Maybe next time I'll try a flare gun.
We're now 2/3rds of the way through the Summer Trifecta. SYBO and FOBB are in the books. On to the Skeeter Hunt!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Friday, July 10, 2015
Scorch Your Butt Off
Coming this Sunday - Scorch Your Butt Off!
What FYBO is to February and the colder states, SYBO is to July and the hotter states. For some of us, who live in "temperate climates" (4th Grade Geography kicking in) we do well in both sprints.
For all the rules and regulations, please go to http://www.qsl.net/sybo/Scorch_Your_Butt_Off/SYBO.html
The forecast for Central NJ is for a high of close to 90F, so maybe I'll get an X2 multiplier. Who knows? But wherever you are, I encourage you to participate, have fun and be safe. Stay hydrated!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Skeeters and Bees, oh my!
I have been getting a lot of e-mails about the Flight of the Bumblebees, which is understandable, as I managed it two years ago. However, just a reminder, I am NOT managing it this year. FOBB belongs to the Adventure Radio Society and falls under the province of Rich Fisher KI6SN.
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!
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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