Busy weekend - September 20th and 21st.

There's a whole lot of shakin' goin' on this weekend - most noticeably the First Autumn Flight of the Bumblebees! Here's what you may hear on the CW bands this weekend. I'm willing to bet there will be plenty of activity!

Contests:

Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW: - https://www.sactest.net/blog/scandinavian-activity-contest-2025-rules/

New Jersey QSO Party - http://www.k2td-bcrc.org/njqp/rules.html - W2LJ WILL be on the air, participating as a QRP Station - please listen for me!

Texas QSO Party - https://www.txqp.net/

Iowa QSO Party - http://www.w0yl.com/IAQP

Probably not, but listed anyway - QRP Afield - see below - https://www.newenglandqrp.org/qrp-afield-2018/ (NEQRP no longer seems interested in promoting this event)

New Hampshire QSO Party - https://w1wqm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/NHQP_Rules.pdf

Washington State Salmon Run - http://salmonrun.wwdxc.org/

Wisconsin Parks on the Air - http://wipota.com/files/WIPOTA_contest_rules.pdf

ARS Flight of the Bumblebees - http://ars-qrp.com/FOBB/FOBB.html

Special Event Stations:

09/20/2025 | Remembering the Freedom Trail - Underground Railroad through Indiana 

Sep 20, 1400Z-2200Z, W9EFU, Madison, IN. Clifty Amateur Radio Society. 28.328 14.314 7.207. Certificate. Jerry Barnes, 601 Spring Street, Madison, IN 47250. Remembering the citizens of Madison Indiana and the surrounding area along with others throughout the state for their efforts in providing safe passage to escaped slaves from the South. Unique eCertificate sent to operators email listed in QRZ. See our QRZ and FB page for frequency and details. www.qrz.com/db/w9efu

09/20/2025 | SENARC 89 Year Anniversary

Sep 20-Sep 21, 1500Z-2000Z, N0N, Lincoln, NE. SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AMATEUR RADIIO CLUB. 7.180 14.230. Certificate & QSL. Charles Bennett, KD0PTK, P.O. Box 67181, Lincoln, NE 68506. SENRC (senarc) WAS FOUNDED IN 1936 BY GAROLD C. BENNETT (W9WKP) SK. "JERRY" WAS THE FIRST ARRL EMERGENCY COORDINATOR FOR NEBRASKA. HIS MOTTO WAS "ALL HAMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY". senebrradioclub@gmail.com

09/20/2025 | State Line Radio Club Annual Picnic

Sep 20, 1400Z-2000Z, W3A, Holtwood, PA. State Line Radio Club. 14.240 21.280. QSL. Edward Reichenbach, 108 Park Circle, Elkton, MD 21921-5444. Annual State Line Radio Club Picnic held at Muddy Run Park in Holtwood, PA. Public, Scouts and Scout groups are welcome! Free admission. www.statelineradioclub.com

It would appear that QRP Afield has gone the way of the Dodo, the dinosaurs and the carrier pigeon. As I've posted earlier, NEQRP no longer appears to be interested in holding or promoting the event, which is very sad. It was noted that perhaps they didn't want to compete occupying the same weekend as the Inaugural Autumn Flight of the Bumblebees, which should have a huge following.  In a way, that makes sense to a certain degree. 

That being said, the first Day of Autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere is Monday, September 22nd. Why not move QRP Afield a weekend or two into October? The weather is still nice for the most part and there really isn't any "official" QRP activity in October, except perhaps for the Peanut Power Sprint.  Unfortunately, there's been no noise or announcement about that event, either. So October might be silent as far as sponsored QRP events go.

I'm also going to yammer on this one more time. There was a statement made that attendance for QRP Afield had  diminished with only one log received in 2024. This is the direct result of not getting the word out. If you don't advertise/promote, you're NOT going to get participation. You cannot rest on your laurels from previous years and just expect people to turn out for an event on its own merit. People are busy and have other commitments on weekends. You have to give folks ample time to set aside time for your event. You can't whistle at the last moment (or not at all!) and expect people to show up. So yes, it takes some effort and some work to keep events like these going. I guess some just aren't up to the task - and that's very unfortunate.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Weekend of September 13th and 14th

Wasn't Labor Day just yesterday? Sheesh! We're halfway through the month already and it just started! 

Here's what you might hear on the bands this weekend as you try to have that rag chew or make that POTA contact (scratching your head, thinking "What the heck is that?!?"):

Contests:

Africa FT4 DX Contest - https://mysarl.org.za/contest-resources/

North American Sprint, CW: - https://ncjweb.com/Sprint-Rules.pdf

WAE DX Contest, SSB - https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/referat-conteste/worked-all-europe-dx-contest/en/

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/

For QRPers we have on Sunday night:

4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint - http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules.pdf

Don't forget -  that next weekend is the first Fall FOBB !  https://ars-qrp.com/

Special Event Stations:

09/13/2025 | Baltimore Defender's Day

Sep 13, 1330Z-2100Z, K3S, Port of Baltimore. Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club. 7,14,18,21,28. QSL. Ulis Fleming, 980 Patuxent Rd, Odenton, MD 21113. Check spotting networks for frequency. See QRZ.com info for Savannah Award qrz.com/db/k3s

09/13/2025 | Celebrating Arthur Collins' Birthday

Sep 13, 1400Z-1700Z, W0CXX, Cedar Rapids, IA. Collins Amateur Radio Club. 14.263 MHz. QSL. Brice AntonJensen, 1110 Lyndhurst Dr, Hiawatha, IA 52233. www.qrz.com/db/W0CXX

09/13/2025 | Commemorating USS Midway Commissioning in 1945.

Sep 13, 1600Z-2300Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS Midway Museum Ship. 14.320 7.250 14.070 PSK31 DSTAR on Papa System Repeaters. QSL. USS Midway Museum Ship COMEDTRA, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. www.qrz.com/db/ni6iw

09/13/2025 | Fred Harvey House Museum on the Air

Sep 13, 1400Z-2000Z, KS0LV, Leavenworth, KS. Pilot Knob Amateur Radio Club. 14.303 21.361 28.355 14.053. Certificate. Steve Rice, 6850 Deer Ridge Dr, Shawnee, KS 66226. Look for us on FT8 on 14 or 17M www.pkarc.org

09/13/2025 | SS John W Brown Sept 13 Living History Cruise

Sep 13, 1500Z-2000Z, K8JWB, Baltimore, MD. SS John W Brown Radio Club. 7210 14230 21300 28320. Certificate. Randall Crenwelge, 2 Laurel Hill Road Unit K, Greenbelt, MD 20770. Join us as we sail on the Chesapeake Bay for a living history cruise honoring those that built and served on the liberty ships during WW2. Please send us full size envelope with postage for a certificate. Dam the Torpedoes! Full speed ahead! www.ssjohnwbrown.org

As I mentioned in an earlier post, tomorrow should have been our monthly ETS of NJ VE Session. No one signed up. I think we're progressing from a dry spell to a drought. Oh well, I guess I'll get the grocery shopping done early this week!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend of August 23rd and 24th

Didn't August just begin a few days ago?  And here we are, the next to last weekend of the month. The hours of daylight are getting noticeably shorter, as by my QTH, it's appreciably dark at around 8:00 PM and in the mornings, the daylight is taking longer to gain a foothold. 

It's this time of year, and going forward that I'm reminded of that Simon and Garfunkel lyric - "Hello Darkness, my old friend."

But enough of the depressing stuff. We still have some Summer left and there will be that second FOBB on September 21st, so all is not lost!

Here's what you may hear on the bands this weekend (especially if you're in the CW sub-bands - as if there's anyplace else to be - right?):

Contests:

Hawaii QSO Party - http://www.hawaiiqsoparty.org/

YO DX HF Contest -  http://www.yodx.ro

ARSI VU DX Contest - https://arsi.info/dxcontest/

Ohio QSO Party - http://www.ohqp.org/index.php/rules/

SARL HF CW Contest - https://mysarl.org.za/contest-resources/

Special Event Stations (for those who like to chase em!)

08/23/2025 | Commemorating the 68th Annual International Airstream Rally and 62 years of the WBCCI ARC

Aug 23-Aug 27, 1400Z-1800Z, W1A, York, PA. Wally Byam Caravan Club International - WBCCI Amateur Radio Club (WB8RC) . All bands, all modes, as available based on conditions. QSL. WBCCI Amateur Radio Club, c/o Jim Cocke, PO Box 1307, West Jefferson, NC 28694. Times are daily. Please check spotter pages daily. QSL via QRZ.com and USPS. https://www.qrz.com/db/WB8RC

08/23/2025 | Buhl Farm Park Celebration

Aug 23-Sep 1, 0000Z-2359Z, W3B, Hermitage, PA. Mercer County Amateur Radio Club. 7.185 7.074 145.350. QSL. Mercer County Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 996, Sharon, PA 16146. Mercer County Amateur Radio Club is celebrating BUHL DAY, the 110th Anniversary of Buhl Farm Park, which covers 300 acres donated to the Shenango Valley community by Frank Buhl a local industrialist, for the use and recreation purposes. Check the www.w3lif.org webpage for scheduled times of W3B operation or the QRZ website for W3B for more information. As conditions permit you will find operators at various times on from August 23 to all day on September 1, 2025. A commemorative QSL will be available with a SASE. www.w3lif.org

08/23/2025 | NS Savannah Maiden Voyage Anniversary

Aug 23, 1330Z-2100Z, K3S, Port of Baltimore. Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club. 7,14,18,21,28. QSL. Ulis Fleming, 980 Patuxent Rd, Odenton, MD 21113. Check spotting networks for frequency. See QRZ.com info for Savannah Award www.qrz.com/db/k3s

08/23/2025 | Pokagon State Park Centennial Celebration

Aug 23, 1300Z-2200Z, K9P, Angola, IN. Land of Lakes Amateur Radio Club. 7.180 7.280 14.240 14.340. Certificate. Mark Tritch, 4340 S. 1000 W., Hudson, IN 46747. www.qrz.com/db/k9p

08/24/2025 | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival Special Event Station

Aug 24-Sep 6, 0000Z-2359Z, K9A, Auburn, IN. Northeastern Indiana Amateur Radio Association. 7.180 MHz 14.250 MHz 28.360 MHz. Certificate & QSL. K9A - NIARA, P.O Box 145, Auburn, IN 46706. QSL Information: There will be no Log Book of the World or eQSL. For a QSL card only, Please send your card and a SASE. For a Certificate and QSL Card, Please send your card and $4.00 USA – $6.00 International We will furnish certificate, QSL card, envelope, and postage. The mailing address for this special event station is: K9A – NIARA P. O. Box 145 Auburn, IN 46706-0145 THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION! W9OU@W9OU.ORG.

Speaking of Special Event Stations, I pout the callsign into Ham Alert for the W9AEF Special Even t Station honoring St. Maximilian Kolbe.  Lots of FT8 kits, not many for CW, which was a bummer.

Last night at our monthly SPARC meeting we started kicking off discussions for a Special Event Station for South Plainfield's Centennial in 2026. We did one in 2016 for the 90th Anniversary, and I'd like to make sure we something special next year.

One last thing, here's something interesting that I saw on the QRP-ARCI io group yesterday; and it's compelled me to comment (rant). Someone asked if QRP Afield was going to be held this year. This was the answer given. (The words in bold italics are what caught this eye.)

Quote:

"We have had almost no turnout for QRP Afield for the past couple of years. I received ONE log in 2024.

FOBB has announced that they're going to hold a fall edition on that date this year. Perhaps they'll have more success promoting the event than we did; it just wasn't our style to flog it endlessly as some of the QRP events do. Given that, I'd say there will be no QRP Afield this year.

End quote

"flog it endlessly"? Seriously? ........... Guilty as charged !

QRP Afield is going the way of the Dodo because it wasn't advertised, hardly, if at all ! Hams are busy people with families. For a lot of people time needs to be set aside and "reserved" so as to not interfere with other commitments. You can't make one single announcement a week before or a day before an event and expect people to show up. Organizers have to have respect for the time and commitments of the people they hope to attract. In addition, there are new Hams who might be interested in participating, but they don't because they don't even know that something is happening.

I'm sorry, but to me "it just wasn't our style"  is code for "we didn't want to be bothered". It doesn't take a lot of effort to send out a blast of e-mails. It's not spam, it's giving people a chance to participate in something fun. AND .......if they're not interested, they have a thing on their keyboards called the delete key.

But really, you can't complain about non-attendance when you haven't even made an honest effort to drum some up.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend of August 2nd and 3rd

 Good bye July, we hardly knew ye! It's August already? My, how time flies.

Yesterday's weather turned out not to be not as bad as predicted for my area. From what I understand, this time the Jersey shore and the boros of NYC bore the biggest brunt of flooding. I'll have to admit that it was disconcerting to be sitting at the computer here at work, taking care of business, only to hear my cell phone erupt with a siren and the words "Tornado Warning". Not a watch - a warning as the NWS radar saw a severe thunderstorm around home begin to show evidence of rotation. 

Marianne, who was working just a couple miles down the road in Plainfield said she never saw such frequent and crazy lightning before. I was here in Hunterdon County, two counties over, tuning into my Ring doorbell on my phone. The fact that it turned on meant the house was still standing and that we had power. The picture showed that the tree in our front yard was showing no evidence of severe wind, so that was somewhat of a relief. 

They actually permitted us to leave about an hour early, as the severe weather was supposed to last until somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 PM. Traffic was heavy due to everyone travelling slowly, due to the weather, but this time I did not encounter any flooded roadways on the way home. 

It was spritzing on the way into work today, and it's supposed to be showery all day today. but starting tomorrow and lasting into next weekend, we're supposed to get pleasant weather with temperatures only in the 80s. A little bit cool for August. I'll take it.

Here's what you might hear on the CW portions of the HF bands this weekend:

Contests:

European HF Championship - https://euhf.s5cc.eu/euhfc_rules/

North American QSO Party, CW - https://www.ncjweb.com/NAQP-Rules.pdf

Monday Night: ARS Spartan Sprint - http://ars-qrp.com/Spartan_Sprint/Spartan_Sprint.html

Special Events:

08/02/2025 | Alcatraz

Aug 2, 0130Z-0830Z, W6P, Vacaville, CA. Vacaville Amateur Radio Club (W6VVR). 7.200 MHz 14.250 MHz 28.500 MHz. QSL. Art Aronsen, 7319 June Bug Lane, Vacaville, CA 95688. There will be 3 stations on Alcatraz Island during times stated. All stations will be on SSB on battery. w6vvr.net

08/02/2025 | KDKA Shortwave Network Centennial

Aug 2, 1200Z-2000Z, KD3KA, Wexford, PA. Allegheny Valley Radio Association. 7.040 7.240 14.040 14.240. QSL. AVRA, P.O. Box 24, Wexford, PA 15090. AVRA & Skyview Radio Society will commemorate the centennial of Westinghouse station KFKX in Hastings, Nebraska. In 1925, following Frank Conrad 8XK's successful shortwave experimentation and the establishment of the Hill Station, KFKX was networked via shortwave with KDKA in Pittsburgh to achieve nationwide KDKA broadcasting. https://www.qrz.com/db/kd3ka

08/03/2025 | Jackson County Fair, Jackson Mi, Ham Radio demo

Aug 3-Aug 9, 1600Z-2200Z, W8J, Jackson, MI. Cascade Amateur Radio Society (CARS). 7.225 14.250. QSL. CARS - W8JXN, P.O. Box 512, Jackson, MI 49201-0512. w8jxn.org

This Sunday marks two weeks before the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt! You can still get a number to participate as a Skeeter - right up until the day before - but why wait? We are up t0 168 Skeeters signed up, representing some 46 different states and provinces.

https://www.qsl.net/w2lj

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend - July 26th and 27th

Contests:

MARAC US Counties QSO Party - http://www.marac.org/contests.htm

FRAPR 10M Contest - https://www.frapr.org/concursos/

RSGB IOTA Contest - https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2025/riota.shtml

Alabama QSO Party - http://alabamacontestgroup.org/aqp/rules/

Flight of the Bumblebees - http://ars-qrp.com/FOBB/FOBB.html

Special Event Stations:

07/24/2025 | Central Kentucky Antique Farm Machinery Show

Jul 24-Jul 26, 0400Z-1000Z, K4HSN, Paris, KY. Harrison County Amateur Radio Club. 28.550 14.300 7.250. QSL. K4HSN c/o C.J. Clifford, 58 Ky Highway 3003, Cynthiana, KY 41031. Commemorative QSL available with SASE. www.qrz.com/db/k4hsn

07/26/2025 | Friends of Bodie Living History Day

Jul 26-Jul 27, 1500Z-0100Z, W6B, Bodie State Historic Park, CA. Bodie Foundation. 7.185 14.235 21.235 28.310. Certificate. John F Pinckney, 139 Belle Boyd Boulevard, Inwood, WV 25428. Frequencies are +/- QRM. POTA# K-3410 No souvenir cards. SWL reports must include call of station in QSO.

And now, for an appropos "Dad Joke" for this weekend:

Q) What kind of animal makes the best Ham Radio operator?

A) Bumblebees! They always bring their antennas with them!

Ba-Dum-Dis

I'll see myself out now.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Weekend of July 19th and 20th

First off, this Sunday - July 20th marks the 56th Anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the Moon.

I was all of 12 years old and was glued to the TV from launch to splashdown. That was such a time to be alive to see history being made! Looking back on it now, I marvel that we were able to accomplish that given the technology of the time. I also wish that back then, we had the high-def cameras and TVs that we have now. If you watch video of missions to the ISS, it's amazing the picture quality we get now. Almost like being there!

As an aside, I still have all the local newspapers from that day, carefully tucked away, carefully preserved. Also, I wish I was licensed back then! I have no idea what kind of special events may have been taking place at that point in history. Were there any?  Were any of you reading this licensed back then? If you were, please share your memories in the comments, I'd love to hear them!

So here's what's going on the bands this weekend.

Contests that you may hear in the CW portions of the bands.

LABRE DX Contest - https://www.labre.org.br/contest/en/regulamento/

Russian Radio Team Championship - http://srr.ru/chempionat-rossii-po-radiosvyazi-na-kv-rrtc/

YOTA Contest - https://yotacontest.mrasz.org/

RSGB International Low Power Contest - https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2025/rqrp.shtml

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/

Tuesday evening - SKCC Sprint - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekday_sprint/

Special Events:

07/18/2025 | Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Wall Replica

Jul 18-Jul 20, 1400Z-2200Z, W4L, Antioch, IL. Wisconsin and Illinois Radio Enthusiasts (WI9RE). 7.250 14.250. QSL. QSL will be sent via FCC ULS, or, WIRE , c/o 25395 W. Richmond Ave., Antioch, IL 60002. July 18 and 19, 1400Z-2200Z daily, and July 20 1800Z-2200Z.

07/19/2025 | 36 th anniversary of SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network)

Jul 19-Jul 20, 1500Z-1500Z, KD9NJR, Hoffman Estates, IL. Salvation Army SATERN . 3.820 7.265. Certificate & QSL. Salvation Army Central Territory Headquaters. SATERN TEAM Don Dewar, 5550 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192.

07/19/2025 | Bicentennial Hinckley Township, Ohio

Jul 19-Jul 20, 1300Z-0100Z, W8H, Hinckley, OH. Noarth Coast Amateur Radio Club. 7.185 MHz +/- 10 KHz 14240 MHz +/- 10 KHz 18.150 MHz +/- 10KHz 28.390 MHz +/- 10 KHz. Certificate. Downloadable certificate, available; see website, for details, OH 44233. Certificate download available via instructions to be posted on www.n8nc.org web page (Under EVENTS drop-down) 30 days after event dates. QUESTIONS: via email (ncarc@n8nc.org) www.n8nc.org

07/20/2025 | Apollo 11 Celebrated

Jul 20, 1330Z-1900Z, K2CAN, Garden City, NY. Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club. 14.240 7240 15.350. QSL. LIMARC, For digital QSL, send information to: k2knb@limarc.org, or QSL with SASE to: P.O. Box 392, Levittown, NY 11756. https://www.qrz.com/db/K2CAM

07/21/2025 | Orleans County 4-H Fair

Jul 21-Jul 27, 0000Z-0300Z, W4H, Albion, NY. Orleans County Amateur radio Club. 7.210. QSL. Terry Cook, 14069 W County House Road, Albion, NY 14411. ocarc.us

The weather in NJ is supposed to be on the crummy side this weekend. I would love to spend Sunday afternoon out back on the patio table with my QMX and maybe the AX1 or K6ARK EFRW just working stations, but it looks like there may be too many thunderstorms happening. I sure hope this weather pattern changes in time for FOBB next Sunday!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Long Holiday Weekend - July 4th, 5th and 6th

 

I'm a day early (for a change) - but Happy Independence Day - the 249th Birthday of the United States of America!

A lot doing on the airwaves:

First off, the Annual 13 Colonies Special Event is in full swing if you're into that - http://www.13colonies.us/  

No, that pileup you'll be hearing is not rare DX like Spratly Island - it's everybody trying to work Delaware or Rhode Island for a Clean Sweep!

Besides that, there are other Special Event Stations on the air this weekend:

07/03/2025 | SCARA at the Hendersonville Freedom Festival

Jul 3-Jul 4, 1500Z-0300Z, W4LKZ, Gallatin, TN. Sumner County Amateur Radio Association. 14.238 28.285 18.150 7.220. QSL. SUMNER COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION, P.O. Box 171, Gallatin, TN 37066. Freedom Festival is hosted on July 3, 2025 at Drakes Creek Park in Hendersonville, TN. This free, family-friendly event brings the community together for an evening packed with live music and entertainment, a Kids Zone, food trucks, vendors, and a breathtaking fireworks finale to close out the night! ​ This year we will have L'80's Nite, an 80's cover band, as the headliner along with a few other special performances. More information coming soon! ​ The Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce staff and the City of Hendersonville are working diligently to host an amazing event for families to celebrate our country and watch one of Sumner counties greatest fireworks show! www.scara.net

07/04/2025 | The White House Communications Agency Amateur Radio Club Independence Day 2025 Celebration Special Event

Jul 4-Jul 7, 0000Z-0000Z, W0H, Jackson, OH. White House Communications Agency Amateur Radio Club. 3.875 7.275 14.250 28.550. Certificate. Lowell Yates, 6809 Four Mile Rd, Jackson, OH 45640. Help the White House Communications Agency Amateur Radio Club celebrate our nations independence https://whitehousecomms-arc.org

07/05/2025 | 80th Birthday for Radio Association of Erie

Jul 5, 1400Z-1800Z, W3G, Erie, PA. Radio Association of Erie. 28.345 14.321. QSL. W3GV, PO BOX 8931, Erie, PA 16505. Come celebrate our 80th Anniversary. We'll be having a party at our clubhouse in Erie,PA. We'll be running a GOTA station at least one of the frequencies. w3gv.org

07/05/2025 | Colonial Williamsburg Special Event Station

Jul 5, 1400Z-2000Z, K4RC, Williamsburg, VA. Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club. 7.265 14.265. Certificate & QSL. QSL Manager, WAARC, P.O. Box 1470, Williamsburg, VA 23187. Celebrating the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. For QSL send your QSL and SASE to QSL Manager, WAARC, PO Box 1470, Williamsburg, VA 23187. The Virginia Historic Triangle Certificate is available for working the Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown Special Event Stations. You don’t need to make these contacts in the same calendar year. For a Certificate send QSO info from the three stations to qslmgr@k4rc.net. For event info: https://www.k4rc.net/events/special-event-stations https://www.k4rc.net

07/05/2025 | Scope's "Monkey" Trial - 100th Anniversary

Jul 5-Jul 19, 1400Z-1400Z, W4B, Dayton, TN. Rhea County Amateur Radio Club. 14.265 14.045 7.205 7.045. Certificate. Rob Frailing, 664 Lone Mountain Dr., Dayton, TN 37321. 100th anniversary of the trial of John Scope, in Dayton, TN, for teaching evolution. https://www.facebook.com/RheaCountyAmateurRadioClub

Contests:

Venezuelan Ind. Day Contest - https://radioclubvenezolano.org/independenciadevenezuela.html

FOC Old School Classic 1960s QSO Party - https://www.g4foc.org/foc-old-school-classic-1960s-qso-party/ - Using a computer to send Morse code, 15-30 wpm is not allowed.

Marconi Memorial HF Contest - http://www.arifano.it/contest_marconi.html

Original QRP Contest - http://www.qrpcc.de/contestrules/oqrpr.html

Monday Night - July 7th - ARS Spartan Sprint - http://ars-qrp.com/Spartan_Sprint/Spartan_Sprint.html

I finally hooked up my lithium battery to the smart charger last night. After a Field Day effort, in which it was used for the entire event, with the KX3's display backlight on (I normally keep it off for portable ops) it still had 50% capacity left! And we were not shy about making transmissions - in fact I tried calling "CQ FD" several times when the bands were on the quiet side.

My 12V SLA, which Bill W2AOF had hooked up to his KX3, was in turn connected to a solar panel that he had brought. It was kept topped off and was at 98% capacity when I hooked it up to the smart charger to check its condition.

Great battery performance!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Weekend of June 21st and 22nd

This weekend is the weekend of the W2QW Raritan Valley Radio Club Hamfest in Piscataway, NJ. Stop by if you're in the area!

Unfortunately, we have had only two people sign up for the VE Session. I guess that's better than nothing; but I think my VEs are going to outnumber the candidates by a factor of two or three!

The Hamfest is always a good time and I think the weather will be OK. I think any rain is supposed to hold off to the afternoon. I also have to get myself over to Home Depot and Dick's Sporting Goods at some point this weekend to pick up some last minute needed items for Field Day NEXT weekend.

I'll be up at 4:00 AM on Saturday to get to the site by 5:00 AM. In addition to running the VE Session, I also help out Tim AB2ZK by positioning vendors to their selling spots. It makes for a long day.

Here's what's happening on the air this weekend.

Contests:

All Asian DX Contest, CW - https://www.jarl.org/English/4_Library/A-4-3_Contests/AA_rule_en.htm

SMIRK Contest - http://smirk.info/contest.html

SKCC QSO Party - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/QSO_Party/

Stew Perry Topband Challenge - http://www.kkn.net/stew/ - 160 Meters in the Summer - that MUST be fun!

West Virginia QSO Party - https://www.qsl.net/wvqp/

Special Event Stations:

06/21/2025 | 152nd Birthday of Indian Prairie School

Jun 21-Jun 22, 1504Z-1504Z, KF0MSJ, Washington, MO. Zerobeaters Amateur Radio Club . 14.330. QSL. Greg Ballard , 662 E Main St, Union, MO 63084. Help us celebrate our clubhouse. zerobeaters.org

06/21/2025 | Remembering Private Chester Bird

Jun 21-Jun 22, 2300Z-2000Z, K0CBP, Golden Valley, MN. The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) Post 523. 7.260 14.260 21.360 28.360. Certificate. TALARC, E-certificate, see URL for details. Chester Bird Post 523 American Legion honors and is dedicated to the memory of Chester D. Ptaszek, Private, United States Army, who lost his life in the Second World War. Find E-certificate instructions, band/mode updates on qrz.com/db/K0CBP. https://chesterbird.org/amateur-radio-club. www.qrz.com/db/K0CBP

06/22/2025 | FESTIVAL JAZZ MONTREAL

Jun 22-Jul 7, 2200Z-0700Z, VE2JAZZ, Saint-Jérôme. HOME STATION. 14.030. QSL. JEAN CHARRON, 17 Rue Élisabeth, Saint-Jérôme, QC J7Z 2S9, CANADA

Oh, and by the way, TODAY is the First Day of Summer! Don't forget to sign up for your 2025 NJQRP Skeeter Number - https://www.qsl.net/w2lj for details.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least

It may be Friday the 13th, but ...........

 It may be Friday the 13th, but that only means we are now one week away from the First Day of Summer. That means that next Friday is Opening Day for signing up for a 2025 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt number!

A few things to know

 Skeeter Numbers are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. They are handed out sequentially ONLY. The only Skeeter number that is reserved in perpetuity is #13, and that's for yours truly.

 Skeeter Number requests are made via e-mail ONLY to w2ljqrp@gmail.com No requests sent via social media will be honored as I may miss them there. I may miss duplicate requests made via social media AND e-mail. It has happened before!

 Requests will be honored for emails arriving at 00:01 EDT next Friday, June 20th. Any requests received before then will be honored at the end of the first day. Skeeter numbers will be handed out until the day before the Hunt. When you make your request, be sure to include your Call sign, your name and the S/P/C that you will be operating from. I can't count the number of requests I've received over the years without that basic information!

 This year the event will be held on Sunday, August 17th from 17:00 to 21:00 UTC.

 For bonus points this year, we are going to play Skeeter Hunt Blackjack. Work enough call sign numbers to add up to exactly 21 and you can earn 1,000 Bonus Points!

All the details can be found in either of two places:

https://w2lj.blogspot.com/p/njqrp-skeeter-hunt.html

https://www.qsl.net/w2lj/

 Hope to hear from you on the First Day of Summer!

 72 es BZZZZZZZ

Larry W2LJ - Skeeter # 13

Weekend of June 14th and 15th

 Before we get started - Saturday, June14th is Flag Day here in the US.

Contests:

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/

Portugal Day Contest - https://portugaldaycontest.rep.pt/rules.php

GACW WWSA CW DX Contest - https://www.gacw.ar/

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/

Tuesday night:

NAQCC mW CW Sprint - http://naqcc.info/sprint_rules.html

Special Events:

06/01/2025 | W2W D-Day Commemoration

Jun 1-Jun 14, 1300Z-2200Z, W2W, Hunt Valley, MD. Amateur Radio Club of the National Electronics Museum (ARCNEM). 14.244 14.044 7.244 7.044. Certificate & QSL. ARCNEM, 338 Clubhouse Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21031. Amateur Radio Club of the National Electronics Museum (ARCNEM) will operate W2W in commemoration of the anniversary of D-Day and the role of electronics in WWII. Primary operation will be June 1-June 6 with additional operation possible during June 7-14 as operator availability permits. Operation on 80M (3.544, 3.844), additional bands and digital modes possible during event. Frequencies +/- according to QRM. QSL and Certificate available via SASE; details at ww-2.us. ww-2.us

06/14/2025 | Appleton Flag Day Parade

Jun 14, 1830Z-2030Z, W9ZL, Appleton, WI. Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club. 14.246. QSL. FCARC, PO Box 2346, Appleton, WI 54912. Operate our special event station while we traverse thru the Appleton Flag Day parade. The largest flag day parade in the country. QSL via FCARC PO Box 2346 Appleton WI 54912 fcarc.club

06/14/2025 | Audie Murphy's 100th Birthday

Jun 14-Jun 29, 0000Z-2359Z, W5M, Greenville, TX. Sabine Valley ARA. 7.270 14.270 21.300 28.350. Certificate & QSL. SABINE VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO ASSN, PO BOX 843, Greenville, TX 75403. Audie enlisted at the downtown Greenville, TX post office in 1942. He went on to become the most decorated soldier of WWII, earning every medal possible, including the Medal of Honor, all before the age of 21. https://k5gvl.com/audie-murphy

06/14/2025 | Danbury Railway Museum's 9th Annual Steel & Wheels Car Show

Jun 14, 1400Z-1900Z, W2MNR, Danbury, CT. Metro-North Railroad Amateur Radio Association. 7.235 14.235; other frequencies as conditions permit. QSL. There will be, no QSLs, this year. Check dxsummit.fi. This event benefits HomeBridge Ventures. www.danburyrail.org or www.mnrara.org

Something from the "Something I've always wanted to do" category.

For Flag Day, I've always wanted to do a Special Event Station at the Middlebrook Encampment in Bridgewater, NJ, which is not far from home at all.

It was at this place that the first official flag of the United States was unfurled for the Continental Army, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress. By special order of Congress, a Thirteen Star Flag is flown 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at the Washington Camp Ground.

There have been several things that have prohibited me from doing this. First off, while this location is on the National Register of Historic Places,  you can see from the Google Earth view that the monument is a bit away from the road. There's really no parking nearby, and there doesn't appear to be picnic tables or other amenities nearby. There is residential housing across Middlebrook Road, so I'd have to resort to parking on a side street and hoofing it in. 

Secondly, with Flag Day so close to Field Day, I haven't been able to drum up much interest from fellow SPARC members. Next year at this time, I'd be retired so I just might make this a solo event.

Once there, it would really be a field event. This would really be sort of like a mini Field Day warm up. I've only driven by and that was a while ago. One of these weekends, I'll have to take a scouting trip.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend of June 7th and 8th

It's Museum Ships Weekend!  A lot of historical maritime vessels will be on the air this weekend! And band conditions look to be a whole lot better than last weekend, when that CME pretty much obliterated the HF bands.

Contests:

VK Shires Contest - https://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/wavks/

Tisza Cup CW Contest - https://www.tiszacup.eu/index.php/en/contest-rules

Wake-Up! QRP Sprint - http://qrp.ru/contest/wakeup/333-wakeup-eng

Atlantic Canada QSO Party - https://acqp.ca/

Kentucky QSO Party: - http://www.kyqsoparty.org/rules/

IARU Region 1 Field Day, CW - https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2025/rnfd.shtml

RSGB National Field Day: - https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2025/rnfd.shtml

4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint: - http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules.pdf

K1USN Slow Speed Test - http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html

Tuesday night:

NAQCC CW Sprint - http://naqcc.info/sprint_rules.html

Digital modes you may hear - 10-10 Int. Open Season PSK Contest, ARRL Inter. Digital Contest

Special Event Stations:

06/04/2025 | Battle of Midway Island June 4-June 7,1942, and Museum Ships Weekend

Jun 4-Jun 7, 1200Z-2300Z, W2Z/WA4USN, Mount Pleasant, SC. Charleston Amateur Radio Society, Inc. 7.225 14.300. QSL. K4KOA, 14 Campground Rd, Yemassee, SC 29945. W2Z from 4 thru 6th operated out of K4KOA Yemasee, SC.W2Z and WA4USN on the 7th operated out of USS Yorktown CV-10 Charleston Harbor SC note: this is also Museum Ships on the Air weekend. it will be a combo weekend with WA4USN. wa4usn.org

06/06/2025 | Hank Williams Celebration

Jun 6-Jun 7, 0000Z-0000Z, W4H, Georgiana, AL. Jim Bell Wireless Association. 28.400 14.300 7.225 3.390. Certificate & QSL. JERRY MCCULLOUGH, 274 WEST PETTIBONE RD, Georgiana, AL 36033. SASE please. https://www.k4tns.com

Jun 6-Jun 7, 1700Z-0000Z, W4H, Georgiana, AL. Mom bell wireless association . 7180-7074 14250-14074 2140-21074 28400-28074. Certificate & QSL. Jerry McCullough , 274 West Pettibone Rd, Georgiana, AL 36033. k4tns.com

06/07/2025 | Elettra Back On Air!

Jun 7-Jun 8, 0600Z-1700Z, IY4RXO, Bologna, ITALY. ARI Fidenza Radio Club/Italian Amateur Radio Association. all bands, all modes, as available based on conditions. QSL. See website, for, information, ITALY. www.arifidenza.it

06/07/2025 | Museum Ships Weekend

Jun 7-Jun 8, 1600Z-2300Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS Midway Museum Ship. 14.320 7.250 14.070 PSK31 DSTAR on Papa System Repeaters. QSL. USS Midway Museum Ship COMEDTRA, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. www.qrz.com/db/ni6iw

06/07/2025 | Museum Ships Weekend

Jun 7-Jun 8, 0000Z-2300Z, W4AVM, Tampa, FL. American Victory Museum Ship. 14.320 7.268. QSL. American Victory Ship & Museum - W4AVM , c/o Richard Burbes - KE9VS, 5224 Franklin Woodland Drive, Plant City, FL 33565. www.w4avm.org

06/07/2025 | Museum Ships Weekend Event

Jun 7-Jun 8, 0001Z-2359Z, NJ2BB, Camden, NJ. Battle Ship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station. 7044 7272 14044 14262. Certificate. Margaret Burgess - KB2BRR, 150 Schooner Ave, Barnegat, NJ 08005. nj2bb.org

06/07/2025 | Museum Ships Weekend Event USS Tennessee BB43 Memorial Museum

Jun 7-Jun 8, 0001Z-2359Z, W4BSF, Huntsville, TN. Big South Fork Amateur Radio Club. 14.250. QSL. Big South Fork Amateur Radio Club, 2486 Leatherwood Road, Attn: BB43 QSL Mgr, Oneida, TN 37841. Check spotting networks. https://bsfarc.org/museum-ship-weekend

06/07/2025 | Museum Ships Weekend Sat & Sun

Jun 7-Jun 8, 1330Z-2100Z, K3SAV, Port of Baltimore, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club. 7,14,18,21,28. QSL. Ulis Fleming, 980 Patuxent Rd, Odenton, MD 21113. 2 day event. Same hours on Saturday and Sunday. Check spotting networks for frequency. See QRZ.com info for Savannah Award qrz.com/db/k3sav

06/07/2025 | Museum Ships Weekend Station

Jun 7-Jun 8, 0000Z-2359Z, N1S, Groton, CT. Submarine Force Library & Museum. 3.850 7.225 14.275 21.350. QSL. N1S Generations ARC, 110 Vinegar Hill Road, Gales Ferry, CT 06335. • NAUTILUS - First Nuclear Submarine| Jun 7-Jun 8, N1S, 0000Z – 2359Z N1S Groton, CT. Nuclear Submarine USS NAUTILUS SSN 571 Museum Ships Weekend. All Bands; All Modes. QSL; bureau via K3LBD; direct with SASE to N1S Generations ARC, 110 Vinegar Hill Road, Gales Ferry, CT 06335. NAUTILUS information http://www.ussnautilus.org/. Station information: www.qrz.com/db/k3lbd or www.qrz.com/db/n1s www.ussnautilus.org

06/07/2025 | National Museum of the Great Lakes Museum Ships Weekend

Jun 7-Jun 8, 1400Z-1830Z, K8E, Toledo, OH. Toledo Mobile Radio Association. 7.039 7.260 14.239 14.260. QSL. James M. Schoonmaker , P. O. Box 9673, Toledo, OH 43697. www.qrz.com/db/k8e or www.w8hhf.org

06/07/2025 | NB9QV USS Cobia Museum Ships Weekend

Jun 7-Jun 8, 1400Z-2000Z, NB9QV, Manitowoc, WI. USS Cobia Amateur Radio Club. 7.240 14.240. Certificate. Send contact information to, kc9yl@arrl.net, to receive PDF certificate. https://www.qrz.com/db/NB9QV

06/07/2025 | Ships On The Air

Jun 7-Jun 8, 0359Z-2359Z, W4JDD, Jacksonville, FL. Orleck Amateur Radio Society. 7.225 14.250. Certificate. John Reynolds, 5547 Lofty Pines Cir S, Jacksonville, FL 32210. Operate around the clock with the worldwide Ships On The Air event johnr1000@aol.com

And .....let us not forget the brave and valiant souls from 81 years ago - today.

May their bravery, courage and sacrifice never be forgotten.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend May 24th and 25th and 26th

 First ........ a shameless plug:

Now for the OTHER stuff.

Contests:

CQ WW WPX Contest, CW - https://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm

QRP ARCI Hootowl Sprint: - http://qrparci.org/contest/hoot-owl-sprint

QCX Challenge - http://www.qrp-labs.com/party.html

Tuesday night:

SKCC Sprint - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekday_sprint/

Special Event Stations:

05/19/2025 | National EMS Week

May 19-May 25, 0000Z-0000Z, N4E, Gainesville, FL. W.T. Loften High School ARC K4WTL. 14.325 MHz. QSL. W.T. Loften High School ARC K4WTL, 3000 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32646. Help us celebrate the work by EMS workers!

05/24/2025 | Living History Cruise of SS John W Brown: WW2 Liberty Cargo Ship

May 24, 1500Z-2000Z, K8JWB, Baltimore, MD. Project Liberty Ship (SS John W Brown). 7210.00 14230.00 21300.00 28320.00. Certificate. Project Liberty Ship K8JWB, Pier 13, 4601 Newgate Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224. Join the SS John W Brown while it sails on the Chesapeake Bay maritime mobile. Remembering the United States Merchant Marine, Navy Armed Guard crew and the shipbuilders including Rosie the Riveter who built 2710 of them who deeply impacted the winning of WW2. Those people and ships were critical to Winning the war www.ssjohnwbrown.org

Not much going on besides the biggie - CQ WW WPX. I suppose I could get on the air for a while with SPARC's NJ2SP call sign. I don't think NJ2 is all that common.

I hope to get the Jackite stand built this weekend as well as that new rolling storage cart for the shack - which also needs a good straightening out.  You could take a picture of my shack and put in the dictionary next to the word "Chaos". If I can get those three things - stand, cart, declutter - accomplished this weekend, I will be a happy camper.

Memorial Day weekend, as important as it is to remember those who died defending our country, is also touted as the "Unofficial Start of Summer". Big laugh!

Monday will be the warmest day of the three. The others will be downright chilly for the end of May, and I've actually have had to wear a sweater the past three or four days. We are normally in the low 80s by now, for a high for the day. Not that great of a beach weekend. That's for sure!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend of May 17th and 18th

Kind of quiet here in the US, as you might expect. After all, it IS Hamvention weekend in Xenia, Ohio. With all the hullabaloo going on there, there's not much in the way of on the air activity going on. Too many souls searching the gigantic flea market there for that "Holy Grail" bargain.

I believe the last Hamvention that I attended was in 1995. The last one before Four Days In May started. Great timing for a QRP'er .........right?  As I've stated before, if God lets me live that long 2026 will see retirement and a return to Hamvention AND my first Four Days In May. I don't have many things in my bucket list, but FDIM is one of them.

I miss the times in the 90s when a gaggle of members of the Piscataway Amateur Radio Club would make the trip to Dayton together. Those were great times! In fact, Dayton Hamvention was where I first met Marv K2VHW.

Anyway, enough chasing ghosts. Here's what's going on this weekend.

Digital you might hear on the bands - EU PSK DX Contest: and the Feld Hell Sprint

Contests:

His Maj. King of Spain Contest, CW: - https://concursos.ure.es/en/s-m-el-rey-de-espana-cw/bases/

Arkansas QSO Party - http://www.arkqp.com/

Baltic Contest - http://www.lrsf.lt/en/

FISTS Sunday Sprint - https://fistsna.org/operating.html#sprints

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/

Wednesday evening:

NAQCC CW Sprint - http://naqcc.info/sprint_rules.html

Special Event Stations:

05/10/2025 | 129th Annual New Jersey State Knights of Columbus Convention

May 10-May 17, 0000Z-2359Z, NJ2KC, Bridgeton, NJ. New Jersey Knights of Columbus Amateur Radio Club. 14.2500 28.4500 7.2500 21.3500. Certificate & QSL. Thomas M. Perrotti, N2JIE, 785 Vineland Avenue, Bridgeton, NJ 08302. NJ2KC.org

05/10/2025 | National Police Appreciation Week

May 10-May 17, 0000Z-0000Z, N4P, Gainesville, FL. W.T. Loften High School ARC K4WTL. 14.325 MHz. QSL. W.T. Loften High School ARC K4WTL, 3000 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32646. Let's show some appreciation for the work our Police do for us!

05/15/2025 | 73rd Convention CNH District-LCMS

May 15-May 17, 2200Z-1800Z, N6H, Sacramento, CA. Glen Amateur Radio Society and Lutheran Emergency Disaster Response. 7.178 14.240 144.950 440.750. QSL. Philip W. Zabell, 881 Brennan Pl, Willows, CA 95988. During the 73rd Convention of the California, Nevada, Hawaii District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, a disaster response trailer with communications capabilities will be set up on the hotel grounds in Sacramento, CA. Operators will use multiple modes on 40, 20, 2m, & 70cm. The objectives are to demonstrate the ability to have communications even when all else fails and to encourage visitors to get their ham radio license. www.garshamradio.org

05/17/2025 | Air power Museum Honoring all veterans

May 17, 1300Z-2000Z, W2GSB, West Bablyon, NY. GREAT SOUTH BAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB . 28.340 21.250 14.246 7.245. Certificate. GREAT SOUTH BAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, PO BOX 1356 , West Babylon, NY 11704. Operating inside the historic hangar from World War Two is where Rosie the Riveter became famous. This special event honors all who have served and done their part to defend our country and democracy. Please join us on the air for this special event station certificates. Look us up on qrz WWW.GSBARC.ORG

05/17/2025 | National Maritime Day

May 17, 1330Z-2100Z, K3S, Baltimore, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club. 7,14,18,21,28. QSL. Ulis Fleming, 980 Patuxent Rd, Odenton, MD 21113. Check spotting networks for frequency. See QRZ.com info for Savannah Award qrz.com/db/k3s

05/17/2025 | New Providence ARC 60th Anniversary Special Event

May 17-May 31, 0000Z-2359Z, N2J, New Providence, NJ. The New Providence Amateur Radio Club. 160-10 meters all modes including digital. QSL. NPARC, PO Box 813, New Providence, NJ 07974. May 17 – May 31 0000z – 2359z N2J. The New Providence Amateur Radio Club, located in the Watchung Hills of North Jersey, is hosting an on-air Special Event in commemoration of its 60th Anniversary. 160-10 meters on all modes including digital. Exchange: Signal Report and State. A few N2J stations will be POTA. Contacts >>>> uploaded to LoTW. Commemorative QSL card sent via SASE on request >>>> and via the bureau for DX stations. QSL via NPARC New Providence ARC NPARC.org

05/17/2025 | W6SFM Bug Roundup

May 17-May 19, 0000Z-0000Z, W6SFM, Fair Oaks, CA. Samuel F. Morse Amateur Radio Club. 3.533 7.033 14.033 28.033. QSL. Samuel F. Morse Amateur Radio Club, 4901 Minnesota Avenue, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. The Samuel F. Morse Amateur Radio Club (W6SFM), a Sacramento, California based CW enthusiast club wanted a special time to bring bug operators together on the air. In the same spirit as ARRL's Straight Key Night, participants are encouraged to make simple, conversational, "rag chew" QSO's using their bug type key. This is an opportunity to exercise, share and exhibit your personalized fist. Call "CQ BR" so folks know you are a Bug Roundup Participant. https://w6sfm.org/bug-roundup

05/18/2025 | National Maritime Day 2

May 18, 1330Z-2100Z, K3S, Annapolis, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club. 7,14,18,21,28. QSL. Ulis Fleming, 980 Patuxent Rd, Odenton. Check spotting networks for frequency. See QRZ.com info for Savannah Award qrz.com/db/k3s

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Where is May going?

Last Sunday was Mother's Day! This weekend is FDIM and Hamvention! In two weekends it will be Memorial Day here in the US and you know what that means !!!!!!! The "unofficial beginning of Summer, and of course the QRP-ARCI Hoot Owl Sprint!

About a month ago we had the Spring QSO Party and we had almost double the entries that we had in 2024. Let's do the same for the Hoot Owl Sprint! In 2024 we had 9 logs submitted via the AutoLog. Surely we can do better than that! The Sprint is ONLY an hour long and it's way more fun when we can jam as many QSOs as we can into that hour.

All the details can be found here: https://www.qrparci.org/contest/hoot-owl-sprint

I will be there, with my paddle bursting with dits and dahs. Hope you will be, too!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend of May 10th and 11th

Happy Mother's Day weekend here in the US to all the Mom's out there ........Hams or not!

Contests:

FISTS Saturday Sprint - https://fistsna.org/operating.html#sprints 

CQ-M International DX Contest -  https://cqm.srr.ru/en/rules/

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/

Canadian Prairies QSO Party - https://cpqp.ve6hams.ca/

Sunday night:

4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint - http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules.pdf

Wednesday and Thursday nights:

Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest - https://qrpcontest.com/pigwalk20/

Note - You may hear an uptick in RTTY activity this weekend - VOLTA WW RTTY Contest

Special Events:

05/10/2025 | 129th Annual New Jersey State Knights of Columbus Convention

May 10-May 17, 0000Z-2359Z, NJ2KC, Bridgeton, NJ. New Jersey Knights of Columbus Amateur Radio Club. 14.2500 28.4500 7.2500 21.3500. Certificate & QSL. Thomas M. Perrotti, N2JIE, 785 Vineland Avenue, Bridgeton, NJ 08302. NJ2KC.org 

05/10/2025 | Armed Forces Day

May 10, 1600Z-2300Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS Midway Museum Ship. 14.320 7.250 14.070 PSK31 DSTAR on Papa System Repeaters. QSL. USS Midway Museum Ship COMEDTRA, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. www.qrz.com/db/ni6iw

05/10/2025 | Golden Spike Special Event Station - W7G

May 10, 1500Z-2300Z, W7G, Corinne, UT. Ogden Amateur Radio Club (OARC) W7SU. 7.235 14.255 7.040 14.040. QSL. Ogden Amateur Radio Club (OARC) W7SU, PO Box 3353, Ogden, UT 84409. Commemorating the completion of the US transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point Utah by driving the final spike, a Golden Spike, in 1869. Refer to: http://w7g.org , http://ogdenarc.org w7g.org

05/10/2025 | Jamestown Special Event

May 10, 1400Z-2000Z, K4RC, Williamsburg, VA. Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club. 7.265 14.265. Certificate & QSL. QSL Manager, WAARC, P.O. Box 1470, Williamsburg, VA 23187. Commemorating the 418th anniversary of England establishing the oldest English-speaking colony on the American continent in May 1607. . For QSL send your QSL and SASE to QSL Manager, WAARC, PO Box 1470, Williamsburg, VA 23187. The Virginia Historic Triangle Certificate is available for working the Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown Special Event Stations. You don’t need to make these contacts in the same calendar year. For a Certificate send QSO info from the three stations to qslmgr@k4rc.net. https://www.k4rc.net/events/special-event-stations https://www.k4rc.net

05/10/2025 | National Police Appreciation Week

May 10-May 17, 0000Z-0000Z, N4P, Gainesville, FL. W.T. Loften High School ARC K4WTL. 14.325 MHz. QSL. W.T. Loften High School ARC K4WTL, 3000 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32646. Let's show some appreciation for the work our Police do for us!

05/10/2025 | NSS AFD Commemoration

May 10-May 11, 1400Z-0200Z, N3S, Annapolis, MD. SSARC & PVRC. 3.5. QSL. Ulis Fleming, 980 PATUXENT ROAD, Odenton, MD 21113. Check spotting networks for QRG. We may be on multiple bands. Please read out QRX page. qrz.com/db/n3s

05/10/2025 | PCARA's Silver Anniversary

May 10, 1500Z-2000Z, W2NYW, Yorktown Heights, NY. Peekskill/Cortlandt Amateur Radio Association. 7.245 14.245 21.245 28.445. Certificate & QSL. PCARA, PO Box 146, Crompond, NY 10517. Peekskill/Cortlandt Amateur Radio Association is celebrating 25 years since its date of incorporation in April 2000 with a Special Event Station in Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, Yorktown Heights, NY. Parks on the Air Number US-2056." pcara.org

05/11/2025 | National Police Week - Honoring Our Fallen Heros

May 11-May 18, 0001Z-2359Z, K3FBI/0-9, Fredericksburg, VA. FBI Amateur Radio Association. 14.275 14.050 7.250 7.030. Certificate. Jay Chamberlain, 27 Fox Run Ln, Fredericksburg, VA 22405-3303. To honor all Law Enforcement members who have died in the line of duty. All bands and all modes. Multiple stations from around the U.S. On May 11, K3FBI/9 will operate from the Little Bohemia Lodge, in Manitowish Waters, WI. This was the scene of the 1934 raid to capture John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson where FBI Special Agent W. Carter Baum was killed. Downloadable PDF certificate ONLY about end of June at QRZ, https://www.qrz.com/db/K3FBI. www.qrz.com/db/K3FBI

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend May 3rd and 4th, 2025

Welcome to May! Where's the year going?

Contests - what you might be hearing (or participating in, if you're so inclined)

Digital contests - F9AA Cup, PSK

10-10 Int. Spring Contest, CW - http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules

RCC Cup - https://www.contest.ru/rcc-cup-rules/

ARI International DX Contest - https://www.ari.it/

7th Call Area QSO Party - http://7qp.org/

Indiana QSO Party - http://www.hdxcc.org/inqp/rules.html

Delaware QSO Party - https://www.fsarc.org/

New England QSO Party - https://neqp.org/rules/

Monday night - ARS Spartan Sprint - http://ars-qrp.com/Spartan_Sprint/Spartan_Sprint.html

Special Events:

05/03/2025 | 7QP

May 3-May 4, 1300Z-0700Z, K8TE/7, Holbrook, AZ. Albuquerque DX Association. 7.032 7.188 14.048 14.258. QSL. Bill Mader, 4701 Sombrerete Rd SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. Apache & Navajo counties line (AZAPH/NVO) 7th Area QSO Party Expedition

05/03/2025 | Ozark Highlands Nature Center 5th Anniversary

May 3, 1400Z-2300Z, W5NX, Springdale, AR. Bella Vista Radio Club. 7.225 14.250 21.300 28.450. QSL. Don Banta, 3407 Diana Street, Springdale, AR 72764. NOTE: Original date was April 19 - event postponed due to inclement weather. www.qrz.com/db/w5nx or https://bellavistaradioclub.org

05/03/2025 | Pedals for Paws

May 3, 0100Z-0700Z, W4LKZ, Gallatin, TN. Sumner County Amateur Radio Association. 14.275 14.325 21.325 28.425. Certificate. Sumner County Amateur Radio Association, P.O. Box 171, Gallatin, TN 37066. Peddles for Paws is a annual bike ride in Sumner County Tennessee in support of Sumner Spay and Neuter Alliance. sumnerradio@gmail.com or https://www.scara.net

Myself,  I have a CERT event either Saturday or Sunday morning, which ever day has the better weather. The South Plainfield Police Dept. is sponsoring its 2nd Annual "Cops & Bobbers" event, which is a fishing tournament for the youth of our Boro, held at Spring Lake Park - the same park from which we do Field Day. Our main duties will be to make sure cars park in an orderly fashion, as there will be major spill over from the Park's tiny parking lot. We will also be watching for anyone who might fall into the lake and need assistance. Fortunately that didn't happen last year, but the grass closest to the water is in soggy mud and it gets slippery.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend of April 26th and 27th.

 As I posted two entries down - there is a QRPTTF re-do this weekend. However, for W2LJ, I will be involved all day in a mock earthquake drill as part of Middlesex County Emergency Management AUXCOMM, so I will not be able to participate. Besides that, the weather for tomorrow calls for an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms, so I would not be setting up in the field, even if I were not otherwise engaged.

Contests:

You may hear a lot of digital in the upper portion of the bands because of the 10-10 Int. Spring Contest, Digital, the SP DX RTTY Contest, and the BARTG Sprint 75.

QRP To The Field - http://www.zianet.com/qrp/qrpttf/pg.html

UK/EI DX Contest, CW - https://www.ukeicc.com/dx-contest-rules.php

Helvetia Contest - https://uska.ch/en/events/uska-helvetia-contest-h26/#

Florida QSO Party - http://floridaqsoparty.org/rules/

UA1DZ Memorial Cup - http://ua1dz.ru/articles.php?article_id=79

Monday

QCX Challenge: 1300Z-1400Z, Apr 28 - http://www.qrp-labs.com/party.html

QCX Challenge: 0300Z-0400Z, Apr 29 - Same rules as above

Special Event Stations:

04/26/2025 | DXpedition to St.George Island

Apr 26-May 6, 0000Z-2359Z, K4D, St. George Island, FL. K5TEN . 7.027.5 14.027.5 21.280 28.310. QSL. Bruce Brady K5TEN , 208 Mt Tabor Road, Hot Springs National Park, AR 71913. IOTA DXpedition to St. George Island NA-085. FL007S. Operation 40-6m CW&SSB. QSL to K5TEN SASE required. Logs also uploaded to LOTW. Call sign K4D. Grid EL79. k5ten@aol.com

04/26/2025 | International Marconi Day - Official Station

Apr 26, 1330Z-2100Z, K3S, Port of Baltimore, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club. 7,14,18,21,28. QSL. Ulis Fleming, 980 Patuxent Rd, Odenton, MD 21113. Check spotting networks for frequency. See QRZ.com info for Savannah Award qrz.com/db/k3s

04/26/2025 | Marconi Day Event

Apr 26, 1300Z-2030Z, W2GSB, Babylon, NY. GREAT SOUTH BAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB . 28.340 21.250 14.246 7.245. Certificate. W2GSB GSBAC, PO Box 1356, Babylon, NY 11704. Operating from the Babylon Village Historical Society Museum for Marconi Day, which was the home of the Marconi School for radio operators 3 stations using CW SSB FT8 WWW.GSBARC.ORG

04/26/2025 | Number One Dawgs

Apr 26-Apr 27, 1200Z-1200Z, N1D, Athens, GA. Athens Radio Club. 3.930 7.230 14.330 28.430. Certificate. Athens Radio Club KD4QHB, PO Box 782, Athens, GA 30603. The Athens Radio Club is hosting a special event station from the University of Georgia campus on April 26-27, 2025 from 12:00 noon Saurday to 12:00 noon Sunday. If you're a Bulldog fan, or if you're not, give us a call! athensradioclub.org Join us in our celebration of Ham Radio support of the Number One Dawgs. This year we will be operating from between the Tate Student Center and the UGA Bookstore, in the shadow of Sanford Stadium. We will be celebrating 45 years of the club operating as First Aid Dawgs providing communications "between the hedges". https://athensradioclub.org/n1d

04/27/2025 | Northwest Arkansas Train Mobile

Apr 27, 1400Z-2200Z, N5T, Springdale, AR. Bella Vista Radio Club. 14.040 14.260 7.040 7.260. QSL. Don Banta, 3407 Diana Street, Springdale, AR 72764. www.qrz.com/db/N5T or https://bellavistaradioclub.org

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

QRPTTF Redux

Not exactly sure why this is. Everyone seemed to go by the WA7BNM Contest Calendar, but maybe we were all wrong? Paul NA5N posted this to QRP-L:

QRP-Lers,

Rules for the April 26, 2025 QRP To The Field (QRPTTF) are here:

http://www.zianet.com/qrp/qrpttf/pg.html

My apologies for such a late notice and contributing to confusion over the  QRPTTF date.  My wife and QRPTTF partner, Jan NØQT, recently passed away in  her nursing home requiring attention and out of state travel.  Trying to  get things done post Covid, during lent and holy week and Easter was a  herculean effort.  Thank those of you expressing your condolences and  understanding.  They were appreciated more than you know.

A few of you submitted summary sheets for last weekend. THEY WILL COUNT AND BE ADDED TO THE RESULTS. Or do it again and I'll add both.

I'll be trying out my new Xiegu G90 OUTBACK, probably using my 133 ft. long   terminated folded dipole.  Weather is supposed to be 85F high, sunny and   clear, winds 20-25mph.  Typical windy and warm spring day in the desert.   Hope your weather is nice as well.

Most important is to have some QRP fun on the air regardless of where you  operate from.

72, Paul NA5N

and Jan NØQT (SK)

Unfortunately, last Saturday was Holy Saturday and this Saturday, I will be taking part in a Middlesex County CERT Drill as part of Middlesex County AUXCOMM.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The Weekend of April 19th and 20th

I'm doing this a day early as tomorrow is Good Friday and I won't be on the computer much, except for work - so here goes.

First off, tomorrow, April 18th is World Amateur Radio Day - here's an image I found online that I really liked:

If you get the opportunity, and you will not be tied up at work, or with other things, get on the air and make a QSO or two, or three.  I may be able to get on after work before UTC time changes to April 19th.

Contests:

QRP To The Field - http://www.zianet.com/qrp/qrpttf/pg.html

World Wide Holyland Contest - https://tools.iarc.org/wwhc/#/rules

ES Open HF Championship - https://erau.ee/images/LL/ES-Open_rules.pdf

CQMM DX Contest - http://www.cqmmdx.com/rules/

Michigan QSO Party - https://miqp.org/index.php/rules/

Nebraska QSO Party - https://nebraskaqsoparty.com/qso-party-rules/f/rules-for-2022-nebraska-qso-party

EA-QRP CW Contest - Take note, different times for different bands  - https://www.eaqrp.com/index.php/actividades/concurso?id=307

Please support our Canadian friends, even though they may not be too thrilled with us right now.

Ontario QSO Party - http://www.va3cco.com/oqp/rules.htm

Quebec QSO Party - https://quebecqsoparty.org/

Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/

Special Events:

04/05/2025 | Polio on the Air

Apr 5-Apr 19, 0000Z-2359Z, W7P/O/L/I&W0O, Seattle, WA. Norwhal Amateur Radio Society (NR7WL). see website for list of frequencies. QSL. QSLs, will be mailed, to all contacts. nars@narwhal.be or https://nars.narwhal.be/polio

04/19/2025 | World Amateur Radio Day

Apr 19-Apr 20, 1300Z-2359Z, N6AJ*, Bakersfield, CA. Terry Godley. 28.425, 14.074; 10 - 40 meters, FT8, SSTV. QSL. Terry Godley, 2701 Fordham Street, Bakersfield, CA 93305. Also participating, W6W, W6A, W6R and W6D.

After Action Report:

Last weekend, April 12th was the QRP-ARCI Spring QSO Party.  I reported my own results, but I looked at the autolog and am happy to report we've had an uptick in participation from 2024. Last year, only 16 log summaries were entered - this year we had 28.  Not quite a 100% increase, but I'll take it.

e-Certificates have gone out to the top three finishers. Look for more publicity blasts from me for the next event, which will be the Hootowl Sprint at the end of May. It would be nice if we could really get a lot of QRP'ers on board, participating in these events as it makes them way more fun. There's nothing worse than entering a Sprint with no activity - it's like watching paint dry.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

QRPTTF and some sad news

There hasn't been much news of it, but QRP To The Field is this coming Saturday.

The reason there hasn't been any news or announcement was revealed by Paul NA5N on the QRP-L mailing list. Paul's wife, Jan N0QT had been in hospice care in New Mexico and is now a Silent Key.

Paul indicated that rules for 2025 will follow the same rules as last year, and the 2024 Summary Sheet can be used again this year.

The details can be found at http://www.zianet.com/qrp/qrpttf/pg.html

Please consider keeping Paul and Jan's soul in your prayers during this most difficult time.

Eternal rest grant unto her, Oh Lord.  May Your Perpetual Light shine upon her.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!