QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party this weekend.

The Skeeters have been hunted, and the Bumblebees have buzzed TWICE! The Zombies won't Shuffle for another couple of Fridays. So what do you do to keep your QRP muscles in shape? You participate in the QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party, of course - this coming Saturday (don't forget - Saturday UTC is Friday evening!) In fact, it's ALWAYS held on the second Saturday of October.  

Image courtesy of Gemini

Here's "the particulars".

Date/Time: 0000Z to 2359Z on 11 October

Mode:  HF CW only.

Exchange: 

Members send:  RST, State/Province/Country, ARCI member number

Non-Members send:  RST, State/Province/Country, Power Out

QSO Points:

Member = 5 points

Non-Member, Different Continent = 4 points

Non-Member, Same Continent = 2 points

Multiplier:

SPC (State/Province/Country) total for all bands.  The same station may be worked on multiple bands for QSO points and SPC credit.

Power Multiplier:

>5 Watts = x1

>1 - 5 Watts = x7

>250 mW - 1 Watt = x10

>55 mW - 250 mW = x15

55 mW or less = x20

Suggested Frequencies:

160m1810 kHz

80m3560 kHz

40m7030 kHz (please listen at 7040 kHz for rock bound participants)

20m14060 kHz

15m 21060 kHz

10m28060 kHz

Score:

Final Score = Points (total for all bands) x SPCs (total for all bands) x Power Multiplier.

BONUS POINTS: None available for this contest.

Categories:

Entry may be All-Band, Single Band, High Bands (10m-15m-20m) or Low Bands (40m-80m)

How to Participate:

Get on any of the HF bands except the WARC bands and hang out near the QRP frequencies.  Work as many stations calling CQ QRP. You can work a station for credit once on each band.

Log Submission:

Submit your entry online at https://www.qrpcontest.com

Deadline for posting logs will be Nov 1 

As that old venerable and  time tested saying goes - "A day making QRP Contacts is better than a sharp stick in the eye OR raking leaves!" So if you 're into contesting, please join us - and even if you're not, fatten up your log book and hand out some points - who knows, you might just have more fun than you thought possible!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP -When you care to send the very least

I probably screwed up

 I spent some time yesterday sending in my results from the NJ QSO Party.

I'm pretty sure I probably messed up ........royally. 

"What's to ,mess up?" you might ask? Let me put it this way .......it's a good thing that contest reporting is not part of the Amateur Radio exam process!0 I'd probably still be a Novice.

The extent of my contesting is various QRP Sprints. Those usually involve filling out a log summary form on 3830.com, or e-mailing in a log summary like we use for the Skeeter Hunt. I am not used to the world of Cabrillo files. Heck, I'm not even sure how you pronounce that!

CA- BRILL-O or maybe CA-BREE-YO? 

You can tell I'm not into the contesting gig. I do not use N1MM and that has, in fact, kind of led to my ceasing participation in the QRP Fox Hunts. Using N1MM is an important part of the Real Time QSO Map feature that they employ.

I'm lucky that I can walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone use a computer for logging QSOs. No, I am an old fossil who paper logs and then transfers to digital storage. While that's easier for me, it also has a drawback. Sometimes, when I get a flurry of activity, I write so fast that I sometimes have a hard tie deciphering my own chicken scratch!

So I probably messed up my NJ QSO Party entry, and if there were any mistakes, they were definitely not intentional. Not that it matters, anyway, as I'm just a small fish in a large pond. But it would still be interesting to see how I did compared to other stations - that is if they don't reject my entry altogether. 

I wouldn't be surprised of that happened and I got an e-mail back saying, "You've got to be kidding!"

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Zombie Shuffle 2025

 Just announced:

QRP Zombies,

The 28th annual ZOMBIE SHUFFLE will be held this year on Friday afternoon and evening, October 24 from 1500-midnight YOUR LOCAL TIME.  It is always held on the Friday closest to Halloween, but not on Halloween, to not interfere with family activities PLUS the ARRL Sweepstakes begins that evening.

RULES AT:

https://www.zianet.com/qrp/ZOMBIE/pg.html

No major changes from last year's rules, except ...

The Grand Witchess and my wife, Jan N0QT, became a silent key early 2025.   

Our new Grand Inquisitor is Bill W2EB.  Request Zombie Numbers from Bill at owner@lazure.net.  Bill will provide Zombie Certificates for newly issued numbers.  Links also on the above Zombie rules website.

So think up a nice ghoulish name to use on the air and join the silly 

Zombie fun on October 24.

72, Paul NA5N and Bill W2EB

And the got have it!

72 de Larry W2LJ 

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

It's still magical to me!

 A different take on Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me."

I keep thinking about that QSO with Alex RG5A that I had on Saturday night, during the NJ QSO Party.. At first glance, just another QSO with Russia - certainly no exotic DX, and millions of QSOs have occurred  between American and Russian Hams over the years.

But lest I grow jaded ...............

According to QRZ, the distance between South Plainfield and Alex's QTH is 5,340 miles. That means my signal covered that distance at a rate of 1,086 Miles per Watt. A record? Nowhere near, but still darn amazing when you pause to ponder it. Think of the flight time if you were to board a plane and travel there - HOURS! At the speed of light, my 5 Watts covered that distance instantaneously!

My transmitter to a hunk of wire, emitted RF energy into the dark night, traveling along the ionosphere to end up at Alex's antenna and his receiver. We take the process for granted, and we've come to expect this kind of thing as "normal", and we complain when it's not!. But to me it's still as magical as when I was studying for my Novice license back in 1978.

The world is huge, but we've made it small. Video and television from all spots around the world is commonplace since Telstar in the 1960s. The internet had made the world even smaller. But in my mind, it's still huge. I stand at the Jersey shore, looking at the waves break and the vastness of the open sea and I still can't quite grasp the miracle of radio, my 5 Watts traveling all that distance. 

It truly is incredible this gift of Amateur Radio that we have been given. I hope the fascination never fades.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The weekend

I had limited time to work the NJ QSO Party. I gave it about and hour and a half in the afternoon and then another hour and a half in the evening, after dinner. My personal goal was to make at least 50 QSOs - big deal, right? But I did - I ended up making 52 when I decided to pull the plug with about 20 minutes of contest time remaining.

As I've stated so many times before, I'm not big into contesting to win. If I enter a contest or Sprint, it's just to have fun and fatten up the logbook. All my QSOs were made on 40 and 80 Meters. I didn't even bother with 20 Meters as it was for too early in the morning when I got on and too late in the evening when I got my second wind. My primary antenna for NJQP was my MFJ-1982MP EFRW. it hears much better than the Butternut on those bands. The Butternut is my go to for 20 Meters, but as I said, I stayed away from that band as I wasn't hearing many signals there.

After the action ceased, this is the RBN map: - not bad for 5 Watts.

For a rare change of pace, I decided to forego "searching and pouncing" and spent most of my time calling "CQ NJQP". I nearly fell out of my chair when my CQ was answered by RG5A in Russia. Granted, we were both 339/449, but we got the exchange done. Alex had to send his call a cou0ple of times as I thought it was a very weak KG5A or perhaps NG5A because of QSB.  When I finally heard that it was Russia, and he confirmed by giving his S/P/C as "DX", I was quite amazed This will be one of those that you remember for a long time.

Yesterday was FOBB Fall Edition, and I wanted to participate, but for some reason or other, I just was not able to get a good night's sleep on Saturday. I kept waking up for what seemed like every few minutes with sciatica discomfort. I ended up napping most of Sunday away. Towards the end of the Sprint, I did head downstairs and made 3 or 4 contacts as "a giver of points". I was too beat to do much else.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to sedn the very least!

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!

RIP Robert Redford

 I don't usually pay much attention to Hollywood celebrities, and I was certainly not in tune with Mr. Reford's pollical views. He has a special place in my heart for one reason - this ......."The Natural", one of the better baseball movies ever made.

If you're a fan of the game, you gotta love Roy Hobbs.

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!

A couple of things

 First, W2LJ is going to make a prediction.

"In person VE Testing will largely disappear."

With the proliferation of online testing sessions becoming more and more available, it appears that in person sessions are going the way of the dinosaurs. Next Saturday is our monthly VE Session and I've yet to have anyone contact me about registering. That is odd and not the way it used to be. 

If memory serves me, I don't think we've had a session this year with more than 3 candidates. We only had 2 at the W2QW Hamfest in June and that's very unusual. I don't think it's a lack of people wanting to get licensed, I think it's just a preference for taking the exams from the comfort of your own home, and not having to travel or search for a local session.

Personally, I don't want to have anything to do with online exams. As a VE Liaison, with my license on the line, I prefer the control of in person sessions. Members of the team can keep a watchful eye, in person, to make sure no irregularities take place. 

Maybe I'm wrong and on line sessions are just as stringent, if not more so, but I'm not interested in finding out 

Second item, I was able to repair my 4 States Tuner today. I mentioned that I had managed to break one of the BNC connectors. The 4 States Group was kind enough to supply a replacement upon request, but it took a long time to get here -;and not because they did anything wrong.

It made its way to South Plainfield only to be returned to the sender by our illustrious Post Office! 4 States sent it a second time only for it to be delivered to my neighbor across the street! He kindly brought it over yesterday and I installed it today.

In the meantime, I ordered these from Amazon - taking a shot in the dark that they'd be compatible based solely on the photo.

My guesstimate was that it was a match, so I took the plunge and ordered some spares. They arrived yesterday and it turns out that they ARE an exact match! So if anyone out there needs to order, or wants to order a few spare BNC connectors for the 4 States Tuner, here's the link.

https://a.co/d/hydnoGW

72 de Larry W2LJ 

QRP -;When you care to send the very least!

FOBB Part Deux

 Jody K3JZD sent out an email blast:

Only Three Weeks Until the New Fall Flight of the Bumblebees Event.

The new Fall Flight of the Bumblebees is scheduled for Sunday, September 21 2025, during a four-hour daytime window, from 1700 to 2100 UTC.

It is already cooling down here in WPA.  Hopefully it will be dry and more comfortable everywhere on September 21st.  And a little better propagation would be nice also.

This casual QRP CW event consists of 'Bumblebees' who are operating portable stations at outdoor locations, and 'Home Stations' (and other ‘Bumblebees’) who try to work as many of these portable 'Bumblebees' as possible.

Since this is a new impromptu Fall FOBB, the Bumblebee List is not yet quite as full as it was for the Annual Summer FOBB.  However, with still three weeks to go, we already have enough BBs signed up to make it a good QRP CW event.

You can see where all of the Bumblebees are located by checking the reports that are available at https://ars-qrp.com.  (If you have forgotten your BB Number, you can find it there). 

This event is open to all QRP CW operators.  Anywhere.  Operators who want to go out and setup a portable station at some outdoor location, and be a highly sought after 'Bumblebee', need to obtain a "Bumblebee Number". 

 It is very simple to obtain a Bumblebee Number.   There is still plenty of time left for you to get a BB Number. The https://ars-qrp.com web site will explain the whole process.

 I'll be out there as a 'Bumblebee' - hoping to work you during the event.

 72,

Jody - K3JZD

And there, you have the latest!

72 de Larry W2LJ 

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Oooops!

 So I posted the 2025 Skeeter Hunt results yesterday, and it appears I made a few omissions. A couple of folks sent in summaries and I forgot to include them. 

All I can say is "Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa!"

And I am sorry and will make the proper corrections as soon as I can. It just goes to shoow that I'm no Excel genius. I appreciate your patience and graciousness!

I also received a few e-mails from a couple of folks letting me know they had a good time in the Hunt. That warms my heart, as that is my sole reason for managing the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt. It's about giving my fellow QRP'ers a chance to have a good time. If they enjoy it, then as the saying goes, "my work here is done."

Yesterday was a busy day as we had CERT activity at South Plainfield's Annual Labor Day Parade in the morning and then fireworks at night. When I got home at 9:30 last night after the fireworks, "my dogs were barking"! It was so nice to get a chance to get off of my feet. It seems the hardest part of growing older is finding out that things that used to be so easy and done without a second thought, aren't quite so easy anymore.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP -When you care to send the very least!

Skeeter Hunt 2025 Results

 Congratulations to our top five finishers in the 2025 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt"

First Place - AD0YM - Mike with 25.832 Pointa

Second Place - NK9G - Rick with 24,968 Points

Third Place - W4MPS - Marc with 24,880 Points

Fourth Place - N5GW - Gene with 17,224 Points

Fift Place - K0KLB - Kevin with 16.606 Points

The entire Final 2025 Skeeter Hunt Scoreboard can be found at

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_aNsVnye-9wEzbMRU8jkRZScMIaYZoD9M-7lCpTwveE/edit?usp=sharing       

Thank you so much to all who participated. Band conditions may have not been the best; but I would hazard a guess that we all had fun! And that's the point of this event. You all are the wind underneath the Skeeter's wings and for that I am most grateful.

Please be sure to join us for the 15th Annual NJQRP Skeeter Hunt coming your way on Sunday, August 16th, 2026.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to sent the very least!

                                                                                  

Labor Day Weekend

 Long holiday weekend here in the USA - here is what you may hear on the bands:

Contests

ALARA Contest - http://www.alara.org.au/contests/

U.S. Islands QSO Party: - http://usislands.org/qso-party-rules/

Colorado QSO Party - http://ppraa.org/coqp

Kansas QSO Party - https://ksqsoparty.org/rules/KSQPRules2025.pdf?1

Monday:

MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint - https://www.miqrp.net/contest

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

There are also a few digital contests going on this weekend, so you might notice a heightened amount of digital signals on the bands.

Special Events:

08/01/2025 | San Max SP3RN SK 2025

Aug 1-Aug 31, 0000Z-2359Z, 4A2MAX, Neosho, MEXICO. San Max Celebration Team. 7.175 14.175 21.275 28.450. Certificate & QSL. Jose de Jesus Lopez V, 5914 San Bernardo Ave, Suite 4-135, Laredo, TX 78041-2506. www.qrz.com/db/4A2MAX

08/30/2025 | Return to Paradise 47th Anniversary

Aug 30-Sep 1, 1600Z-1600Z, K7RDG, Sierra Vista, AZ. Cochise Amateur Radio Assoc.. 3.890 7.225 14.070 14.285; Voice/FT8/FT4/JS8. Certificate & QSL. Cochise ARA, PO Box 1855, Sierra Vista, AZ 85636-1855. WWW.K7RDG.ORG

08/31/2025 | 100th anniversary of wreck of USS Shenandoah airship

Aug 31, 0400Z-0800Z, W8VP, Ava, OH. Cambridge Amateur Radio Association. 7.230. Certificate. Evelyn Barton, P.O. Box 1474, Cambridge, OH 43725. 9 X 12 SASE ENVELOPE send to CARA P.O.Box 1474 Cambridge OH 43725 www.w8vp.org

09/01/2025 | 175th Anniversary of California Statehood 1850-2025

Sep 1-Sep 10, 0000Z-2359Z, K6S, Monterey, CA. Monterey DX Group. 14.275 21.275 28.375 7.275. QSL. G. Costello WC6DX, PO Box 1332, Monterey, CA 93942-1332. In 1849, the California Constitutional Convention convened in the capital Monterey in order to draft a constitution for statehood the following year. On 09 September 1850, California joined the Union as the 31st state. A commemorative paper QSL card is available for a SASE to QSL Manager WC6DX; no Log Book of the World or e-QSL.

09/01/2025 | Star Trek Debut Special Event

Sep 1-Sep 15, 0000Z-2359Z, N6S and N6C, North Highlands, CA. Starfleet Amateur Radio Group. 14.085 7.100 3.550. QSL. No paper QSLs, See website for, information. Celebrating Star Trek Debuted 9/8/1966 from Sept 1 - 15, 2025 Starfleet Amateur Radio Group SFARG@k6irk.com We maybe be operating on various bands and modes, depending on conditions Stations involved in this Event is: N6S - N6S@k6irk.com - operator - Rob - K6IRK N6C - k6ncc@arrl.net - operator - Ed - K6NCC The following bands, Modes and Frequencies, are what we maybe be operating on Band FT8 SSB 6m 50.303 10m 28.100 28.400 12m 24.900 24.960 15m 21.100 21.400 17m 18.075 18.150 20m 14.085 14.325 30m 10.125 40m 7.100 7.210 80m 3.550 3.925 Digital QSL Cards or certificates will only sent out and will confirm on QRZ, LoTW and eQSL. Special digital QSL cards that will be sent out at the end of the event. Depending on the popularity of the event, we may do paper cards at some point. https://www.qrz.com/db/N6S

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Whew!

Last night I finished posting all the Skeeter Hunt Log Summaries that I have received so far for the 2025 Hunt.to this point in time, 99 summaries were received. There were 222 Skeeter Numbers issued, so that indicates a participation rate of about 45%, which is about right, I guess.

If you participated as a Skeeter or not .......if you only made one solitary contact, please send me your log summary. The deadline for submitting Log Summaries is 11:59 PM this coming Sunday, August 31st.

It's a very simple process - NO adif, cabrillo, N1MM files or jpgs or pdfs are required - just follow the format that appears next:

(Your name) - (Your call sign) - (The S/P/C you operated from)

(Your Skeeter # or out put power if you did not get a number) - (Your mode; All CW, All SSB, Mixed)

Single Op - Multi -op (whichever)

Skeeter QSOs - (Enter the number if none, enter 0)

Non-Skeeter QRP QSOs - (Enter the number if none, enter 0)

Non-Skeeter QRO QSOs - (Enter the number if none, enter 0)

S/P/Cs - (Enter the number of States, Provinces and DX Countries you worked)

Station Class Multiplier - Let me know which was applicable for your setup:

X1 Home stations - commercial transceiver or separates

X2 Home stations - home brewed or kit built transceiver or separates

X3 Portable station - commercial transceiver or separates

X4 Portable station - home brewed or kit built transceiver or separates

Bonus - List of stations with call sign numbers adding up to exactly 21. (Sorry guys! One bonus per customer - I should have been clearer about that, but that's the way it works!)

Of course, please feel free to add any Soapbox comments or photos that you want to share.

So in real life, this is what my Log Summary looks like for 2025 - and ideally what I want to see from all of you!

Larry - W2LJ - NJ
Skeeter #13 - All CW
Single Op
Skeeter QSOs - 35
Non-Skeeter QRP QSOs - 5
Non-Skeeter QRO QSOs - 0
S/P/Cs - 21
Station Class Multiplier X4
Bonus - NK9G, K4BAI, N5GW, NX1K,  N2TNN

That's all I need! I plug the numbers into a spreadsheet that has the proper formulas and it calculates your score, so that I can't screw it up.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Don Younger W2JEK - SK

I just saw on the Fairlawn Amateur Radio Club Facebook page that Don Younger W2JEK passed away yesterday.

I've worked Don many, many times over the years in various QRP Sprints and QRP ARCI events. as well as NAQCC events and others.

Don was a great QRPer and will be missed.

RIP, Don.

72 de Larry W2LJ

Getting reaquainted

 I spent yesterday doing two things.

The first was posting results to the Skeeter Hunt Scoreboard, which will be published on Labor Day, September 1st. I didn't do an exact count, but there have to be close to 100 some log summaries that were sent in. If my guesstimate is correct, we're closing in on an 50% participation rate based on the number of Skeeter numbers that were issued.  That would be phenomenal!

The second thing I did was to spend some time in the shack getting reacquainted with my QMX.

I haven't used it much since our trip up to Alexandria Bay last October, when I used it for two POTA activations. I'm an old school "knob and dial" Ham.  Menus are something to be seen at restaurants, not radios. But I did OK for an Old Man.

The trickiest part for me is getting used to the number of pushes of those two main knobs. Depending on how many "clicks" you make - single pushes,, double pushes or even triple pushes - you accomplish different things.

I ended up using the ZM2 tuner instead of the 4 States (which I prefer) because I sheared off one of the BNC connectors. Thanks to the 4 States Group, a replacement is on the way.  The BNC connector is held in place by its solder lugs. I have to come up with a way to add extra stability to that as sometimes my big paws aren't as gentle as they should be.

I was happy that it didn't take long for me to get reaccustomed to my QMX. I made some POTA contacts on 20 Meters during the afternoon and a few on 40 Meters before checking into the St. Max Net at 8:00 PM.

As much as i love my KX3, this little guy amazes me for what it can do in a package about the size of a cigarette pack. It's ideal for POTA activations, and I hope to be doing a lot more of those next Spring and Summer ........ God willing and the creek don't rise.,

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

QRP Field of Dreams

 A video by Kevin, K0KLB - thanks, Kevin!

We still have corn farms in New Jersey - but NOT Like this. Holy cow! I found the drone footage to be spectacularly breathtaking!

And now, if I may take the liberty of re-interpreting one of my most favorite parts of the movie. (As a baseball fan, Field of Dreams is my all time favorite movie!) I'm no Terrance Mann, but .........

Kevin, signals will come, Kevin.

They'll come to Iowa via groundwave and skywave. From their aerials and antennas, they'll turn up in your receiver via the magic of radio.

"You're 5 X 9 in Iowa, you'll say. Thanks for the QSO and 73!"

And they'll put you in their logs, happy as a newly licensed Ham after making their first contact,  glad to have worked you.

Amateur Radio is part of America's history, Kevin. It has marked the times. Time and time again, radio signals have turned strangers into friends, have helped save lives, and Hams have helped to push the boundaries of new levels of technology.

These signals.....CW, SSB ......they remind us of how good Amateur Radio is and continues to be.

Oooooh, signals will come Kevin, signals will most definitely come!

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!

Let me bore you

with a map of my Skeeter Hunt QSOs.

Nothing spectacular, although when I looked at the RBN map the other day, I noticed I had some pretty good above the noise floor dB levels to Europe.  I guess they weren't thrilled about answering a "CQ BZZ". HI!

So far I've received about 80 Log Summaries which is about what I would expect at this point. Log Summaries are due by August 31st so there's time for more to come in.

Something I should have made clearer and for that I apologize. The 1,000 Bonus for making Skeeter Blackjack? One per customer, please.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Man, was it hot!

It was predicted to be in the 90s yesterday and it was; but what I didn't quite count on was the humidity. Boy Howdy, it must have been upwards about 300% !!!  As my Uncle Frank used to say, "It ain't the heat, it's the humdigity!"

I'm glad I decided to set up as backyard portable, so I could be near the refrigerator in the kitchen. If I didn't put away close to a half gallon of cold water, I didn't drink an ounce!  It was the type of day, that as I was pounding the tent pegs into the ground for the Jackite support, that sweat was dripping from around my eyes onto my glasses!

Marianne keeps the A/C in the house set to about 77 degrees, but when I would step inside for either more water or a bathroom break, it felt like I was stepping into a meat locker. The heat never bothered me much as a kid. In fact, I grew up in a house that didn't have A/C. It was only in my teens when my parents were starting to grow older that we bought a couple window air conditioning units. But as I age, the heat gets tougher and tougher to deal with, especially in the sense that it really tires me out.

I did not let the heat deter my Skeeter Hunt efforts. From the beginning I thought the day might end up being a dud. After the first hour. I had only 6 or so contacts written down on my scratch pad. They were all on 20 Meters. Signal strengths were decent, it was just that I wasn't hearing too many people.

That changed as we entered the third hour. It was like a dam broke. Lot of signals on both 20 and 40 Meters. I tried a couple of times to go on up to 15 Meters and either listen or call CQ. As far as I can tell, there were no Skeeters on 15 Meters.  Here's my RBN map for yesterday:

I was making it into Europe, but I did not work any DX stations. However, there was a PA0 station right around the FISTS frequencies that nearly knocked the earbuds out of my ears!

My goal for the day was 40 QSOs and I made the last one with about two minutes left on the clock. I have not tallied how many different states and Provinces I worked - but I did get Quebec and Ontario in the log. 

The setup was the KX3, of course and the antenna was my K6ARK EFRW. I draped the counterpoise to a patio chair to keep it elevated and off the ground. I don't know if it was exceptional band conditions or what; but I was able to work everyone I heard in the times I went into "search and pounce" mode. I was very pleased with the K6ARK EFRW, but I really need to find a nice winder on which to roll the wire up on. Right now I just have the wire in a loop, secured with some Velcro ties, but that's not the most elegant solution.

The paddle I used for the day was this little guy (which I had purchased after reading Craig WB3GCK's review):

The magnetic base attached very securely to the metallic rim of the patio table and was rock solid for the whole event. The "feel" was great and I was able to send decent Morse, even at the end of the event, when I usually get a bit tired and sloppy. I definitely like this little guy! This and my 4 States paddle will be my portable ops keys going forward.

About 30 minutes after the Hunt ended, we had a small thunderstorm come through the area. It only rained a few drops, but it brought with it a cool and refreshing breeze.

As always, I'd like to thank everyone who participated. This event would not be what is has become without you. You guys are the wind beneath the Skeeter's wings and for that I am most grateful!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to end the very least!