Soapbox for the 2003 Flight of the Bumblebees
N9NE/BB
BUMBLEBEE b'GOSH*
K5OT and I "flew" to one of the highest points in eastern Wisconsin's urbanized Fox Valley: the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh football stadium. Atop the press/coach's box is a wooden catwalk, perhaps 80 feet above the field. Adjacent to the catwalk is a short flagpole, about 15 feet high. This became our operating position and "sky hook".

I obtained permission from the university's Athletic Director who had the main gate unlocked for us an hour before the contest. The onerous, repetitious chore of schlepping equipment up the many concrete steps and iron grated stairway to the catwalk soon began. Being "mature" operators, chronologically if not intellectually, we not only needed the usual radio equipment but also such comforts as table, chairs, beverages, food, and the like. Larry must have misunderstood my request for a "small" battery and was forced to carry his 80 AH SLA battery to the very top of the stadium (an appropriate place to bring one's pulse to the maximum!).

We built a 44' non-resonant doublet with about 18' of ladder line. The center insulator was hooked to the lanyard of the flagpole and raised to the top. Nylon cord was tied to the end insulators and extended out in a slight inverted vee (broadside E-W) to two ski poles which we had bungeed to extend above the catwalk railing. My K2 was connected to the ladder line via a homebrewed 4:1 current balun. The internal ATU tuned the system with ease
from 40 to 10 meters.

Weather conditions were ideal: 80F and mostly sunny. A cooling northerly breeze kept us comfortable during the afternoon.

We took half-hours shifts of operating and hand logging/duping. A splitter at the headphone jack allowed us to monitor the activity simultaneously.

Conditions were characterized by weak signals, QSB, and participation limited mainly to 20 and 40 meters. K7RE (SD) and AA1MY (ME) in particular had booming signals on 20 meters. We even worked Tim, K5OI, (OK) who was using his K2 at 5 watts to an MP-1 set up in the living room!

The combination of working as a team as well as using someone else's paddle occasionally lead to calling "CQ SS" and "CQDB" as well as a few other faux pas. However, it was great fun to operate as a team and a pleasure to work with an experienced contester as Larry.

Sometimes we thought we heard bee sounds outside our earphones: yanking them off, we saw formations of airplanes (some were WWII "warbirds") passing above the stadium in preparation for the annual Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture which began two days later.

The numbers: 90 QSOs (1 on 15M, 61 on 20M, and 28 on 40M); 54 Bumblebees; and 42 SPCs. Our claimed score is (90) X (54X3) = 14,580.

Thanks to the ARS and all the participants for the great fun!
72
Todd and Larry
N9NE and K5OT
BB #119

*all rights reserved by K5OT
AA4XX/BB
I operated from Shining Rock Wilderness, high in the Blue Ridge Mtns of western NC. The stn consisted of an Argonaut V at 5W, a ladderline fed inverted vee supported by an DK9SQ mast, with 40M legs looking N/S and 20M legs looking E/W, and an older LDG autotuner with 1:1 balun.

Conditions on 20 and 40M from this location were good, but rapid, deep QSB on both bands made for a quite challenging contest. Many stns were hearing me better than I was hearing them. Thanks to everyone who hung in there to complete the exchange, especially Texans NO5DL and N5ESE, along with K0PC, W0CH, and NF0R, who made the early afternoon long haul on 40M off the end of my inv vee. 20M kudos go to milliwatter W5KDJ, who was a good 559 with his 250mW, and K2TVY/QRP Mobile from FL, who was perfectly copiable with his 1 watt.

Thanks to everyone for a really fun outing and for listening extra hard this go round. 72 de Paul, AA4XX
N0SXX/BB
I had a great time.. used my K2 with a 66' dipole and a 16.5' vertical on the same 33' kanga pole. Hiked about 1 1/2 miles to get to my site that was near Buffalo Creek, CO. Condx didn't seem great. It was very, very hot for the first 3 hours and then big black clouds rolled in. I was cool but worried about lightening cuz I was on a little peak that was higher then anything else around. Great fun to start recognizing a lot of the calls that I was working! 73, Gary
K4BAI
Conditions were fair at the start on 20. Never heard a signal inside or outsdie the contest on 15 or 10 during the contest. 40 meters was very poor, although I was surprised to have VE3ELA answer my CQ for one of only four contacts on that band.

73,
John, K4BAI.
AA1MY/BB
Well, we lucked out, but it was close. The wx map said we'd be in trouble, but it never *quite* reached us. XYL says lighting hit the ridge 12 mi to the West... -that's close enuff. Due to the zap threat KD1JV and I chose a more modest post about 400' lower than the peak, but it had 65' pines : ) We got an Eighty-Eight up and on the air 15 min. late, but from the sound of the bands, no big loss.

Bottom line (approx.):

40m: Q = 13; SPC = 6
20M: Q = 53; SPC = 22
TOT: Q = 66; SPC = 35
BB'S = 39
--------------------------

Sure seemed like a propagation conspiracy -but next year.....
73
aa1my
K7RE
Conditions were pretty rough here, lot's of QSB and weak signals, even for a QRP contest. Still, plenty of /BB stations to work. I sure hope that the bees had a great time outdoors.
KI0II/BB
Band conditions were not bad to start but went down hill after the first hour. Many changes in my plans lead to operating from a site in a local park that I carted my equipment to with a 2-wheel dollie. Used a 20 meter EDZepp and K2 # 591. Was thrilled to have KH6HE call from HI. Heard a good number of stations calling that I was not able to pull out of the increasing noise.

Thunder storms and a quick hard rain and some hail brought a quick end to the party right at 21:00 UTC. Got really wet before reaching saftey in the garage.

As usual the ARS Flight of the BB is a great and fun event. One of my favorites!

Thanks ARS and John!
K7TD/BB
K7TD /BB operating with Dick K9BWI at 9600 Ft ASL near Cheynne Mountain. Conditions were louzy. Sure wish more folks would have checked 15M - there were openings to the east coast - Thanks W3ANX!

This is such an enjoyable contest; just wish more stations would show up to make it more fun!

CU next year.
Terry K7TD
N4HAY
20 meters was in fair shape. Had trouble staying awake in the hot sun! Fun as always!
W5YA/BB
Sorry, driven off the air by LIGHTNING after only two hours. Had a great time on a wooded ridge at 9,000 feet in northern new mexico. Can give pix...
N6IZ/BB
Good time bicycling in the mountains above Santa Clara Valley to a site overlooking the Pacific and the Valley. Conditions seemed poor with little propagation to the east coast with the wire and string dual band quad.

Nice contest format.

Brian
K7TQ/BB
Another great Flight of the Bees. Went to former fire lookout tower site in northern Idaho. Thanks for all the contacts.
W8DIZ/BB
Location was the old Voice of America site, behind the main old building in Bethany Station, OH, aka Mason, OH. What a great site.

No power lines, Flat open field. Only antennae that work here are verticals unless you set up multiple support. No trees!

Set up a homebrew vertical for 20 meters with 4 radials/guys.

Feedpoint at about 20 feet.

Bottom of the antenna was supported by my truck's bumper hitch.

Rig was the MP+ running a full 5 watts.

Cant wait till next year...
72, Diz, W8DIZ
N1KSN/BB
This was my first Flight of the Bumblebees, and I had a good time as BB 109. I operated from High Cliff State Park on the NE shore of Lake Winnebago in NE Wisconsin. It was a 10 mile bicycle ride from my home, seemingly uphill both ways to my 56 year old legs. Fortunately, I found a picnic table in the shade upon arrival and there was a good breeze.

I used a K1 and an 85 foot wire set up as an inverted L between two SD-20s. Power was from eight Rayovac alkaline C cells and I used a homebrew single paddle. Nearly all contacts were on 20, with a handfull on 40 (despite the deafening noise on that band).

I got nervous a bit into the event when a young park ranger pulled up in his truck and asked me what I was up to. Happily, he was just personally interested and I took a few minutes to explain what I was doing and how he could become a ham and have the same fun.

All in all, a most enjoyable afternoon.
Best, Andy N1KSN.
AB9CA/BB
AJ4AY and AB9CA hiked about 1 1/2 miles down the Pine Beach Trail in the Bon Secour NWR. Hot, steamy day, but we had a canopy to keep the sun off so was not too bad. Good breeze most of the day. Antennas were a vertical dipole for 20-15-10 and a trap dipole for 40-20 (at about 25'). Rig was a K2. Only trees here are small due to all the salt, so horizontal antennas tend to stay low to the ground!

20m was strange. Started out good then got very quiet for about an hour, then back up, then quiet, then back, then quiet again. Was good at the end though. Never heard but one station on 40m, but they could not hear us.

Even though the bands were not the greatest, still had a great time. Want to thank John and the whole crew at ARS for hosting such a fun event. Good to hear so many familiar calls and thanks to those that were patient digging us out. Already looking forward to next year.
W0CH/BB
The report from Bumblebee #13: Well, #13 was not unlucky as Murphy stayed home.

I teamed up with WD0DDU and we set up operation at Wildcat Park near Joplin, MO. Weather was perfect but propagaion was not so great. Anyway, we had an enjoyable day. A short photo report is on the web at:

http://www.w0ch.net/bb2003/bb2003.htm

72, Dave W0CH
W5CGH/BB
Had a great time operating from Willow Grove Park on Lake Lewisville, TX (North Texas) again. Equipment was a Wilderness Sierra transceiver, MFJ-971 tuner, W6MMA SLV, CMOS Super Keyer III, and Brown Brothers paddles.
WV0H/BB
The K1 and I went to the picnic shelter on the south shore of Standley Lake in Arvada, CO. The K1 did so well that I ordered the K2 a week later and now have two neat stations.

--Myron
AD6GI
Colorado stations were booming into CA: N0SXX, KI0II,and KB0LUR especially. 15M opened a couple of times, but not for very long.

Thanks to ARS for another of their great events. See you next time.

Chuck
AD6GI
N5ESE/BB
Had high hopes during the first 45 minutes of the contest (on 20), but band condx fell off considerably after that. Still, it's always fun to operate portable, and we enjoyed being out in the Texas heat/shade, in spite of temps approaching 100 by mid-afternoon. Pix and more at http://www.dit-dididit-dit.com/port_ops.htm
72, monty N5ESE
KB0LUR/BB
First time in BB contest. Used AT Sprint @ 4W, 44-ft dipole on DK9SQ mast, ZM-2 tuner. Operated from Castlewood Canyon State Park, Douglas county, Colorado. Operated a little less than 2.5 hours because of Murphy but found a great spot at the edge of the canyon cliffs. Highlight were the three eagles and/or vultures occasionally swooping past my cliff-side perch. Thanks to all who called and sorry I could not pick a few of you out of the QRN.
K0EVZ/BB
Setup was an ATSprint at 4 watts to a HB wire ground plane with 3 radials. Thanks for a terrific contest.
K0PC/BB
A beautiful summer day in MN. I set up in a park near my home and had a good time. The bands were kind of stinko with a lot of QSB. 20M was the only band open most of the afternoon, 40M came alive only during the last half hour.

I think I should have worked with a different antenna. I used the DK9SQ loop and mast as an easy option. Rig was K2 and I used a beta version of a Palm logger I wrote. I found a couple of areas for improvement in the program, then I'll be publishing an update.

Thanks for the fun!

73,

Pat K0PC
W5TB/BB
Bee # 90 is down from the mountain! Well, actually given today's WX I never went up the chosen mountain -- Mount Sarvano in CO and man am I glad I didn't! I opted instead to operate from the garden of the little motel we are visiting in Salida CO and 30 min into the contest I looked over at Mount Shavano and it was gone! Covered in clouds, lightning and rain.

Meanwhile back at the motel it was only light rain easily held off by the umbrella on the picnic table in the garden. 30 Qs es 11 SPC despite truly lousy condx with deeeeep QSB and puny sigs as the rule. On the plus side I was able to compare norcal doublett wid W3EDP 85' wire -- with the wire winning hands down on virtually all sigs heard. Makes an easy-up antenna (neigbors were impressed with my low tech water bottle launch techique ;-) Easily went up about 25'and loaded well 80-10 with internal tuner on K2. Only 15 showed high SWR (3.4:1) -- nearly 1:1 on all other bands. 20 was only band wid BB sigs -- ziltch on 40 &15

Great fun -- thanks to all who dropped by!
W5KDJ
Real nice contest with a lot of Bee's. Running 250MW from a K1-4 & Mosley PRO57b.
AB4PP/BB
Had a wonderful time. Wife home sick with pneumonia, so I could not venture out as a BB. Worked contest from the house and it was very hot on the deck. However, I stayed in there for the full 4 hours and worked all I could, but not all I could hear. Conditions were not real good; but, I hung in there and worked all I could with the QRN and QSB.

Looking forward to another try next time with new rig and new antennas from a cooler spot in the mountains. Thanks to everyone who was patient enough to hang in there and get my reports. Rig: New Sierra, homebrew paddles, and wire antenna in back yard.
NO5DL/BB
Worked close to the house in about 100degs in TX. Using a sick K2 (SSB filter only). Poor band conditions, but had fun. Couldn't even raise N4BP this year!
AC6NT/BB
I had a great time again, although it was hot as blazes here CA. FT-817 performed admirably, although it was so hot, I couldn't touch it. Couldn't hear anyone on 15 or 40, so I worked 20 the whole time. Lots of big signals here like: W5YA/BB, N0SXX/BB, WV0H/BB, KB0LUR/BB, K0EVZ/BB. I really had to listen hard in between those stations to reach anyone else. Thank God for filters!
K0IOA/BB
I worked from Santa Cruz Island, California. My XYL and I sailed from Oxnard on Saturday afternoon. We anchored in "Little Scorpion" on the east end of the island, one of our favorite places. I worked from the bluffs overlooking the anchorage. I rowed ashore and did the short hike up to the operating site early Sunday morning. I worked 40M in the morning before the contest, and 20M the rest of the day.

My station was an FT-817, a 17AH AGM battery, Z-11 tuner, a straight key (sorry guys...), and a Force 12 40XK antenna.

What a blast, and this was my first real effort at a contest. IOTA is NA144 for those wanting an Island...
W2AGN
Set up outside on porch with K1. Easy walking distance of jug of Iced Tea in refrigerator. (hmmm..maybe qualified as Bee, since I DID have to walk to the refrigerator??) Lousy conditions. I just S&Ped for Bees. Kinda annoying to have NON-bees calling "CQ BB." IMHO only Bees should be allowed to call CQ. Fun few hours. Next year, I'll do the bee thing, maybe from Parvin State Park.
WA4CIT/BB
Great signals from N9NE, N2XE, N3LJB and of course N4BP. I had oriented my antenna 20 degrees East, hoping it would strong towards the midwest and west. But it never pulled for me the way I had hoped. Thanks to everyone who worked to dig me out.
NA8M/BB
Hiked to a lakeside spot. Found my long wire antenna was pretty short and wouldn't load up with the K1 tuner. Took some off the counterpoise to add to the wire and finally got a match on 20 and 40.

Beautiful weather, sunny and cool, and the bands sounded pretty good. My antenna worked all it could in the first hour on 20M. Struggled to get more on 40M, but not much there. Back to 20M for a couple more and then packed up at about 3 hours.

It was a good time and my score was much improved from last year. For next year a high location and a good antenna will help a lot.

73 de NA8M

John
KW4JS/BB
Had loads of fun! Thanks to everyone.
KB9ZUR/BB
I operated from the beach at Duck, NC. Rig: Elecraft K-1 with Bencher paddles. Antenna: 40' wire supported by a 34' fiberglass fishing pole. Power: 5 watts. The 20 meter band was pretty good for the first three hours of the contest, then it closed on me. 40 meters was completly dead in my area. Fun contest!
N3AO/BB
'Twas hot and steamy on Mt. Misery, in Valley Forge National Park, PA, but my friend Leland N3LJB/bb 182 and I trundled up the hill in high hopes of a great afternoon. After moving one of our 2 dipoles for the third time, we got started--a tad on the late side. We were under the shade of nice leafy trees, and a sweet breeze came up, but NO (predicted) thunderstorms--though there was plenty of static in our headphones. We were joined by not 1 but 2 deer; it IS their home, not ours, after all! We didn't have as many contacts as we had hoped for; I think the A-Index was somewhere around 23 or something. I did hear many of those I've come to admire in the world of QRP (you know who you are) and that brought great pleasure. I regret missing some of those other fine ops, though (and you know who you are, too). Still, Leland and I had a good time! 73/72, and let's hope for better condx and more ops next year! Carter N3AO/bb 80
KA3WMJ
Great Fun. Really enjoy this Sprint. Started out so slowly I went back to make sure I had the time and date correct.
AA1MY got things started. Got AA1MY and AA4XX on both bands. Not a whisper on 15 or 10
NM5M/BB

I had a great time operating in the BB contest, although it was a little warm at 100 degrees F. Thanks to all for the QSOS!

Eric NM5M BB#108
W3ANX/BB
Worked about 2 hours of the /bb. Bands were in very poor condition, but it was nice to be outside playing radio again! Let's do it again soon.

73 - George - W3ANX

Rig - K2

Ant. - St. Louis vertical (maybe I need something better?)
KO4WX/BB
Just like the second highest mountain in the world, K2, is much more difficult to summit than is the first highest, so to is the second highest mountain in Georgia. BB #130 (KO4WX) operated from the summit of Rabun Bald in remote northeast Georgia. Probably the prettiest location in the entire state--the only civilization visible in any direction were the small towns of Sky Valley, Dillard and Mountain City, GA. Equipment was K2 #205, Palm Paddle and W3EDP long wire strung to observation tower on summit of the mountain. Propagation was pretty good the first 15-30 minutes, then QSB and weak to no signals thereafter. Still managed 10 states and 19 contacts before shutting down at 4pm due to an approaching thunderstorm. Hike up Rabun Bald is 2000 vertical feet over 2 miles with the last .7 miles a 30% or steeper grade. 72 de Mike, KO4WX
W4NJK
Varying CONDX on 20 and not much luck on 15,10. Solid Q's heard going the whole 4 hours on 20. Best DX was N9NE in final minutes.

GUD pipeline to CO es first QSO with DOC K0EVZ @ new QTH in NM.

Home QTH in CA with wire half square.

TNX Bees! es ARS fer fun event! 72,

Charlie W4NJK
AA5CK/BB
WA7NCL/BB
Condx were terrible but the great camping location made up for it. The fishing was great as well. Next year I plan to improve my antenna system. Thanks for great contest and thanks to all who gave out QSOs. The only thing I can think of that would be an improvement would be to have part of the contest span a nighttime or early evening period. 40 meters is very difficult midday in the summer and with sun spots low, it left only 20 meters as the band of choice.
N0YGY/BB
I got a very late start to the contest. I was able to bike to the top of Mt. Falcon (7600-ft) which overlooks Denver. I've taken some pictures, now I'll have to see about sending them over to ARS. Aside from the fire ants nipping at my ankles, the flies bitting my thighs, an approching thunder storm (or two) with flood warnings and watches being issued, and a flat tire on my bike just as I'm loading up to get back to the truck, I had a great time. I'll be looking forward to doing this next year.

I was using a K1 with a fishing pole vertical. I lugged a 7Ah battery (man was that heavy in the hip sack) to power the rig. Next time I'll just use the internal battery and run a little lower power setting.

I had quite a few hikers stop by and query my goings on. Most thought it was fascinating, but a couple of purests commented about there not being an antenna last time they came up there. Oh well, I'm sure they had their cellphones tucked neatly away in their backpacks.

73 es gd de N0YGY
AA6AV/BB
A fun outing for the K2, but the new DSP got me and had to replace the analog filter. The 7 year old battery didn't quite hold up for the duration. Country above Lake Tahoe is beautiful
W2BN/BB
Sure was fun! I was on Long Beach Island, southern New Jersey, operating on the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. My kite kept getting a down draft while on the beach. Some QSOs were with the 90' wire laying on the sand. The K1 did not mind at all. It just kept running all day in very hot, humid WX. I only operated 2 hours due to low activity levels. However, afterwards, I had a great classic rag-chew with a ham from my home town of White Plains, NY.
Curt, W3HQ, Trustee of W2BN
AA8EB/BB
My short march involved climbing over two fences on my property to reach the back pasture, a place of serenity and solitude. I was a half hour late getting on the air and a thunderstorm ended my operating about an hour and a half later.

But I had fun. I like this type of event. It allows you to make the effort as challenging as you like.

Station consisted of a Scout, ZM-2 and a 135' doublet.
VE3XT/BB
Lots of great signals on 20M but where did everyone go on 40M? Murphy paid me a visit minutes before the contest started when my Golog interface decided to send a series of dits forever. Glad I had a pencil and paper for logging. Always good to have a plan B.......Adventure happens to the unprepared. Already thinking of next years location. Thanks for a great contest.
KT3A/BB
Nice windy day to get out of the house. I biked to a local (East Manchester Township) park. The site is in a low lying area along some railroad tracks which hopefully will be part of the southern PA rail trail. Rig was a K1 at 2 watts with antenna tuner matching an end fed 35 foot wire and counterpoise. Worked the contest for the last hour.
WS6T
Had to forgo my BB status (#43) as the new hip is not quite ready for a hike up the ridge with a loaded pack. Working from the cabin at 7600 feet usl was fun nevertheless and I got to work 2 bands this year. 72
N3LJB/BB
Carter N3AO/BB and I went up Mt. Misery together in Valley Forge National Park in Valley Forge, PA to operate the contest. I used an Elecraft K2 and a 20m 1/2 wave dipole. The operation was completely battery powered, and the batteries were charged with solar panels. This has been my first outdoor operating event, and I am looking forward to my next one!
72- Leland N3LJB/BB 182
W8BHK/BB
Vy nice BB contest and had lots of fun, but I could only work 3 hrs, because of other comitments. Lots of strong signals into Michigan, but the wx was a little cool with the wind coming off the big lake at the ludington State Park. My k2 worked great with a 88' dipole and tuner.
Tks Guys

Bud w8bhk
WA0RSE/BB
Had a beautiful day high above Lake Pepin in Frontenac State Park. Doubled my score from last year, I think. If we can, let's spread out a little more! Maybe a dual-band trap dipole for next year (with the K1 I just ordered!) Thanks to all!

72 -- Paul, wa0rse
K8KFJ
Wow, encountered some really stinko band condx. Only netted 9 of dem thar winged insects in 16 contacts. Was happy to see others faired much better in the field. My best Bee DX was Guano Reef (sounds kinda messy to me Bob). Top non-Bee signal was N4HAY and top Bee was AA4XX both in Tarheel territory. Anyway, hope to have a much larger bee catcher next time. de Gary in WV
N9OH/BB
Worked 14 stations (10 bees) and enjoyed being a bee myself this year. I ran 3 watts on 20m only to a makeshift vertical. Thanks to those who could hear me. Skipped the last hour when it started to rain! Next year I hope to double my contacts. We'll see. :)
K6RXL
K1 and Gap Challenger. Rough summer condx with heavy QRN and deep QSB. Had loads of fun in this great event! Thanx ARS!
KA9IKK
I had damaged my qrp rig 1 week before the flight. Thanks to Eric, NM5M, who loaned me his test equipment, I completed my repairs the night before the contest. I had origninally planned to be a bee this year but just was't able to get of the house. Still had lots of fun operating from home with my Ten Tec 1320, 2w and a short indoor long wire. Many thanks to all who pulled me out of the noise. Look forward to next year and the upcoming spartan sprints!

73's

Bill KA9IKK
N2WG/BB
Because of recent major surgery and the heat, I could only work for short periods during the contest. Took a short hike to my front patio, next to my wife's fountain, and placed an MP-1 verticle on top of our stucco wall. Worked the contest with my K2. It was good to be back in operation, if only for a short time.
NG7Z/BB
Conditions were awful for me. I called and called cq with few answers. The K index was at 5 and the A index was 22. Besides, the antenna was just a Buddipole. Usually the Buddipole works pretty well but not today. 3 hours of frustration was enough for me so I packed up and went home. Looking at my contacts, it was mostly bees contacting each other. I heard others working each other but signals were extremely weak. Next time I'm portable, I gotta get a better antenna.
WA3WSJ/BB
Started my hike at 10:45am and an hour later was on top of the mountain at Pulpit Rock on the AT. Setup my "VBWFPA", that's Vertical Black Widow Fishing Pole Antenna, and my K1. I started on 20m and made a few AT contacts before the contest. After 1pm, I stayed on 20m as there was a lot of activity there. I only made thirteen contacts because of the interesting conversation I had with hikers on the rock. Still had fun and really enjoyed the day and the contest.
72,

Ed, WA3WSJ/BB #132
KK5NA/BB
Another great Bumblebee!! Bumblebee #31 buzzed out to the pond and even with a late start and several interruption managed 11 contacts in the stifling 101 degree heat index. Had lots of fun as usual. Only one operator this year KK5NA operated the NORTEX QRP Club call of AI5W. Thanks for a great event.
Joe KK5NA
VE3ELA/BB
Rain showers, high winds, and thunderstorm warnings put a damper on my plans. Managed to set up for the last couple hours, but just in the backyard where I could bail out quickly, if need be! Band conditions were pretty dismal. Ten and fifteen meters were completely dead. Squeezed out just a dozen Q's on twenty and forty meters. Lots of heavy QRN, deep QSB, with all signal strengths well below normal. Setup included a Sierra at two watts to a portable Gusher inverted V fan dipole. Thanks to all the great ops and ARS for a fun time anyway! 73, de Ken VE3ELA
AE4GX/BB
I made the classic mistake and used the wrong BB# for the entire event. I used #98 (actually K7UD's nr) rather than my #97 (Duh). No matter, fun event, as usual, and enjoyed the camping and friendships of my fellow NOGA members out there with me. My rig was my old INDEX LABS @ 5W, W3EDP (w/MFJ tuner). Our club camp site put up four antennas at the camp location (2) W3EDP's one N-S and the other E-W, Parking Lot portable vertical and Norcal Dublet (w/Norcal BLT tuner). All antennas worked well but we favored longwires (W3EDP) with aautotuners and band changing. I was very sorry NOT to have my AT Sprint (by KD1VZ) on site with me. I had blown the finals on Field Day (personal error) and had not had the chance to repair it.

Request: Our NOGA guys had to drive several hours to get to good locations. Would ARS consider moving the contest to Saturday so folks that have to travel can have Sunday at home with family to have time to "recover" before attempting work the next day? Us city folks down in Hotaltanta don't get much chance to hike the lil mtns here in GA and we pay for it (dearly) the next few days. How about a survey of the members? Regardless of the day I'll try to go because the "Bumblebee" is the BEST event of the year for me.
KQ9L/BB
I had a blast. This was my first EVER CW contest. I worked with KC9DFC who is a new ham of 6mo and who actually grabbed the key for a contact or two. Our site was Possum Hollow near Chicago Illinois. It was one of the fill sites from the Chicago Deep Tunnel project and our club's FD site. I used my recently built K1 to a 40ft long wire supported by a portable mast. Boy the K1 is great!! Overall conditions were very poor here with T-storms and bad QRN and I could not complete multiple QSO's because of deep QSB. Can't wait until the next contest. I'm hooked!!
KC5NT
I had a fun time. 20m had a lot of QSB, but I worked all that I heard. I used the home rig (Kenwood TS-570 @ 5w) because it was too hot to go outside! I'm looking forward to cooler weather and the next event!
K3TW/BB
Once again, I operated from Washington, D.C. and this time it was on the banks of the Potomac River in West Potomac Park. Rig was an MFJ-9020 powered by a gel cell feeding a 17 foot vertical wire hung from a willow tree branch with two ground radials. Although this combination has worked well in the past, I can't claim any records for this entry. As always, it was fun to operate truly portable while enjoying the outdoors.
N0IBT
NK6A
My idea of bicycling out to a park to operate didn't materialize so I spent a few minutes at home operating from the base station using a K2 at 5W. I didn't hear any activity on any other band besides 20M.
KD7GIM/BB
Good contest. I really enjoyed it.
VE3FAO
Conditions not the best here, but had a good time anyway
K6III/BB
Could only get on for the last half hour. Stepped out into the back yard, hung up a 33ft wire with one end at 25ft, wire was end fed with tv-twinlead. Rig = Elecraft K2, s/n 500 running 5-watts.

Photo sent to ARS.

Jerry, k6iii/BB #4

San Jose, CA

ARS-1183
W1PID/BB
The Fight of the Bumble Bees - What it was... for Bee #2

It was threatening rain.

It was gusting to 30 MPH.

It was pretty lousy band conditions.

and it was lots of fun.

The rigs: DSWs on 20 and 40.

Center Fed Zepp

I rode my bicycle about 2 miles into the Pemigewasset River flood control area, and set up under some shade trees along the river's edge. Photo http://www.qsl.net/w1pid

First I couldn't get my center fed zepp in the trees. I tried 30 times and finally gave up. Maybe it was the wind. I settled for a random wire. I was on the air by 1:30 and made a couple of contacts with the wire... one on 20 and
one on 40. Then I got inspired to try again to launch the Zepp and it went up to about 30 feet.

20 was pretty active but signals were way down and there was serious QSB. It was a struggle to make contacts. N9NE in WI was consistently the strongest signal in the event. K7RE in SD was the hardest to work, but I finally did it.

40 was a bust. I worked Carter N3AO. There were strong signals around, but they were having QSOs. Not sure what happened to 40.

At just about 4:00 the wind picked up, the sky grew dark and threatening, and I packed it in.

Thanks for all the great contacts. See you next summer.

Jim W1PID
AD4S/BB
My first BB test. Was with the NQ4RP NoGa crew. What a hoot. Won't ever miss this one again.

Pickett
AB0XE
Too Blasted hot and muggy to go out, so I opted for my air conditioned shack with all the various city electrical noise to make listening hard

I used my TenTec 516 , 5wts to a Cushcraft MA5V up surrounded by powerlines

This will prompt me to order a Buddipole and Hi Tail it to the country next contest. Had fun despite not many contacts looking forward to more

QRP, Steve
N4DMI/BB
Difficult day but the scenery was great from the Beach Dune Crossover on Hutchinson Island, Stuart, FL. Got a late start due to golf. Tried 15M first with no signals. Brought down antenna and switched to 20M. Finally started making contacts and noticed my gel cells were going down fast. Started at 4W made last two contacts on 1W until battery got too low. Thanks to BB's: W8DIZ, N3LJB, WA4CIT, KW4JIS, N2XE (1W, KOEVZ (1W); and to K4BAI & AB4PP (3W).
KI0G/BB
"Rotten Conditions" is a vast understatement. Fun anyway.
KH6HE/BB
Stateside doesn't expect Hawaii to come thru, but, copied a lot of stations, 20 meters dropped out after 2 hours here on Maui. One station heard on 15 meters, but, unable to work him.
KB9LCK/BB
Every so often, a guy should just disregard good advice and suffer the consequences. It's what keeps us (?) humble. Like the old thing avbout not trying a bunch of new stuff right before a contest or competition. Done it at least twice this year, with the results you see in this case--probably a PR for low score for me for any ARS event. So went the new battery idea, the new "spaddle" idea, the new antenna idea (faithful TenTec SWR brudge has a problem, but I was too busy fooling around with other stuff), the new location on short notice idea. Well, like fishing, I didn't get skunked, I just learned what to do next time.
SS looking good.
AA8IV/BB
Hiked out as always with my K-2 and MP-1 to Lakeview. Braved the rain but shutdown early due to thunderstorms. Will do beter next year and pack a tent!
K9YT
Too many mosquitoes so I operated from home. Was bit by mosquitoes the day before the Bee event and the morning off. Hopefully next year the mosquitoes won't be so bad.

72,
San
K9YT
VE1CHS/BB
"This year," I thought, "I'll plan ahead." I hiked up to the ridge where Iwas planning to operate, and began stringing out radials. Stooping to lay out radials in a pine forest, I got scratched by branches. No sooner had I started, than I heard thunder, and had to quit. No rain came. Came back later, and did manage to get 24 strung out at the base of the MJF 33 foot fiber glass pole.

Started final set up and antenna tests, well before the contest, but noticed more clouds gathering, not a good sign. Another bad sign was difficulty in getting my MFJ SWR analyzer to work at all. Battery holders were damaged,
and the glue and tape wasn't holding. Plus, the Big Mast kept sliding into the branches, and wouldn't say up on its guys.

When the contest started, I was immediately surprised signals weren't stronger. Wasn't doing well at all with that vertical half wave GP tuned up on 20M. I thought it was going to be fantastic. A whole half hour went by with no contacts. Looked all over the sky, and the one increasingly dark cloud was right over my antenna. I shouted: "Come on, move over there to the east, where the sky is perfectly blue." But it wasn't moving; it was building.

Barbara hiked up and took a photograph, and we walked down the ridge to get away from the threatening sky. She said, "Honey, why don't." Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightening only two miles away struck the top of Tennessee Mountain, and I finished the sentence: "get the hell out of here!"

From then on it was all downhill: Cover the gear with a ground cloth, madly move the now soggy radio gear in, another mad trip up and down the ridge.

But I had visions of setting up the QRP+ at home; "I'll work from my loop, the storm will be abating, and I'll rack up points as a home station!" I thought. No sooner had I connected up my home antenna, than I heard a terrible static crash that pinned the S meter beyond S-9; I was in clear danger of frying my receiver mixer from the thunder produced static in my big loop!

Had to face it, I was washed up with only seven contacts as a bee. During a summer in Colorado where there was extreme forest fire danger, and hundreds of fires were burning in the west, it was raining for the first time since
the last snow in early June! Murphy had picked the very hours of the Bee contest, for the desperately prayed for summer mountain monsoons to begin. Well, I can end on a bright note: the pine needles outside were dripping with moisture, and our Colorado mountain home was safe for now.
KG6WP
I worked everyone I could hear here in CA. Band was noisy and conditions where lousy at this QTH. Lots of QSB. I heard nothing west of CO. Had a good time though.
VE5QRP
I enjoyed the contest but conditions were pitiful up here with very fast QSB and very few signals heard on 20 mtrs...nothing on 10,15 & 40...W8DIZ & I heard each other loud and then 2 seconds later we were both gone and couldn't make the contact...shades of 10 mtrs eh!?!...hihi...I did contact the CY9A dxpedition later in the day with 5 watts so that was nice plus a new one tnx for the fun - 72 - Bruce VE5QRP
N8HSP
Once again I chose the Cleveland Lakefront State Park to operate. Once again, for the second time now, I got chased out of the park by thunderstorms. ;-)

I worked the first hour from the park, packed up and was able to work the last hour from my backyard. Stations worked: KB9ZUR, K7TD, W5YA, KW4JS, AB9CA.

Stations heard but not worked: K7TQ, AA1MY, K0PC, KI0II. Thanks again for another GREAT outting! Had a couple of visitors stop by just to check out what was going on.
KG0MZ/BB
Biking and equipment "issues" limited me to 40 M. I don't have a rack on the skinny tire bike, so I took what would fit in a small pack. SW40+, 2AH battery, dipole, coax. Bike stuff and food took up the rest of the space. 100+ F heat is normal for KS this time of year, the heat did not let me down. Two bottles of water got me there. Same two bottles refilled barely got me back.

The trip was on pavement except for the last quarter mile. About 40 miles round trip from the truck (I drove to get to the outskirts of town) to Cheney Lake and back.

The condition of the band was what I expected. The noise level was deafening. Repositioning the dispole helped. I will operate 20 next year. I would have this time, but for problems with every 20 M rig I have.

The highlight was spending time visiting with a family about ham radio, and drinking some of their ice tea.
N2COP/BB
What a hoot! My first QRP contest. Used my Yaesu 817 into a GAP Eagle vertical through an Emtech ZM-2. CW's not my strongsuit so I had to tell some of the 20-25 WPM boys QRS. Most complied. Like to do it agn.
73,
8
Bill N2COP
KD4MSR
I was part of the North Georgia QRP Club Bartram Trail-Warwoman Wildlife Management Area DXpedition which included Sam Billingsley, AE4GX; Mike Boatright, KO4WX; Pickett Cummins, AD4S; and my Cocker Spaniel, Sandy, "K4WUF." We made our base camp Friday near the Bartram Trail on the shoulder, at 2,440 feet, of Rabun Bald Mountain, and Mike, KO4WX hiked to the top at 4,696 feet to operate NQ4RP, our Club callsign. We were near the junctions of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
K2UD
20M was pretty quiet here in WNY. It was still fun to get on this event even with a small number of QSO's. Rain kept me inside for a while, also kept me out of the pool (I didn't want to get wet)!
AB1AV/BB
Got a late start in my first FOBB. Bicycled and hiked to Beaver Brook Conservation Area here in Hollis, and put up an 88' dipole in the oak & maple trees. Attached the NorCal BLT tuner about 2:30 EDT.

Not much activity on 40 meters, but my SW-40+ snagged Carter N3AO and W2BN (whose callsign is my initials!). All I had for 20 meters was a stock Rockmite. It heard plenty (typically 2-3 QSO's at once!), but apparently nobody could hear me. About 4:00 I started to worry about thunderstorms, and packed up and headed home. Not many contacts, but I was glad to participate. Now, what shall I build for 20 meters? :)

-- Bill, AB1AV BB#163 Hollis, NH
KL0WN/BB
Only managed two contacts but still had a blast. Good thing I have a low entertainment threshold ;-). Operated from the beach at Twin Creeks, about 10 miles SSE of Kodiak. Had the vertical Moxon hanging from a support built out of driftwood and a fiberglass windsock pole. Rig was an Elecraft K1 runing about 3W out. Most of the time incoming signals were way down in the noise but occasionally someone would fade into earshot. The antenna attracted the attention of a family camping nearby. They seemed impressed I could talk to someone 1,800 miles away with such a small radio. More good QRP/ham radio PR!
K1WAY
hi all, got home from work just intime to catch one ( :-) thats right ONE :-) bee. hope it put s you over the top carter! :-)
K6MGO
Only worked 5 stations and bands folded but, had fun anyway.
AD6WE/BB
Made two contacts on 20 meters, neither of whom were in the contest. Didn't hear any "/BB's" and didn't get any contest replies to my cq's. Thought that either conditions were unbelievably bad or everyone was contesting somewhere else...

Turned out that my radio was transmitting about 10 khZ low. Got that fixed, so maybe I'll be heard in the Sprint on Monday...hope so.