Soapbox for the 2006 Flight of the Bumblebees

N4UM/BB
Operated for the first time from a 25 foot sailboat anchored in Florida Bay. Used the insulated backstay on 40 and a 17 foot vertical on the transom for 20 thru 10. Had several pieces of copper flashing over the side for ground plates. Rig was an IC-703. Lots of QSB as the boat swung at anchor. Forgot my headphones so had to copy thru the noise generated by other passing boats, slapping halyards, wind and waves. Next time I'll find a spot further from any busy boat channels .Temperatures were in the 90's. It must have been too hot for the mosquitos and horse flies because they left me alone (for a change.) 10 meters was a complete wipe out. 15 was very lean. 20 was the best even though it was up and down. 40 had lots of QRN from storms up in the Everglades about 30 miles north of me. Strongest signal was WA9TZE. W3PM had a bodacious signal running 300 milliwatts. Wonder what he was using for an antenna!

N0SXX/BB
It was a very hot day here in Lakewood, CO (suburb of Denver). I had decided to work from Green Mountain. This a big round hump of a mountain on the west edge of Lakewood. Not a tree on the whole thing but 180 degree views to the east and high enough and far enough away from the mountains in the west that I thought it'd make a good sight. I hiked a little over a mile to the summit and parked my antenna on the east side right on top of a gentle drop off to the east. Sat there in the middle of the sun for 4 hours on one of those little lawn chairs that's only 3" off the ground. I was using my K2 at 5W and a 25' on a side double on top of a 33' pole. An hour into the contest my nalgeen bottles full of water and ice were just water. An hour and a half into the contest said water bottles were HOT water. It didn't seem like conditions were too good. Had lots of QSOs on 20M but a lot, lot of those QSOs were very, very faint. Lots of good operators out there made it work! I worked a very few on 40 and even less on 15... none on 10. Forgot my camera so no pictures but, other then the view of Denver, not much to take pictures of up there anyway!

K4BAI
FT1000MP, 5 watts output, TH6DXX, zepp, dipole. Contest started out with a good rate on 20 and 15 M. After the first half hour, I seemed to be on a pace for 200 QSOs. Ended up with 93, so conditions and activity dropped dramatically. Too bad more people didn't try 15M at the start. Good signals from W1/2/3/9 areas plus south Florida. 20M was good to the north and north east, but signals from the west were down. Tried 40M early, but there was very little activity there and the stations who were active didn't hear me as well as I heard them. I think other areas had a lot of QRN from storms. With 268 BB numbers issued (but N4ROA has become a SK), it was disappointing that more stations didn't actually activate their numbers. AB9CA must have forgotten as he was assigned BB # 131, but didn't send a BB#. Well, maybe it is more likely that his BB expedition was cancelled, so he didn't send his #. It was raining here all morning and part of the afternoon and it might have been the same in South Alabama. I heard W0CH working on the County Hunters CW net during the contest, but didn't hear him in the contest. At any rate, thanks for the QSOs and I hope for better conditions next year. 73/72, John, K4BAI.

WA9TZE/BB
Nice BB contest-again. Rig here was a SGC-2020 w/ADSP powered with a auto-jump start battery @ 5W. Had this to 5 band 22 gauge wire dipole[80-10m] up 30' ft feed with RG-213 coax and a 4' ft ground rod. Had a keyer which worked poorly. Set up on a bench under a tree and it was hot[95 degrees F] and humid[75%]. Tried 10m for 10 min and not a call or taker-went to 15m and the same thing-switched to 20m and things picked up but had static problems all day. 20m had 65 QSOs and 33 BB's.fter 2 1/2 hours went to 40m and signals were weaker and many repeats needed-got 37 QSOs and 10 BB's. About 12 other stations called but could not pull them out but did give a report seeing they tried so hard to make it and were rcvg me ok?. Thanks to all and the 807's sure tasted after the contest

N9NE/BB
Thunderstorms with high wind, driving rain, and lightning ended just an hour before the contest. I drove a few miles to a high school athletic field, schlepping my gear a few hundred meters to the baseball field. I attached one end of the 88' doublet to the 35' flagpole and the other to a wooden structure up about 20'. The K2 was powered by a 7 AH battery, and I enjoyed keying with my new Palm Paddle. Clouds and light rain continued for the first half of the event, but the sun soon appeared, driving temperatures into the high 80s. Propagation was reminiscent of VHF, with weak signals fading to nothing. It was not uncommon to hear three stations calling 'CQ BB' on the same frequency. Most contacts were to my east; I worked only three Pesky Texans, and heard nothing from CA or the southwest at all. The most surprising exchange was with WL7CDC in AK on 20M in the last five minutes. I recall that AA1MY, NU4M, and K5GQ were among the few 'strong stations' heard. Thanks again for the fun! 73 Todd, N9NE Oshkosh, WI

K5OT/BB
I hiked out to a hilltop on a friend's ranch here in central Texas ... a great setting, but high QRN from an electric fence (or ??) was annoying. Borrowed a K-2 and used a 44' doublet strung from two live oak trees. [Only saw one rattlesnake.] Conditions and QSO's were both way down for me this year, but the adventure was still fun!

AA1MY/BB
BB 208 trekked up to the top of the little knob we live on called Sparrowhawk Mtn where the spruce and the porcupines play. (mooses & bears too, by the look of the poop up there). Took a bit less than an hour with the back-pack loaded down with gear and vittles. Had one heck of a long time threading the "Eighty-Eight" thru the spruce branches but finally got it up to about 45', and beaming E-W, just the way I like it. To make a very long story short, I thought there was something wrong with my gear, and it wasn't until I was into it while that I realized the propagation was really down. Opened up on 20m and I had no trouble working the left coast when I heard them. WA, OR, CO, CA, TX were as loud as the Midwest. QSB was very rapid and deep, making for lots of repeats both ways. Same song on 40m, only worse, with nothing further west than WI. so went back to 20m and ground it out for the rest of the afternoon, operating a just over 3 hrs total. Thanks again ARS and K1ESE for yet another great event. 73/72. Seab, AA1MY

K0ZK/BB
I was set up at the beach in Kennebunk, Maine. Parsons Beach. I used a 33 foot aluminum vertical, not the usual military mast but a much lighter-weight one made of tent poles. It was guyed at the 20 foot level. I forgot to bring the control box for the LDG tuner and was without a manual tuner back-up. So I stayed on 40 mostly. Also, my car battery had corrosion on the contacts was puzzled me. I did not operate at anywhere near 5 watts. I was under 1 watt the entire BB contest. When I got home and put a voltmeter on the battery it read 12.6 volts. That darn corrosion!!!! Arn, K0ZK / QRPp

K5NZ
Nice work Bee's!!!

WC7S/BB
What fun, a new "secret weapon" antenna, a 3 element co-phase, on a Wyoming State Tree, (abandoned phone pole) and a horseback ride, to and from, but there isn't a lot of scenery on the high dry plains.The mountains 50 mile away looked pretty cool, but too far to ride. Lots of great ears out there. Look for you all next time. Made 21 states, and 2 VE3s. See you in the next test. Thanks for making it possible for so much fun.

K5GQ/BB
Rig - K2; 20M SUPERANTENNA MP1 dipole; 40M antenna - Sigma-40XK BB 147, K5GQ, Mark; K5OOR, Virgil set up operation at Mercer Arboretum, Houston, TX. We worked 20 states, Q rate got up to 42; then the band would go out. Had a good time. Enjoyed everyone that called.

AI4BJ/BB
FOBB 2006 found me perched atop Raven's Rock in the middle of Kentucky's verdant Red River Gorge, and I now have some idea of what it must feel like to be an eagle! On Sunday morning, a thick fog filled the gorge to its rim, and Raven's Rock floated above like a little island in the clouds. The fog eventually burned away, and by contest time the thermometer was pushing 90 degrees. Shade and a fair breeze kept things reasonably comfortable. My sole companions were lizards and an occasional turkey vulture, investigating the intruder into their domain. The noise level on 40m was very high, so I stuck to 20m and managed to complete 52 QSOs with my solar-powered K2 and 66 ft doublet -- about the same as last year. Many thanks to John Huffman and the ARS for making this great event possible!

NI8N/BB
Went into a old woods and shot a 50' wire over a very high limb so it was exactly vertical. Used a K2 and a KX1. Great time. Jack NI8N

W3BBO
Too hot to be outdoors today. If I'd have been a bee, I would have found a cool place to operate from...like the dairy section of the local grocery store. They might not have let me stay there for 4 hours though. It was fun and maybe I'll BEE around next year.

WA4MQW/BB
More fun than ever except for my butt. The ground got real hard but my newly completed KX1 worked great and the weather cooperated this year. Operated from the top of Tryon Peak on White Oak Mountain in Polk Co. NC(Elevation 3,300ft). The hike up went well, especially since I decided to drive part way up the mountain and only hike up about 3 miles with my backpack. 42 Q's and 33 Bees with most all on 20m. 40m seemed dead. A few stations I worked deserve mention for having consistently good sigs on 20m for almost 4 hrs: K7TQ, KF0UR, K0SXX, N4UM, K6EI, AA1MY, WB3AAL to name a few. Took some pictures of a few real bumble bees next to me and will post some to a web site later with more soapbox comments after I rest a little. Thanks to All I worked and already look forward to next year's FOBB. 72, Bob. (WA4MQW) BB # 174 NC

N6GA/BB
Signals were not booming in here on the Left Coast, but then, it might have been my antenna. I used a 44' dipole fed with HB twin lead. The spot I chose was in the San Gabriel Mtns, near Mt Baldy at about 7800' elevation, nice view to the East and North. But the trees were little stubby things, all of them having been nicely trimmed by the constant winds. So antenna height was about 15 feet. Rig was a KX-1. Thanks to all of you who very patiently dug this little signal out of the noise.

N8RN
RIG: K1, Solar charged battery. Power 5W, Mini-paddle and earbuds. Antenna: Inverted Vees with a 25 foot apex. Operating time: 3.5 hours. The Bees did a great job. Conditions not bad, but QRM and QSB made the contest a real challenge at times. Lots of fun. 72 to all ARS ops. Ron, N8RN

W4QO/BB
Maybe it was my antenna but the band seemed poor. Almost all sigs were weaker than expected. Used a W4OP (Par Electronics) end fed on 20M and an inverted Vee on 40M.

KB2FEL/BB
As luck would have it I could not venture to far. I set up under a mulberry tree in the field next to the house, my 2006 field day site. I used a dipole and my FT897. As always had a great time with this ARS BB Event. TNX. Bob KB2FEL WV BB#99

KT9E/BB
Thanks for the fun event!!! Very very very hot day! WB9ZHC

AK0M/BB
This year I again operated from Greenhill Park, Cedar Falls, IA, walking the approximate 1 mile instead of biking. Station was an IC-703 powered by 3000 mAh 9.6V battery packs. Antenna was a 44 ft doublet aimed E/W in an inverted vee configuration fed with twinlead and up about 40ft in the center. Temperature was hot and humid, just under 100 degrees, but there was a nice breeze on top of the hill plus I was able to operate in the shade, so it wasn't too bad. Quite a few ants to deal with on the old rotting picnic table that I used. I got a late start and had an interruption in the middle, so was only able to get in about 2 hours. Propagation was not too good on 20m with lots of QSB as one might expect in the early afternoon at this point in the solar cycle, but I worked about everything I heard there. I only heard a few stations on 40m and other than the loud-as-usual WA9TZE they were very weak. Nothing heard on 15 or 10m. Ended up with 43 QSO's for my 2 hours, all but one on 20m, and 23 bumblebees. Fun time for a hot Sunday afternoon! - Steve

KE0G
Elecraft K-1 to a 110' quadrant wire antenna up 50' fed with twin lead and Matchbox. Ran 5 watts.

KF0UR/BB
My how a few years can change things. For my first Bee a few years ago, it was foggy and drizzly, temps in the 50s F and I was wearing a winter coat hiking to my favorite spot at 8000 feet MSL on Mt. Blodgett in Colorado Springs. This year, the temps broke records in the mid to upper 90s, which made hiking and operating from the same spot a bit more tedious. Nevertheless, the Bee went on and I had a good time, although I was wasted when I got home. I made 54 QSOs, all on 20 meters, 30 of them with fellow Bees. Considering we're at/near the bottom of the sunspot cycle, the conditions were surprisingly good, as I had propagation (from time-to-time) to the entire East coast, VE3 land, and mid-west. Folks running 1-2 watts from the east coast were heard clearly. BTW, the rig here is an Elecraft KX-1, portable homebrew vertical, 12V 2.2A battery, and a small solar charger. I worked 3.5 of the 4 hours. I packed up a little early because the QSO to heat index was not high enough for me to stay longer! It was another great event and I already look forward to next year (hopefully with a few less degrees of heat). 72's to all.

NA3V
I worked the contest from my home shack during its first 2 hours and found 20 M to be "abuzz" with BB signals, with some 15 M action too. Signals were pretty strong into my 130' doublet, considering that most were coming from simple antennas strung up in the field.

N7UN/BB
"It was a million degrees" in NJ and the humidity was a close second. Glen, NK1N, and I went up to my local haunt...Bearfort Fire tower in northern New Jersey. It was clear but the temps were in the mid to high 90's and humid, really humid. My W7EL Field Day Special works great and the K1 just purred along. Thanks to everyone for the contact!!

W5ESE/BB
This has become one of my favorite amateur radio events, despite the fact that late July is pretty toast in this part of the world (central Texas). I prepared a couple quarts of iced tea, and carried them with my radios to the primitive camping area in Pedernales Falls State Park, near Johnson City, Texas. This was about a 2.5 mile walk, which took me about an hour. I set up a 33.5' inverted L, fed against some radials, and put up a small tarp to have a shaded spot to operate from. My rigs were a Small Wonder Labs SW+ on 40m, a Ten-Tec TKIT 1320 on 20m, and an MFJ Cub on 15m (though I didn't have any luck on 15m). I also used a Tick 3 keyer, Whiterook MK-44 paddles, and an Emtech ZM-2 antenna tuner. Lots of fun, and thanks to everyone for the contacts.

W2LJ/BB
A fine day to be a Bee! I operated from a local park using my K1 to a NorCal Doublet, erected as a sloper. It was hot and it was nice to be in the shade. There was plenty of activity on 20 Meters and more on 40 Meters during the second half of the event. The loudest station for me by far was K4LTA who blasted the cans off my head! Best DX for me was to South Dakota. First time I built and used a NorCal Doublet; and I was quite happy with it. Worked easily the eastern 2/3 of the country and into Canada. Thanks to John K1ESE and the ARS for sponsoring the most fun event of the year, IMHO. 73 de Larry W2LJ

WB3AAL/BB
Bands seemed to be pretty good that day, I should say better than other FOBB events. The past couple of years it always rained on me with bad T-storms. Had two vertical setup, one on 15 meters and one on 40 & 20 meters. I was out on the Appalachian Trail and it was a blast. One hiker came into camp and asked how the bands were. This hiker had seen me before and he used to operate CW in the Korean War. Unfortunately he never got his ham ticket. 15 meters was open but not much activity. 72 Ron de WB3AAL

WU0H/BB
Had to quit halfway--dog seemed in heat distress--temp was about 105 F--rig too hot to touch. Always impressed by the operating skill of my fellow ARS members; the best CW ops anywhere! 73, Keith, WUH

K6UIZ/BB
After over 25 days of well over 100 degree weather here in the so. cal. inland valleys the weather turned cooler and a little damp for the BB outing. What a relief. My good friend Clair,(K6LG) and myself went out together and set up both stations about 30 feet apart under separate trees on our own antennas. We traded bands one on 20 the other on 40. Band conditions didn't seem that good. We both worked just about the same number, just over 30. I was running a K1 and Clair was using his FT817. We went to a County Park not to far from home.

K6LG/BB
We got lucky on the WX....relatively cool day after a month of record breaking heat. Conditions were not the best...most of QSOs were western states. Used FT-817 @ 5W to a dipole.

K1ESE/BB
Five of us, K1ESE, W1IF, W1SK, N1URA, and KA1SG, climbed Singepole Mountain in Western Maine. The weather was perfect and the view was spectacular. The hike up took about 40 minutes. We used a K1 for the start of the contest and switched to a K2 for the last half. Our doublet was 60' long and about 20' high at the center. We took turns and everyone had at least one QSO. We brought a folding chair with an awning top that kept off the sun. It was a real hit with everyone. Bands were just OK and 40 had a lot of noise. We did hear AA1MY booming in throughout the contest and were convinced he was on the top of the next hill. A great time was had by all. 73 de K1ESE John

K3TW/BB
Keeping to my tradition, I set up again in Washington, DC. This time the location was on a small hilltop between the Department of State Building and the John F. Kennedy Center. The equipment was an Icom IC-703 and a 40m/20m clip lead dipole at 20 feet. My operating time was limited because I didn't set up until the start of the contest, but every contact was truly enjoyable even though band conditions were marginal. After over 43 years of hamming, I still feel the excitement of setting up an outdoor station and anticipating the first contact. Thanks to all for a great FOBB, and enjoy the summer.

W2NED/BB
K2, battery, OCF dipole in trees, and Palm mini paddle mounted on an aluminum clip board. Operated from a hill overlooking Rochester, NY. Rig worked well. Thanks to all who were patient with me as I tried my hand at CQ in a contest for the first time. Sometimes I simply could not sort out a single call, and missed some great QSOs. I need to practice this during the sprints. Over all, it was great fun!

NW8L/BB
This bumblebee decided to operate from the newly created Ojito Wilderness area, west of Albuquerque, past Zia Pueblo. It's classic canyon country, as depicted in Roadrunner cartoons, populated with mesas and buttes. The location was up on high mesa to the south, the north wall of which rises up 300 ft. and overlooks the Arroyo Bernalillito area of the wilderness (where "Seismosaurus" was excavated). A narrow promontory of the mesa jutting out northwards is at 6100 ft. and provides a clear shot into free space to the west, north, and east - I've been up there before, and thought it might be just the place for FOBB. The wall of the mesa presents the usual formidable aspect, the lower 2/3 consisting of a very steep debris slope, and the upper 1/3 a sheer sandstone vertical wall. Fortunately a cleft in the sandstone is located near the operating spot, marked by a gnarly old pinon tree growing out of the rock. A game trail provides a rather tortuous path from the base up to the cleft, and from there a little easy rock climbing gets one to the top. If the deer can do it, well... the trick is to avoid starting a rockslide on the very unstable slope leading to the caprock. The deer bound lightly, I plod heavily. Once there the rig was set up, consisting of an Elecraft KX1 powered by a 10W solar panel charging a 2AH gel cell (4W out). The antenna was a "coupled resonator" 40/20 meter inverted vee made from 66 ft. of 450 ohm window line - with one of the conductors cut back 16 ft. at each end to create a 35 ft. centered resonator for 20 and the other broken at midpoint and fed with 300 ohm window line (the "driven" 40m element). The feed point was supported by a 32 ft. telescoping fiberglass windsock pole, tied to a short juniper tree. This is a very exposed location so I brought an I.C.E. balanced line arrestor (the small one) and attached it to a long aluminum tent stake driven into moist soil in a crack in the caprock. I've learned my lesson about strong E fields from thunderstorm clouds out there, and sure enough they were developing rapidly as the contest came to an end. A "Noah's Tarp" sheltered the operator. As for the contest - 29 contacts, less than last year - 21 bb's and 8 others. Conditions seemed so-so at best, it was hard work to dig some of the signals out of the noise. Having both 20 and 40 instantly available was very nice - started out on 40, lots of 20 in the middle innings, and finished up back on 40 like so many others appeared to. 20 seemed to really die toward the end, or so it seemed at my QTH. Lots of QRN on 40 but worked CA and CO stations in particular there, very good. Most often heard seemed to be K5NZ, K7TQ and K5GQ, up and down in strength as the day wore on. Wish I could have worked more of the stations I knew were out there but couldn't hear. Anyway, had a great time and got away in time before the cloudburst came, was treated to a wonderful heavy rain and a *very* close lightning strike while driving back out through Zia lands. Thanks to all, see you next year!

VA3SIE/BB
Full details including photographs here: http://www.sunim.plus.com/contests/fobb2006/index.html
VA3SIE BB #177 & YL drove up to the trail-head at King Mountain in Quebec, Canada, and hiked up to the top of the Eardley Escarpment. We operated an Elecraft KX1 to a 44' inverted vee doublet supported by a 20ft fishing pole. The weather was beautiful, if a little on the hot side! The band conditions were far from ideal! 20m propagation was marginal at the beginning of the contest - contacts were weak. The QRP segments were crowded. 40m QRN was strong from thunderstorms & only one station heard me. Towards the end of the contest, my YL walked over pointing excitedly at the bushes at the edge of the clearing. There was a black bear cub sitting there munching away on berries. I made a mistake in the contest - I gave my QTH as 'ON' (Ontario) not 'QC' (Quebec). Oops! 73 all, Martin VA3SIE/BB.

WA0RSE/BB
100 degrees at Frontenac State Park, MN between Red Wing and Lake City high above the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin. Buddipole and K1 this year. WE NEED MORE NON-Bee OPERATORS! Almost everyone I heard was a bee! 5W into a tribander at 66 feet is a great signal (and provides a great set of ears!) Talk up FOBB 2007-> to your non-ARS ham friends and get more stations out there! 72, --Paul,

KW4JS/BB
Elecraft K1 and KX1 (one at a time) with 42 ft random wire with two 16 ft counterpoises. Had very hot and muggy conditions here in East Tennessee along with malfunctioning equipment but had loads of fun. Thanks to everyone for pulling me out of the dust. See you next year, BB #66

VE3XT/BB
Well as always I had a blast. Walked up small mountain south of Thunder Bay with an elevation of 700 ft ASL. Used my K1 with the K antenna described several months ago in the ARS Sojourner. I found conditions not so good from my location. I want to study the effect of sloping hills, as described in the Sojourner. Maybe I can squeeze a little more signal from the hills? The stupidest thing I did this time was to not have anything to sit on so I pulled up a rock. Even though I carry ample personal padding in that area after 4 hours I had a serious case of "numb bum". I went out today (July 31) and bought a stadium seat. The best thing was just sitting there looking out over the city and Lake Superior and enjoying the scenery, listing to the birds and having an enquiry form a mole and garter snake as to why I was in their territory. Can't wait to do it again next year. 72 Bill VE3XT/BB

AB4PP/BB
Set up at Durant Nature Park in Raleigh, NC. Used the Sierra and ATS-3 with a homebrew Norcal doublet on a DK9SQ mast, 2.3ah gel cell and ear buds. Temp was 98.7 and the humidity was 82 percent. Very hot and dripping most of the afternoon. Took two 32 oz bottles of water and ice and three other drinks and drank them all. Had two sandwiches and the squirrels came up on to the table and helped me eat those. While chatting with AF4PP I had three deer come up within 30 feet of the table and walk by. I got pictures of the deer; but, when I tried to get the camera to take pictures of the squirrels they took off running into the bushes. Had a great time on 20 Meters. Could not get any signals on 40m it was dead on 15 and 10 also. Tried several times. At the end of the contest I could hear a few 40m signals coming through. Had a wonderful time and worked a PEI and a couple of others I really had to try hard to get. Conditions were bad to worse but I hung in there the whole 4 hours and then took down the station and headed to the A/C and some relief. C U all in the next one. John Paul/AB4PP Raleigh, NC

VE3JC/BB
Al VE3GAM and I operated the Bumblebee contest with a bird's eye view of Lake Erie, from a wooden lookout tower perched on top of a bluff, in a small conservation area. When I had operated from this site in a previous FOBB, I had bicycled the ~ 100 km round trip from my home, but I "wimped out" this year due to high temps and the threat of thunderstorms. The trek in from the road was enough exercise today, and we were pleased that the temperature was a bit cooler up in our operating perch. I was using a K1 and a commercial buddipole, which was easy to adjust at eye level, 70 feet up in the air with respect to the Lake! Al was using a newly-adopted KX1 and a G5RV which we strung up in the trees. We managed to snag a couple of dozen contacts, mostly on 20 and 40 with a couple on 15. Always good to hear so many familiar bees buzzing around. We packed up in a hurry with about an hour to go, as the sky turned dark and thunder rolled in. Thanks to John K1ESE (who I was delighted to work on 20) for organizing another great FOBB. I've posted a few photos at http://www3.sympatico.ca/jbcumming/fobb2006.html 72, John VE3JC

WA1ZCQ/BB
Rig: IC-703+ @ 5W, Ant: 190' Inverted "L" up 60' Operated the FOBB '06 along the shores of Willand Pond in Somersworth, NH. A beautiful day in the woods with 80' pines that provided cool shade along the shoreline. All the bands were in poor condition this year, but manage to work 31 Q's, 13 BB's (including BB#1), on 40, 20, & 15M (10M was dead, not even any ground wave activity). This year the wonderful weather and serene location made for another great FOBB. Thanks ARS, for sponsoring this fun, exciting, and enjoyable event. Hope to see you all back here next year! 72 de Carl - BB#34

N7RVD/BB
Bumble Bee QTH was at 6100 ft at the top of Table Mountain. Beautiful location, but cool wx. Temp got up to 50 F by the end of the contest. Typical BB contest --- weak signals with QRN, QSB, and QRM. The 7 year old battery in my K2 gave up the ghost after 3 hours but I still managed 23 Q's, a personal best in FOBB. Tnx to everyone and hope to CUAGN next year.

VE2EZD/BB
Had great fun! We were two operators (VE2GHI and VE2EZD). 73, VE2EZD

N4SL/BB
It hasn't rained in Western Washington for 60 days, so naturally it rained today! All bands except 20m were very dead but we had fun and that's all that counts.

WA8REI/BB
ARS Member Number: 1609 Assigned BB Number: 173 BB QTH: a PIGnic table under a pavilion at Williams Twp. Park, Auburn, MI Rig: FT-817, Power: 5 watts, Ant: Hustler 4BTV vertical, ground mounted on MFJ base. Tuner: LDG Z100 Ultra, Keyer: K1EL K12 memory keyer [professionally built by VE3WMB] Paddle: Bencher ST-2 single lever, Battery: Yuasa 7 Ah. Vy heavy QRN from area storms made many exchanges impossible. Tnx to all for trying, and a big tnx to those I managed to work. Temp. was 90 F with a heat index of about 98. Caught the southern edge of a t-storm, but thankfully, not much rain. Visitors included Tom, KD8DXA and daughter Elyse. I hope for better conditions for BB 2007! SPCs = 17 unique: CO GA ID IL IN ME MO NC NJ NY OH ON PA TN VT WI WV Morphing from a Flying Pig into a Bumblebee is DOWNRIGHT PAINFUL, especially morphing a itty bitty curly pink piggy tail into a stinger! 73, 72, oink-buzz oink-buzz

WD9F
TT Argo V with attic CF Zepp on 40 and TT Century 21 with outside vertical on 20. Band conditions terrible in Central Illinois with heavy QRN (S5 - S7) but still had fun pulling a few out and enjoying the company of Tim / N9PUZ who stopped in to visit and operate the guest station. My thanks to all who sacrificed their comfort for my enjoyment. Hope everyone & everything made it home safely! Woody / WD9F-IL

KD2MX
I just completed my KX1 and this was its first QRP workout. If I'd been done a few days earlier, I would've signed up as a bee. Looking forward to next year and to joining the skinny category. Conditions were ok here. Lots of fun hunting the bees.

KA2KGP/BB
Wow !! ... that was FUN ! Conditions on 40 & 20 meters were decent & the weather cooperated with low-QRN. Setup here was my trusty old Ten-Tec Argosy II at 5 watts into an all-band vertical clamped to an old water well casing. Heat & humidity were a bit much, but no bugs (but plenty of "bumblebees").

W1PID/BB
A fantastic event! for full report and pix: http://w1pid.freeshell.org/bb/bb-2006.html Thanks to all and ARS and K1ESE!

N0TU/BB
My favorite trail is a steep 2000' elevation gain in less than a mile it's more like endless steep stairs. You feel like you earned the view once on top! http://www.angelfire.com/planet/goatman/FOBB1
This time of year and thanks to recent rains its covered with thick vegetation, berries and lots of bear scat sightings. Thankfully no actual bear sightings said the goats! It took us (Rooster and Peanut who hauled up all our water -I carried lunch and BB rig and the goat treats) about hour to climb up through 'bear' gully. A light breeze and cooler temps on top lifted our spirits. I found a tree off trail with good views and setup the 44' CFD. Bees were already buzzing (12:30 MDT) sigs were faint mostly from QSB but ok copy! Funny thing was as I was copying the reports it never failed the QSB would suck the signal down just as the other bee gave his NR ...NR? ...NR? While I took several breaks to enjoy the views, and check out some of the wild flowers and rest my seater I did snagged 17 QSOs total! T-storms weren't visible but 40m QRN was heavy. Really surprised I made any QSOs on 40m with S/N ratio. Great FOBB! Great wx! Great day on the trail with my hiking buddies. And great to be able make contact with you BBs!! BB log: 20m: K7TQ, N0SXX, K4LTA, KF0UR, AI4BJ, N7RVD, KI6ERC, AK0M, W5ESE, 40m: KJ6HZ, N6GA, KE0G, K6DBG, NW8L, N0SXX Keep a'buzzzin' til next FOBB ~ Steve/N0TU R&P http://www.angelfire.com/planet/goatman/FOBB2

W2AGN/BB
Hot, humid day in Parvin Park. Just walked far enough to get away from tourists, sat under tree. Rig: ATS-3 antenna 66' wire. (BB #24)

VY2/W1OH
Great fun to get on for FOBB from PEI this year. I operated from the "shack" on the second floor of our rental cottage here east of Charlottetown, PEI. Rig was my FT-897 at 5W to an 80M doublet fed with 300 ohm twin lead, and mounted inverted-vee style at about 55 feet in the center. It's about 100 yards to saltwater to the west. (pictures and info from last summer's trip, which finished up at this same location with same radio and antenna setup, are at: http://gimli.whoi.edu/pei05-w1oh.html. Conditions here were reasonably good this year, if a little strange on 15M. I worked 7 stations on 15M, 9 stations on 20M, and 5 stations on 40M for a total of 21 stations over about 3 hours of casual operation. 3 of the 15M contacts were in PA, which seems a little short, while my best on 15M was to N0SXX in CO. Strongest signals were from NH (W1PID and WA1ZCQ) and ME (AA1MY and K1ESE) on 40M towards the last hour before getting dragged away for fish & chips dinner! Weather here, unlike in a lot of the US, was cool - temperature topped out on Sunday afternoon at about 68 F (yes, 68) with bright sun, clear skies, and brisk NW winds. Had to keep the window to the "shack" almost closed to keep stuff from blowing around (and to keep warm)!! Thanks to all I worked. Z3, Geoff - VY2/W1OH

K6APW/BB
Lost confirmation from NW8L in 40M fade. Never heard again. Heard numerous BBs near my noise level. Not fully copyable. Conditions generally poor.

W1KX/BB
Put up new portable dipole on small island and operated from kayak beside island. Used FT 817 battery powered at 2.5w. Conditions good but antenna not. Note to self: try antenna first next time.

KR7W/BB
On Saturday three hams walked into the back country 1 mile south of Chinook Pass on Pacific Crest Trail (WA state)- a beautiful Cascade Mountains setting just east of Naches Peak, elevation 5500 ft. We set up camp with 20/40M and 80M doublets in noble fir trees. On Sunday the WX turned sour. 40 deg F and it rained until the contest ended. Worked 18 stations from inside of the tent until the KX-1's battery was depleted and PWR out was dot 5 watt. Propagation was pretty good and it was good to hear so many stations on the air. It was sup rising to get answers from stations that I could barely hear. N0SXX and N9NE were very loud though out the 3 hours I operated. Thanks to all who made contact with KR7W. Regards, Rich

NE5DL/BB
BB #102. Operated form the back yard. Put up 30 ft poles and a 44 ft doublet with the K2. Temp about a 100 degrees in TX, so lots of water on hand. 20M seemed pretty spotty and not sure if it was the antenna or conditions. WA and NY were the longest. TX was the closest - my buddy KK5NA. Only made one Q on 40M

NK6A/BB
I walked a mile up the hill to a place called Ocean View Farms above my house in the Mar Vista hills. A great view of community gardens and Santa Monica/Venice Beach. I set up a PAC-12 and used my K1 at 4 W. Heard many stations but could only manage a few contacts. A lot of QSB. I was later joined by W7RF who strung up a wire in the trees and tried 20M while I moved to 40M. We alternated rigs and antennas to work both 20 and 40M. WC7S and N0SXX had big signals into CA. Next year I'll bring sunscreen and a bigger antenna.

NT4XT
Perhaps next year I'll find some bee wings. It is always a pleasure dabbling in this event from home. Hats off to all the bees who braved dangerously hot temperatures. And insects!

KI0II/BB
Hot!

NK1N/BB
This was my first FOBB. NJ to ID on 2W! Is this a great hobby or what? I'm looking forward to next year! 72 de NK1N

KJ6HZ
I worked the contest from home and put in two or three hours mixed with family activities. WC7S was a virtual beacon on 20M and N0SXX was putting in a good signal too. I heard a lot that I didn't work. It was a lot of fun working all the bees. I can't wait until next year!

N0TK
Operated 20m only for less than an hour in two sessions. QSB on most signals.

W8BHK/BB
Had storms roll in all morning in West Michigan, so my plans all changed and used a location that I could setup at the last minute. By the time I got setup the FOBB had been on going for 1 1/2 hrs. Signals where down, but my ATS-3 with 88 ft antenna worked great at 3 watts. worked AA1MY on 40 & 80. Wkd 11 states and the farthest was KR7W in the state of Washington. We QRP hams have to be a little nuts to string antennas thru wet trees and bushes with bugs biting the whole time and we call it fun! It's what life's all about and I had a blast!

N4DMI/BB
Worked only last 2 hours due to difficulty in setting up. Band condx were good on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, Florida although congested. Looking forward to next year.

WU7R
Using my K-2 at 5 watts to a beam up at 40 feet, I had a great time. And I appreciate the work that went into hosting the event. I will do better next year. Thanks, Ci

N3JV
Rough conditions - I heard one station for each 38.7 static crashes, which got quite annoying after a while. Still managed to work just about every station that I could copy and had a great time; looking forward to the next event. Station: Icom 703+ at 5W with a Force-12 Flagpole Vertical (16' tall) - you just gotta love these antenna restricted communities!

WN4OAA/BB
What a blast! I really enjoyed this but only had about an hour to spare. I was amazed at the strength of the signals congesting plus and minus of 14.060. I'm hooked! 73 de WN4OAA/BB BB#168 ARS #2185

WA3OFF
The bands were a bit rough; Lots of QSB (but not much QRN). Things got a bit slow during the middle of the contest, then they picked up for me again near the end on 40M. Gladly, my fears of working only non-bees and ending up with a score of zero were unfounded. Thanks to all who made their treks.

W7RF/BB
I went to an unused local baseball park and set up along with Don NK6A. We both used Elecraft K1's. On 20M, we used an end fed half wave and ZM-2 tuner up about 20 feet. On 40M, we used Don's homebrew Pac-12 type vertical on the ground. We didn't bother each other much (a few key clicks) since one antenna was vertical and the other horizontal despite being so close together. Propagation on the West Coast was poor and QSB was deep, lots of fun anyway! Now, back to building my new ATS-3A......... 72, Dan W7RF

K6DBG/BB
This was my first FOBB; I got a number early (39) and had big plans to walk up some minor peak in the Sierra to operate there (I had in mind Fresno Dome). Instead, we ended up having company at the cabin (near Oakhurst) for the weekend, so I walked down the back yard to set up /BB under our 100' cedar tree. Used my KX1 with solar power (a folding 5W solar panel and a db Technologies controller charging an 0.8aH SLA battery - just the right size for 3W out). Started out using my PAC-12. 40m was OK, 20m was pretty much dead - I heard the occasional signal but no one could hear me. Made a handful of contacts on 40 before everything went away. Around 1900Z, it was just K6UIZ and me calling CQ and trying to avoid one another. I went in and had lunch. Almost all my contacts were from SoCal for some reason. Just for grins, I strung up a 28' wire with 17' counterpoise and operated the last hour that way - got another handful of contacts including N0TU in CO - my farthest, by far. Heard a lot of faint signals on 20, but not enough to pull out, but apparently some were calling me! A total of 12 QSOs seems low, but what do I know? Good fun, good CW/ESP practice, nice weather. 73 de Chris K6DBG

AB0XE/BB
Hello I biked to park near small airport where I was able to watch small planes fly in and out as I participated in this event. I used FT817, Ventenna portable vertical, and Vibroplex code mite straight key. It was humid with temperatures in 90s, but still a lot of fun 72, Steve ABXE

K9YT/BB
A Heat Advisory was announced hr so I stayed close by and fought the 90F+ heat and mosquitos. Used a vertical and old QRP+. I only worked 9 bees and 13 QSO's total. Just 2 Bees and 2 total QSOs on 40m rest on 20m. I better think about an NVIS antenna for 40m next year and memory keyer for calling CQ BB instead of tuning most of the time.

KB2FCV/BB
This is was my first official FOBB contest! I was signed up for last year but some unfortunate events changed my plans. This year I was Bee #1. This year we decided to get to our operating location by boat. I have a 12 foot aluminum rowboat named "The Boat". I threw that on top of our van and we were off to Spruce Run state park out near Clinton, NJ. We arrived around 12 noon and my wife and I set off in the boat in search for a suitable location. I did quite a bit of rowing all around the reservoir edge until we found a nice place to pull the boat up and setup.

AC6NT/BB
I set up in a public park this time. I had no imagination and even less time. It was in the foothills of the Angeles Nation Forest, and that morning it was shrouded in fog. The wx was such a relief from the double digit temps in L.A. all week long. I had been concerned that being in such extreme heat for four hours might dull my CW receiving ability---like just before passing out, but as it turned out the weather was far easier to deal with than the propagation. Aside from the ten stations I worked, it seemed like the rest of the crowd was very far away and couldn't even hear me, even when I called exactly on frequency. I used a DK9SQ loop on a 30 foot fiberglass pole, with my FT-817 at 5 watts, and even used a Z-11 auto-tuner. The equipment worked great, and I had several opportunities to explain ham radio to various interested passers by. This turned out to be a very enlightening experience, as it's not easy to impart all the necessary information before their eyes start to glaze over. Anyway, I had to cut the contest short in order to show my house which is for sale. I'm moving to Nashville. Anyone looking for a flat, half-acre of horse keeping property with a recording studio and ham shack? Oops, sorry. But I actually had a great time playing with the radios in spite of conditions. As usual, I worked some really great operators. Thanks!

K4BYF/BB
Weather was great with the temp in the mid 90's and a nice breeze. I operated from a picnic shelter on the shores of beautiful Lake Wailes and watched the boaters, skiers, and fishermen. Band conditions were poor with most signals in the S3-4 range with lots of QSB. I ran a K2 at 5 watts with a 20 meter dipole at 15 feet and was cheered on by several members of the Lake Wales Repeater Assoc. Finally went QRT at 2014Z after hearing only dupes for a half hour.

KI6ERC/BB
Seems like everybody was a bee this year...at least all nine of my contacts. I hope I can work a FOBB with decent band conditions someday. Oh, well it was a nice day in the park anyhow.

KI6SN/BB
Like FOBB '05, work obligations forced me to stay close to home. So I hiked seven miles with my gear - to my own back yard. Put up a 66' end fed with a 33' counterpoise. Gel-cell powered NorCal-40 transceiver with NB6M Mini-Boots amp along with a homebrew tuner and keyer did the trick. What great fun. Picked off five states and seven fellow Bees. Many thanks to all who pulled my 40-meter signal out of the noise. Great fun.

AC4WC/BB
On a hot and very humid Sunday, I hiked up to the crest of Bull Run Mountain west of Manassas. My spot had a beautiful view, was much closer to DC than Shenandoah National Park, and I had never been there before. Although the outing was nice, unfortunately, I did not get in as much operating as I would have liked. On the front end, I got a very late start. Also, as I had never been in that area before, it took me longer than expected to find a good place from which to operate. Ultimately, I was rewarded by a spot on a cliff with a spectacular view of farmland and mountains to the west. On the back end, I packed up about 15 minutes early as I heard thunder rumbling in the distance (and my nervous XYL called to warn of storms that she saw on Channel 4 doppler radar). In the end, no storms showed up, but better safe than sorry. So, I barely got in an hour of operating time, which was frustrating because I heard a lot of stations that I just did not have time to work. I ran my Elecraft K1 (love that radio!) to a random wire supported by "the big black pole," a 30 foot fiberglass mast that collapses to an easily toted four feet long. My CW was a bit rusty as, because my home antenna fell out of its tree, I had not been on in several months. Still, it was fun to get out and on the air! Next time, I will be sure to get an earlier start and try a dipole rather than the wire (perhaps I would get another pole, and use the two of them to support a twin-lead fed dipole). Conditions were not too bad, considering the state of the sun. Worked 11 QSOs in a bit less than an hour. Eight on 20, two on 40, and squeaked out one on 15. States worked were FL, MS, TX, WI, MI, PA, and AR. Definitely would have done better with more time! 73s de John -- AC4WC

N1BQ/BB
Absolutely gorgeous. temp in high 60's low 70's, cloudless sky, slight breeze, made the venture part way up Mount Mansfield (NW VT) a blast. Operated from an 1700' ASL clearing that was an old logging landing, I was QRO for about 1.5-2 hours just havin fun ... tnx for a great activity. Equipment IC703+, 7AH gel cell, 5 watt solar panel, WA3WSJ Vertical Black Widow Fish Pole Antenna bunji-ed to a schrub.

W9FNB/BB
Wow! Hot stuff! Heat index here in the 100 degree F+ and 80+ RH, but did manage a few and then back to the trailer and the AC Thanks to all that worked me. Great fun ARS/BB's 73 Gary #183

KA3WMJ
K2 G5RV. Lots of fun. Could only stay 1 hour.

AD6GI/BB
Conditions were poor with much QSB. My PW-1 and K2 tried valiantly, but QSO rate was too high. Maybe next one will be better. Tnx to those that stopped by; hope you did well and will see you next session.

N1LT/BB
Had lots of fun. Jim Cluett, W1PID, and I hiked in to Knox Mountain in Sanbornton, NH. There are two old cabins on the edge of a beautiful pond. We set up two antennas and sat on the cabin porches. The weather was perfect and no bugs. We did this as a very low-key operation and operated for about 2.5 hours. This was my first time as a Bee and I really enjoyed it. The following link is for an article that Jim wrote about our adventure. http://w1pid.freeshell.org/bb/bb-2006.html. Dick, N1LT

K7SDW
Bill, K6HB, introduced me to the event, so I wall ill prepared, but attempted to give out contacts from home QTH. It was not until after I read about your organization that I should have packed it up and tried to join ahead of time for the event. Anywho... I did not have a BB number and gave out NR1 through NR 7 to those I contacted. I did not log too much as the bands were very bad due to the solar storm. I am sure I goofed on a few calls, so here is a recap. Rig was an old modified ICOM 735 at 5 watts, sorry I did not know what to send you folks, better next year. Guess I get the LID of the year award? 73 de Greg, K7SDW Ant 6BTV vertical

W5ACM/BB
I couldn't go far this year, but did make a grand expedition to the most distant corner of the back yard. The 18AVT vertical worked well on 20 Meters, but noise was a bit difficult on 40 Meters. It was relatively warm in South Texas, even with some nice shade from a tall tree, and an unexpected breeze helped some. The Elecraft KX-1 did well with a small 12 VDC battery. Conditions weren't great, but it was certainly better than last year! 72 de Andy W5ACM BB #100

K7ESU
K2 and a dipole

KC0ULO/BB
I operated perched on a ridge above Bluebell Mesa (BB!) about one mile from and 700 feet above the entrance to Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. Rig was a Heathkit HW-8 with homebrew vertical of AD5X design, MFJ-901B antenna tuner, Heathkit HM-9 PWR/SWR meter, MFJ-722 audio filter, and gel cell power. I got a later start than planned and took longer to reach operating point than I'd hoped (in 100 degree heat!) so I operated for only two hours. The ether was alive with buzzing! See http://members.ispwest.com/rlorenzen/fobb2006 for pictures and commentary.

W9YA/BB
Lots of QSB and NOISY/WEAK signals. However my 8 year old son and I enjoyed setting up in the field and working what few stations we did. Thanks for the fun event.

K6III/BB
On for 11 minutes near the end of the activity. Call CQ BB for 5 minutes on 14040 but NO Takers, there. Jerry, San Jose, CA

KK5NA/BB
One of my favorite events. Due to circumstances I was forced to Bumble from home. Signal were few and had a lot of QRM/QRN on 20M. Had a good time with the support crew and look forward to next year. Support crew KK5QA and KM5IT. Joe KK5NA BB #40

VE6ZC/BB
Rainy weather messed up my plans for a portable operation from the Clear Hills of northwestern Alberta, so VE6ZC operated portable from the trailer park in Fairview, AB. No stations heard on 80, 40, 15 or 10 so all contacts logged were on 20m. Rain noise and static crashes were the order of the day on 20. Thank goodness for DSP.

K6DGW/BB
K2 (4398) @ 5W w/KAT2 20m inv V apex @ ~35' Solar charged 12Ah 12V Gel Cell Regional Park, Auburn CA [38+57+22.22N 121+06+09.13W 1,322' AMSL] Bee# 67 Same place as last year and quickly found that all signals (except N0SXX in CO) were whispers at best. Briefly tried the KX1 just to make sure there wasn't something amiss in the K2, same result. Fun ran out at elapsed time of about 2.5 hrs and I went home. Band sounded the same at home with 3el beam @ 70' on both TS-850 and FT-847, so I think my gear is all OK. 73, Fred K6DGW

KB9BVN
I was making the maiden voyage on my newly finished SW20+ rig...the band was pretty up and down...thanks for a fun event, even if I only got to work for about 90 minutes.

N8XD/BB
I set up in a park, using an FT-987 on internal batteries, a small MFJ tuner, and a stainless steel fish tape for the antenna. Since other people in the park were curious, I spent more time showing them ham radio than operating in the contest. Over all, it was tremendously fun!

KO6Z
Only able to catch the last half hour, but jumped into the fray and enjoyed it very much. Equipment FT-857D at 5W and dipole. Next time, I hope to be able to do the whole thing and as a bee.

K9EW/BB
The hot weather didn't keep me away, but the lightning sure did. Only made 3 QSO's before the severe weather sirens went off. I decided a low score was better than being fried, so I headed back to the hive. Only 364 days 'until the next FOBB. Can I apply for my Bee number now? Just kidding. 72/73 - ed, K9EW.

W1IN
Due to some severe wx, downed trees, snapped power lines and general chaos only had about 30 minutes to operate. Used KX-1 at 1 watt random wire into the still vertical part of the forest. Never heard so many other QRP stations at one time. Had blast. Thanks to the four of you that could hear me. Thanks to ARS for a really good time. I am declaring myself the winner because it feels that way. 73, Ran W1IN

AA1OF
Averages about one per hour but I got a loooong nap in the middle! (XYL got home which woke me in time to snag the last 3) heard some one working Seab but couldn't hear Seab at all. ATS-3 to a WA3WSJ vertical black widow fishing pole antenna (Brian is right, they are great and go up and come down really fast, if you have a way to support it, I'd found a tripod at the transfer station... not light weight but very convenient to the front yard). only worked 20. good time. not a lot of contacts but well rested!

K4JPN
QRN was very heavy at this QTH. Rig K2 4W Ant 80 Meter center fed Zepp

VE3GAM/BB
Along with John VE3JC, I went out and operated in the E M Warwick Conservation Area on the north shore of Lake Erie. Wow, what an unbearably hot day, temp was hot, humidity was even worse, it was nice to finally get set up on top of the observation platform near the lake and in the shade. My station was a KX1, just recently acquired, with a G5RV antenna strung up in the trees. John VE3JC used his K1 and a Buddipole, we operated on 40, 20 and 15 meters. between us, we made about 2 dozen contacts, John was the heavy hitter, I only made the 2 contacts on 20M. All in all, a good afternoon in the heat, humidity and later the threat of thunderstorms. See you all again next year, hopefully with cooler temperatures and better propagation. 72 Al, VE3GAM ARS #2174

KB1MBI/BB
Station set up in an open field. Station consisted of Ten-Tec Scout at 5 watts into a 44 ft Inverted Vee with 20 ft apex. 40m and 15m were silent at this location and 20m faded in and out. N0SXX was the loudest signal at 559. Still enjoyed the event in spite of the low activity level.

KD7GIM/BB
The only signal I heard was barely audible. It sounded like nobody was making any contacts so they said "the hell with it," and then after that things got worse. I think it was a bad time of day plus there was very little participation. Operators who signed up for the contest with good intentions, did not follow through with their plans. I had a fair number of contacts the previous month with "Field Day." I was operating QRP on my DK9SQ Mast and I made about 30 contacts mostly into CA, but a few contacts into NM, UT, and NV. I was on the west end of the Superstition Mtns. just north of Siphon Draw. It is a nice area, but can be very sunny and hot in the summer. The contest ran from 11:00 AM through 3:00 PM MDT, and this is the worst time of day for propagation here during summer months. I would have taken a picture, but I broke my digital camera.

AC7YE/BB
3 3/4 hours on 40 meters. Great location (10,000 feet up on a ridge). Good equipment. KX1 (powered by a 4.5 AH 12 volt gel cell) into a BuddiPole at 18' with "military" whips. Lots of signals from California and Colorado for the entire time. Just a dire lack of skill on my part!

AB4VF/BB
BB# 80. After a two hour sweltering hike through dense pinelands, finding a good spot and setting up, the transmitter portion of my KX1 failed to produce. The listening was great and it sounded as if all were having fun. Next year!

N1AOK/BB
I have never seen anything like this in my life. In four hours of contest time I did not hear a single signal. Nothing! Tried two different radios (a K2 and an IC706MKIIG) and three different antennas and not a peep. I'm thinking of checking with the U.S. Air Force to see if they recorded any UFO activity in southern California today. :-(

N1AW/BB

This was my first try in the BB event. Very little success operationally, but at least I got the rig together and got into the woods and on the air. I can only report one QSO. I made my first contact with a new 15 meter HiMite running on surplus cell-phone batteries, but the other (K8FLY) station wasn't a bee, and wasn't running QRP. I operated for about an hour on 15 meters, I didn't hear anybody come back to my CQ BB calls. I heard only one BB station (KW4JS), but could not get to zero beat with him. My HiMite seems to be operating somewhat below the standard 21.060 frequency, that might be part of the problem. The other part must be lack of sunspots -- this is the first time I have heard any activity at all on 15 meters since I completed wiring the kit a few weekends ago. My operating site was a tree house constructed by my son, about 1/4 mile from the road and 25' up in a large oak in the eastern foothills of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, about 20 miles from my home. It's a great site, I'll do this again. N1AW Bee #246