Get ready for aother Arkansas QSO Party on May 21, 2022 (U.S. time zones)! This year’s contest has updated rules and entry categories. Head over to arkqp.com to get the details. We hope to work you in the ARQP!
Mr. Arkansas QSO Party – K5DB
This year, we took the reins of the Arkansas QSO Party from an Arkansas amateur radio legend, Don K5DB. A well-deserved recognition was recently presented by Arkansas ARRL Section Manager J Ferguson, N5LKE, for Don’s tireless efforts organizing and promoting the annual QSO Party for the past 20 years. Thank you, Don, for resurrecting the ARQP in the 1970s, again in the 1990s, growing it through the years and for just being a neat guy. Read more about Don at the Bella Vista Radio Club’s spotlight on “Mr. Arkansas QSO Party.”
Noise Blankers Radio Group and The Arkansas QSO Party
For more than 20 years, the Arkansas QSO Party (ARQP) was chaired by Don Banta K5DB in some form or fashion. He single-handedly revived the state’s QSO Party many years ago and grew it to be a premier event with increasing participation each year.
Don asked us to take over the management of the QSO Party and we are thrilled to do so. We’ve been googling for days things like, “What is a QSO Party” and “How to tell if you know what you’re doing” and “How to not mess up a perfectly good QSO Party.”
Check out the new ARQP website at www.arkqp.com complete with a new logo designed by K5KVN’s XYL. We’re learning as we go and have Don on speed dial for the inevitable questions we’ll have.
Arkansas QSO Party 2020: Success!
Another ARQP in the books! We were thrilled to be a co-bonus station again this year. WR5P came in at just over 600 QSOs with a healthy mix of SSB and CW. We hope you grabbed some of the sweet bonus points for your log. See you next year! All QSOs with WR5P have been uploaded to LOTW.
Field Day 2019
Radios, tents, beer, burgers and bugs. That’s the agenda for the 2019 Noise Blankers Radio Group Field Day. We will be at the Lost Bridge North Campground on Beaver Lake.
If you’re in Northwest Arkansas, join us! We’re planning a multi-transmitter setup on HF with opportunities for visitors to get on the air. Operating hours on Saturday will be 1 p.m. – 9 p.m. We’ll start early on Sunday morning and continue for the duration of the event. Our talk-in frequency is 146.535 simplex.
Getting there:
Use the marina address in your GPS to get you close:
12861 Marina Rd
Garfield, AR 72732
Directions When Entering Park:
- Stop at the park booth at the entrance. A day use fee of $3 may be required to the park for visitors.
- Continue down Marina Rd. toward the lake and past the marina.
- Turn left when you see the boat ramp and you’ll head up into the campsites.
- Follow the path until you reach our small circular parking lot. You’ll see our banner.
- Park and walk past the banner into our operating area.
Major Bonus Points Opportunity
Who wants some bonus points?! You can get them from us during the Arkansas QSO Party on May 12th! This will be our THIRD year as co-bonus station with WR5P and we question the judgement of thank the Razorback Contest Club for reluctantly asking us back. The Alpena High School Club W5AHS will have bonus points for you, too, so look for them. If you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #ARQP to let us know how you’re doing in the party.
Here’s our very popular ARQP visual aid:
And, remember:
DON’T:
- Log our state as AK. This ain’t the Alaska QSO Party. We are AR.
DO:
- Work WR5P in the Arkansas (AR) QSO Party.
- Collect 200 beautiful bonus points.
- Read the ARQP rules, info and results at http://www.arkqp.com.
A Little Refresher
She’s only four years old, with decent mileage, but she needed a new paint job. So that’s what we did. HamHijinks.com has a new coat of paint! She’s got a shiny new look, many other enhancements on the back end and 73% more ham radio humor. Enjoy.
Green Country Hamfest 2017: Success!
Another trip to Green Country Hamfest in Claremore, Oklahoma, is in the books. A good time was had a by all. And by “all”, we mean everyone but Nathan K5KAC. He had a special delivery coming to his house on Saturday so he stayed behind. K5PO, K5KVN, WBØRUR and K5OY pressed on.
This hamfest is consistently a good ‘fest. It has a nice flea market with good items, some vendors with new equipment, ample parking, restrooms with proper ventilation, a concession stand that opens early… AND BEER BEFORE 10:00 a.m.:
L to R: K5OY, a clock noting the time of day, K5PO and WBØRUR
We all picked up a few small items. Heck, K5OY might actually get on HF after purchasing a G5RV (no shame). We saw several hams from the Northwest Arkansas region who had made the trip and it was good to catch up with them.
After the hamfest, as any ham radio club worth its salt would do, we devastated the buffet at Golden Corral. But not before holding up the line while we took our #AKnightToRemember selfies:
See ya next year, Claremore!
Wreaths Across America 2016: Success!
One of our favorite events of the year is the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, National Cemetery. Wreaths are laid at every gravesite there; nearly 8,000. For the past five years, the Noise Blankers have provided radio communications for the shuttle bus service that runs from the cemetery to the parking area approximately one mile away. K5KVN’s Kenwood provides cross-band repeater capability and this year we transmitted on 2m and received on 70cm.
First up, it was time for a radio check:
We had Jeff K3DEI at the parking area to let us know when shuttle buses departed; Nathan K5KAC at the back entrance to the cemetery to park the tractor-trailers and motorcycles; Gary WBØRUR at the main gate to assist with disabled and VIP parking; and Kevin K5KVN and Steve K5OY on the road near the main entrance to re-direct vehicles to the parking area.
The weather was interesting. We started the morning at 54 degrees and ended with fog and drizzle at 38 degrees.
Enjoy the pics:
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- The convoy carrying the wreaths arrives.
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- Tyson Foods truck with wreaths.
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- Tyson Foods truck with wreaths.
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- Walmart truck with wreaths.
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- Arkansas Highway Patrol escort and the honor guard escort motorcycles.
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- The ceremony begins.
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- Steve K5OY
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- Gary WB0RUR
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- Kevin K5KVN shows off our AWESOME vests.
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- Kevin K5KVN
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- Mission Accomplished.
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- L to R: K5KVN, K5OY, K5KAC, WB0RUR
