The “Field Flowers” QRP Marathon in 2017 was attended by 47 hams from 8 countries (ES, EW, JA, LZ, UA, UR, W, Z3). Compared to previous year, the activity and the number of participants decreased, and there were no participants in the “Mobile" group at all.
Seasonal activity days were traditionally held within the Marathon framework, 7 to 18 QRP fans took part each of seasonal days being in the fields, this is also much less than previous year.
We have established the “Ecosphere” award and organized the corresponding activity of the special event callsign R2017F from various Specially Protected Natural Areas (SPNAs) in order to increase interest for the Marathon and increase activity of the Marathon participants. To our regret, this did not cause any interest and found no support among the Marathon participants.
R2017F has established more than 2000 QSO while being in 14 SPNA of the Urals, Karelia and the central part of Russia, and according to the results of its activity, more than 200 radio amateurs could have apply the diploma “Ecosphere” of the I and II levels. Alas, they were not able to fulfill the second part of the conditions of the award due to depressingly low activity of the Marathon participants.
Results of the “Field Flowers 2017” outdoor QRP Marathon are as follows:
Andrey UA6BFE confidently won in the overall classification, gaining 3905 points. Vit RN3ANT (1837 points) is at second place, Vlado Z35M (1414 points) — at third place.
As the previous year, some fight was shown only in the “Portable” (/P) group, so the places are distributed exactly the same order — I place UA6BFE, II place RN3ANT, III place Z35M.
There were no participants in the “Mobile” group (/M).
There were only four participants in “Pedestrian Mobile” (/PM) group. In accordance with the Rules (winners by each group (P, M, PM) in the World will be determined by results of the whole year after the completion of the Marathon and will be awarded by plaques if there are at least 10 participants in each group) there are no winners and nobody is awarded in this group.
The only two applications were received for the competition of most distant QSO, one of them does not meet the conditions. Thus, the competition did not take place.
Absolute winner and the first place in “Portable” (/P) group — Andrey UA6BFE will be awarded plaques, II and III places will be awarded commemorative diplomas. The awards will be produced and sent to the winners as soon as possible.
Taking into account the results of the 2017 Marathon, it was decided not to hold the Marathon in the current year 2018.
On behalf of the Outdoor QRP Activity Group, I want to express my deep gratitude to Marathon participants, who supported our undertaking all that time and pleased us with their outings and stories. We hope that the time spent in the Marathon charged you with a good mood for a long time, gained your interest to outdoor activity and you will continue to go outdoors with your transceiver. Hope to meet you on air outdoors!
Now already not just from simple “outdoors”, but from various SPNA — national parks, nature reserves, wild life sanctuaries and natural monuments within the frame of the reviving “Russian Flora and Fauna” (RFF) national radio amateur program as part of the international “World Wide Flora & Fauna” (WWFF), where we became as the log-manager and national coordinator in December 2017.
73! UA3LMR, Outdoor QRP Activity Group
