06SEP26 UPDATE:

Only Two Weeks until the September Fall FOBB !!!  You can sign up to be a Bumblebee all the way up to September 20^th.   We presently have 90 Bumblebees signed up.  So far, there will be Bumblebees in 35 different State/Province/Countries (SPC).   We are going to have a fun time.  You can see where all of the Bumblebees will be using the reports available on https://ars-qrp.com

Keep your fingers crossed for tolerable weather and good propagation.    And keep your ears peeled for our weak DX participants.

Remember the new suggested FOBB “Target Frequency” for each band  ( 3.566 +/-,  7.036 +/-,  14.036 +/-,  21.036 +/-,  28.036 +/- ).   If we hover around those frequencies, we should be easier to find.  The usual QRP Watering Holes are another good place to hang out.  Bumblebee Spotting and Self-Spotting is permitted and encouraged.  You can spot anywhere you want to.

Don’t forget to take 2-3 Photos of your portable Bumblebee operation.   Email your photos with your name, callsign, and a brief description of your BB operation to:  [email protected].   Your Photos from both if the 2026 FOBBs will end up being posted on https://ars-qrp.com. (Probably not until Summer winds down)

PS – Unrelated, but worth mentioning:  The lucky winner of the brand new Icom IC-7610 transceiver that the Skyview Radio Society (near Pittsburgh PA) raffled on 30AUG26 was Dan - N4DOB who lives in Henrico, VA.  Dan was one of the many people who had purchased his raffle tickets On-Line.  My thanks go out to all who participated in this raffle.

ORIGINAL NOTICE:

The FALL Flight of the Bumblebees experiment that was held in September 2025 was a success.  There were plenty of Bumblebees participating.  So, we will have a FALL 2026 FOBB on Sunday, September 20, 2026, during the four-hour daytime window, from 1700 to 2100 UTC.

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

Bumblebees must use a portable outdoor station, must use an independent power source, must use a temporary antenna, and must use QRP (or less) power.   There are no limitations for the other stations, except only those who are also running QRP (or less) power may submit a score.

Operators who want to go out and setup a portable station at some outdoor location, and be a highly sought after 'Bumblebee', must obtain a new "Bumblebee Number" for each FOBB event.   The Bumblebee Numbers do not carry over.
 
The window for obtaining your ’FALL 2026 Bumblebee Number' is now Open. It is a very simple Self-Serve process.   The https://ars-qrp.com web site will explain the whole process.  (Open the MENU and Select ’Flight of the Bumblebees’)
 
I'll be out there as a 'Bumblebee' - hoping to work you during the event.

(Bumblebee Pictures that were submitted for the Legacy 2026 FOBB event are still awaiting my action to get them posted to the web site.  Too many other Summer events get in the way of my giving that a high priority.  Those, and the photos that will be submitted for this FALL 2026 FOBB event, will get posted eventually)
 
72,
Jody - K3JZD

Adventure Radio Society Trustee