1,493 statute miles on 5w

[W4INF]

I just worked NW8L on CW 40m with 5w... This QRP gig is addictive!!

http://rogertango.com/logbook.aspx?callsign=nw8l

Band ran short and I think we lost each other but had a nice contact.

Im still new to HF, that being said all the QRO running around has me feeling like I did something pretty special with 5w, the feeling is sure different!

Not bad for 40m at 11:33pm local time!

Anyway, I was excited and wanted to share!

Andrew

[AE1P]

Congrat's Andrew, nice qrp qso!! Worked Martin, KH6MB from Honolulu, HI to NH this evening on 20m, He was 5 watts qrp and an easy 57,always fun to work a qrp station,especially when there 5,000 miles away!! Have fun and keep qrp'ing!! :D

[wb5ydk]

Congratulations on the QRP contact!

[EI8DRB]

Well done. It's such a buzz making low power contacts. My first qrp contact was from Ireland to Andorra on 2.5w phone. The YL couldn't see why I was so excited... in fact she thought I was a bit daft, but I got a great kick out of it.

[ab9lz]

Andrew, from where you are, you should be able to work "across the pond" quite readily with QRP. Try 17m during the day, when the band opens your 5w will net you 579's into Europe. One afternoon when condx were perfect on 30m I made it into Asiatic Russia.

Keep an ear out for the Germans, a lot of them are running QRP as well, nuthin like a 4000 mile+ QRP to QRP QSO.

Fun stuff.

73 m/4

[N2RJ]

I also worked KH6MB last night on 20 ssb. For 5w on an elecraft K2 he was doing pretty good.

[NN4RH]

The QRP Amateur Radio Club International has a "1000 miles per watt" award, if you're interested in pursuing QRP paper.

http://www.qrparci.org/content/view/19/116/lang,en/

[KB3LIX]

I have worked all over Europe a bunch of times on 20 phone using 5 watts (and a wire antenna), and yeah it IS a rush.

Congrats on the contact.

[N2RJ]

I routinely work europe on 1 watt on PSK-31 on 40m, with my homebrew softrock software defined transceiver.

Of course with the MonstIR the ERP is much higher than 1 watt.

Then WinLids come crashing in, so I just switch to the main rig and up the power to about 250w.

[KB9BVN]

My best QRP DX was with 4w Ten Tec Scout to an attic dipole....June of 2001 I worked a station in Reunion Island from Indianapolis on 30m. About 11,000 miles.

Next best was my KX1 at 2w from my car while while driving out I-70...using a trunk mounted hamstick I had a nice 10 minute CW QSO with a ham in the southern part of Argentina.

When the propagation is cooperative, it's amazing what a little power can do....

[KI4ODO]

My first attempt at qrp was during a recent qrp contest. I worked many stations and I was only doing 5 watts. I must admit it was pretty cool. I was one of those "life's too short for qrp" folks, but I think it could really get into it. Very hands on. That may be my best introduction to building kits and homebrewing.

And I would imagine that a good DX contact running only a few watts would be very exciting.

[kb9bit]

In July 2005 when the propagation was a bit better, I worked RX9FM @ 5235 statute miles on 20m with ~4W using a MFJ QRP xcvr. I was using a dipole made from speaker wire with one end tied to a cornstalk, the center elevated with two 6' stakes nailed together, and the other end tied to the back of my van.

I just got the QSL in the mail thru the bureau last week. This is one of my most memorable QSOs so far. QRP rules!

[AF9J]

QRP's a blast! I'm not a purist (I'll run 100W if I'm trying to maintain contact during a QSO and conditions are iffy). I also do AM at 100W of carrier. But, I almost always contest QRP. I've also had fun building QRP radios. I've been doing QRP for over 20 years. You want to experience an even bigger rush - milliwatting! It is SO COOL to have a QSO running less than 1W out. Doing QRP with classic rigs (such as the Ten Tec the Argonaut 505; 509; or 515, or the Heathkit HW7; 8; or 9) is also a real blast. Last week, I scored a Yaesu FT-301DS (the 10W version of the FT-301) on eBay. I can't wait for it to arrive. Congratulations on your FB QRP QSO.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[k8wpj]

Next best was my KX1 at 2w from my car while while driving out I-70...using a trunk mounted hamstick I had a nice 10 minute CW QSO with a ham in the southern part of Argentina.


First off that is great that you can do so much without benefit of megawatt output....

Second, with the outcry against people using cellphones, and driving, do you think many complained back in the 30's about hams banging CQ via CW while piloting their Model 'A's??

[G8ADD]

I've worked five continents with an FT817 and a G5RV, 5 watts SSB. When the sunspots come back I hope to complete the set!

When the propagation gods are smiling you don't need power.....but a little craftiness does help!

73

Brian G8ADD

[k3wrv]

First off that is great that you can do so much without benefit of megawatt output....

Second, with the outcry against people using cellphones, and driving, do you think many complained back in the 30's about hams banging CQ via CW while piloting their Model 'A's??

Hey Matt-

I really operated from a Model A Ford back in 1965 - pair of Arc 5's. Best QRP DX has been ZL2 (2x QRP CW) and UA0, 10 mtr fone at about 2.5 W. But not with the Arc 5 rig.

IMHO, QRP is about the most exciting thing I've ever done in Ham Radio - And you get a real rush when you beat out a contest station for some DX just beause you knew how to run your rig and how to call.

Congrats. Now join QRPARCI - best technical publication on the market.

de Bob

[KC2TAU]

Congrats on the QRP catch! QRP is awesome when the bands are playing nice. Running 5 watts into my Icom 703 on PSK into a dipole I've worked Italy,Guatemala,Mexico,Cuba,Venezuela,Ontario,etc, etc. My best would be Italy which is some 4,200 miles on a piddling 5 watts! Good job man and keep working at it,wait until you get your first "across the pond" contact,you'll go nuts!

[ab9lz]

There are EA's and DK's on the air right now running QRP on 20 and 30m, hop on and work them :)

73 m/4

[n4bfd]

5 watts! Thats QRO QRP!

[WA2ZDY]

Congratulations, that's fine work.

Just for a point of reference, in the days just after World War One as CW replaced King Spark as ruler of the night ether, five watts was a fairly common average ham rig power output. Few hams of that era could afford more powerful tubes.

In later years, many new Novices would build their first transmitters using 6L6 or 6V6 tubes. My own first rig was a single crystal controlled 6L6 putting out about eight watts.

The low power isn't the limitation, it's the QRO competition on the band.

[KC2TAU]

Congratulations, that's fine work.

Just for a point of reference, in the days just after World War One as CW replaced King Spark as ruler of the night ether, five watts was a fairly common average ham rig power output. Few hams of that era could afford more powerful tubes.

In later years, many new Novices would build their first transmitters using 6L6 or 6V6 tubes. My own first rig was a single crystal controlled 6L6 putting out about eight watts.

The low power isn't the limitation, it's the QRO competition on the band.

Agreed,its pretty tricky juggling my Icom's filtering option when a big PSK signal comes on,kicks on the AGC and causes me to lose my contact. :confused:

[VE2ITZ]

Last Sunday I went hiking with my girlfriend and i brought my MFJ rig with the portable powerpack.


We climbed a hill about 200 feet up and we lay on a small field. I set up the inverted v for 20 meters, hooked up the radio to the antenna and powerpack, then i tuned the antenna.

I contacted an Italian station from the middle of the forest to a city in Italy!

Now I call that fun!

It is worth it....Even if it means carrying a 30 pound loaded bag pack with all the stuff in it.

Love Portable operations with Low power! It is a real Blast!


:)

[W4HAY]

QRP is so much fun it's a wonder the gov't hasn't issued some kind of health warning about it!

[wb5ydk]

QRP is so much fun it's a wonder the gov't hasn't issued some kind of health warning about it!Or, imposed a special usage tax!

[N2RJ]

Last night on 20 the south cook islands was booming in here, true 5-9.

The guy was using 100 watts.

Both the xyl and I worked him.

[ab9lz]

It is worth it....Even if it means carrying a 30 pound loaded bag pack with all the stuff in it.

Love Portable operations with Low power! It is a real Blast!


You can get that down to under 2lbs, some folks have managed even less.

The complete lack of noise, RF or otherwise, waay out in the woods is good for several db alone :)

73 m/4

[n8yx]

Worked a VK5 in '81 - 10M CW - with a TS520S running 5w out to a Radio Shack CB ground plane antenna.

Lost count of how many DX stations I've worked over the years with my HW8s on 40-15M, but I reckon it's in the hundreds...

[cu2jt]

I believe in QRO but like to call QRP stations just to show them that little power can reach a loooong way.

The "best" catch so far on 40m was a guy in Detroit running 0.75 Watts. I also have worked 8P6BX on 80, 40, 30 and 20m and he is always running 4 watts and several five-watter US stations on 80m.

I check the 40m band around 7040-7045 almost every evening looking for QRP US stations so don't be surprised if you get a call from CU2JT...

[WA9SVD]

The QRP Amateur Radio Club International has a "1000 miles per watt" award, if you're interested in pursuing QRP paper.

http://www.qrparci.org/content/view/19/116/lang,en/

Hmmm. Does a One watt satellite contact qualify?:confused:

[ab9lz]

I believe in QRO but like to call QRP stations just to show them that little power can reach a loooong way.

...

I check the 40m band around 7040-7045 almost every evening looking for QRP US stations so don't be surprised if you get a call from CU2JT...

You sure did surprise the fecal material outta me when you came back that one night... the rig was still a pile of boards on the bench with the scope on the output (which isn't that unusual for me). As I remember, you were blasting a morse CQ right through the middle of a phone 'test mess near the bottom of 40.

Thanks Gary, that made my day!

73 m/4