"Life's too short for QRP" With propagation at an all time low, amplifiers are out in force and QRP is delegated to second class citizen status, but is that really warranted and what does this mean for holders of introductory Amateur Radio licenses. Foundations of Amateur Radio is a weekly podcast about the 1000 hobbies that Amateur Radio represents. With a new topic every week I look at what this hobby means and what you can achieve. You can find this episode on iTunes by searching for my callsign - VK6FLAB, on the website and it can be heard on-air across various news broadcasts. Check out the website at: http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/ or download your personal copy of this episode: http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/foundations/20170326.foundations-of-amateur-radio.mp3 Onno VK6FLAB
Yes, QRO is REALLY warranted. End of discussion. QRP rigs: QRP Plus Kx2 kx3 K2 Century Scout 555 Survivor 75m
I agree 100% with the Podcaster. Low power communications are super fun , with a few exceptions. I don't understand QRPers that use grossly inefficient antennas ,, ,, antennas that we wouldn't bother with with 100 or 1o00 Watts , antennas that are significantly size reduced and loaded with coils , or trash toy antennas like slinkies or some other ''it happened to be there'' conductor - eg fence posts , gates , wire fences , and so on. Put QRP on the air through a good antenna system in a good location and you will still make a real decent DX signal , and often the other stations will not even notice. Now days I just don't tell them my power level unless they ask. gregW OH2FFY
Annoying things about QRP: - Stations calling /QRP in a pileup, like it will give them a special pass in a pileup. - Stations that eQSL with xxxxx/QRP when all I logged is their call and they expect me to change my log.
Agreed , , but its no worse than the thousand other bad behavioral acts , or QRM that MANY hams use to get noticed. gregW OH2FFY
It is always funny to hear from so called QRP operators: "I've worked a DX with just a half of watt and a rusty nail as an antenna". No way! They never worked any DX! In reality a DX worked them with his (or sometimes her) antenna, receiver and of course the skill. IMO QRP is a very fun niche of our hobby. It requires good antennas and a little bit more luck to work side by side with a majority of stations on a band. When not contesting or chasing a rare DX there is no really big difference between readable enough 57 from 5W and pretty booming 59+15 from 1k5W. Just don't let be fooled: real QRP is not a situation when a DX doing 100% of a QSO. Real QRP is when one station is running with a low power and coming with a pretty good signal indeed. But QRO is nice too. It's not easy to handle full legal power in any aspect so even building up a QRO station itself is just another fun thing one could be happy to do.
I did the South Pole and the Black sea in Russia with my home made OCF Di-pole (10mtr off the ground) and 10w power as an "F" call in a small city block, but here in Aust a lot of "F" calls (NOT ALL) are saying they need MORE power or are running 100w+ even tho they're only licensed for 10w. I agree with others, WORK ON YOUR ANTENNA it's the antenna that does the work.. It can be done on a 760 square meter block, VK6NO is on a smaller site and look at his QRZ to see his antennas, and he has NO HOLES IN THE GROUND as he's not allowed to dig any. A lot are building there own magnetic loop antennas that're small and work
I have to chime in on these ridiculous comments listed above. I love QRP, and why would I stray from the "grossly inefficient antennas" that you speak of? The main reason that this hobby has brought aboard thousands of inexperienced users lately is because of your ideas such as "needing good antennas" and worrying about your 59 +20 signals... I have several videos on my YouTube channel using a small MFJ telescopic antenna on top of my FT-817 at 5 watts working ND from FL. Not DX of course, but my previous video shows me working DX on a 26" bicycle rim for an antenna. It is users like yourselves that persuade that newly licensed technician to go out and buy hundreds of dollars of antennas from your favorite Ham radio store. Why not let him experiment like i Did? Why not trying that "rusty nail" instead of worrying about being top dog on the air. You know what, it's more rewarding to use a homemade antenna that does not look like it will work, then to go out and buy some commercial gear to "run the bands" . I can tell with comments like that, you either operate 75/80meters, or you have legal limit amplifiers and beams on towers. And now after commenting here, i will be making more videos specifically addressing this post and these comments, hopefully using an antenna i will make out of rusty nails, so stay tuned...
188 countries with 5 watts and 2 different wire antennas......since August 2015. Yes CONDX suck...but QRP still works...just sayin
Friend, I appreciate a DX lecture, but it hits with no impact, for the simple reason that I am constantly DXing. I worked 188 countries QRP between August 2015 and March 2016. Conditions were adequate to good. Contests added large numbers to the catch. But conditions suck now, and there is no indication that the SFI and A will allow us to enjoy such a bounty in at least a decade or more, and possibly never. We are already experiencing solar min conditions, with SSN near or at zero, and SFI's hanging between 68 and 75. Crap:-(
The definition of QRP is grossly outdated. Let's put it in perspective: 5 Watts on the JT65 "digital QSO mode" is like 20 kilowatts on SSB voice. 5 Watts CW morse code is about the same as 100 Watts SSB voice.
I am not a QRP fanatic, but at times do actually make QSO's at low power. My coolest ever contact was to KC4AAA when he called for QRP only, I went to 5 watts and Yelled my Call Sign. I got a 32 report he was 58-59 here. Really Happy to get the QSL Card, the Gent mailed it from South Pole Station the following year, in a Special Hand Stamped envelope.
When conditions suck, Qrp rocks try some digital modes.....I worked vk6 some 11215 miles with 5w and a OCF dipole. I have QRO however, I rarely use them, I'm just saying my 2 cents worth.
