Today I did a little 1 watt WSPRing on 40 meters - made it to VK6CQ, 11,546 miles from my QTH. I also did some 2.5 watt Winlink email with N9LOH, 722 miles. What QRP ops did you do today? 73, Al
Tried a new headset/mike combo on my KX2. Worked like a champ for only $14. 20M was dead here. Oh well. Still had some fun working up the new interface.
Set up portable Saturday at Fair Radio in Lima (Lie Ma) Ohio. K1 and 1/4 wave vert for 40 pipe mtd to 2x6 car tire parked on. Didn't make any QSO's but had good conversations with fellow hams attending the event. Night prior however I had long CW QSO's with Montana and Texas using the K1 and full wave Hertz @ 30'. VY 72/73 from Lane de n8aft sk ..
QRP Fun I try to run some QRP on 7030 kHz and nearly all the guys who answer are running 100 W full power from their rigs. Many are oblivious to the fact that 7030 is agreed to be a QRP freq. Some years ago I ran exclusively QRP on or near 10106 and worked many European countries with a vertical ant, now 10106 seems to be a DX pileup freq. I started on my novice months with a one tube home brew QRP transmitter on 80M, and if you can get a QSO going in the summer on 80 With QRP, you grow nerves of steel dealing with the lightning noise Most summers I go camping with my MFJ single band rigs, a cub for 40M and a 9030 for 30M, they do well with my light weight dipoles I made for camping hanging in tree branches. Never have a problem getting some QSOs over a weekend at the lake or in the woods. .
i envy you below 5 watt guys. You have to have the patience of JOB! i primarily work 40 cw. I can tell the qrp guys that respond. There signal is barely readable!
QRP builds not only patience, but persistence, and prowess, too. Have a look at http://www.qrpdx.com You don't always get them, always have to "wait your turn," but it is astonishing what can be done. It's a lot like dating, a constant mix of hopes, dreams, perpetual striving, mistakes, disappointments, despair, missed opportunities, interspersed with an occasional triumph.
Not always barely readable signals when running with the "good stuff" for ears and hearing aids. CALF filter from 3rd Rock takes a big edge off of that lightning! Turn OFF the AGC too! makes it fun to work HF agn in summer with storms.
