New to QRP

[marvwheeler]

Since becoming licensed in 1967 I have always had better than average
antennas with ample power. Since I have become older (now 80) my wife and I
have downsized and I now longer have a location suitable for a large antenna
system and have had to resort to a vertical. At first I thought that was a
bad thing. Then I ran across a used KX3 and after having used it for a short
while I have again discovered the anxiety and joy of making a contact with
12 watts. I have discovered a lot of being able to work the station is
technique rather than brute power. Yes, high power will work but lacks the
true joy is found when you can log the contact using a tin cup and a wet
string.

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[wayne burdick]

[hidden email] wrote:

> Yes, high power will work but lacks the true joy found when you can log the contact using a tin cup and a wet string.


I couldn’t agree more, Marvin. QRP works on multiple levels (challenging, amenable to home-brew, great for portable operation, etc.).

My feelings on the subject are summarized in the poem below, written over 20 years ago. Under the circumstances, it’s not even OT.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Wayne
N6KR

* * *


Q.R.Oscar and Q.R.Pete
by Wayne A. Burdick, N6KR

It happened in September, on a cold and stormy day;
The mother of all contests was now nearly underway.
Before the day was over, ears from Bonn to Surinam
Would hear a battle rage between two different breeds of Ham.

Oscar, a distinguished man of wisdom (and of wattage),
Lit his pipe and surveyed his substantial shortwave cottage.
"Let the games begin!" he cried, aglow with pride and power;
And with a grin he swung his twenty-ton rotating tower.

Not far away a man named Pete crouched low inside a tent,
His sleeping bag was soggy and his penlight made him squint,
Yet as he worked he smiled, twisting wires, tweaking pots,
And soon his rig was bristling with two hundred milliwatts.

Just after zero, zero, zero, zero (UTC),
Both men tuned up on twenty and they listened carefully,
But neither could believe his ears, and both began to pray:
On 14020 they heard "DE Zed-A-1-A".

Now Oscar moved up five Kc with dignity and class;
He gripped his paddle deftly and prepared to pound some brass.
The heterodynes were screeching, hungry birds caged in a zoo,
But he could snag Albania in one call--maybe two.

Pete took quite a different tack. He scanned for open space,
Listening to the bedlam with a frown upon his face;
He tugged his random wire to improve its ERP,
And finally he found a place to sign "slash QRP."

Well Oscar's monster, fire-breathing signal was the best,
But Zed-A-1-A knew him, and felt sorry for the rest.
With this in mind he listened for the meager and the brave,
And ignored the QRO boys (who began to rant and rave).

Soon the DX station heard a wimpy "QRP";
He fired off a "599" and waited patiently.
But Pete was eating trailmix, now, and feeling quite dejected;
Being called by rare DX was not what he expected.

Oscar heard the call and moved in closer for the kill,
Yet when he thought his turn had come the Q-so lingered still:
"So how much are you running?" "A quarter watt or less."
"A homebrew rig?" "My own design, or mostly, I confess."
"Well I'm a QRP fan, too; good attitude to foster,"
Then ZA1A signed and said, "OK, it's your turn, Oscar."

On Sunday Pete packed up his gear, his low-watt mission done.
(Birds who'd perched upon HIS wire would live to tell their young.)
Pete surveyed the hills and fields, a wondrous sight to feast on;
Then he stuffed himself into his trusty, rusty Nissan.

And Oscar? He had ruled the night with clear, demonic vision;
Slicing QRM with his unleashed atomic fission.
But near the stroke of twelve, he cut his drive by two dB,
Then worked some rare DX and said, "Not bad for QRP!”



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[Carl Yaffey]

Great poem, Wayne. But I have to say: life’s too short for QRP :) :) :).  Can’t hardly wait for my KPA1500!

73, K8NU

> On Nov 23, 2017, at 1:34 PM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> [hidden email] wrote:
>
>> Yes, high power will work but lacks the true joy found when you can log the contact using a tin cup and a wet string.
>
>
> I couldn’t agree more, Marvin. QRP works on multiple levels (challenging, amenable to home-brew, great for portable operation, etc.).
>
> My feelings on the subject are summarized in the poem below, written over 20 years ago. Under the circumstances, it’s not even OT.
>
> Happy Thanksgiving to all.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
> * * *
>
>
> Q.R.Oscar and Q.R.Pete
> by Wayne A. Burdick, N6KR
>
> It happened in September, on a cold and stormy day;
> The mother of all contests was now nearly underway.
> Before the day was over, ears from Bonn to Surinam
> Would hear a battle rage between two different breeds of Ham.
>
> Oscar, a distinguished man of wisdom (and of wattage),
> Lit his pipe and surveyed his substantial shortwave cottage.
> "Let the games begin!" he cried, aglow with pride and power;
> And with a grin he swung his twenty-ton rotating tower.
>
> Not far away a man named Pete crouched low inside a tent,
> His sleeping bag was soggy and his penlight made him squint,
> Yet as he worked he smiled, twisting wires, tweaking pots,
> And soon his rig was bristling with two hundred milliwatts.
>
> Just after zero, zero, zero, zero (UTC),
> Both men tuned up on twenty and they listened carefully,
> But neither could believe his ears, and both began to pray:
> On 14020 they heard "DE Zed-A-1-A".
>
> Now Oscar moved up five Kc with dignity and class;
> He gripped his paddle deftly and prepared to pound some brass.
> The heterodynes were screeching, hungry birds caged in a zoo,
> But he could snag Albania in one call--maybe two.
>
> Pete took quite a different tack. He scanned for open space,
> Listening to the bedlam with a frown upon his face;
> He tugged his random wire to improve its ERP,
> And finally he found a place to sign "slash QRP."
>
> Well Oscar's monster, fire-breathing signal was the best,
> But Zed-A-1-A knew him, and felt sorry for the rest.
> With this in mind he listened for the meager and the brave,
> And ignored the QRO boys (who began to rant and rave).
>
> Soon the DX station heard a wimpy "QRP";
> He fired off a "599" and waited patiently.
> But Pete was eating trailmix, now, and feeling quite dejected;
> Being called by rare DX was not what he expected.
>
> Oscar heard the call and moved in closer for the kill,
> Yet when he thought his turn had come the Q-so lingered still:
> "So how much are you running?" "A quarter watt or less."
> "A homebrew rig?" "My own design, or mostly, I confess."
> "Well I'm a QRP fan, too; good attitude to foster,"
> Then ZA1A signed and said, "OK, it's your turn, Oscar."
>
> On Sunday Pete packed up his gear, his low-watt mission done.
> (Birds who'd perched upon HIS wire would live to tell their young.)
> Pete surveyed the hills and fields, a wondrous sight to feast on;
> Then he stuffed himself into his trusty, rusty Nissan.
>
> And Oscar? He had ruled the night with clear, demonic vision;
> Slicing QRM with his unleashed atomic fission.
> But near the stroke of twelve, he cut his drive by two dB,
> Then worked some rare DX and said, "Not bad for QRP!”
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

Carl Yaffey  K8NU
Recording studio.
[hidden email]
614 268 6353, Columbus OH
http://www.carl-yaffey.com
http://www.grassahol.com
http://www.bluesswing.com

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[Alan Slusher-3]

Thanks for sharing, Wayne.

I vaguely recall a piece of a long poem published in QST many years ago
that I read at my Elmer's house, noting everything he did, before going
home to my trusty nth hand National NC-125 receiver and homebrew am/cw
transmitter (how I envied his DX-100, the "Benton Harbor Kilowatt").  I
know the attempted quote below is not accurate.  Been trying to find it in
my QST digital collection, but need to look harder.  I do recall that the
author had noted "...written in tribute to Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven'".


"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, lying on my
shackroom floor,
Came a burst of static from the attic, then a silence, nothing more..."

I know that that second line does not flow properly, as in Poe's poem;
needs another phrase.
But, hey, I am old; and they do say the memory is the second thing to go.

Not envying anyone's rig anymore (K1, K2, K3, KX3 in the shack); but I do
wish I had one of them (any one!!) back then.

Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving to you folks in the US (hope you consulted
with the turkey for his views on the whole business first).

Alan
VP1AS (then).  V31FA (now)

On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 12:52 PM, Carl Yaffey <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Great poem, Wayne. But I have to say: life’s too short for QRP :) :) :).
> Can’t hardly wait for my KPA1500!
>
> 73, K8NU
>
> > On Nov 23, 2017, at 1:34 PM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > [hidden email] wrote:
> >
> >> Yes, high power will work but lacks the true joy found when you can log
> the contact using a tin cup and a wet string.
> >
> >
> > I couldn’t agree more, Marvin. QRP works on multiple levels
> (challenging, amenable to home-brew, great for portable operation, etc.).
> >
> > My feelings on the subject are summarized in the poem below, written
> over 20 years ago. Under the circumstances, it’s not even OT.
> >
> > Happy Thanksgiving to all.
> >
> > Wayne
> > N6KR
> >
> > * * *
> >
> >
> > Q.R.Oscar and Q.R.Pete
> > by Wayne A. Burdick, N6KR
> >
> > It happened in September, on a cold and stormy day;
> > The mother of all contests was now nearly underway.
> > Before the day was over, ears from Bonn to Surinam
> > Would hear a battle rage between two different breeds of Ham.
> >
> > Oscar, a distinguished man of wisdom (and of wattage),
> > Lit his pipe and surveyed his substantial shortwave cottage.
> > "Let the games begin!" he cried, aglow with pride and power;
> > And with a grin he swung his twenty-ton rotating tower.
> >
> > Not far away a man named Pete crouched low inside a tent,
> > His sleeping bag was soggy and his penlight made him squint,
> > Yet as he worked he smiled, twisting wires, tweaking pots,
> > And soon his rig was bristling with two hundred milliwatts.
> >
> > Just after zero, zero, zero, zero (UTC),
> > Both men tuned up on twenty and they listened carefully,
> > But neither could believe his ears, and both began to pray:
> > On 14020 they heard "DE Zed-A-1-A".
> >
> > Now Oscar moved up five Kc with dignity and class;
> > He gripped his paddle deftly and prepared to pound some brass.
> > The heterodynes were screeching, hungry birds caged in a zoo,
> > But he could snag Albania in one call--maybe two.
> >
> > Pete took quite a different tack. He scanned for open space,
> > Listening to the bedlam with a frown upon his face;
> > He tugged his random wire to improve its ERP,
> > And finally he found a place to sign "slash QRP."
> >
> > Well Oscar's monster, fire-breathing signal was the best,
> > But Zed-A-1-A knew him, and felt sorry for the rest.
> > With this in mind he listened for the meager and the brave,
> > And ignored the QRO boys (who began to rant and rave).
> >
> > Soon the DX station heard a wimpy "QRP";
> > He fired off a "599" and waited patiently.
> > But Pete was eating trailmix, now, and feeling quite dejected;
> > Being called by rare DX was not what he expected.
> >
> > Oscar heard the call and moved in closer for the kill,
> > Yet when he thought his turn had come the Q-so lingered still:
> > "So how much are you running?" "A quarter watt or less."
> > "A homebrew rig?" "My own design, or mostly, I confess."
> > "Well I'm a QRP fan, too; good attitude to foster,"
> > Then ZA1A signed and said, "OK, it's your turn, Oscar."
> >
> > On Sunday Pete packed up his gear, his low-watt mission done.
> > (Birds who'd perched upon HIS wire would live to tell their young.)
> > Pete surveyed the hills and fields, a wondrous sight to feast on;
> > Then he stuffed himself into his trusty, rusty Nissan.
> >
> > And Oscar? He had ruled the night with clear, demonic vision;
> > Slicing QRM with his unleashed atomic fission.
> > But near the stroke of twelve, he cut his drive by two dB,
> > Then worked some rare DX and said, "Not bad for QRP!”
> >
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> > Message delivered to [hidden email]
>
> Carl Yaffey  K8NU
> Recording studio.
> [hidden email]
> 614 268 6353, Columbus OH
> http://www.carl-yaffey.com
> http://www.grassahol.com
> http://www.bluesswing.com
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>

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[Gary Smith-2]

Nicely said, Wayne.

73,

Gary
KA1J

> [hidden email] wrote:
>
> > Yes, high power will work but lacks the true joy found when you can
> > log the contact using a tin cup and a wet string.
>
>
> I couldn´t agree more, Marvin. QRP works on multiple levels
> (challenging, amenable to home-brew, great for portable operation,
> etc.).
>
> My feelings on the subject are summarized in the poem below, written
> over 20 years ago. Under the circumstances, it´s not even OT.
>
> Happy Thanksgiving to all.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
> * * *
>
>
> Q.R.Oscar and Q.R.Pete
> by Wayne A. Burdick, N6KR
>
> It happened in September, on a cold and stormy day;
> The mother of all contests was now nearly underway.
> Before the day was over, ears from Bonn to Surinam
> Would hear a battle rage between two different breeds of Ham.
>
> Oscar, a distinguished man of wisdom (and of wattage),
> Lit his pipe and surveyed his substantial shortwave cottage.
> "Let the games begin!" he cried, aglow with pride and power;
> And with a grin he swung his twenty-ton rotating tower.
>
> Not far away a man named Pete crouched low inside a tent,
> His sleeping bag was soggy and his penlight made him squint,
> Yet as he worked he smiled, twisting wires, tweaking pots,
> And soon his rig was bristling with two hundred milliwatts.
>
> Just after zero, zero, zero, zero (UTC),
> Both men tuned up on twenty and they listened carefully,
> But neither could believe his ears, and both began to pray:
> On 14020 they heard "DE Zed-A-1-A".
>
> Now Oscar moved up five Kc with dignity and class;
> He gripped his paddle deftly and prepared to pound some brass.
> The heterodynes were screeching, hungry birds caged in a zoo,
> But he could snag Albania in one call--maybe two.
>
> Pete took quite a different tack. He scanned for open space,
> Listening to the bedlam with a frown upon his face;
> He tugged his random wire to improve its ERP,
> And finally he found a place to sign "slash QRP."
>
> Well Oscar's monster, fire-breathing signal was the best,
> But Zed-A-1-A knew him, and felt sorry for the rest.
> With this in mind he listened for the meager and the brave,
> And ignored the QRO boys (who began to rant and rave).
>
> Soon the DX station heard a wimpy "QRP";
> He fired off a "599" and waited patiently.
> But Pete was eating trailmix, now, and feeling quite dejected;
> Being called by rare DX was not what he expected.
>
>

Oscar heard the call and moved in closer
for the kill,

> Yet when he thought his turn had come the Q-so lingered still:
> "So how much are you running?" "A quarter watt or less."
> "A homebrew rig?" "My own design, or mostly, I confess."
> "Well I'm a QRP fan, too; good attitude to foster,"
> Then ZA1A signed and said, "OK, it's your turn, Oscar."
>
> On Sunday Pete packed up his gear, his low-watt mission done.
> (Birds who'd perched upon HIS wire would live to tell their young.)
> Pete surveyed the hills and fields, a wondrous sight to feast on; Then
> he stuffed himself into his trusty, rusty Nissan.
>
> And Oscar? He had ruled the night with clear, demonic vision;
> Slicing QRM with his unleashed atomic fission.
> But near the stroke of twelve, he cut his drive by two dB,
> Then worked some rare DX and said, "Not bad for QRP!"
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

______________________________________________________________
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Post: mailto:[hidden email]

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Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
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