Re: Re Your Opinion: The realit..

[JIM DAVIS-11]

Wayne,

Our niche in this fabulous hobby of ours is chasing DX (new entities-DXCC) and don't really
care about QRP per/se as our radio location is marginal at best here in "ant. un-friendly"
Concord, Ca. so most of the stuff that I work is worked using 100w., but if band conditions
dictate (including pile-ups!) we'll lite off the Alpha 91b amp to make ourselves heard. Believe
me though, even sometimes 1KW IS NOT ENOUGH from our marginal area. So QRP is definitely out
from here locally.

Jim/nn6ee
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[wayne burdick]

QSL, Jim, and I can empathize (Belmont, CA is not exactly a hot-bed of
RF activity either).

But I will lay down the following challenge for you: Next time you hear
an S9+20 station calling CQ, try turning the K3 down to 1 watt and
calling him, just for grins. All other things being equal, if he's
running a KW, you should be about S7 at his QTH.

Cheap thrill, maybe, but a thrill nonetheless. And that's the essence
of QRP.

Wayne
N6KR

On Mar 5, 2009, at 9:06 AM, JIM DAVIS wrote:

> Wayne,
>
> Our niche in this fabulous hobby of ours is chasing DX (new
> entities-DXCC) and don't really
> care about QRP per/se as our radio location is marginal at best here
> in "ant. un-friendly"
> Concord, Ca. so most of the stuff that I work is worked using 100w.,
> but if band conditions
> dictate (including pile-ups!) we'll lite off the Alpha 91b amp to make
> ourselves heard. Believe
> me though, even sometimes 1KW IS NOT ENOUGH from our marginal area. So
> QRP is definitely out
> from here locally.
>
> Jim/nn6ee

---

http://www.elecraft.com

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[Bill W4ZV]

wayne burdick wrote

But I will lay down the following challenge for you: Next time you hear
an S9+20 station calling CQ, try turning the K3 down to 1 watt and
calling him, just for grins. All other things being equal, if he's
running a KW, you should be about S7 at his QTH.

I'm on both sides of this debate.  I like to transmit a strong signal (gain antennas and 1.5kW) but I also get a huge thrill when a QRP station replies and I can copy him (thanks to the K3, diversity and good RX antennas).  I'm typically the guy Wayne is calling above.  I still remember working an OH on 10 meters in ARRL DX CW a few years ago and doing a double-take when he sent "599 TR4" (0.4 Watts or 400 milliwatts).  I also worked several QRP stations from Europe on 160 in the ARRL DX a few weekends ago.  This 3830 post from OL0W (operator OK1DSZ) was fun to read:

"Only for fun, when the band was already closing, I decided to try what I will
be able to work with QRP. Using longer callsing OK1DSZ and the power reduced to
5W I spend about 10 minutes calling several east coast big guns. The award for
the best ears goes to W4ZV, who was worked as easily as with the kilowatt
earlier in the night. K8PO and W2FU were worked with several repeats. The
others just kept CQing without any reaction with exception of K1TTT, who
apparently heard something, but not enough for the QSO."

http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/3830/2009-02/msg01298.html 

I also love to transmit QRP in the field with simple wire antennas (using an ATS-3 or K2).  It's especially fun to answer big European contest stations.  You can very quickly tell who produces their strong signal with a BIG amp versus ones doing so with antenna gain.  The former are often total alligators but it's amazing how quickly some of the latter will pick you up.

73,  Bill  W4ZV

[n6wg]

Boy, that is certainly true, Bill.
I'm a full time QRPer and avid contester.
It's fairly easy to tell the alligators from
those with jackrabbit ears.

I never ID as QRP in contests.  The regulars
know me and that I'm QRP.  When necessary,
they make the extra effort to complete the
QSO.  Those that don't know me just work the
QSO and move on, which is the way I like it.
Even those that I don't catch right away, go
into my band map.  I get them eventually.

73, Bob N6WG
The Little Station with Attitude

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill W4ZV" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 10:03 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Your Opinion: The realit..

>
>
>
> wayne burdick wrote:
>>
>> But I will lay down the following challenge for you: Next time you hear
>> an S9+20 station calling CQ, try turning the K3 down to 1 watt and
>> calling him, just for grins. All other things being equal, if he's
>> running a KW, you should be about S7 at his QTH.
>>
>
> I'm on both sides of this debate.  I like to transmit a strong signal
> (gain
> antennas and 1.5kW) but I also get a huge thrill when a QRP station
> replies
> and I can copy him (thanks to the K3, diversity and good RX antennas).
> I'm
> typically the guy Wayne is calling above.  I still remember working an OH
> on
> 10 meters in ARRL DX CW a few years ago and doing a double-take when he
> sent
> "599 TR4" (0.4 Watts or 400 milliwatts).  I also worked several QRP
> stations
> from Europe on 160 in the ARRL DX a few weekends ago.  This 3830 post from
> OL0W (operator OK1DSZ) was fun to read:
>
> "Only for fun, when the band was already closing, I decided to try what I
> will
> be able to work with QRP. Using longer callsing OK1DSZ and the power
> reduced
> to
> 5W I spend about 10 minutes calling several east coast big guns. The award
> for
> the best ears goes to W4ZV, who was worked as easily as with the kilowatt
> earlier in the night. K8PO and W2FU were worked with several repeats. The
> others just kept CQing without any reaction with exception of K1TTT, who
> apparently heard something, but not enough for the QSO."
>
> http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/3830/2009-02/msg01298.html
>
> I also love to transmit QRP in the field with simple wire antennas (using
> an
> ATS-3 or K2).  It's especially fun to answer big European contest
> stations.
> You can very quickly tell who produces their strong signal with a BIG amp
> versus ones doing so with antenna gain.  The former are often total
> alligators but it's amazing how quickly some of the latter will pick you
> up.
>
> 73,  Bill  W4ZV
>
> --
> View this message in context:
> http://n2.nabble.com/Re%3A-Re--Your-Opinion%3A-The-realit..-tp2430731p2431053.html
> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html 

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[Julian, G4ILO]

I like watching birds, but I don't tick 'em off in a book, and I don't drive hundreds of miles just to spot a rarity.

Same with radio. It's nice to work something unusual but if I can't do it with moderate power and antennas I'm not bothered about it.

Anyone can work a long distance with high power and a huge antenna. What never stops being amazing is when someone hears you from thousands of miles away and you're using barely enough power to light a torch bulb.

Even the guy at the other end whose antenna, receiver and ears make the contact possible, can still appreciate the wonder of that.

It'd be nice to be able to run the legal limit into a big beam, but I bet if I could I'd soon get bored with it.

[w7aqk]

Jim and All,

Conditions currently are a bit shakey.  Accordingly,
operating QRP can be a tad more frustrating than when we are
in a better part of the cycle.  However, openings still are
happening, and QRP is very often sufficient.  I have found,
over many years of QRP operating, that more often than not
the reason I am not heard is because someone running QRO
covers me up, as opposed to me having a relatively clean
shot at making the contact.  Unfortunately, some ops will
ignore a calling station who isn't at least 10 over S9!
That happens on SSB more than on CW, or at least it seems so
to me.  Try this sometime--snag a contact at 80-100 watts or
so, then start turning the power down without announcing you
are doing so.  I can't tell you how many times I've gotten,
say a 579 report at 100 watts, then had a station say the
QSB has taken me down to 559, but still solid copy, when in
fact it was me running 5 watts.  I don't do this a lot
really, but if it is a DX station I couldn't raise initially
at 5 watts, and had to shift to 100 watts to get him, I
sometimes like to see if I really could be heard at 5 watts.
I just use an R8 vertical.  If I had a beam it would
probably be a no-brainer!  This exercise will also probably
help to convince you that running your 100 watt rig at 100
watts isn't very necessary.  My K3 doesn't see more than 80
watts or so usually.  The difference is imperceptible at the
receiving end.

I love QRP operating, but I'm not a purist.  I'll hike up
the power for a casual QSO to minimize the strain on the
other end, or to work a new country.  But the only way I
feel I earn any bragging rights is to do it QRP.  If
conditions are just too stinko for QRP, I don't fight it
very long.  However, I never seem to have more fun than when
I'm doing "limbo QRP--How low can you go?"

Dave W7AQK


----- Original Message -----
From: "JIM DAVIS" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re Your Opinion: The realit..

> Wayne,
>
> Our niche in this fabulous hobby of ours is chasing DX
> (new entities-DXCC) and don't really
> care about QRP per/se as our radio location is marginal at
> best here in "ant. un-friendly"
> Concord, Ca. so most of the stuff that I work is worked
> using 100w., but if band conditions
> dictate (including pile-ups!) we'll lite off the Alpha 91b
> amp to make ourselves heard. Believe
> me though, even sometimes 1KW IS NOT ENOUGH from our
> marginal area. So QRP is definitely out
> from here locally.
>
> Jim/nn6ee
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

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[dlajr]

 During the last sunspot cycle, I was experimenting (playing around) with my K2 (S/N 1757).  I heard a CQ with an "F" call sign.  I gave him a call from here in South Carolina, and had a long and enjoyable QSO with him.  He was at a police department's amateur radio club in the south of France!

After the QSO ended, I noticed that I had turned the RF power all the way down during my experimenting, and had forgotten to turn it back up!  I checked the power level and found that it was set at 0.3 watts!  Yes, 1/3 of a watt for a 30 minute SSB QSO from South Carolina to the south of France!

My antenna?  It was 90 feet of black, 14 gauge wire that I had bought at Lowe's!  End fed with an SGC-230 autotuner.  It runs from an upstairs bathroom window to a pine tree.  It's up about 25 feet at the high end!

For me, personally, that yields a greater sense of accomplishment than a kilowatt amp!  Of course, I have been playing around with QRP since elementary school in the 1950's.  I have built *many* QRP rigs, and have always had great success with all of them!  It's great fun to me!

Dan Allen
KB4ZVM
K2 S/N 1757


  -------------- Original message from wayne burdick <[hidden email]>: --------------

> QSL, Jim, and I can empathize (Belmont, CA is not exactly a hot-bed of
> RF activity either).
>
> But I will lay down the following challenge for you: Next time you hear
> an S9+20 station calling CQ, try turning the K3 down to 1 watt and
> calling him, just for grins. All other things being equal, if he's
> running a KW, you should be about S7 at his QTH.
>
> Cheap thrill, maybe, but a thrill nonetheless. And that's the essence
> of QRP.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
> On Mar 5, 2009, at 9:06 AM, JIM DAVIS wrote:
>
> > Wayne,
> >
> > Our niche in this fabulous hobby of ours is chasing DX (new
> > entities-DXCC) and don't really
> > care about QRP per/se as our radio location is marginal at best here
> > in "ant. un-friendly"
> > Concord, Ca. so most of the stuff that I work is worked using 100w.,
> > but if band conditions
> > dictate (including pile-ups!) we'll lite off the Alpha 91b amp to make
> > ourselves heard. Believe
> > me though, even sometimes 1KW IS NOT ENOUGH from our marginal area. So
> > QRP is definitely out
> > from here locally.
> >
> > Jim/nn6ee
>
> ---
>
> http://www.elecraft.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

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[GW0ETF]

Talking of birds Julian and qrp I've just returned from the Gambia where I did some 20m cw as C56ETF. The pile-ups were impressive but I still kept my binoculars next to my key to check out that new one in the trees outside the balcony....never had to contend with avian qrm before either - some of them are *so* loud both in looks and call!

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of qrp stations I worked in the pile-ups. I never seemed to wind the K3's filtering right down in split, preferring instead to use the excellent AFX to pluck out stations calling slightly off the main frequency and that way I could detect the occasional "..QRP.." from the rabble. When the rest of the pile-up finally realised I wasn't going anywhere until I worked the 'QRP' guy I was able to complete. Wasn't aware I missed any qrp that called.

The K3 (with a 20m wire dipole) worked really well but the customs at Banjul did try to extract 40% import duty from me for it...!

73,

Stewart Rolfe, GW0ETF/C56ETF

Julian, G4ILO wrote

I like watching birds, but I don't tick 'em off in a book, and I don't drive hundreds of miles just to spot a rarity.

Same with radio. It's nice to work something unusual but if I can't do it with moderate power and antennas I'm not bothered about it.

Anyone can work a long distance with high power and a huge antenna. What never stops being amazing is when someone hears you from thousands of miles away and you're using barely enough power to light a torch bulb.

Even the guy at the other end whose antenna, receiver and ears make the contact possible, can still appreciate the wonder of that.

It'd be nice to be able to run the legal limit into a big beam, but I bet if I could I'd soon get bored with it.