OTHER QRP LINKS ON THIS SITE:
- Rediscovering the Thrill
Rediscovering the Thrill
By Dale Holloway, K4EQ
By Dale Holloway, K4EQ
QRP operation (5 watts or less) has always held a certain fascination for me. Back in 1980 I even got half way serious about it by building a Heathkit HW-8 and joining the Michigan QRP Club. I got excited quickly when my first contact was with DK4KK. Now, there's nothing noteworthy about working Germany under normal circumstances. It's certainly isn't an exotic QTH for a DXpedition. But with 2 watts? I was ecstatic. My next contact was a KV4, a few days later a KL7, then a JA2, an RK1, and the list goes on.
You bet. I was having FUN! However, a year later we returned to Honduras for a few years and I put aside my QRP interest temporarily. Or so I thought. Temporarily turned out to be nearly 16 years.
But that all changed back in early 1997 when I ordered a NorCal 38 Special. It's a 300 mW (I did the 5-watt mod) 30-meter transceiver with a hot little superhet receiver in it. For $25 I knew I couldn't go wrong. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to building it until a few months later, but it was sure worth the wait.
On July 19 I heard KCØGT calling CQ. I was thrilled when he answered my call to him and gave me a 559 out of Florida. That was just the beginning. In the next two months of only slightly more than casual operating, I worked 29 countries and 24 states on that little rig. I have since increased my QRP DXCC total to over the 100 mark.
Nearly all my contacts were on my Cushcraft R7 vertical which was attached to our back deck. However, I took it down on Labor Day to do some work on it. Now I was off the air. Or was I? Because of antenna restrictions in our subdivision (I had permission for the vertical), I had to hide an antenna for 80 meters. So I put an 80-meter loop on the roof (black insulated wire on black shingles) and fed it with 450-ohm ladder line. You couldn't see it unless you were looking hard for it. I decided to tune the loop for 30 meters and see what I could do with my QRP rig. Believe it or not, I worked Florida and a UK4 in the Ukraine. That's 5 watts into an 80-meter loop lying on the roof. I was pleased!
My most memorable contact that summer was probably 5N3/SP5XAR in Nigeria. He was working a pileup and I thought I'd join the multitude calling him. Whenever I'd sense a lull, I'd throw in my call sign. After about a half dozen calls, he came back to K4EQ. I was thrilled. No, I was ecstatic. The fact is, I nearly fell out of my chair with excitement. I hadn't had so much fun since I was a Novice in 1960.
If you're looking for something to juice up your hamming, try QRP. It may not be your "cup of tea" but it's worth a shot. I rarely turn on my 100-watt transceiver these days. It's sort of in the way. I've rediscovered the thrill of working what was easy DX. And I actually do some rag chewing now--something I've never particularly enjoyed.
Yup! I've rediscovered the thrill of ham radio. And it's all because I built a little QRP rig. When I work them now, I bathe in a real sense of genuine pride in my accomplishment. Why not join in the fun?