Mark, Impressive credentials. I certainly have the best resources and hope to make good use of their time. I am starting over with my CW. Learned just enough in ’87 to pass the 5 wpm Novice license. I know I would have to dedicate time and effort to upping this to around 20 wpm, but I do so with the added knowledge that it is not about rote memorization anymore.
My 20 m antenna is planned to be taught and running from about 20 to 10 feet, and will run due west and perpendicular to power lines overhead. I may add a mast to raise the 10 ft end to 20 ft., and I may instead do a 20 m dipole with the center point feed at 20 ft and extending about NNW and NSW from there. Still up in the air while I confer with my very helpful fellow members about what will work, and demolish this some detrimental creativity of my own. Rick Hiller has been very helpful in the antenna design and other suggestion. In the end, I will have plenty of opportunity to experiment. In fact, I should probably turn this little journey of mine and great advice into an article when it is all done. Overall, I am trying very hard not to buy into something I will never use. CW will take dedication, and I reason that my next generation will kick this 20 m stuff into a deployment kit, and then I will go to a full rig. I am trying to use the Covid-19 economics to do drive myself to learn the code. Knowing myself, getting a full rig now would likely shelf my plans to do CW. To say that I am open to other avenues would show a crack in my resolve. I am open to listening to reason. The radios you have listed are fantastic, and likely out of my current price range. Perhaps though you could tempt me by sending me a quote. To use a sailing analogy, I am hanging on to a hard tack and in rough waters. Covid, retirement, and unemployment have me hunkering down my funds at this time. The QRP rigs I am looking at are all single band transceivers. Most come in kits for less than $100 all in. I kind of like the QRP Labs mini for 20 m. I have arrived at 20 m after some discussion with the group, and it is a very convenient antenna length. Also, I can easily build an antenna using a simple and cheap design from Emergency Amateur Radio Club End Fed 20 Meter Half Wave Antenna instructions. Whenever someone has to use a lot of words, it is likely they are not really sure of things yet. And this would be less complicated without Covid. I lay it all out in reply to your admonition against wasting money by wrong decisions. Could not agree more. I would very much like your expert advice on any of the above, and in particular regarding learning the code correctly and what I should expect from QRP 20 m. I know there is an Elmer in our group who has offered to help me on, and I need to dig out his email when I get plans and equipment settled. Plus, I understand that we are heading into a new solar cycle which is already showing promise. Well, by now anyone reading this is probably snoozing, but I will appreciate your guidance in any way. 73 Mark N5PRD > On Dec 29, 2020, at 12:22 PM, Mark <[email protected]> wrote: > > Mark, > > Lets start of with qualifications: > > Member of NAQCC > > http://naqcc.info/contests.html <http://naqcc.info/contests.html> > Received - 1st place in W5 div Jan 2015 SWA Bug > > Built ATS-3 and enter competition ARS Spartan Sprint > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > The conditions were bad for the December Sprint NAQCC - unable to make 1 > contact > > Last Wednesday night I called CQ and heard a couple of weak stations I could > not work. > > Later I found out Will Ki4POV did call - I just could not hear the "1 watt " > signal. > > MY antenna for 40m is a dipole up 17' > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > Being a ham for many years I have rigs that are collecting dust. > > FT900 - > > TS 440 > > And an amplifier - not solid state or QSK. > > So before you spend money - do ask so you can make a decision based on data. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Just out of curiosity what is you CW skill? > > > > Mark > > > > > > > > >
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