Most of my contacts are QRP, despite having a 100W PA available. I was taught a long time ago to use only (about) as much power as was needed to establish and maintain contact. The operating method usually entails starting at 2W and working up through 5W to see if the contact will work out if I'm calling someone's CQ. If I'm calling CQ, I try for a while at the lowest setting and continue to work up over time to 5W, sometimes 10W. I seldom need to go over 5W though.
If the bands are dead, as they've been on/off recently, whether or not you're using QRO or QRP, you can still just be talking to yourself. That's OK, becase half the time the bands are dead it's because everyone's convinced themselves that since they don't hear anything there's nothing to hear. I worked CQ WW DX a month after my K3/10 arrived, and had a great time - but didn't break any of my own prior bests. This was before having the 100 W PA installed. I had _never_ worked ZS before using < 100W and did it on 8 Watts with a long wire. Five other _new_ countries (for me) also, mostly on 40m split. All that being said, I find it quite difficult to break pileups with QRP. Always have. Mostly timing and operating skills are used since QRP can't truly stomp through a pileup of signals being received at 20-30 dB higher levels. Mostly timing though. QRP can make you work harder though, than QRO. You don't have power to use as a breaker bar, but you have everything else you've _learned_ about operating. And after a while it isn't so difficult and kinda fun to try low power first, then work up to what it takes to make and maintain the contact. QRP CW is actually amazing and can get surprisingly good results. SSB is not as forgiving and often has lower throughput. QRP JT65 on 80m or 40m at night gets truly stellar results. 73, matt W6NIA K2 #2810 K3 #24 On Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:34:00 -0800, you wrote: >A few years back in our little farming community, there was a fellow >whose name was Francis. >Francis was an avid hunter. >At this time, the rumor went around the community that >Francis had been fined for deer jacking. >Out of his truck one night, with a spot light, he took a shot at a >plastic deer planted by game wardens. >Soon it became a joke .Sir Francis the deer slayer. > >Something within me seemed to understand Francis point of view. >He was a pragmatist .. He had little interest in the thrill of the hunt. >He was focused on the efficiency of the catch. > >Although QRO is far from illegal, it does seem to be somewhat more >focused on the efficiency of the catch than the thrill of the hunt. >So there is a certain un-romantic reality to QRO vs. QRP. > >I'm wondering, what percentage of contacts you've made QRO, that you >would estimate as not attainable QRP. > >I hope I didn't break the list rules getting off-topic with the story >:~/ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
