Here is my 2 cents worth: 1. Running QRP with a decent antenna makes sense. W6JTI runs up great QRP scores from his mountain top. N7WG worked tirelessly to get a 50 foot vertical up on a postage stamp lot in the SF Bay Area and was a fixture in 160 meter contests for years. He even achieved 160 meter WAS QRP. I used to work him on ground wave from 50 miles away at 2PM local time using my Bay Area beverage.
The opposite philosophy was famously KH6DX/6 who ran up amazing scores from his mobile station. One year he parked on the North Dakota/South Dakota boundary and gave out two rare mults with every QSO. He even achieved DXCC mobile on 160 meters, probably the only one. But he ran 800 watts. (He seems to have vanished from top band since completing DXCC, but I recently worked him in an HF contest, where he was back in Hawaii.) These kinds of operations make sense. What doesn't make sense is QRP to a random wire in the basement, etc. Save all of us, and yourself the frustration, and at least run 100 watts. You'll still be nearly inaudible. 2. Rather than a QRP calling frequency, which as has been pointed out, the QRO stations are unaware of (I know I was until this week), a "rally time" would make more sense, like top of the hour as has been suggested. Speaking of time, if you are a QRP'er on the east coast, we aren't going to hear you on the west coast until something like 0800Z, or midnight your time. Don't assume the band has dried up and go to bed early. Or as K9YC likes to recommend, get up an hour before your sunrise. Here on the west coast, we'll be listening carefully for JA's, but also check for the east coast. Possibly 0800Z and 1200Z (sun rise peak) would make good rally times for coast to coast. 3. By all means call CQ. I usually run low power in contests because I can normally work 99% of what I can hear. (I am always working on better receive antennas.) I disregard the fact that I am running low power and CQ anyway. I expect to get run off my frequency occasionally, but I know that I must CQ or miss working all the S&P only stations. I usually get some JA's to call me (they never CQ, except maybe JA3YBK). One year JA3YBK called me at 0800Z at his sunset. Another year a VK6 called me at 1100Z. I don't know how much of this carries over to QRP, but its worth considering. 4. CQ high up in the band to get a clear frequency. If the phone ops don't like it, they can go above 1900. I tune up to at least 1850 and call any station I can hear, no matter how weak. You just never can tell if he can copy unless you try. I have been surprised by weak stations who came right back to me. There is a phenomenon I have noticed that it seems like ops tune up the band, and then stop as soon as a few kHz go by without a signal. This forces me to choose a CQ frequency in the congested area. When S&Ping, tune up to at least 1850 or even beyond. 4. Don't skimp on receiving antennas, thinking that you are limited by your transmit signal. You need good receive antennas to work QRP to QRP. Also, it is a lot easier to get make a difficult QSO if only one direction is marginal. If you are not loud, and also can't hear well, it will be much more difficult. 5. When I hear an extremely weak signal, I don't know if the station is QRP, has a poor antenna, or has an out of district call, etc. In the big DX contests, the DXpeditions post themselves on an "announced operations" web page It might be useful for QRP stations to announce before the contest that they are QRP. I try to handle out of district call signs by using a "call history" file, although I can remember many of them from previous contests. (You still have to actually copy the QTH as a check on the call history file). If I hear a weak W6, he may be QRP, or he may be in the ground wave area, or he may be on the east coast. 6. If you are running QRP, don't compound the problem by being a clueless operator. Call zero beat when it makes sense, call with a strategic frequency offset when that makes sense. Don't send any unnecessary information. Send at 20 to 24 WPM. Faster might be too hard to copy. Slower runs the risk that your signal fades out before I can get the whole call. Send all CW from your computer logging program. Nothing is worse than a nearly inaudible signal where the op makes sending errors, is using a bug, etc. Run a band map and check back in with stations that you couldn't work 15 minutes ago. Sorry for the lecture; most of you are probably already doing the right thing. 7. Just for you QRP'ers, for the upcoming SP contest, I have resurrected my 40 foot perimeter receiving loop at the back corner of the property, 1/4 mile from the power lines along the road, and farther than that to any other lines. My two neighbors to the rear live at the other end of their 80 acre farms. I hope this helps. It does seem to hear better, especially in terms of power line trash, than the loop by the shack that is only 300 feet back from the road. It's so quiet, I need to use a preamp with it (that's a good sign). I am using the preamp that came with my Pixel loop. That's the best part of that product, hi. See you all in the contest. Rick N6RK _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
