So what exactly is this QRP stuff I’m hearing so much about?

Simply put, QRP operating is operating using low power radios. The term QRP comes from the old telegraphers’ Q-signal QRP, which meant to lower your power, or when followed with a question mark (?), it asked the question “should I lower my power?”

In my case, my love affair with QRP started a few years ago when I helped a friend build an  Elecraft  K2 qrp rig. I have always enjoyed building kits since my early days as a novice when my parents used to buy me Heathkits for my birthday and Christmas. Sadly, Heathkit no longer makes ham radio kits. However there are several other makers on the market. I have built several kits from  Ten-Tec … the 2 to 6 meters transverter, the 40 meter cw rig, and best of all their general coverage receiver, the 1254.

But I wanted something more. I wanted a radio that I couldn’t build in a weekend. The Elecraft K2 seemed like the answer to me. When they first appeared on the market, I was intrigued, but I couldn’t imagine what I’d do with my K2 once I built it… I wasn’t a QRP guy, and I sure wasn’t a cw guy! Still, after helping my friend with his K2, I was so impressed by the construction quality, the amount of thought that went into the design, and in general the radio itself, that I bought one myself. We built mine as a group project, at my friend Dan’s in Colchester. Our once a week get together, affectionately know by my fiancée’ as “nerd night” is a 16 year (and counting) tradition I have enjoyed. We get together at Dan’s, head out to the Hoagie Hut in Colchester, stuff ourselves silly with all the food there, and then try to stay awake long enough to work on whatever the “project du jour” is of the week.

After I built my K2, and all the accessories for it, I started to use it, and found to my amazement that I really enjoyed cw (morse code operating for you non-ham types) Not only that, I really enjoyed operating a radio I had built with my own two hands. The performance of this radio truly amazes me, and it rivals radios several times it’s cost. Not only that, it’s quite portable. With the internal battery pack, I have operated out in the field lost of times, and had a ton of fun.

As I was getting towards completing the construction of my K2, I didn’t want the fun to end, so I ordered the then recently released Elecraft K1. The K1 is the little brother of the K2, it is 5 watts as opposed to 10 (or 100 now), and is cw only. You might think that being restricted to cw would be a handicap, but actually, it’s not. It’s a proven fact that cw has a distinct advantage over ssb for low power operating.

That’s a “Bulldog Key” in the front, on a homebrew Lexan plate. The Bulldog Key is available from K9LU at: http://www.qth.com/k9lu. I like it a lot; it has a pretty decent feel. It mounts with three suction cups.

So I had these cool little rigs, all built, but did I operate them? You bet I did! In the first two months of operating my K2, from my old house, I worked some 45 countries, and 35 states. This was with a G5RV dipole antenna, which, with our sloping back yard, was basically at ground level at the front of the house.

I have since moved, and I am in a condo. My high efficiency antenna is now 70 feet of magnet wire, in an “inverted L” configuration, held up with 12-pound test fishing line. This antenna has been in use for a year now, is nearly invisible (except in an ice storm!) and has netted me some pretty impressive results. I would say my best dx was France on 80 meters one morning.

My K1 started out as the two-band version, for 40 and 20 meters. I recently upgraded to the four-band module, for 40, 30, 20, and 15. The circuit board in the case is a two-band module for 80 and 17 meters. This can be changed out in about 2 minutes or so.

The thing I like best about the Elecrafts is their internal antenna autotuner. This will match an amazing range of poor and not-so-poor antennas. My best testimonial is this: at a recent VE session, I pulled out the K1, and threw about 30 feet of wire on top of one of the tables, and another 30 feet around the room as a counterpoise. I tuned this up on 20 meters, and proceeded to work Texas, on an inside antenna!

I have also taken the K1 out camping a LOT! Here’s my “go kit” which includes headphones, cigarette lighter cord, small clock (in the front on the right), 130 feet of assorted lengths of wire for antennas, 2-ounce fishing sinkers (for getting the wires in the air and into a tree) pens, pencils, a small screwdriver for changing the band modules, basically everything you would need to be self contained.

So am I having fun? Well, see for yourself:

That’s a picture of me working from the picnic table at our campsite at Lake Carmi State Park, in Franklin, VT over Memorial Day weekend, 2002.

Here are my logs for a few hours “dubbing around”:

DATE	TIME	FREQ	CALL	NAME	RST-R	RST-S	QTH
5/24/02	1552	14.041	KA8WOG	FLOYD	349	559	GLADSTONE, MI
	1630	7.035	VO1DD/3	DOUG	439	559	MILTON, ONT
	1740	7.025	NT3U	ARNIE	559	559	PITTSBURGH, PA
	2338	7.020	NY4A				NORTH CAROLINA
	2339	7.029	K3TF	TOM	579	599	NORRISTOWN, PA
5/25/02	2044	14.009	WZ5V		599	599	JOELTON, TN
	2047	14.014	FM5GU	DENIS	599	599	MARTINIQUE
	2049	14.029	6Y2A		599	599	JAMAICA
	2051	14.030	5A8FK		599	599	LIBYA
	2053	14.031	G3BJ	DON	599	599	WOLLSTON, ENGLAND
	2055	14.032	OH4A		599	599	FINLAND
	2056	14.032	DL1AIO		599	599	WEST GERMANY
	2059	14.036	K0RAY	HARVEY	599	599	CEDAR HILL, MO
	2100	14.048	OT2U		599	599	BELGIUM
5/26/02	1818	14.005	WL7E	BOB	599	599	ANCHORAGE, AK
	1820	21.032	OM7M		599	599	SLOVAK REPUBLIC
	1822	21.027	YT6A	RANKO	599	599	MONTENEGRO, YUGOSLAVIA

This was running off internal batteries, with a longwire antenna of about 70 feet, thrown up in a neighboring tree. All in all, not too bad.

If I rate this as fun-per-watt, QRP comes out way ahead. Stay tuned for more of my misadventures.