DXCC QRP

It's taken a while, but when I finished tallying up my countries, there were 102 countries in the DXCC logbook a few nights ago. I had just sent in my WAS (worked all 50 states) data in February, and received my certificate for that award, just a few weeks ago.

It's taken me about three years to achieve both these awards, with never more than 5 watts of power, and indoor "stealth" antennas. My immediate neighbors still don't know I'm a ham radio operator, and since I live in a historic area, where outside antennas are prohibited, I consider that a good thing. lol

I worked nearly all of my WAS contacts (48) with my Isotron antennas on either 40 meters or 20 meters. Alaska and Hawaii were my two most difficult states; I worked those with a 50 ft length of "Radio Shack" speaker wire which I strung around the perimeter of a spare room in the house. The wire runs from my tuner, across the windows, which have wooden curtain rods, across the hallway, over the top of an "open" wooden door, and is tied off the the "downstairs" wooden stair railing. It's a tough way to do it, and it's a true "random wire", but I've enjoyed every minute of the challenge it took to work those 102 countries.

How did I work DXCC (100 different countries) with such simple antennas, and such a simple station? I attribute my DXCC award to two specific things. Number one was the ability to get my code speed into the 20+ wpm range. Number two was being able to string that "random wire antenna" which allowed me to use "all bands" through my small tuner. 

The process accelerated a little before September of 2012 when I started using "dedicated band dipoles" for my DX contacts. My indoor "upstairs" space is very limited but I'm able to stretch out a dipole for 10 meters and 15 meters. Those two dipoles barely hang between the wooden curtain rod, on one side of the house, and the bathroom window sill, on the opposite side of the house. This picture below shows my "end fed" 10 meter antenna. The 15 meter dipole antenna requires an "open door" and an extended length to the bathroom window frame.

Those two antennas work well on those bands (even indoors) but the 50 foot random wire, which allows me easy access to the 17, 12, and especially the 30 meter band, were the true deciding factors in my DXCC award.

What are my immediate goals now?

There's DXCC on a "single" band, working the "capitol cities" of every country and state, or perhaps working DXCC with "outside antennas" while operating in the field. I'm not sure what it will be now that I have the QRP DXCC award but I'm sure something will soon grab my attention.

The North American QRP CW Club has always been my favorite organization. I hope my addition of the NAQCC DXCC QRP Award will be an inspiration to those of our members who think working over a 100 different countries with five watts, or less, of power and "simple wire antennas" is impossible.

Those 17, 12, and 30 meter contacts were actually done with about 3 watts of power. Never say the word "never" when I comes to QRP. I've been an optimist when it comes to my QRP operations. I'm looking forward to the next challenge, whatever it might be.

100 Days of DX

I met my goal of working One Hundred Daily DX Stations last night.

LZ3ZX in Sofia Bulgaria

Since the beginning of this year, my decision to experiment with an "indoor random wire" antenna has been a good one for me. I'm at a disadvantage (in radio terms) living in a historic area, because I can't string out exterior "wires" of any kind; so I decided to use 50 feet of 14 gauge "speaker wire", around the perimeter of my "radio room". It's routed around wooden "curtain rods", across the hall and across the top of a closet door, and down an  upstairs "stair railing". It's in the shape of a somewhat awkward and large "question mark". This "random wire" antenna, which is fed into a small tuner, has allowed me to operate 30 and 17 meters with an almost "flat" standing wave ratio. My tuner meter shows around 3 watts output.

There's been several times, since the first of the year, when the bands have gone nearly "dead" and it's been a real challenge to make a daily DX contact; but I've been miraculously saved by relativity short contacts into the Caribbean and South America. I had feared the bands would continue to be "terrible" for the next several days and I would be limited to another short (under 2,000 miles) contact towards South America for my 100th daily DX contact. I was spared that disappointment when, almost magically, the 30 meter band improved from "poor" to "fair" last night.

Although Bulgaria is in my log book eight times now, I heard a very weak LZ3ZX sending CQ "out in the open and all by himself" and to my advantage, not spotted on a cluster. That created a tremendous opportunity for me.

I answered several times before he sent the familiar "question mark" back to me, and even after several more attempts on my part, he couldn't get my call sign correct and I didn't have his. I was in the middle of around the fourth attempt when a "four land" station mashed me down into the noise and I thought I would be lost forever. Paradoxically, when he moved upward a bit to work the "four" station, and completed the exchange, I was in a good position to try again. This time, I was finally successful and I had him in the log book!

I'll continue to try to work another DX station every day now, but  after meeting my immediate goal of working a DX station for one hundred days, I don't feel as tense about those "bad propagation" days. I'll focus on listening for, and working "new" DX stations.

I'm at 81 now.

I worked another station in Mexico this morning. (XE3ARV) The bands are "fair" now with the SFI at 159, the A index at 21 and steady, and the K index at 2 and falling. Sunspot numbers for today are 159.




 My total contacts since I started my log book are now 1,981 stations. 
Since the beginning of this year I've worked 282 stations.

My total DX contacts are now 488 stations.

I don't do many (almost zero) contests because I don't have extra filters in the rig. My QRP station is about as simple as it gets. I'm very happy with it, considering that almost all of my operations are carried out with "indoor antennas" and mostly 3 watts of power.

Denmark # 59 Daily Contact

This morning brought me two new stations in Denmark. The first being OZ8PG and the second being OV1CDX. I actually worked OV1CDX twice; first with the random wire and the second time with a new 17 meter dipole, which I stretched out "temporarily" in the upstairs rooms. I don't have room keep it up and use it all the time, so I took it down afterwards; but not before working F8DGY in France. That made a total of three DX new stations.

Today makes my 59th daily DX contact.

I think the random wire won out this morning when compared to the dipole. I know for certain I can hear better with it, but due to my operating location at the hamfest, on March 16th. the random wire would be a poor choice. It would not work well there because it's a metal building with large steel beams. The dipole, mounted outdoors, and a little distance from the building, will be the winner.

Using a random wire from a metal building with iron beams would be like trying to transmit from the inside of a tin can. I know the dipole, which is specifically cut for 17 meters, will be the antenna to use at the hamfest.

Yesterday, I also received a new "replacement" battery for the Sears Die Hard "jump starter" (model # 950A) which I use to power the radio when transmitting from picnic tables. It has served me well and lasted 5-6-years before giving up the ghost.

I like this "booster battery" because there is a "digital battery level readout" and "charger" built right into the unit, and also it has a "built in" light. It's massive, and much more than I need, but will power the radio "all day long". It's an eighteen amp hour/ 20 hour monster. I was able to install the new battery easily, with only a phillips head screwdriver, and a small wrench.

The new models have a USB port built into the front case.

My 2014 Summary of the Year

In summary of last year, I've reached a point in my life where my enjoyment of QRP radio is something I want to share with all my friends and family. Ham radio, IMHO, is the greatest hobby in the world. I sincerely wish more people would enter the hobby and meet the fine folks we all know, blog with, and talk to on the air everyday. There's something for everyone in this hobby.

Spare time is at a premium this year but I still love every radio minute. I've been a ham nearly 25 years now and still find the same enthusiasm for the hobby as I did the day I made my first contact. The older I get, the more important I find keeping the mind sharp is essential for a happy life. I can't think of a better "senior" exercise than Morse Code to keep the old brain functioning.

I wasn't on the air as much in 2014, as the year before, but I still managed to work an average of at least one station a day; my total contacts for the year of 2014 was actually 413 QSOs, and I enjoyed every one of them. My log book now has 2,847 entries with 505 NAQCC members and a total of 816 DX contacts. I actually worked a couple of new DXCC countries on Christmas eve this year which brought my total to 107. I'm amazed every day that I work DX with QRP power and an indoor random wire antenna. Last year I put my QRP rig behind an enormous beam antenna, but found working DX like shooting fish in a bucket. Where's the challenge?

I challenge all those who work those long distance stations with a KW and a massive antenna to experience the exhilaration of doing the same thing with 5 watts and a piece of random wire. Twice this year, with stations in Japan and Slovenia, I've had DX stations "stop" a "pile up" after seeing my "cluster post" with "QRP" in the remarks section. (I never send QRP at the end of my call sign when working a long distance DX station). When a sending station takes that extra minute to acknowledged me with a return call (they're actually calling me) a few moments afterwards, the congratulatory "well done" brings me the greatest sense of accomplishment in all of radio land.

I've had more responsibilities with the family this year. My dad is now 94 years old and still living independently and still driving his car. One of my grand kids is learning to drive now, and the others are involved in sports. My youngest grand son will begin school soon. Four cats and a small dog also keep me busy. The dog rules....

I took the position of VP and Treasurer of the NAQCC  club this year. I'm the leader of the West Virginia Chapter and try to schedule an outing each month. We have a breakfast meeting each month. I do a weekly QRS net and write a monthly article about the WV activities for the club newsletter . I also do a monthly mass e-mailing highlighting the "monthly challenge ".

I knew I would not be on the air as often this year when I took on the responsibilities of the Vice Presidency of the club. It was a conscious decision and I have no regrets. I hope to use the position as a way to to share my hobby with more and more people through the NAQCC club. Some of the ways I've learned to maximize my diminished "air time" is by using a laptop or my tablet when I'm traveling out of town. The learning experience has actually been a good thing.

When I'm traveling and can't take the QRP rig with me, I use a CW program on the laptop and send dots and dashes to hams all over the world. I enjoy using "software defined receivers " on the web to keep track of activity on the bands. There's also a variety of ham radio programs on the web which I enjoy when using the laptop. All these options fit well with my basic philosophy of portability and QRP radio.

The winter months are a bit too cold for much outdoor activity now, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself, you can be sure I'll be doing more camping. I had forgotten the joy of watching the stars from the woods and chatting with friends on the 40 meter band. Despite my age, I've learned how to tolerate the hard surface of the ground while camping. It's a small price to pay considering the sights and sounds of nature all around me. Yes...even bears, bobcats and coyotes.

Staying connected to the earth is a wholesome and worthy activity. Simplicity and QRP radio fit my basic philosophy of keeping everything "as simple as possible". I'm looking forward to the year 2015.

Even though I may not be on the "air" as often this year, I still find this hobby the best in the world. My advice to everyone about ham radio, in the forthcoming year, would be the phrase coined by W2LJ -- "do more with less".  Doing so, you will find, is a great pleasure. 

Making the Best of a Bad Situation

I've been extremely busy this month and therefore no postings for a long time; but I'm now happy to report that I can now work "all bands", since I've made some changes to the "shack"; and although my "new set up" is very "crude", it seems to be working well.

I still choose to keep my station "portable" for outdoor excursions and for this reason, I'll have to tolerate a rather unorthodox routing of a 50 ft. random wire. I've kept the Isotrons for 40 and 20 meters, but after doing a little experimenting, I've discovered that if I keep the "wire" stretched out and away from potential "rf sponges" it works pretty well!

I've been having a fun time with this, and it still leaves me with the option of being portable. I've put an antenna switch on the table and ran the 50 ft random wire through an old tuner.

My favorite band has now become 30 meters where I've found several QRP operators. Just this evening, I worked a "special event station" operating from an old Navy LST. Here's the link to the ship.... LST Memorial 325. The really neat thing about this contact was that I actually operated from this ship a few years ago when it was docked on the Ohio River. It's a long story, but an interesting one;  N8ZYA's QRP Radio Blog: Search results for LST

How well is it working?

I now have two more "1000 MPW" contacts into Bulgaria and Slovenia. The needles on the tuner say I'm putting out a little over 3 watts. I've also worked stations in Poland, the Czech Republic and Cuba.

I'm not going to have a lot of time for blogging the next couple of months, but for all those in Eastern Europe, listen for me on the standard QRP frequencies on 30 and 17 meters. The random wire, although not very sightly, seems to be doing a great job!

My Favorite June Contacts on 40 Meters

During the month of June, I've made nearly 50 contacts, on, or near, the 40 meter QRP frequency of 7040 MHz. It's always been my favorite haunt, but this month, I've devoted an extra effort to complete my NAQCC award for making QRP contacts eligible for the "500" two way QRP award. I'm VERY close now!

For myself, I can't get more satisfaction in this hobby, than working a portable QRP station using a "simple wire antenna". This month, 28 of those contacts have been NAQCC members, and nearly all of those have been using 5 watts or less of power.

I've worked some interesting stations this month. On June 6th, I worked NY4G in Greenville, SC. Ariel has worked 101 DX entities and 28 MPW contacts with his QRP station. Not surprising, 96 of those have been CW contacts. Ariel is NAQCC # 5308. You owe it to yourself to check out his blog from the link on the QRZ.com site.


On June 8th, I had a great QSO with K9WWT operating from a picnic table about a mile inland from Lake Michigan. You owe it to yourself to look at his BIO on QRZ.com. He lives near Chicago and had a long length of battery cable running from his car to power his station. He uses an "excellent" wire launcher to put his G5RV into the trees.  Hihi

On June 11th, I worked West Virginia station WB1AAL in Morgantown. Jeff is a professional actor and a DJ for an internet streaming radio program which I enjoy VERY much! I added a link to "Bullseye Radio" on my internet radio feeds on this blog. You might see a familiar face if you bring up his BIO on QRZ.com. He is an ensemble member of the M T Pockets Theater Company and looking forward to directing his first play this fall. I sent his e-mail address to my good friend Jim Damron (N8TMW) who appeared in the Forest Gump movie. It's one of my all time favorites...

June 15th I worked KB4QQJ in Burlington NC who was using a "butter smooth" Navy Flameproof Key. Randy is NAQCC # 2086 . It's a great key and I'd love to have one myself.

Last but not least, just yesterday (the 28th) I worked a very short contact in Brooklyn, New York. That being on of my favorite places in the world, I was overjoyed to hear KC2ICA operating from a picnic table in "Prospect Park". Dave was using a Hedricks PFR-3 QRP rig with a random wire over a tree limb and  putting out just 2 watts. I could hear him "clear as a bell".

Most people don't know it (me included before talking to Dave) but Samuel Morse is buried there! He sent me this picture and said the next time I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, to call him and he would give me a personal tour. I never find a better group of people in the world than QRP operators.....

As I said earlier-- " I can't get more satisfaction in this hobby, than working a portable QRP station using a "simple wire antenna"; Dave says he does a lot of this since he lives in an apartment building with no roof access. On ocassion, he's known to place a whip on the end of a broomstick and work a few station at night time. That brings back a lot of memories for me too.

I've purposefully kept indoors for much of this month with temperatures hoovering around the mid to upper 90's (f). Today it was 102 (f) and we had severe thunderstorms this evening. There's tree's and power lines down everywhere. All the better reason to keep those batteries charged and ready for emergency communications.

NAQCC QRP Contest

I'm really NOT a contester, but I can't help "joining in" when ALL the CW's ops are using 5 watts of power. Last night, I had original intentions of only passing out a few "quick contacts" for West Virginia but found myself so engrossed in the activity, that I worked the entire contest. I just couldn't stop and it ran away with me.

It was a great way to work other QRP club operators and get those "numbers" increased in the log book. Last night was a "good night" for me using my indoor antenna. I think the best ever.

Here are the results: NAQCC Jun 2010 Sprint

I don't get BIG numbers, in any contest, using a "simple wire antenna" in this valley (in the middle of town) but that's NOT important to me. I had "tons" of fun listening to and working 10 different stations in 10 different states in a period of two hours.

For me, it was a nice accomplishment, and I'm sure many in the contest, were surprised to see my antenna classification listed as an "Indoor Isotron" on the contest page. Despite criticism from many people, I still defend this antenna as a VERY good alternative for those forced to operate in a "very restricted area". It's my only alternative here and works MUCH better than a "random wire".

I worked QRP stations in New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana, Alabama, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Ohio. Two of them were what I would call "beginners" and I made a "special effort" to work them. (I can remember well those first few times I listened to a "swarm of bees" and felt I could never "compete" with any of them).

Getting back to "contesting".....or maybe I should say "not getting back into contesting", I've become a fan of "long conversations". (Not to say working a lot of "quick contacts" isn't the "cup of tea" for many folks). But my biggest joy on the radio bands these days is working another CW QRP operator, and actually getting to know them. Not just any operator, but those with a "good fist". I put a little "flag" with their call signs when I list them in my log book.

Last week, a fellow blogger (W2LJ) wrote about the same joy of "communicating" with another "good fist" who takes the time to match your speed (whatever that might be), use proper spacing, use logical sentence structure, sensible abbreviations, and uniform lengths with their dots and dashes. Too often, CW ops run words together and make it nearly impossible to "copy" their QSO's. I've worked a few operators at 20+ wpm and copied every word. I've also copied (or tried to) work some operators at 5 wpm and not copy a thing they've sent.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is "it's not the quantity, it's the quality" of the contact.

Last night, most of the operators were using "straight keys" and I heard many of them at 15+wpm. It was easy to list them in the log book. The quality of the NAQCC ops was excellent.

I've always liked the North American QRP CW Club and find participating in their "contests" a real joy. There's some excellent operators in this group.

Last night, my last contact was a fellow in Salem, Ohio. He was not a member of the club. I took a few special minutes to tell him about the activity with the hopes that one day he might join the club.

I really don't understand why CW ops don't join a "free club".

They produce a monthly "online" newsletter, special club activities, and have awards geared towards the "QRP" operator. They're all a great bunch of people.

This is a great club!

The Charleston Hamfest

The annual Kanawha Amateur Radio Club Hamfest will be coming up in a few weeks and on March 16th, I will display my QRP station there with the hopes of introducing hams living in this area to my aspect of the hobby. My goal is to bring attention to "low power portable radio". Last night on the local repeater, I made my second announcement about my accomplishments with QRP power and Morse Code.

The Club website is here:   Kanawha Amateur Radio Club

I was not "radio active" until I retired from the Sherwin Williams Paint Company in 2004. Before retirement, I used a MFJ 9040 QRP rig from a three story apartment building by running my 40 meter Isotron antenna up on a painters pole which was bungee corded to the outside third floor stair railing.

I worked 48 states with QRP power on 40 meters, added a 20 meter Isotron antenna in 2009, and started working DX on a regular basis. Soon after that, I started using dedicated band dipole antennas which I could string up inside the house. Soon after that, I started using dedicated band dipoles when operating outdoors in the field.

About 6 months ago I started using an indoor random wire for an antenna, which has allowed me to work the 30 meter, 17 meter, and 12 meter bands from inside the house. From my home with the indoor random wire, I've now worked 96 DX stations on the 17 meter band, in the last six months, with 3 watts  of power.

At the hamfest, I'll have the keys I use and a small computer for displaying my QSL cards and I hope to string up a new 17 meter dipole. I'll attempt to work stations in Eastern Europe from there from 1300-1800 GMT, and if I'm successful with a few of them, afterwards I will tune to the 18.096 QRP frequency and begin calling CQ.

I've had a blast working QRP.  I have 1,830 stations in my log book now and I've worked 361 DX stations in 73 different countries. I don't work contests because I simply don't have the radio for them.

This morning I worked V31AC in Belize for the second time and a new station (F9IE) in France.

This morning makes my 56th day of working at least one DX stations every day I'm on the air!

My 2013 Radio Summary

How has the radio year 2013 been to you? Have you made additions to your shack? Did Santa bring you unexpected toys this year? 

The year 2013 has been good to me with the beginning of the new WV Chapter (October) and a lot more activity with my QRP station. I'm totaling up my contacts for the year and am amazed at some of the statistics.

Firstly, I added a new Vibroplex Standard Iambic Paddle to the shack this year which increased my speed a bit. I also have a magnetic action Vibroplex Iambic Paddle which I like very much. I've found them both to be excellent keys, and maybe I'm just getting old and my eyes are seeing things from a different perspective, but I'm proud to say they're made in the USA.  I can now comfortably work many more of those long distance DX stations.

I also added a 50 ft indoor random wire antenna which I can tune on all bands. And speaking of DX stations, I worked a DX station for 146 continuous days before missing a day due to bad propagation conditions. The DX contacts picked up again soon afterwards, and as I look at the current log book, I see 426 DX contacts for this year. 

Considering that I worked a total of 723 stations in 2013, the percentage turns out to be almost 60% in the DX category. Working DX has become an obsession for me although I still enjoy a good chat with my fellow NAQCC members on any band. 

I made some great contacts this year. I've worked both Alaska and Hawaii, two stations in Japan,Nigeria; and my longest distant station yet with a contact in Oman. (7,429 miles) 

Although the month of December has been both too cold, and too busy, to spend much time operating outside on the radio; I've enjoyed meeting new members, as well as seeing old friends, and operating outdoors when the weather is co-operative.

I doubt January and February will be an active "field" time for the West Virginia Chapter of the NAQCC Club but we still continue to meet on the second Wednesday every month for breakfast and will continue our weekly nets on Tuesday nights on 40 or 80 meters. 

Fill me in on your radio activity for the year 2013....

I find it absolutely amazing, to accomplish so much, with so little, in the QRP realm. I can work distant stations regularly with only a few watts and a simple wire antenna. 

I know you can do the same thing with your QRP station. Morse code only requires a few watts to work the entire world. 

How has the year 2013 been to you? 

Happy Trails, 

Changes at the Home Station

All my "radio decisions" revolve around choosing "light weight and portable equipment" that can be easily transported, so I've made a change to my "antenna farm"; notably removing the 80 meter Isotron antenna from my array that I've kept in the spare room.

I hope to sell it and (maybe) re-invest in a 30 meter version.

Although the entire array could still be transported in the car, (without taking it apart) it was difficult to get this array downstairs and into the car for transportation because of the "tuning hats" on the 80 meter antenna, and looking back at the decision to add 80 meters to the "farm", it was a bad decision for me.

To be honest, I don't find much interesting on this band. I've heard some "horrible" language on this band (always on the SSB portions) and it's NOT a long distance band from here in the valley. With a few rare exceptions, my contacts were usually very short distance. I think it resembles the 11 meter band now. (no, it's NOT as bad as it used to be but still is NOT good)

I'm looking at two different options to replace the 80 meter band. Number ONE is using a random wire of 47 feet for 30 meters and the other is to add the "matching network" from my PAR end fed "dipole" (not the correct terminology). Regardless, I have a small MFJ tuner that will help with the random wire.

Last weeks excursion to Richwood WV (at 4,000 feet), and the warmer weather, makes me want to operate MUCH more outdoors and with the summer season approaching, I'll be spending time in the West Virginia State Parks, New York, and North Carolina. I'm looking forward to setting up at these places and spending some quality time on the air.

I really want to operate more on the 30 meter band, I like what I heard last week in the mountains.

Russia and France

I keep looking for new countries every day and I've worked Russia several times over the last few years. But this morning I couldn't resist the opportunity to work a station in Orel, Russia. The city is in the area around Moscow, and Vladimir RA3EG was sending at a speed about a blistering 30 words per minute. Fortunately, it's a easily read CW call.

By the way.....Vladimir is 19 years old! 

This Russian contact was on the 15 meter band, which I easily tuned my random wire, and according to the power meter on my tuner, I was pushing out about 3 watts again. Orel Russia is 5,114 miles in a straight line from Charleston WV. I was very happy with this contact!! 

Soon afterwards, while tuning around the 10 meter band, I heard, and worked,  a VERY strong F5NTV from Cassy-Lanton in France. I don't work a lot of 10 meter CW contacts for some reason??  Every time I hear a strong French station, I think of  Dick F8WBD. I've been listening for him, for several weeks now, on 20 meters. Sooner of later, I'll find him and make a contact....

I'm very happy with my new random wire antenna. Although it's not as efficient as a normal dipole, it seems to be working very well. Taking the time to re-tune the radio, on every band change, is well worth the effort. 

50 Feet of Random Wire

My best contact yet into Bulgaria LZ2NP was a few days ago in the city of Ruse. The distance is 5,183 miles and I used my new 50 feet of random wire for an antenna. I'm making a LOT of contacts on the 30 meter band now, and loving every minute of it.

This month (and it's not over yet) I've worked another eight DX stations at better than 1000 miles per watt. They include HA8BM in Hungary, LY5O in Lithuania, SP6EIY and SP7HOV in Poland, S57DX in Slovenia, UA2K in Kaliningrad, and OK1CF in the Czech Republic. My 1000 MPW contacts are now at 26. In addition to those, I've also worked CO2OQ in Cuba and HT9H in Nicaragua.

The HT9H and the UA2K were new DX entities for me. I'm up to 55 now.

I've also discovered a lot of QRP operators on this band and worked seven of them recently. Much to my surprise, nearly all have been NAQCC members!

 LY5O 

There's a few more days left in this month and every night I seem to work another good station. I'm being very selective now and trying to choose the best of the lot.

Thirty meters has become my band of choice.

The 50 foot random is allowing me to work the entire spectrum. According to the meter on the MFJ tuner, I'm getting less than 4 watts into the wire. My results seem to speak otherwise....

30 Meter Contacts

The thirty meter band was HOT last night and I worked several stations very quickly. My first contact was PS7HD who was using 40 watts into a junior G5RV antenna. It was a difficult contact but considering his low power, and modest antenna, I thought it was my best catch for the evening. By the way, he lives in Brazil. 

Here's a picture of a little place he uses for his radio hobby. There's tremendous electrical and wireless internet noise at his home QTH.  This is necessary to drop the noise level down to a manageable level. 

Soon afterwards, I worked HA7PJ in Hungary and he chuckled about my 3 watts and a random wire antenna.  It was a bit more than the standard handshake. 

This station in the Slovak Republic was booming in and easily worked. 

Before I shut down, I felt good about working N7QT who was transmitting from the island of St Lucia in the Caribbean. There was a significant "pile up" with this station with a wide "split". I'm usually not able to compete in these circumstances but caught him "just right" and was successful.

I saw a familiar call on the "QRP Spots" website last night. Fellow blogger W2LJ and I had a nice chat on 30 meters the night before, and he worked several stations on 30 meters too.  He worked a Hungarian station on 40 meters last night. Larry is also the featured operator on the NAQCC website this month.

I've always liked this picture. It's the perfect example of QRP radio. 

There's a link to the NAQCC website on the right side on this blog.

Hard Times During the Depression

I often tune around between 7038 and 7043 listening for QRP stations and I hear stations I've already worked, many times in this segment. A few years ago, I worked WA3SCM in Dundee, Florida running 3 watts and using a random wire from a motel suite.

Daves job takes him to several different places on the East Coast and he sets up his station with a long wire strung wherever it's allowable. I've talked to him at least 4 different times during his job travels. (at different locations)

Last night I heard him in Tennessee, working a Texas station with a few watts from a Quality Inn. I read the mail for at least half an hour as he chatted with the Texas station. His signal was a solid 599 at times.

Dave had just asked the Texas station about 'any other hobbies' when I caught him. I could barely hear the other station but it was one of the most refreshing and interesting QSO's I've ever heard on the QRP CW frequencies in years.

They were talking about the Great Depression and their memories of a hard life and the food they grew and raised in the country. The subject of "groundhogs" also surfaced and rabbits roasting on a spit on an open fire. Dave must have been a 'crack shot' with a 22 rifle and he rattled CW along at about 17 wpm.

His choice of words and spacing was pleasant listening. I don't copy all stations at this speed, and some, I have difficulty copying at 10 wpm, and a few, I can't copy at all.

What I'm saying here is he has a great fist. I could have listened at 20 wpm last night.

The amusing thing about the QSO was the subject matter and his antenna. I've always admired resourcefulness. According to the e-mail I received yesterday:

You can see where my antenna is located on qrz.com and it is about 200 ft of wire from my second floor room window along side the motel entrance roof to the lamp post in front of my car then to the big Quality Inn sign. The wire is insulated with
clear shipping tape where it goes thru the window (doesnt seem to matter it is
zig zag where the window closes on it) then to a piece of 30 lb fishing line
over the light post then to 30 lb fishing line over the sign. I shot a one
ounce weight over the lamp post and big sign with my slingshot Zebco Reel and 4 lb
line then pulled the 30 lb line back over. You can see my slinger on
Flickr searching for WA3SCM. I am glad you enjoyed the QSO. I
try to get the other fella talking about something that interests him then try
to add too it. I am also trying to get my speed up to a solid 20 but am
most comfortable around 17 now. Once I can do 20 solid I am going to get
my extra. I speak of you often when bsing with hams. Your fun
and success with isotrons always sparks an interest.

Just goes to show you if there's a will...there's always a way.

His wife called a little before 8 pm and I didn't get to jump in. He cut the QSO short and signed off but it was one of the most amusing and refreshing CW QSO's I've heard in years.

WOW--What an Unusual Antenna

I remembered this call sign the instant I worked him and a quick search of the log book confirmed the contact back on August 7th, 2008. I remembered it clearly because, at that time, I was still using "paper cards" and I was the proud owner of a new Icom 703. I was also rejoicing because I was able to work DX with my "limited space" Isotron antenna. Bob and exchanged cards and I also got a nice e-mail from him:

Hi John,

Thanks for the QSO (in the log OK) and thanks for your email. You're right - I have worked guys with indoor dipoles, indoor yagis, flagpoles, etc but never an 18inch indoor antenna! Yet your signal was perfectly copiable and heard through the pileup, so well done! Believe it or not, I drove through Charleston, WV many years ago, but my memory of it has faded (that happens nowadays!).

73 Bob MD0CCE

As I've noted several times before,  I've always lived in places with demanding "antenna restrictions". My entire "ham radio life" has been limited to using Stealth antennas and despite those hindrances, I've always enjoyed this hobby immensely and find operating this mode to be very satisfying. 

Bob had no idea I was using 3 watts of power yesterday and that I was using an indoor random wire for an antenna. I was only one of many stations in the bee hive. 

I'll e-mail Bob today with the good news. 

I was surprised at working three DX stations yesterday because the "solar propagation" is just terrible today: The solar flux is only 136, the A index is 9 but steady, the K index is 5 and rising, and the sunspot numbers are 102. Propagation for the 30 meter band is "very poor". 

Rather amusingly, I've also been able to work two other stations. Of course, FG5FR is always there in Guadeloupe and I also worked EA6NB in the Baleric Islands of Spain. 

This afternoon I've worked two more "First Class Operators Club" stations. TM75FOC was in France, and M0RSE was in England. In a stroke of luck, I also worked OT4A in Austria. 

A QSL Card from Oman

Oman has been one of my most "memorial" contacts; so I was happy to find this card in my electronic mail box last night. I'm sure Chis (A45XR) has made hundreds of contacts into the USA with his "double element" Delta Loop antenna. He has the best 5,000 mile signal I've ever heard from that part of the world. I worked him in February of 2013 with 3 watts of power into my indoor random wire antenna. As usual, with most DX stations, my signal was 599 (if you know what I mean). Surprisingly, his signal really was 599! Go figure....

This month has been terribly busy for me. I've been in Iowa for a 50th Wedding Anniversary, and also to New York where we visited with a new grand daughter. When we were in Iowa, on the bad side, we ended up being way too close to a tornado. On the good side, I bought a Ukulele, due to the inspiration of the relatives, and am quickly learning to play it. (it's great for traveling) Also on the very good side, the grand daughter was beautiful and we enjoyed the visit very much.

There is nothing like New York City in the entire world!

Post by Kaine Rosado.

My time is very limited now and my posts are more scarce; but I still have my love of Morse Code and QRP radio. My father, being 94 years old, and still living by himself, demands more of my daily time. Sometimes there's just NOT enough hours in the day. I'll post when I'm able to do so. 

A New DX Station in Martinique #112 .

Just when I thought all the Caribbean stations are worked, another unexpected contact yesterday, with this island just North of St. Lucia. I've not had much time on the air lately so this was a welcome addition to the log book. The Island of Martinique  makes my 112th DX station worked with five watts or less of power with the indoor random wire.

I continue to be amazed at the power of Morse Code. I stand by the phrase "the most efficient mode of communication ever devised that is decipherable with only the human ear". A simple transmitter and receiver using Morse Code is worth it's weight in gold. My antenna a indoor random wire about 50 feet long in a spare upstairs room. I've worked thousands of stations and still have much fun even after 25 years of QRP.

Can You Work QRP DX Every Day?

I got a nice response from John Shannon K3WWP yesterday. He writes about his contacts, and happenings in life, on his website every day. I enjoy reading it and find his website to be one of the most inspirational on the web. John is co-founder of the NAQCC Club. I've been a member of this club for several years, and of all those I belong to, like it the best of all. (hint)

I had written to him about my luck with working DX QRP, with a minimum QRP radio, and my minimum "random wire antenna. We both agree, that given the time, QRP DX is possible almost every single day.

In the year 2000, John worked 301 days of DX with 2,269 DX QSO's with 149 different countries.

I've also been receiving nice complements from several other bloggers. The QRP CW community is a congenial group of Morse Code communicators from many different  parts of the world. I appreciate all of their encouragement, advice, and motivation.

Last night I worked two DX stations for the continuation of my DX streak. One of them was a busy contact in Bermuda. I was able to work VP9FOC , despite many other stations in the hive. Soon afterwards I worked OM3SX in Slovakia.

I was using the QRZCQ Cluster. I particularly like being able to "spot" my contacts here and adding the additional QRP-3W in the remarks section.
 

Skipping Across the Pond

I took my Icom 703 QRP rig with me while traveling recently near New York City. I also took an "end fed dipole" cut for 10-20-40 meters. It is made by the PAR company and it is just the right length to install in the upstairs attic. The "coax end" was just a few feet outside the "attic ventilation window", and was easily run down the side of the house and into the living room, where the radio sat on an old desk. The antenna was oriented towards the east and west.This month, the "solar flux" has been a little more cooperative. I think the bands are beginning to change, and are more favorable for longer distance contacts.

This has been an incredible radio year for me. I've worked my first DX stations and also had some great QRP CW contacts. Since February, I've worked Jamaica, Poland, Croatia, Italy, and Spain. I've also worked several 40-meter QRP stations at over 1000 miles. (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Texas, and Colorado).I am desperately trying to work N0TU (The Goat Man) in Colorado and have actually worked the "Spy" near Pikes Peak. (W0RM). He is using an old CIA spy radio and operates as a "pedestrian mobile".I've also been successful working my first "QRP Contests". One of my most exhilarating moments this year was hearing my call sign during "The 40 Meter Fox Hunt" from near Houston Texas. That call sign was AE5BH and he was my first "pelt". I also worked Texas in the "Spartan Sprint" (W5ROK) this year.Needless to say, working a 3 watt station in Florida this year was also a real hoot. (WA3SCM). Dave Slater was using a random wire from a motel room. (my Isotron Antenna was quite enough to hear him). I've also worked a Washington DC 1/2 watt station several times this year. (AI4OT) It looks like a GREAT year for radio and I'm looking forward to many more contacts, as I travel with the radio, and a simple antenna....

I've had so much fun with QRP this year. I recently joined the North American QRP CW Club and will be the featured member in June.

I'll be at the Outer Banks in May. I hope my "right on the water" QTH will allow some Caribbean, Mexican, and South American stations for the log book. Last year, from Nags Head, I worked most of the US on 40 meters and 20 meters. I'll be looking forward to the "Solar Flux" increases this summer.

I also hope to do some "portable operations" from West Virginia.

Day 46

I'd love to see France some day, but until then, I'll have to be content to with admiring their artists, sharing a bottle of their good red wine with friends, and talking to Hams who live there. French artist Claude Monet used an interesting style that captured the feelings of places and not the imagine. I've always like his work.

This morning, before I put my shoes on, I worked F8BBL in Tresses France. The operator used the name of Lor and we briefly passed along the necessities and excellent (599) signal reports--- which was both ways. He sounded like he was just next door. Before the morning ended, I also had nice QSO's with other hams in Germany and Italy.

Downstairs for coffee afterwards and a quick breakfast, I found myself back upstairs in the radio room and couldn't resist the temptation to say hello to YN9SU in Nicaragua. I like his new key which produces a buttery smooth sound. It's the only signal I've ever heard from that country and he always answers on the first call.

My next contact was in Switzerland with HB9ICE who was transmitting from the Zurich International Airport and commemorating Swiss Air.  I love those "Special Event Stations" and always try to work them.

My next contact was a challenging QSO with DK0SU who was using the "club radio station" at Stuitgart University in Germany. I took quite an effort to exchange our information because of QRM and heavy QSB. Tom and I shifted back and forth several times to nearby frequencies to complete the QSO. This University is a leader in the automotive engineering fields.

I also worked another French station this morning, but despite being spotted at least a dozen different times on the cluster, can't find anything on the web about it. Should anyone stumble across the specifics for TM5OENSO, please contact me. I've looked everywhere but can't find an explanation other than it's a Special Event Station listed only in France.

My last contact was a short QSO with IZ4DLR near Bologna Italy. Ivan was very complimentary of my 3 watt signal and a random wire antenna and made the remark that it was MORE than enough for a solid copy in his country. We also commented on the weather. He has heavy snow with 9C temps today.

That was it for the morning hours.  I'm VERY happy with these contacts. As usual, I'll be listening for the Caribbean stations again this evening. The weather is beautiful here today in West Virginia with temps in the mid 50's (f). I'll enjoy the mid day hours riding the bike around town.

It's been a productive radio day so far. I've not worked any new countries this morning; but this is my 46th Day of working at least one DX station, every day that I'm on the air. If not for taking a trip to a warm place last week (The Bahamas), they would be consecutive.

Since the beginning of this year, (Janurary 1, 2013) --  I've now worked 105 stations; of which 95%  have been in the DX Category. It's been much fun.....