QRP 7040 Frequency

The weather has turned "cold and snowy" again so I'm forced to stay inside for most of the day. But this morning, I was proud to be the 8th contact for N1JER. (The call sign seemed very familiar but my log didn't show that I had previously worked him). Jeremy is located in Brooklyn, NY.

He was using a "kit" at 2.5 watts with a simple wire antenna.....

Hi John,

Just got off the 7.0395 with you! You were really coming in weak most of
the time, but occasionally were very strong. Then there was someone with a really
strong signal about 300hz away. It was rough! I am still learning the CW protocol
so thank you for your patience..The QSO with you today was my 8th CW contact :)I
am operating a Wilderness SST single band CW radio at about 2.5watts out of an
inverted V up about 30 feet.

73--Jeremy Chase, N1JERhttp://jeremychase.net

So I decided to just leave the rig "on" in the background while working on the computer. I've made four quick contacts on the "7040 QRP frequency" while running back and forth as a signal gets loud enough to get my attention.

There's a tremendous amount of QRM on this frequency today. It's to be expected, because at the 5 watt (or less) level, it's easy to "step" on someone "not heard" in the distance. The band has shifted back and forth several times. Although I've worked two stations in Georgia this afternoon, I've only been able to copy the name and locations before loosing them QRM or QSB.

I've been hearing a lot of DX stations on 20 meters the last few days. Perhaps I'll leave the radio there for awhile and give one or two a shout? Most people think they need "big guns" to skip across the pond. It will be nice to catch a few with "light tackle".

The next time I hear the GMT signal on 10 Mhz (very loud), I'll throw my line in the water.