Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
For the younger crowd, 25 watts was the max power allowed in several 160m segments (especially the opposite coast) back in the 60's and 70's. 100w was the max anywhere in the U.S. When I first got on 160 in 1964, working two states away was often considered DX for me! Yes, there were exceptional stations, but they were rare. Ken WA8JXM On Mon, Jul 1, 2024 at 1:57 PM Radio KH6O wrote: > Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? > > -- > 73, > Jeff KH6O / 6 > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
On 7/1/2024 5:19 PM, GEORGE WALLNER wrote: The trick is to wait until conditions are right. Otherwise, you will be wasting your time. Yes, QRP is excellent at teaching us about propagation! > In a contest however, I think QRP is a bit unfair to the other guy. I don't. Far too many hams concentrate on being loud and pay little attention to hearing well. I consider ham radio to be about more than operating -- it's also about station-building. And one reason I run QRP in 160M contests is that far too many stations are CQ machines, with their only RX antenna (if they have one) pointed to EU. If they want my QSO, they've got to work for it by hearing well! For the last several days, a ham from MI has been activating a rare grid on 6M in NE NV. He's got a great station, but since he's doing it from a trailer park, he can't hear a big station running legal limit, let alone the ordinary ones. There's also a set of operating skills one must learn if you're a little pistol or QRP. One of them is to never repeat anything the other station has copied correctly. Another is to know how to give repeats efficiently. At 83, I have a lousy fist, so I have F-keys programmed for every element of the exchange that might need a repeat. When I know I'm weak at the other end, I'll keep sending the fill until the other station gets it. (I'm always full QSK). W6JTI and I just made more than 800 Qs with a single-transmitter QRP FD entry last weekend. Both of us are experienced QRP ops. 73, Jim K9YC _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
QRP on 160 is possible but you need a very good antenna, especially for DX. (It is still painful, though.) On the TX3A Chesterfield DXpedition I worked a W7 on TB, good signal, no bid deal. About an hour later he called me again and I worked him again. Then another 30 minutes later I heard him calling. He was very weak but we completed the QSO. I was thinking, why all the dupes? Next day I saw his email: The first QSO was with 100 W. The second with 5 W and the third with 700 mW! From New Mexico to Chesterfield! TX3A had a good DHDL RX antenna pointing towards NA, which helped to keep down all the tropical noise. Still... The guy had a full size 4-SQ. Aha... In a contest however, I think QRP is a bit unfair to the other guy. Except in the SP, other contests do not reward you for working a QRP. You do all the hard work of digging him out of the noise, needing many cycles to put together the call-sing -- dealing with all the people wanting to take the frequency -- just to complete a QSO that you get no extra points for. But working DX on 160 with 5 W is a unique thrill. Well worth the effort. The trick is to wait until conditions are right. Otherwise, you will be wasting your time. George, AA7JV On Mon, 1 Jul 2024 10:57:15 -0700 Radio KH6O wrote: Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? -- 73, Jeff KH6O / 6 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
Interesting and at my old location and in my 60sI won a couple of 160m contesting QRP awards at5 watts CW for New England and NH.Thats not saying much because I won a certificatefor QRP SSB with only 5 contacts on 160m. In my mid 80s now I need plenty of sleep and being in a condo the antenna has to be put up before and taken down right after any contest to avoid exciting the Condo board. Whatever your passion is do it with enthusiasmfor self enjoyment.. Jim Fitton W1FMR, NH. Jim On Monday, July 1, 2024, 2:27:37 PM EDT, Jim Brown wrote: On 7/1/2024 10:57 AM, Radio KH6O wrote: > Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? Years ago, I ran 5W in pursuit of QRP WAS in 160 CW contests from my QTH near San Francisco, and was down to needing three states -- WV, SC, and VT. About 8 years ago, the explosion of RX noise caught up with that. About six years ago, I managed a sked with a WV station on JT65, and completed with him. An FT8 sked with W1UE remoting a VT station a few years later was unsuccessful. Running QRP in those days, KL7RA, KH6LC, and NO3M nearly always heard my first call, and K1KI had pretty good ears. I still will often call an Expedition running 5W, and often make the QSO. I'm guessing it's because they're in places that are remote enough that noise levels are low. 73, Jim K9YC _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
Jeff, I haven't been on topband in a few years since my antenna went down in an ice storm. I was always active QRP in the big Stew Perry contests back 8-20 years ago but then I got old and couldn't stay awake all night and together with some health problems for both my wife and me I haven't had the gumption to get the antenna back up. It is very possible to work some good DX with only 5 watts but you have to have a decent antenna. I had a 65" "T" vertical with top loading wires and 60+ ground wires from 60' to 120' long. If I could hear them on my K9AY loop I could work them. I could regularly work most of the conus but EU was always a bust from this DX BLACK hole in Michigan. However, I went through some of my old Stew Perry logs and the best DX with 5 watts was CE4/K7CA in 2012 and KH7Y and KH6LC in 2013. Of course, sunspots were a different thing 10 years ago. Good luck, and keep working on on good antennas. 73,Russ N3CO On Monday, July 1, 2024 at 01:59:13 PM EDT, Radio KH6O wrote: Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? -- 73, Jeff KH6O / 6 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
I'm not on 160 right now, but spent an entire solar cycle at 5W. That includes a couple of ARRL contests where I was able to CQ effectively. I was using an inverted-L (about 65' up and 65' across) with only 3 radials up about 12'. No RX antenna - I figured as weak as I was that they weren't needed. I think I worked all states except HI and AK. No EU that I recall. It was more fun than I expected it to be! 73, Lee, AA4GA On Mon, Jul 1, 2024, 1:59 PM Radio KH6O wrote: > Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? > > -- > 73, > Jeff KH6O / 6 > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
I operated in the Big Stew Perry (Dec) one year, QRP 5w, from the K4PI 160 station location (The Farm). Full sized 4 square transmit antenna, several beverages and an 8 circle receiving array. The conditions stunk for hearing much DX that year, but no one had any trouble hearing me, and I did have success running a few times. It was good enough to do again should the opportunity come up. After working VP6DX (Ducie) on 160 in Feb 2008 from my very modest home station, a couple of days later, I easily worked them on 160 QRP (using a club call). But Milt & Robin were in charge of 160/80 receiving antennas. 😜 tnx Mike / K5JR (W5JR back then) Alpharetta GA On Jul 1, 2024, at 2:01 PM, Radio KH6O wrote: Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? -- 73, Jeff KH6O / 6 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
Not regularly but sometimes, operated the CQ160m CW qrp 9 times with good results. 73 Peter, DJ7WW -Original-Nachricht- Betreff: Topband: QRP on 160? Datum: 2024-07-01T20:02:04+0200 Von: "Radio KH6O" An: "topband" Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? -- 73, Jeff KH6O / 6 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
The last few years I have worked at least one of the 160 contests at 5w CW to a 260’ doublet up 60’ in the trees. I’ve made Qs but don’t think I’ve ever cracked the top 20 in any of them. Tons of fun tho! dit dit 73 de Ed, K1RID Newburyport Electronics & Radio Society > On Jul 1, 2024, at 13:57, Radio KH6O wrote: > Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? > > -- > 73, > Jeff KH6O / 6 > > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: QRP on 160?
On 7/1/2024 10:57 AM, Radio KH6O wrote: Is anyone regularly using say, 25W or less on 160? Years ago, I ran 5W in pursuit of QRP WAS in 160 CW contests from my QTH near San Francisco, and was down to needing three states -- WV, SC, and VT. About 8 years ago, the explosion of RX noise caught up with that. About six years ago, I managed a sked with a WV station on JT65, and completed with him. An FT8 sked with W1UE remoting a VT station a few years later was unsuccessful. Running QRP in those days, KL7RA, KH6LC, and NO3M nearly always heard my first call, and K1KI had pretty good ears. I still will often call an Expedition running 5W, and often make the QSO. I'm guessing it's because they're in places that are remote enough that noise levels are low. 73, Jim K9YC _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
