QRP liefhebbers

A Newcomer's and Old-Timer's Challenge (door L. B. Cebik, W4RNL)

Step 1: Making a QRP Contact

There is an old theory in amateur radio that is akin to antique ways of teaching kids to swim: throw them in and let them sink or swim. In this case, the parallel would be to tell the newcomer to just go ahead and make a contact using low power.
However, there are a number of things we can do to help the newcomer get his or her feet wet and learn what to expect of QRP. This assumes that the newcomer has a fairly standard transceiver in the 100- watt output class.

First, we can help the student to learn what QRP sounds like. If possible, make arrangements with a local who can control rig power reasonably accurately and who has a strong signal (without overload) at the student location. Have the other station reduce power in definite steps, starting at 100 watts and ending up at about 5 watts (or even 1 watt). The 20:1 power reduction between 100 and 5 watts will show up as between 2 and 3 S-units, depending on the meter calibration (or lack of it).

If the local was S9 before, then S6-7 will still be quite strong. The newcomer has learned that QRP signals are not quite so weak as he or she might have suspected. Having the student then practice copying very weak signals (as QRM and QRN permit) is a good way to build confidence that he or she can copy a QRP signal.

Next, have the newcomer start reducing power in definite increments, again with the local using 5 watts or less. Have the local give signal reports at each level. It is important here also to use honest readability reports, rather than the standard R5. However, for this experiment, the R-report should not change by much, if anything.

When the newcomer hits 5 watts and exchanges signal reports with the local--also running 5 watts--interrupt the proceedings. Congratulate the newcomer on making his or her first QRP-to-QRP contact. Try to ensure that the local QSLs with a QRP notation for the newcomerþs records and long-term memories.

This exercise can be repeated, but without pre-arrangement, until the newcomer is comfortable making his or her own contacts. After a while, a new thought sets in: why should one consume all the electrical energy it takes to keep the big rig running when all that QRP requires is a low power transmitter and a sensitive, stable receiver with a good QRM filter? At this point, most hams asking this question become QRPers for life.
 

Step 2: Finding Other QRP Newcomers

Many folks do not realize that there are both þregularþ and Novice QRP calling frequencies in the U.S. Here is a list of the Novice frequencies for reference.

Have (and help) the newcomer to listen on or near these frequencies for signals. Weak signal strength is not always a sign that the station is QRP. Some low power stations add QRP after signing their calls; others do not.

Not only Novices appear at these calling frequencies, but experienced operators call CQ there also. They are anxious to help the newcomer make QRP contacts to build both skills and confidence. So a newcomer should not be afraid to answer a station that is obviously not a Novice. The other operator will be glad to adjust his or her code speed to the level of the newcomer. This is an old and honored tradition among experienced hams on CW and applies at all power levels.

On 10 meters, there are Novice privileges on SSB. At the present time, SSB QRP is just beginning to draw more attention. One factor influencing this increase is the availability of SSB kits. I suspect that once the initial surge of 10-meter DXing and 10-10 work calms down as 10 meters opens up on a regular basis, we shall hear 10-meter QRP on the Novice calling frequency. I have worked a number of 10-meter QRP SSB stations, most notably a completely solar-powered station using about 1 watt. He was S5 or better and completely competitive with the QRO stations.

When the newcomer advances past the Novice to the General level, a large world of QRP will be opened to him or her. There are QRP calling frequencies in the U.S.A. on all of the ham bands from 160 meters through 2 meters. One incentive toward advancement is for the newcomer to understand what will be opened for use. Therefore, for reference, here are the remaining US QRP calling frequencies for each band:

European QRP calling frequencies differ from those used in the U.S. due largely to differences in amateur radio frequency assignments. For those wishing to chase QRP DX, the European QRP calling frequencies are these:

Step 3: Getting Involved in QRP

Step 4: Selecting One or More Interests

QRP is not one world within ham radio; it is many. The beauty of the situation is the fact that anyone can inhabit as many (or as few) of these worlds as he or she has time and interest to give. Here is a short list of some of the activity areas within QRP.
1. Operating: General operating to make QRP contacts remains the focal interest of most QRPers. However, there are some special operating arenas that deserve note.

a. Field Operation: Since QRP equipment is so compact and can often be operated from batteries, many QRPers like to take to the field and set up portable stations on hilltops, campgrounds, and similar locations. Part of the fun lies in developing an ever-improving station for this purpose, including antennas that are light to carry, easy to assemble, and effective on the air. Many field operators would enjoy the company and help of a newcomer as he or she learns the ropes (sometimes literally) of operating this way in exchange for helping to carry things, assemble the station, and help with the operating and logging.

Here is a list of what an ardent field operation QRPer might take with him or her:

1. Single-band rig for favorite band.
2. Compact antenna tuning unit (ATU or transmatch).
3. Wire antenna--often a random length wire to toss over a tree limb, a wire dipole, or a doublet.
4. Transmission line--for the dipole, thin coax; for the doublet, TV twinlead.
5. 2 batteries--main and back-up, usually 1 to 6 Ampere-hour gel cels.
6. Hand key or keyer paddles--keyer itself is usually inside the transceiver case.
7. Log book and 2 pens or pencils (one always breaks).
8. Something on which to rest the rig and ATU--may be a table, a converted packing case, or even a large piece of foam with cutouts: the object is to keep the equipment mechanically stable during operation.
9. Something to sit on, ranging from a foam pillow to a camping stool.
10. Refreshments
11. Safety equipment--depending on the remoteness of the site.

b. Contest Operation: Many QRP organizations sponsor a number of different types of contests, from short þsprintsþ to longer efforts. Rarely are QRP contesters so abbreviated in their operating ways that they will not take time out to make sure a newcomer has every part of the required exchange. And when a QRPer wishes you "Good luck!" at the end of the contact, he or she means it.

An alternative to strictly QRP contests are the "big" contests, many of which have a special QRP category. Here the challenge is to compete for contacts with higher power stations. Most QRP contesters do not sit and call CQ, but instead search for other stations calling CQ. This "search and pounce (SAP)" method, as Rich Arland, K7YHA, once called it, has run up scores for QRP operators that would have been respectable in any category of the contest.

c. Fox-hunting: A recent QRP phenomenon is the fox hunt. Everybody knows who the fox is, where he is, and what his frequencies will be and at what times he will be on the air. The trick is to catch him. Everything is informal, so even failure to get the fox this time brings a determination to get the next one.

d. Milliwatting and microwatting: Eventually, 5 watts becomes too small a challenge for some QRPers. They reduce power first to 1 watt and then even lower. One of their major challenges is to measure accurately the actual amount of power they are sending to the antenna. A second challenge is to be heard at all. Schedules with like-minded low power operators are a way of life, and sometimes they use special code words to be sure they were actually heard. Those who engage in this portion of QRP work usually have well-trained ears, which are often a better signal discriminator than the very best DSP filters available. Good ears and a good fist are important skills for all QRP operators.

2. Building: Many QRPers are lifelong builders of ham gear and accessories. One of the appeals of QRP is that rigs can be simple enough for the average ham to build from a kit and for the more technically inclined to design or redesign. Letþs break this area down into several areas to see how a newcomer might be transformed from an appliance operator into a home brewer.

a. Kit Building: Kit building from Heath and other now-departed sources was once a routine part of amateur radio. The complexity of modern transceivers has largely ended this trend, except in one area: QRP. A number of large and small companies have devoted considerable effort to designing a variety of transceivers that the average ham can build and successfully use. A partial list of kit-makers appears in the resource section.

For the newcomer, even a fairly simple kit can seem mysterious without guidance. Helping the newcomer to select his or her first kit and then guiding the person through the building process so that the result is something successful and useful for the station are two important areas of effective Elmering. However, once the first kit is done, a third area becomes important: guiding the newcomer to the next stage in challenge rather than to the most challenging kit on the market.

One very important set of lessons that almost demands the aid of an Elmer is the art of testing the gear that one is building. Only a very few of the simplest kits can be built, smoke-tested, and then found to work or not. Whenever there are two or more stages, each can be tested as they are built, so that any problems are discovered early on, when they are easy to identify and relatively easy to fix. Some kit instructions proceed in this manner; other kits require experienced intervention for such testing. Helping the newcomer to understand this process is a piece of teaching likely to last a lifetime in the student.

b. Tinkering: The term "tinkerer" was once a highly respectable word for the basement, garage, or shop builder and inventor. Many QRPers are avid tinkerers. Some like to modify and improve the kit they have just finished building and testing. Others like to build and revise circuits they find in magazines. Still others like to build from scratch.

SPRAT, the journal of the G-QRP Club is more than 50% devoted to tinkering in the best traditions of modifying and improving circuits and gear. In the issue I happen to have in hand, there are two complete fairly complex projects, with a fistful of small circuits--one an ultra-simple transmitter, some simple test detectors, a junk-box filter, a modification of an existing circuit, and a couple of handy circuits that a builder might use in his or her own more complete design.

In contrast, but not too much contrast, is QRPp, the journal of the Northern California QRP Club (NORCAL). NORCAL has become very well known for its club-designed and produced transceiver kits. The particular issue of QRPp that I happened to pick up has three complete projects, plus two more extensive articles on both the electronic and mechanical details of modifications to two rigs--plus the start of a multi-part tutorial. It also has a good collection of short items.

Is one journal preferable to the other? It depends on one's interests and the emphases within those interests as to which journal might be more useful or valuable.

Whatever the special nature of one's interest in tinkering, the beginning tinkerer needs help getting started. Learning where to get parts, which parts to get, how to handle the parts, when to use which of similar parts are all lessons needing a good source of information and advice. There are dozens of pitfalls to the process of designing and building a prototype, and a little help in avoiding even a few of them can transform discouragement into the persistence that brings success.

3. Antennas: There is a debate within the ranks of QRP operators: whether it is proper to use sophisticated high gain antennas atop tall towers or whether the QRPer should use the simplest antennas possible to go along with the simple gear he or she may be using. The debate really describes two kinds of QRPers. First, there are those who simply wish to use the least power possible as a means of reducing QRM. Their goal is to achieve as much as possible with the lowest reasonable power. These folks tend to use the best antennas they can obtain or build. Second, there are QRPers who are committed to doing the absolute most with the absolute least, perhaps with the idea that someday they will be able to do everything with absolutely nothing. These dedicated minimalists tend to insist on simple antennas. Since many of them are also lovers of field operation, their desire for simple antennas also has a practical side. Whatever the reason or direction, QRPers tend to experiment with antennas more than most folks. Wire is the favorite antenna material, and the lighter the better. However, the variety of materials used to support the wire ranges from fishing rods to PVC to towers to whatever will hold it in position.

Since a good antenna--however defined--is crucial to effective QRP operation in any of the categories we have listed, good instruction in antenna basics is absolutely essential for the newcomer to QRP.

But antenna basics also come in two parts: antennas as electronic components and antennas as mechanical devices that require good construction and maintenance. Even learning to analyze the antenna possibilities and restrictions of one's own yard can benefit from a practiced eye, plus a little help in getting the antenna in the air.
 

Step 5: Learning More