Got T32C - but ..........

I must confess, it was not QRP.  I had to crank up the K2 to 10 Watts to make the QSO, so I will not be counting this QSO towards my tally of countries worked via QRP.  He was calling CQ and not getting many takers - and at 5 Watts he just wasn't hearing me.  Since East Kiribati is a totally new entity for me, how could I not turn up the juice?!?  At any rate, I nabbed him; and I'm glad I did.  There will be time yet to try again; but with 5 Watts next time.

It was 17 Meters, they were transmitting on 18.072 MHz and listening up 1.  Even with 10 Watts this was no mean feat.  They were NOT 599 when we QSOed. If I were to be honest, I'd have to say more like 569 - so you can imagine what I must have (not) sounded like on their end.

I had to repeat my call several times as he had me as W2DJ - but after two more sendings of my call, the op came back and confirmed W2LJ.  Superb ears out there in the Pacific!

At any rate, they will be out there for three more weeks; so maybe 10 Meters might be conducive to a true QRP QSO sometime this weekend.

The only other thing that was strange ..... I worked him using the 88' EDZ antenna. Usually, for DX, the Butternut HF9V is the weapon of choice.  But when switching between the two, I was able to hear him much better using the EDZ and ended up using it for both transmit and receive.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!