Facebook chuckle

When I see something like this, whether it be on Facebook, Twitter or some other social media platform, I just have to smile to myself.

The guys gets 26 comments. mostly from Amateur Radio operators who understand propagation, how it works and that QRP doesn't necessarily mean "weak signal".

So what does he do?

He turns off commenting for the post.

Kind of like throwing a smoke bomb into a room, yelling "fire" and then running away. I wonder what he was thinking?

I think the internet definition of a person like this is "troll".

He'd be much better served by doing a little research, maybe get to know what he's bashing and then seeing if his preconceived ideas actually hold water. This is the same reason why I won't jump on the FT8 bashing bandwagon. Even though it's not my cup of tea - there's a ton of folks out there who seem to enjoy it and get a kick out of it. Just because it doesn't tickle my fancy and I don't see the big attraction - I'm not about to put them down or tell them they shouldn't be having fun doing what they're doing.

Amateur Radio is a big enough tent under which we can all have fun.

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

In keeping with the Season

and the band conditions during our diminishing sun spot cycle, I will post a graphic that I saw on Facebook, courtesy of Jim Stephens NX8Z:

Last night's 80 Meter QRP Fox hunt was a tough go.  I finally managed to nab Randy NC4RT  in North Carolina for a single pelt.  Dave K5IX in Texas was a mere whisper, although my relatively close by neighbor Steve WX2S managed to squeak in a QSO in the closing minutes of the hunt.

QSB was tough, rapid and fluttery, and there was a low, whooshing noise across a part of the band that made things very difficult.  I'm not sure whether that was just local noise or some kind of over the horizon radar; but it was not pleasant to deal with.  I thank God for the Butternut, as it allowed me to snag the pelt.  Going against conventional wisdom, the vertical was giving me less noise than the horizontal wire!

Unfortunately, I think we have a few more years of this before things get better.  Maybe Santa will bring us some sun spots if we're all good Amateur Radio ops?

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least1

My somewhat annual rant about power.

I got involved in another "discussion" on an Amateur Radio page on Facebook about QRP - again. The basic premise was that someone came on and mentioned that they finally made their first HF contact, after many months of trying with 5 Watts. Said person said that they " gave up on that for now" and that "A little more power was all I needed."  It turned out that our intrepid new HF'er was using a 40 Meter dipole at a height of 16 feet.  Immediately, a tsunami of comments followed, some good, some questionable.  The one that caught my eye was:

"40M is not a band real well known for QRP operation. In fact it is most known for success with QRO (at or near legal limit.) Same thing applies for most HF bands (except 30M & 60M as required by law) and except during really prime conditions (not much of that lately.)"

Wait ....... what?!?  To me, this is a red flag. You might just as well say, "The science is settled." Same reaction.

OK ....... first let's take care of some business.  I know what you're going to say, "QRP is not for beginners!"  Well, I do have to kind of agree with that, somewhat.  Maybe not all beginners. When your anxious to get that first HF QSO under your belt, I would also advocate for using as much "nominal" power as you have at your disposal. So yeah, it was a good idea for our newbie to tweak up the power.  I'll give you that.

So I answered the above comment with:

""40M is not a band real well known for QRP operation." ...... What? It most certainly is! In fact it's one of the two favorite bands of most QRPers."

Which got this response:

"Larry Makoski I know I haven't heard any lately.... When they turn it up to 100W+ no problem, maybe there's a hidden message there somewhere? What is your definition of QRP? Mine would be 5W or less."

OK - so here we go. "I know I haven't heard any lately". That's an odd statement to make. How would you know whether or not a signal you are hearing is a QRP or a QRO signal?  Bingo!  He had not heard any WEAK signals lately, so ergo - they all HAD to be QRO signals.

Weak signal = QRP and strong signal = QRO ........ got it?

No ....... I don't got it. So I responded:

"You haven't heard any lately? How would you know they're QRP? Because it's a weak signal? If that's your criteria, then you're dead wrong. Yes, QRP is 5 Watts or less on CW, 10 Watts or less on SSB. Signal strength has everything to do with propagation and antenna. Output power plays into it; but not as big a factor as the other two. I've worked 100 Watt stations that I've struggled to copy and I've worked 5 Watt stations that have blown the earbuds out of my ears. It's a whole bunch of factors that determine signal strength, not just raw power. And BTW, most serious QRPers will never even mention they're running low power. You've probably worked a bunch and never even knew it."

You would think more experienced Hams wouldn't jump to conclusions like this; but sadly they do. I guess that's part of this blog's missions - to educate ALL Hams that effective radio communications have more to do with antenna, propagation and band conditions than raw output power (alone). If QRP is not your "cup of tea" that's quite all right with me. No skin off my nose.  But even as a QRO op, if you want the best signal you can deliver, look at your antenna and band conditions first.  You needn't always empty your wallets for an amplifier. (Sorry, Elecraft!)

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

So sad

I was browsing Facebook today when I saw this sad post (not verbatim) in the Amateur Radio group. "I am leaving the hobby after 10 years. I am tired of having people tell me that unless I have thousands of dollars of equipment, and lots of land for antennas that I am not a "real Ham" (I hate that phrase!).  Have a nice life."

I feel badly for this individual, and I suspect there's more going on here under the surface.  But, if that's the definition of a "real Ham" then I'm not one, either ...... and I've been at this "Ham Radio thing" for 38 years now.

I am not going to insult anyone's intelligence by feigning that I don't own expensive Amateur Radio equipment.  I do.  But when you look at my shack compared to a lot of others out there, mine is relatively modest.  No, I'm way beyond two tin cans and a wire, but I'm also do not own enough equipment that would equal the GDP of a small nation.

In the same breath, let me say that I do NOT begrudge anyone from owning enough equipment that would equal the GDP of a small nation. Hey, if you are wealthy enough, and you're not ignoring the basic needs of yourself or your family in order to fund your hobby - more power to you.

The second part of his definition is nearer and dearer to my heart, though.  I have never been in a situation where I felt I could put up the kind of antennas that I would like to have.  At both my QTHs, the one in East Brunswick, where I grew up, and the one in South Plainfield where I currently live - both are typical NJ suburban lots that are 50 feet wide by 100 feet long. (15M X 30M).

I had a G5RV here in South Plainfield that took so may twists and turns that it looked like I was playing the three dimensional chess board from Star Trek. Everything I have has to fit on my property, even the radials under by Butternut have twists and angles to them.  I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. Do I wish I had plenty of land where I could lay out a classic Beverage antenna for 160 Meters - or even put up a half wave dipole for 160 Meters?  You're darn tootin' I would.  But I don't, so I'm not going to shed tears over it. As bad as my case is, at least I can have outdoor antennas. A lot of people have to live with a lot less than I have, and I think about that every time I am tempted to complain or feel sorry for myself.

In the end, you make do with what you have.  I'll probably never make DXCC Honor Roll, but I am closing in on 200 countries worked. Given the antennas that I have (and had), I think that's a pretty fair accomplishment.

The bottom line is that you can't let another person dictate to you what something as wide in scope as Amateur Radio..... is. Amateur Radio is many things to many people.  My excitement over working Australia with 5 Watts might make you yawn.  Your excitement over having your 100th message passed this month might earn just a shrug of my shoulders from me.  Are either of us wrong?  No, both of us are enjoying what we like best in a hobby that has enough room for everyone!

So the next time someone tells you that you're not a "real Ham", just smile and walk away. Anyone who truly thinks they know what a "real Ham' is, is just kidding themselves, anyway.

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

Facebook - what is it good for?

A lot of Hams out there will answer that question by saying, "it's good for nothing!" It's true that there's a lot of blather and garbage that you have to go through to get to the "good stuff". But that's true with a lot of things. You have to go through a lot of rocks to find the gems, you have to pan through a lot of water and silt to find the gold, you have to dig through a lot of ...... to find the best mushrooms, and so it is with Facebook.

Several of the good groups include (but are not limited to - don't want to get any one's knickers in a knot) the Field Radio group.

This group is not exclusively made up of QRPers, even though that might be an assumption you would make. No, it's made up of Hams who like to take their gear outdoors and operate from somewhere other than their home shacks. Sadly, some of them don't have home shacks to operate from dues to HOAs an covenants and things of that nature. Reading their posts and looking at pictures of other portable set ups is enlightening and has given me a few ideas to ruminate on.

Another group more germane to QRPers is the QRP Outdoor Radio group.

This group was founded by Tim Carter W3ATB, and is a very good group. Lot's of posts are shared between this group and the Field Radio group, but this one had the distinct QRP flavor to it. Pictures of portable setups in this group always include the usual QRP suspects and there's a lot of good ideas posted about antennas, field packs, etc.

The last group I am going to mention in this post is truly an international one. It's a closed group (meaning you have to formally ask to join and be accepted) but is easy to join. It's called the KX3, FT-817, IC-703, QRP and Portabel (sic) group.  In this group you will have to use the "translate this" option almost all the time, as 95% of the posts are in languages other than English. The good thing is the translator, while not perfect, allows you to get the gists of the posts, and it's nice to get a fresh take on operating portable from another point of view.

Yeah, you can outright dismiss Facebook and social media all you want. But if you're patient and take time to dig through the layers and don't mind tossing the bad while keeping the good - you're going to find a lot of very useful information.

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

Don't be an alligator!

Listening to the local Skywarn repeater, one thing is striking me.

When you check into any kind of emergency net, whether it be Skywarn or anything else ..... don't get chatty. Make your report or make your communications. Net Control does not need your life story.

Get in, say what you have to, and then make way for other reports.

I cannot believe some of the inane chit chat that I am hearing.

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

You know it's Dayton weekend when ......

the traffic on the e-mail reflectors goes down to practically nil.

But the advent of social media, especially Twitter means that we get news and views of new equipment all that much faster.

Jeff KE9V and others have been tweeting great photos of various things all day. TJ, W0EA has been putting video log reports on YouTube.

If you can't be there, this is almost as good, thanks to the efforts of these fine gentlemen.

So far, I've seen great photos of TenTec's new Rebel, which is a dual band rig featuring open source firmware for experimentation. For comprehensive details, visit "The QRPer" - the link is to the right.

Jeff KE9V also posted images of TenTec's new auto tuner and some images of the new CrankIR portable antennas.  Jeff also tweeted a mouthwatering photo of a lineup of Bengali keys.

With all the goodies available, maybe it's a good thing that I didn't make it out to Dayton. I probably would have come home a much poorer man.

I am going to get up early and take a ride to the OMARC hamfest in Wall Township, NJ tomorrow morning. It's definitely not Hamvention, but it will be fun, anyway. There's not anything that I have a real pressing need for, but it's always good to stock up on PL-259s, power connectors, and things like that. Who knows? There's always the chance to find a hidden treasure.

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