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Posted: 4/26/2024 11:45:31 PM EDT
 QRP Myths BUSTED: Power Levels Explained |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:06:59 AM EDT
[#1]
 Careful you are going to upset some sad hams 
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:26:17 AM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FlatlandBusa: Careful you are going to upset some sad hams Every time you transmit, you kill a baby bird Mr million watts. 
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Posted: 4/27/2024 2:30:42 AM EDT
[#3]
Hehe pretty snarky.
All I'll say is I have been amazed at some of the contacts I've made with my FT-817ND, and I am also hard at work trying to restore an old tube amp so I can run power. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 7:15:25 AM EDT
[#4]
I got both WAS and DXCC on 30 watts and a wire in a tree.
AND busted through the 2015 Navassa pileup. He was working 10 up and by the time I got through my fingers were bleeding from clicking the decade switch back and forth but I did it. One time I got really pissed off trying to bust through a humongous pileup and fired up the PRC 320 and got through on the 3rd try. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 7:30:28 AM EDT
[#5]
Great video. Assuming all other things remain equal (antenna, mode, etc.) if the probability of making a contact is of any concern then there is no substitute for more power. If you don't care about probabilities and are willing to just take what you can get then QRP is fine. Disclaimer: QRP is not my cup of tea
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Posted: 4/27/2024 8:21:47 AM EDT
[Last Edit: ManiacRat]
[#6]
Nothing wrong with QRP. Especially when it's all you know. One of these days I keep saying I'm going to do an activation at 5 or 10w.
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Posted: 4/27/2024 10:40:36 AM EDT
[#7]
Rationalizing about most of the 100watt signal is over the ocean is funny QRP is a fun challenge that means you're going to get stepped on by bigger stations. It's like deer hunting with a handgun. I like deer hunting with a handgun, it's more challenging . . . . but don't tell me it's more effective than using a 100watt rifle  
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Posted: 4/27/2024 11:50:17 AM EDT
[#8]
I have nothing against QRP or people running low power rigs. I have picked up a guy from England who was using only 5w to make the trip across the pond. Of course, that particular fellow used this as his antenna:
 Our OP has proven over and over again that we can hear him, too. I appreciate that people enjoy the challenge of low power/QRP operation. It just isn't for me. I really like chasing DX and am doing a fair job of it, given the resources I have devoted to the hobby, which includes a legal limit amp that has almost never been run at peak output. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:08:26 PM EDT
[#9]
“FT8 isn’t amateur radio.”…Smoking Ape.
 I’m not sure if he was joking for clicks and likes or just being stupid when he made this comment. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:14:25 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K9-Bob: “FT8 isn’t amateur radio.”…Smoking Ape. I’m not sure if he was joking for clicks and likes or just being stupid when he made this comment. He is equating qrp zealots to crossfit folks. I couldn't do that video with a straight face. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 1:46:42 PM EDT
[#11]
I'm a member of a few QRP clubs. I was lucky to get into QRP during its formative years ('90's)
It was a lot of fun back then, building your own rig, even if it was a 'kit', and having a 2-way conversation was exciting. I still have all of the QRP rigs I built, mostly NorCal and Oak Hills Research radios. My favorite being the first one, the NorCal 40a, which I heavily modded with a digital freq display, VBF, keyer and expanded frequency range.. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 3:47:44 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By lorazepam: He is equating qrp zealots to crossfit folks. I couldn't do that video with a straight face. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By lorazepam: Originally Posted By K9-Bob: “FT8 isn’t amateur radio.”…Smoking Ape. I’m not sure if he was joking for clicks and likes or just being stupid when he made this comment. He is equating qrp zealots to crossfit folks. I couldn't do that video with a straight face. Gotcha makes sense! |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 4:37:25 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By RED_5: I'm a member of a few QRP clubs. I was lucky to get into QRP during its formative years ('90's) It was a lot of fun back then, building your own rig, even if it was a 'kit', and having a 2-way conversation was exciting. I still have all of the QRP rigs I built, mostly NorCal and Oak Hills Research radios. My favorite being the first one, the NorCal 40a, which I heavily modded with a digital freq display, VBF, keyer and expanded frequency range.. Some people think it is dumb to play radio for 2 hours and make only 3 or 4 contacts. It really is a different kind of fun. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 5:32:51 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By lorazepam: Some people think it is dumb to play radio for 2 hours and make only 3 or 4 contacts. It really is a different kind of fun. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By lorazepam: Originally Posted By RED_5: I'm a member of a few QRP clubs. I was lucky to get into QRP during its formative years ('90's) It was a lot of fun back then, building your own rig, even if it was a 'kit', and having a 2-way conversation was exciting. I still have all of the QRP rigs I built, mostly NorCal and Oak Hills Research radios. My favorite being the first one, the NorCal 40a, which I heavily modded with a digital freq display, VBF, keyer and expanded frequency range.. Some people think it is dumb to play radio for 2 hours and make only 3 or 4 contacts. It really is a different kind of fun. Everyone likes different things and has their own idea of fun. I once many years ago joined in on the last day of a RTTY contest, And I though I would see what I could do with 1 watt in a contest dominated by people running kilowatts. It was surprising. I made it to Europe a few times from Missouri, and lots of stateside contacts. Oh sure there was lots of AGN? AGN? for repeats to get the exchange. Sure they were having a hell of a time hearing me, but a lot of them were motivated toward the end of the contest because they wanted to increase totals, and they had worked about everyone else. It was fun for a while. Would 100 watts worked better? Only about 20 dB better.
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Posted: 4/27/2024 6:38:50 PM EDT
[#15]
About all I do anymore is QRP. I still have my base station but I turn it on maybe once a month and fiddle with this or than and I’m good. I’m not a radio snob and I really don’t care or get excited about a lot of the stuff that other Hams do. For me QRPing is about 2 things the challenge and portability. I enjoy throwing one of my radios in a backpack, hiking in the woods and making some contacts.
I’m going to Japan in October and am planning on taking one of my radios along. I’ve applied for my Japanese call sign and am waiting back. I hoping to be able to activate a couple of parks while I’m there. It’s a lot easier to travel with a QRP radio than something that is capable of transmitting more power. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 7:10:31 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By lorazepam: Some people think it is dumb to play radio for 2 hours and make only 3 or 4 contacts. It really is a different kind of fun. Some people think it's dumb to snipe a station. I'll find the one I want on the clusters and check with VOCAP. If the band is on the rise I'll tune to the frequency and set things up (for example if he's split) and just leave it on and occasionally check the clusters to see if he hasn't gone QRT. When I hear the murmurings I do stuff near the rig like clean the kitchen and if/when he gets loud enough I enter the fray. I got Chad last night but wasn't in the log so I reentered the fray using /P even though it was a lie. I was in the log as /P. Tonight I reworked him and I'm in the log on my own right. I find it amazing when the DX group has such a fast real time open logbook. I sniped him and God only knows how much time went into it but that's just fine by me. 3 QSOs for the entire day. |
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FL, USA
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Posted: 4/27/2024 8:58:45 PM EDT
[#17]
Some of the best times I've had was I'm sub optimal conditions work only 10 watts making SSB contacts! It's the challenge that makes it worth the while, especially from a training and testing prospective.
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Posted: 4/27/2024 9:35:22 PM EDT
[#18]
Ape is a good dude. His video was completely tongue-in-cheek. He was channeling his inner Randy (Not a Rubicon).
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TN, USA
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Posted: 4/27/2024 10:32:16 PM EDT
[#19]
I had enough low-power operation when I was licensed as a Novice and had to adhere to 100 watts. I got my first amp a couple of months after my General license and have never been without one since. That's not to say that it's in use 100% of the time because it isn't, but it's there when I want it. I'm not playing the QRP game, I'll use what I have when I need to.
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Posted: 4/28/2024 1:40:19 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mach]
[#20]
That is a very funny video. LOL
100w gets into asia, but they are mostly asleep so it doesn't really count......LOL besides FT8 isn't really ham radio......LOL. This guy is a born comic! |
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Posted: 4/28/2024 1:48:34 PM EDT
[#21]
The propagation is over the water, so it doesn't count.
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Posted: 4/28/2024 1:50:21 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By lorazepam: The propagation is over the water, so it doesn't count. Yeah, loved that too. |
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