My First Instinct...lower the power

I always have my FT-817 transmit power set to 1 watt.  When I hear a station calling CQ I always make my first attempts at 1W.  I am usually successful but if I am not I will reluctantly bump the power up to the next setting which is 2.5W.  I will do this usually with success but if all else fails I will grudgingly increase to 5W.  This doesn't happen very often which is why I am always so reluctant to increase my power.  Sometimes I even don't bother bumping the power up if it's a continental North American call sign as I know that with 5W I will not be at least 1000 Miles per watt and what's the point.  I know that's an illogical my way of thinking because isn't the whole purpose of ham radio to actually communicate with someone.  That's a flaw in my way of enjoying this hobby but I guess that's why there are so many different ways to enjoy this hobby.

Following the same "logic", as soon as I hear a signal that is fairly strong my first instinct is to drop the power to the 1/2W setting.  I get all excited when I hear the station come back to me knowing that I am using QRPp power.  It's my happiest place to be in.  The signal reports are generally 559 and I am fine with that.  I also do not want to minimize the appreciation I have for the other operators who are willing to work my weak signal.  Without them I would be sitting at my operating position destined to be frustrated.  I thank you all.

One other thing, I believe, that works in my favour is that I have low expectations and I am easily satisfied.  If I can sit down at the radio and make 1 or 2 QSOs I am perfectly happy.  I am not one to sit for hours making contacts which is probably why I am not a contest operator.  Perhaps my attention span is too short...either that or it's because I know I have other chores I know I should be doing.

Cheers,
Scott ve3vvf/qrp

1000 MPW ...Even with Poor Band Conditions

So I turned the radio on this morning for the first time since last September.  My wire dipoles are in a bit of a tangle from a winter of strong blowing winds but the SWR readings are still low so I ventured onto the bands.  I heard a fair bit of activity on 40 but I prefer the WARC bands so I moved to 17M.  The SWR was too high so I moved to 30M.  With the exception of someone already in a ragchew QSO I dialed around and found nothing.  I had my FT-817 set to 1W as usual and called CQ a time or two.  Then I heard a weak response from Roger, W4RFT.  I have him in my log on 20M but not 30.  It was a very brief QSO where we exchanged 559s and then it dropped off.  Roger shows as being 1100+ miles away in Florida so I was very happy that my first QSO in months was over 1000 Miles Per Watt.  I really love this hobby.

I can't wait to work on replacing these 2 fan dipoles (2 bands each) with the same but made from ladder line (see previous post).  I already ordered it from MacFarlane Electronics near Kingston, ON.  To save on the shipping (which is almost half as much as the wire due to the weight) I will be picking it up at the Iroquois Amateur Radio Club's annual Flea Market on the 7th of April in Iroquois, Ontario.

With snow still on the ground and below freezing temperatures I have no rush to start any antenna work just yet anyway.  I can wait a few weeks for the wire and I will never pass up the opportunity to stroll through a flea market...ham radio or otherwise.

Cheers for now,
Scott ve3vvf/qrp

Hawaii - Out of the Blue

I turned the radio on this afternoon for the first time in almost a week.  The bands seemed quite quiet for a mid-afternoon Easter Sunday.  Down at the bottom of 17M band was KH7XS on 18.070MHz.  The Big Island Contest Club is located in Laupahoehoe on the east coast of the Big Island 4783 miles away.

Their antennas did all the work today as they have quite a setup.  I had 5 watts into my inverted vee here in Eastern Ontario and through a little QSB and a few attempts they came back to me.  It was a fast operator for my speed and experience but I got the QSO in.  It was not quite 1000 Miles per watt (957) but I know that Hawaii is not the easiest contact to acquire if one were collecting entities for WAS.  I do not really operate towards any particular awards but was pleased to get HI nonetheless.

Guess Who's Turning 150?

In Canada this year and even more so, it seems, in the nation's capitol, Ottawa, we are celebrating 150 years as a nation.  Everything taking place in the city this year seems to be bigger and better because of this celebration but that's not what this post is about.  I had a brief QSO this evening on 30M with station W0N.  Apparently Nebraska is celebrating 150 years as a state this year...March 1st to be exact.

I heard the "CQ NE150" call from a member of the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club loud and clear on 10.129.  Since they were coming in 589 I made sure my power was down to 1 watt.  They came back to me right away with the standard 599.  I wonder what the real RST was.  I would have liked to drop to 1/2 watt just to see.  As it was, the contact was 1264 miles per watt from my inverted vee.  I was glad to work this special event station and I believe it was my first Nebraska QSO.  Even just 1 QSO in a sitting makes my day.

Cheers es 72/73 de Scott ve3vvf