QRPp Pota Activation? K-1001 on 900 mW

 A lot of people find it hard to believe that QRP works. Of course, many assume SSB, and I'll concede that QRP SSB is a challenge. But CW (Morse code) QRP is a fairly trivial thing. I operate almost exclusively QRP, with the exceptions being my boat anchor rigs and special events where I'm sought after, as was the case in December '22 when I was one of the reindeer (Vixen) in the Christmas-themed SKCC Weekend Sprint. 

Okay, but how about QRPp? First, let's define things. QRP CW operations are generally agreed to be at power levels of 5 watts or less. QRPp raises (lowers) the bar to one watt or less. Does QRPp work? Sure, lots of people do it. The NAQCC even has twice-yearly mW challenges. Imagine trying to work someone when you are QRPp, but the other guy is operating at 100 watts or more. A challenge? Yes, but not nearly the same as an event where everybody is running one watt or less. It's definitely a greater challenge!

Having seen at least one popular POTA CW guy do a mW activation made me want in on the action. I told myself my next activation would be less than a watt. But January in the Chicago area is not terribly conducive to park activations, with the exception being a drive-by using mobile antennas. I did not want to constrain myself even further with a compromise antenna, so the plan was to wait for a mild day and deploy my end-fed half-wave.

Well, wouldn't you know it - mother nature gave me an opportunity, and I took it! The temps were above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, there was no rain, and the winds were calm. I grabbed that opportunity and headed off to park K-1001, the closest one to home. It was my 19th activation of this park, moving me a step closer to the coveted "Repeat Offender" award. 

I set up my 31' Jackite pole with my home-brew 40-meter end-fed half wave. I fed the antenna at the base of the mast, looped it through a ring at the tip, and extended the extra 30+ feet as horizontal from the tip as possible, tying it off to a nearby tree. I guess it was an inverted L sloper. I got a great match on 20-meters, so it was a green light to get underway.

Using my KX2 with the power turned down to 900mW, I started calling CQ POTA. I monitored the RBN and was delighted to be spotted pretty quickly. I was greeted a minute later with a 559 from Rob, WJ5K In Tupelo, MS. The next twelve minutes provided several 559's, with contacts in coming from both coasts. I succeeded in activating the park in the first thirteen minutes.

I QSY'd to 40-meters to let the closer-in stations get in the action. Just like 20-meters, the signals were great, with no report worse than a 559. Time was running out, so I took a shot at 15 meters. The band was not quite as open, and I only lit up a couple of beacons with sub-par numbers. I took a quick shot at 10-meters with the same result. I almost decided to stop there, but on a whim decided to give 17 meters a shot. I'm glad I did! Signals there were very good. I literally worked corner-to-corner, with Florida and Washington State. Then, as icing on the cake, along came a 599 from Andre, KL7AC in North Pole, AK!

Darkness was approaching fast so I wrapped it up after a couple more contacts. All in all, it was a great activation with 21 contacts in just shy of 45 minutes. Considering multiple band changes and 900 mW, I'd consider that a stellar outing!


I'll update this report with a link to the YouTube video when available.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Heathkit VF-1 VFO (Part 1) New life for an old classic History The Heathkit VF-1 VFO (variable frequency oscillator) was an essential accessory to novice class U.S. amateur radio licensees as they earned their upgrade to the coveted general class license.  Starting on July 1, 1951, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created a license for beginning hams, the novice license. While this topic is far beyond the scope of this article, one of the primary limitations in novice operating privileges was the requirement that new hams use fixed-frequency crystals in narrowly defined portions of the ham radio bands. Another term for this limitation was to be "rock-bound". Novice hams could not spin the dial and make conversations, they had to communicate on frequencies for which they owned crystals. While nearly every one-time novice remembers the era fondly, they also dreamt of the day when they could spin that a and use any frequency they were entitled to use. For thi
Read more

Activation Report: K-1001 James "Pate" Philip State Park, Bartlett IL

Image
 12/26/2022 This activation was impromptu. I had a gap in my schedule and a new paddle begging to play! Gear: Rig: Elecraft KX2 @ 5W Key: Begali Adventure Mono Antenna: end-fed half wave inverted vee 49:1 transformer 2x14 FT140-43  65' main element 8' counterpoise Ground-fed 25' RG-174 coax Jackite 31' telescoping pole I bungied the Jackite pole to a convenient signpost and got on the air pretty quickly. It was a bit cold (21 f) so I was motivated to get back in the car.  I spotted myself at 14.059 and began calling at 20:12. There were only a few others activating CW, and the calls began two minutes later. After a brief lull, the pileup started. It was super busy with lots of repeats due to doubling. By 20:35 things started to let up, affording me the opportunity to QSY to 40M (7.056). By 20:39 the calls started coming, again fast and furious. I stayed on the frequency until the next lull, signing QRT at 21:01 with 46 contacts in 47 minutes.  Everything performed well.
Read more