2M0EWY EX

QRP (Low Power) Operation

Why would you want to use low power and a weak signal for your ham radio instead of high power and a strong signal? Skill. Putting as little as possible between yourself and the station at the other end and still making the contact takes skill. Build up a little experience and then give QRP a try. QRP is up to 5 watts of transmitter output power on Morse code or digital transmissions and 10 watts of peak power on voice, usually SSB. The quality of your antenna or location isn’t considered, just transmitter power. If you choose to turn the power down below 1 watt, you’re milliwatting. QRP is primarily an HF activity, and most QRP contacts are in Morse code/ Data modes due to the efficiency and simplicity of theses modes.

QRP Amateur Radio ClubInternational

To me one of the best things about working QRP is working portable. WHY QRP and WHY PORTABLE? (For me it is an easy decision my MM6 limitations already dictated that I will be a QRP operator) Lets have a look and see if we can find the answer ? We need an open mind and believe that we can throw our light tackle line into the water and hook that big fish.

Under 5 watt ham radio operation has undergone tremendous changes over the last 40 years and has emerged as a mainstream portion of the ham radio hobby.
WHY ?? because QRP is challenging, intriguing , very demanding and gives you loads of enjoyment.

Take away power, and you are left with skill, inventiveness, challenge, and enthusiasm these are very similar to the attractions of the hobby in its earliest days. It all adds up to Fun with a capital F, and could be achieved at a very low cost. Less power satisfaction is when that 100 to1KWatt or more station gives you a 5 and 5 or more report. Adrenalin buzz when they question your working conditions, not believing you are using 5 watts

If you want to increase your operating skills, QRP is for you. With only a few watts of signal to work with, it becomes mandatory to perfect your operating technique if you are going to work through DX pileup or capture that elusive QSO. QRP is the radio equivalent of brain over brawn. But isn't a 1-W signal lost in the shuffle of more powerful stations? It's not as lost as you may think. A 1-W signal is only a little more than three S-units weaker than a 100-W signal. So, if your 100-W signal is S-9, your 1-W signal will be about S-6. And that's plenty of signal! For QRP operation, you must be able to find DX stations, be aware of when and for how long bands will be open and have a crisp and clear setup on both CW and SSB. You must be able to quickly assimilate a DX operator's technique. One of the primary skills of QRP operation strengthens is patience. With QRP power levels you have to wait for the right moment and make your move. This means you must be alert and listening rather than transmitting. You have to be familiar with the bands, operating procedures of DX stations and other QRP operators. All this takes a bit of patience, practice and listening. Why PORTABLE??????? Working portable in the field reduces noise levels to a minimum. No household QRM or neighbours tv, broadband etc. There are a couple of other advantages of QRP operations that aren't so obvious. Because you are operating with a minimal power output, your transmitter will probably last "forever." Your electric bill will be less. The other non-obvious advantage is that you won't overload the front end of your neighbour's television. It's a pretty rare occasion when operating with 5 W causes interference. QRP operation is becoming quite popular for many major contests.

Don't believe me? Ok, let's look at the power ratio in action. Say you are transmitting with 5 watts and a station gives you a report of S-5. Now double your power to 10W and what happens? Your power output has increased by 3dB and the received signal has increased by the same 3dB, which is... wait for it.... one half of one S point. Double your power again, to 20W, and the received signal is now one whole S-point stronger. Double it again, to 40W and we are at 1.5 S points. Again, to 80W and we are at 2 S points improvement on our original 5 W signal. 80W is near enough to what your typical "100W" transmitter puts out, and by now you should see what little difference an additional 20W would make. In summary by going from 5W to 80W we have increased the received signal strength by all of two S points. The reverse is true-- if you are copying an 80W station at S9 and he reduces power to 5W, you will still be copying him at S7. But let's not leave it there. Start at 100W and add 3 dB at a time by doubling power- you go to 200, 400, 800, then an illegal 1.6Kw (that's section 313(b) if you're counting). We doubled power 4 times, picking up 12 dB or.... wait for it.... 2 S points. Talk about diminishing returns! It is a generally accepted belief that adding power is simply the least effective thing you can do to improve your signal, and that's supported by the maths as we've just seen. But power also equals money, and when you start talking Kilowatts you are talking big bucks. Not just for the linear amp, but the antenna, transmission line, and tuner also have to be able to handle the juice. Priced a 1KW antenna tuner lately? It's probably fair to say that most hams realize how little benefit, relatively speaking, they will gain from investing in a 1.5KW setup. But at the same time, they have trouble coming to grips with the relative performance of their garden variety 100W transceiver as compared with, say, a 5W QRP transceiver. =========================================================================== What is QRP? While many radio amateurs hanker after more and more power and bigger and bigger antennas, there is one group that prefers to be more minimalistic The original ‘QRP’ code was created to mean ‘Shall I reduce power?’, but generally now means a whole genre of the hobby where amateurs use 5W or less output on CW, or 10W PEP output or less for SSB. But why would people be so masochistic? The reality is not as bad as it appears. You can have plenty of contacts at these low power levels and a lot of hams have managed to achieve DXCC by contacting at least 100 countries or entities using QRP power. The reality of why you can achieve contacts at these low power levels is easy to understand. Say you contacted someone in the USA on SSB using 100W and received an S9 report. If you then reduced your power to 10W that would be a 10dB reduction. Instead of S9 you might now be about S7—as most S meters are calibrated at about 6dB per S point. That’s still a good signal strength, but reduce your power by a further 10dB to 1W and you might still be S5-6 and be perfectly readable. That’s the secret as to why QRP power is so effective.

CW is at the heart of QRP- CW has an 18dB advantage over SSB. After watching the power ratio video, you can see that 18dB is a HUGE difference. A CW signal is either there or it is not, and that's something the ear and brain can detect and work with very easily. SSB transmits the human voice, which consists of a wide range of frequencies and a wide range of amplitude or volume. The result is that the power used to transmit SSB is spread out over a "bandwidth" of a couple KHz. All of the power in a CW signal is concentrated in a couple of Hertz. And in SSB, the peak power is used only on voice peaks, which are a very small percentage of the transmitted signal. So the 18dB figure is justifiable. In practice, especially when conditions are marginal, a 5W CW signal will work better than a 100W SSB signal. You don't have to take my word for it. If you've worked much DX you know that often CW QSO's are possible long before SSB "comes in" and sometimes SSB never quite makes it. Even if you are not a DXer, you should be able to prove this to yourself very easily in half an hour on the air. If you want you can do a real test. Get on the air with a buddy using SSB and reduce power until you can no longer copy each other. Switch to CW at the same power level, and amaze yourself at how much farther you can reduce your output and still communicate. Ian Hi Alan, this may be of interest to you; I just broke my duck with QRP 1operation today. This afternoon found myself on the air with Rumi, a 1Bulgar who's a particularly easy guy to talk with on the air. He's the 1one I mentioned to you some weeks back that I'd overheard talking to a 1US station about having got through with a milliwatt on CW. Well today 1we got through the usual 5/9 business - I was in the house, not the car 1- and I told him what I'd heard him say before to the yank. We ended up 1both on 5w, with 5 and 5 to 5 and 7 both ways. First time I've gone 1that far with a true DX contact. 5Watts into Bulgaria. He went down to 1a single Watt, dropped a couple of S points but he went quieter than 1before - but still perfectly readable. Of course the donkey-work was 1happening at his end, with his huge antenna; not my pathetic wee bit of 1wire in the garret. I've tried down to 10w in the past, but today's 1reducing to 5W set a record for me.1Rumi is LZ2RS, seems at home speaking English, just as well since my 1Bulgar's a bit rusty.

QRP equipment can be very simple, but the fact that we are working with lower power circuits means that experimentation and inventiveness are possible for all of us. . A good rule of thumb, which is proven by QRPers every day, is "if you can hear him you can work him. Battery Sealed Lead-Acid Battery 12V 7Ah Maintenance-free. lead, calcium, tin alloy grid. Long service life. Low self-discharge. If you are not into homebrewing equipment there are commercial QRP radios available that are excellent. The Yaesu FT-817ND is a design classic and operates up to 5W on all bands from 160m-70cms. The Icom IC-703 is another well-established QRP radio, although sadly it is no longer in production. There are also low power HF software defined radios (SDRs) on offer, such as the Flexradio Flex-1500. Most modern 100W radios will also allow you to reduce your output power to 10W or less so that you can enjoy QRP without laying out any more cash on equipment. You Can Build It The QRP arena is one of the few places where the average home-brewer still can make a decent showing. In this age of multistage, integrated circuit, super-sophisticated all-mode transceivers, QRP operation stands out as a home-brewer's dream. How many hams can hope to duplicate the operation of the latest HF transceiver on their workbench? Probably none. If, however, we change the rules by restricting the power output, it is certainly possible for nearly anyone with the ability to obtain a ham license to build a 5W transmitter. FT817ND Description: The world’s first self-contained, battery-powered, Multi-mode Portable Transceiver covering the HF, VHF, and UHF bands! Despite its incredibly small size (5.3" x 1.5" x 6.5"), the FT-817 delivers big performance! Its next-generagion PA puts out five watts on all HF bands, plus the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 430 MHz bands, on all popular operating modes: USB/LSB/CW/AM/FM/Packet/PSK-31/RTTY. Now the 817 legacy is even better with the introduction of the FT-817ND, it also includes a 1400 mAh NiMH Battery pack (FNB-85) and NC-72B Charger! I say this is a “Great rig! I've made many QSO’s and bagged loads of countries with the FT-817 using a wire dipole I got for nothing in the local sales room. It appears to be resonant on 20M when I test it with my antenna analyser but tunes 1-1 across 40, 30, 17,15,12, and 10 meters with its best friend a LDG 817 tuner. I also love working mobile with a selection of mobile whip antennas, Now I have two FT-817s with one set up as a small portable unit in a handbag which I take with me in the car and on holiday breaks. It has been a very enjoyable experience using the FT817’s. These rigs have been everywhere with me over the year and have been used in many conceivable configurations from base station to mobile to backpack/picnic table portable.11To date, there are still no other portable radios on the market which in my eyes compete with the FT-817nd in terms of versatility. I considered the Elecraft KX-3 and would love a KX3 but I am staying with the FT-817nd because of its 2m, 70cm, airband, and FM broadcast capabilities. I do use all of these bands and modes. Next year I want to get active on 2m SSB & PSK with an 11-element beam antenna.11Some folks say that the 5-watt transmitter output is a serious limitation. I personally haven't found it to be a problem and am usually able to contact the stations which I try for. GW0VSW on holiday in Madeira as CT9/GW0VSW with a FT817 running 5 watts CW and an LDG Z-817 with a half size G5RV on the hotel roof. Carl made 63 QSO’s with 24 DXCC on 40,30,20, 17, 12 and 10M. Despite a good deal of static noise due to thunder storms which made things hard going at times. His best DX was on 20M with PY6JRP and PS7HD 11I installed the Windcamp LiPo battery in my FT-817nd several months ago and it works great and lasts for a long time between charges.11All in all, I just don't think that as of yet you will find a more adaptable & versatile radio. 1 LDG Z817 The ultimate QRP autotuner with built-in interface for FT-817. Powered by four internal AA batteries that lasts over a year. Tuning could not be simpler; one button push on the tuner is all that is needed and the Z-817 takes care of the rest. It will switch to PKT mode, transmit a carrier, tune the tuner, then restore the radio to the previous mode! 2000 memories cover 160 through 6 meters. Matches up to 8 to 1 SWR and up to 20 watts. “What's not to like about this matcher? I use it with my Yaesu FT-817ND. The relays are quiet, the batteries last an age in it, it will tune so much. There really isn't anything better for QRP. To give the ATU (any ATU) the best possible reliability and range, always use an earth connection where practical - the Z-817 has an earth point on it. The simple one touch tuning for the FT-817(ND) means there isn't anything else out there that could do a better job. “ =====================================================================

WHY

QRP

WORKS!!