QRPp -- Putting The Thrill Back Into Ham Radio


How Low Can You Go?

After about a year of operating at 5 watts, I read an article by Jim Hale* in QST on operating QRPp (1 watt or less). Inspired, I began turning down my power step by step to see what I could do. The 20m band was "wide open" that week so until I got below 100mW, I was amazed at how easy it was to work a QSO at these levels. I also discovered that at around 50-40mW successfully contacting DX was more difficult. While my best miles/watt achievements are not nearly world records, the next time I sense a great band opening, I'm going to try to break my own records.

The first successful 50mW QSO got me just as excited as my first ever ham QSO. QRPp does put the thrill back into the hobby. Here is my log for my QRPp Experiment Week.



*Check out Jim's webpage in the QRP Links section.