QRP !!
QRP !!
Why QRP ????
1 - What is QRP ??
QRP is the technique of using low/very low power for two-way communications. QRP holds outstanding challenges and personal gratification. QRP gives its adherents a special sense of achievement when they contact a far away station while transmitting just a few watts. Output powers of 5 watts or less on CW or 10 watts or less on SSB are generally recognised as being QRP. Extemely low power (<1 watt) is often referred as QRPp.
QRPers build their own equipament or antennas from readily available designs. Virtually any facet of amateur radio can be done with QRP.
If you are using low power you should use the telegraphic "Q" code, that it says:
QRP - To lower ones power
QRP ? - Can you lower power ?
Oftenly you are running with more power that you need, "Run ONLY the power neccesary to maintein the desired comunications" (FCC Rules).
2 - QRP frecuencies
QRP can yield many solid contacts, even when sunspots are few. You can mantein a QSO wherever you are in the bands, but QRP clubs around the world have agreed (with some variations) for the following frequencies for HF bands :
3 - Avoid a negative attitude
· I can't work DX using only 5 watts and a wire dipole
· I have to be grateful for achieving just a few contacts with QRP
· It is impossible to participate in a contest with QRP
A negative attitude is a big enemy of QRPing. In fact, you can have a lot of fun and work a lot of DX with flea power. The only difference between QRP and 'normal' power (>100 w) is your signal strength. Your QRP signal will always be 2-3 S-units weaker than the 'normal' signal (in theory).
For example:
100 w ................................9 S-units
5 w ..................................... 7 S-units
This means, that under some (bad) conditions, 5 w is simply not enough to establish communication, where the guy using 100 w will be succesful.
Having said this, all other factors are equal. Your receiver, your antenna, your proficiency in CW, your knowledge and experience regarding propagation are 1:1 comparable with your QRO counterparts.
Avoid a defensive attitude due to using QRP. Do not be selfconscious using QRP. Weak performance is not reflected in the power level. Weak performance is being a bad operator, lacking propagation knowledge or transmitting bad sounding signals. Your 5 watt signal CAN be heard !!
Rules for a QRP success :
1) Use efficient antenna. Half wave dipoles or better is preferred. It is very easy to build a ground plane antenna with some aluminium tubes, a yagi, or a quad with PVC... The antenna is the most important thing of a DXer so...
2) QRP are SKILLS, Know your capabilities and dont expect a DX everytime. It could be nice to work them but dont forget that you are not alone and lots of operators are running higher power than you to work a DX... Just be pacient, wait and choose the best moment to call.
For example in a DXpedition you might not work them in the very first days... and you need to wait for the next days. Be patient!.
3) Be there first. Have frecuency-agile equipment plus a bit of luck. The most effective techique for making contacts is to be the first station to hear and then be heard by the target station
4) Be the only one there. Even rare DX stations or busy contesting stations have slower periods. Your task is to be there then. When exactly are these times: the last portion of a contest, just when the band is beginning to open or close, when a station has just QSYed, when a contest station is fighting another station for the frequency and the random times (found by listening over a long period of time for just that right minute).
I use to have a pen and a piece of paper to write frequencies and callsigns of what I hear and i cant work...maybe later i can do it. Propagation might improve and for sure I will get the chance. It has nosense to be calling if stronger signals are around...I would waste time, power and the oportunity to work somebody else.
• Get in the Rhythm or study the DX. Time your response so you are heard in the crowd. Techniques can include: quickly sending your call, delayed calling, tail ending, varying the number of times you repeat your call, varied pacing and emphasis. Listen to see what rhythm the successful stations are using, and then
follow suit .
5) Use "tail-ending" to advantage. When your signal is weaker than average (Such as when operating QRP), this is the most effective way of obtaining contacts. Simply tune across the band, noting the contacts that are ending. When all stations sign clear, call one of the station. They willl most likely reply to your call, even if only to give a signal report.
6) Good quality signals. A transmitter that clicks and chirps is harder to copy at the other end than a signal from a clean and stable transceiver. Make sure your signal “Sounds Good”
. Use a quality keyer with paddles/keyboard and make sure they are adjusted properly.
Use good spacing and character weighting. Match your speed to the other station’s sending.
On SSB use an effective microphone. DXing or Contesting mic elements place emphasis on a specific range of frequencies that can make your signal stand out. Use speech processing properly and/or sparingly
7) Be in the right frequency. Learn how to zero beat the other station’s signal. Sometimes you need to be on a different frequency than that of the target station. Listen to the stations that are being worked and zero beat them instead, then use your RIT to listen to the target station. You can try varying your frequency slightly above or below the crowd to make your signal stand out. On CW, know the relationship between your transmit and receive frequencies. Its is possible for a station to miss your call if you are transmitting on the wrong frecuency.
8) Have an efficient transmit/receive switching system.
9) Know your equipment. Read the manual and learn the operation of all the features of your rig(s). Of course you can do it with a basic transceiver, but commercial equipments provide a full range of advantages. I know this might seem like a waste of time, but believe me when you want to work that rare DX station and it is the last hours of operation just before they leave the island and they are working split and you not sure how to do it with your rig you will care! Pay special attention to sections on: working split, RIT, XMIT, filter selection, DSP, mic gain and speech processor.
Use the best receiver you can afford and use the tools of your equipment.
10) Enter contests to boost your operating skills. High power is not necessary to participate in contest.
11) Don´t be afraid to call CQ. Sometimes you can get nice surprises... You can check that propagation is open listening the beacons, or listening other operators...If they can, you too!
4 - Learn and use CW
CW is the preferred mode for most QRPers. To be a good skilled CW operator requires practising, both off-air and on the bands. It takes several years to acquire the needed skills. A good off-air training program after having passed the morse test is a very good idea. You set your own speed both in sending and receiving, and you feel safe because no one hears your mistakes. A complementary way of practising is to be on the air. This part gives you operational skills. You will learn to deal with interference and fading and to read unorthodox (i.e. bad) CW, which is sent by some stations.
Don´t forget that 5 watts CW is equivalent to 100 watts SSB.
5 - Listen carefully
Listen carefully on the bands and identify every station you hear. Listen both for the strong and the weak stations. I am often pleasently surprised when getting a response from a weak station which I call. If you are the only station on his frequency, your signal strength is not important.
European stations like me are often fooled into not calling a weak DX-station because we hear loud local stations nearby. We believe, that our signal is too weak for the DX-station to hear. But the DX-station may not hear the same as we do, because the loud locals may beam towards us and may not even be heard by the DX-station. So don't avoid the weak DX-signals. Give them a call!
6 - QRP awards and Contests
There are various awards and contest specially fro the QRPers, but in most of the popular ones there is a QRP category (CQ WW, WPX, ARRL 10,...). Contest participation is recommended if you want to increase your DXCC list during 48 hours than several months of normal hunting on the bands... You are weaker in QRP than the rest of the operators but most of the contesters are running good antennas to take part on it, and DX is easier to work than in a normal operation. Contest participation is recommended if you want to increase your country total quickly. Lots of rare countries are easier to work in a contest, because the pile-ups are smaller, especially on the second day.
Some hints for those having little experience in contesting but wanting to increase their country total:
· Try a minor contest before targeting a major.
· Hunt for new countries and for unconfirmed countries. Don't worry about your eventual low score.
· Don't be afraid of a station sending fast CW. Take your time to read the call and the contest exchange. Write down the serial number. When you jump in, you know what number you will be given. Send your contest exchange at a comfortable speed without errors. Dont get nervious if they dont hear your exchange report. Repeat it several times if needed.
· During Contest you might take part in some "pile-ups". Do not get desperate! Do not waste time and have a look to the near-by frequencies to "catch" something. As soon as all QRO stations work the DX...scenario can be quiet, and the best moment for QRPers.
· Check the propagation on the diferent bands the previous days. Choose the right band/bands according to you avaliable time too (Single band or multi band).
During the contest remember to change band according to the propagation and feelings. Choosing the right band at the right time is a science in itself. But a multiband effort will probably increase your chances of success.
Mixed categories are a great option (CW + SSB).
QSO is the fuel for the engine, but multipliers provide a boost. More QSOs is the key for high scores. QRP are skills !!
· Be active on both days of the contest. Saturday may show good propagation while Sunday yields bad results or vice versa.
· The size of the contest might determine if you should call CQ or use "Search and pouncing"(S&P) strategy. To be calling CQ in major contest can be useless sometimes so S&P migh the best option if you are using a basic Radio station (Dipole or vertical) or even in crowded bands. If you decide to do some "running" you might be covered by the noise and nobody will hear you. Higher bands are wider and peaceful, use them and find a clean frequency.
· Avoid long calls during contest if you choose "running" technique. Something like CQ CONTEST EA1XXX (SSB) or TEST EA1BP TEST (CW) should be fine. Wait 2-3 seconds between each and keep repeating. If you are "S&P", make sure you exchange the callsign and the exchange info correctly. I would suggest to repeat your callsign if you are not 100 % sure he/she has the correct callsign or repeat the exchange report.
· Submit your log in the QRP category even if you have few contacts on the log. You might be surprised with the final results.
List of my favourite HF contest (with QRP CATEGORY):
- Hungarian DX Contest (2nd weekend January)
- UBA DX Contest - SSB (Last weekend January)
- European Union DX Contest (1st weekend February)
- ARRL Int. DX Contest - SSB (1st weekend March)
- Russian DX Contest (3rd weekend March)
- CQ WW WPX Contest SSB (Last weekend March)
- SP DX Contest (1st weekend April)
- YU DX Contest (3rd weekend April)
- CQ MM DX Contest (3rd weekend April)
- King of Spain - CW (3rd weekend May)
- CQ W WPX Contest CW (Last weekend May)
- King of Spain - SSB (3rd weekend June)
- Marconi Memorial HF Contest (1st weekend July)
- IARU HF World Championship (2nd weekend July)
- IOTA Contest (3rd weekend July)
- Worked all Germany Contest (2nd weekend October)
- CQ WW DX Contest - SSB (Last weeekend October)
- Ukranian DX Contest (1st weekend November)
- OK/OM DX Contest (2nd weekend November)
- LZ DX Contest (3rd weekend November)
- CQ WW DX Contest - CW ( Last weekend November)
- ARRL 10 meters Contest (2nd weekend December)
- Croatian DX Contest (3rd weekend December)
7 - Build your own equipment or antenna
The proudness being on the air using a piece of homemade equipment can not be described, it is a good feeling. You should allow yourself to experience this. In these days of "credit-card-bying-power", nothing beats to control airwaves by your very own homebuilt equipment. Let me suggest to start with the antennas (Dipoles, verticals, quads, yagi...) and then you can build a watt-meter, an antenna-tuner, a transmitter or even a complete transceiver! .
QRP are advantages :
- Transceivers are theorically cheaper than a 100 watts ones.
- Most of the transceivers are small and light, so you can put them in a bag and ready to have fun with a small battery and a simple dipole. You don´t need more.
8 - Operating: How do I avoid weak performance on the air?
Generally, it is not necessary to sign /QRP when calling a station. If he hears you, you will usually get an answer. Your callsign, your clean and pleasant sounding signal and your good operating technique are more important than your signal strength.
Sometimes it is an advantage adding /QRP to your call in order to attract attention! I do not encorauge to use /QRP.
Unfortunately there are too many QRO operators using the same technique... even with high power!
When the initial contact is established, it is not necessary for the QRPer to send his report, name and QTH three or more times. Under normal band conditions, this info should be sent once or twice. If repeating unnecessarily, you anticipate your signal being difficult to read. If it actually is difficult to read, the other station will tell you by requesting the missing information.
The same applies to contest exchanges. Send exactly the same short exchange as the high-power operators. Again, if something doesn't get across, the other station will request it.
"Try QRP and you will find that reach is more than just output. Here, as so ofter in life, less is better"(by SA3BOW)