[Elecraft] Alligators and Bats

[Ed Juge/NM]

Interesting comments!

I have never experienced anyone terminating a QSO because I was QRP.
Usually I tell 'em, but when it's a DX station running lots of
name-and-report-only QSOs, sometimes I don't.

What I do experience frequently is giving the other station a lower sig.
report than he gives me when he is running +/-100 watts and I'm running 5 or
10.  My S-meter is set to agree with the one on my Icom 756PRO, and while I
realize there is no standard for S-meters across the board (yeah, I know
50uv = S9, but nobody adheres to it), I feel mine is about typical of what's
out there.  AND... almost always, when the other station begins to have
trouble copying me, I am beginning to have trouble copying him.

Examples:  A QSO on 20 meters last night with Russia...  559 to me, 539 to
him.  He was at 60 watts.  Good copy both directions.  A 40 meter QSO, with
100-watt station in NC last nite (I'm in NM)...  559 to him, 579 to me.
Just as he complained of QRN and signed, I began losing parts of his
transmission in the noise level.  I was at 5 watts for both of these QSOs.
My antenna on HF is a Hy-Gain Hy-Tower vertical with 45 radials.  (If your
location is quiet, as mine is, verticals are N-O-T inherently noisier than
horizontal antennas!!)

I do steer clear of bands that are noisy.  Early yesterday evening, 20m was
MUCH noisier than usual... worse than 40m for a while.  Later, 20 quieted
down and was good.  I don't hesitate to call a station whose signal is weak,
as long as I can read him above the noise, and I get answers probably 75% of
the time.

73... Ed, W5EJ