[Elecraft] Alligators and Bats

[Julian, G4ILO]

I don't see that the QRP/QRO argument applies that much when we're talking
a K2's 10/12W vs the average 100W. Sure, there are times when a guy whose
quite strong doesn't come back to me, but I figure he's probably got a
worse receiver, a noisy location or a lot of local QRM. That would happen
in the days when I ran 100W too. There are other times using the K2 when
I've felt that the other guy has been copying me better than I'm getting
him. It's unlikely to be the K2 receiver's fault, so I reckon it's all down
to conditions. About the only time I feel QRP puts me at a disadvantage is
in a pileup, but I never had much success in pileups with 100W either, so
now I just avoid pileups.

I was recently entering some old QSOs into a logging program, and I seem to
have got just as many "R4S2" kind of reports when I ran 100W as since I've
been using the K2. 10W is no substitute for 1KW, but I'm not convinced that
the difference between 10 and 100W is enough to worry about. Not even
during solar minimum. If a band's dead it's dead unless you can run full
legal to a huge beam, which is beyond the resources of most of us anyway.

73,
--
Julian, G4ILO. (RSGB, ARRL, K2 #392)
Homepage: http://www.qsl.net/g4ilo

Richard Mulvey <rich@mulveyfamily.com> wrote:

   I think we all need to remember is that we do make it harder on the
other guy when we run QRP - especially if we want to rag chew.  I've
never quite understood the common QRP mentality that we're somehow being
"better" ops by whispering across the room, while the other guy uses a
normal speaking voice.  Personally, the enjoyment I get from QRP stems
more from the ability to construct my own gear, and use it on the air. 
But I always keep its limitations in mind when I do.