[Elecraft] FD W4ZV 1B QRP Single Op

[Jim Brown]

No, I didn't miss it at all. I found your observations to be completely in line with my 
expectations. For most contests, I have to operate as if I were QRP -- no beam, 100 
watts to compromise wire antennas on a city lot (and often a high noise level).  That 
puts me roughly 17 dB below the guys with legal power and beams (and it puts QRP 
to a wire antenna 30 dB below legal power and beams). In other words, you've 
learned how I have to operate in virtually every contest except Field Day, and is why 
Field Day is my favorite contest -- there are very few stations running more than 100 
watts!  

But I have a lot of fun working contests at home,  because it hones my operating 
skills. I am among those who believe that ALL contests ought to be limited to 100 
watts to make it a more level playing field. It would mean that folks without big power 
and big antennas have a better chance to hit bigger numbers.  

73,

Jim  K9YC

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 07:34:59 -0400, Bill Tippett wrote:

>K9YC wrote:
> >Our 100 watt 3A (K9OR) made 1039 Q's on 40 meters alone.
>
>         You may have missed the point Jim.  100 watts is 13 dB stronger
>than 5 watts.  If most QRP stations like myself found that CQ-ing
>was simply not effective and did S&P only, the universe of stations
>to work is FAR less.  I suspect most stations CQ-ing were 100 watts.
>Also many guys choose to mainly do S&P independent of power.  If you
>cannot effectively CQ, you are going to miss both the QRP guys who
>are S&P only as well as the 100 watt guys who choose not to CQ.  You
>can never do well in any contest (except for the NCJ Sprints) unless
>you can maintain effective rates CQ-ing.
>
>         I thought I might be able to CQ on the higher bands well up
>in the band and out of the way of stronger signals, but that simply
>would not work on any band for me, even though I tried many times.
>Such is life with QRP and wire antennas I suspect.  As I said
>before, it was a good lesson in humility but I'm not sure I want
>to repeat it again!  I think I learned this lesson once before in
>the Stew Perry Topband Challenge but had forgotten it.
>
>                                         73,  Bill  W4ZV
>
>P.S.  Anyone have any comments on my K2 questions?  QSK thumping,
>power meter inconsistencies or memory keying timing?
>
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