[Elecraft] I am planning

[Darwin, Keith]

Good advise.

Once you get on the air (at 5 wpm or even less :-), don't worry about
code speed.  Fill up several pages in your log book.  Then maybe you can
check your speed.  Getting faster takes time.  CW itself is a hobby and
for many of us, CW is as much fun as the rest of ham radio.

When I was a novice I didn't like CW.  I finally upgraded to General (13
wpm) and went immediately for SSB.  At the time I was using a Heath
HW-101 with an indoor dipole.  I made a few contacts but found I could
not routinely work stations.  I went back to CW because it was easier to
work stations with the weak signal if I was on CW.  About the time I hit
15 wpm, I suddenly discovered CW was fun.

QRP is a tough way to start a ham hobby.  I'd say you're better off
buying a no-hassles rig that puts out 50 or more watts.  Don't handicap
yourself.  You need to have QSOs, not spend your time trying to call
stations that can't hear you.  

40 meters is a great band, probably the best overall.  15 is another
fabulous band for limited space usage.  You can do a lot with just those
two bands.  At this time the sunspot cycle doesn't provide much
communications on 10 meters.

- Keith -

-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Stephen W. Kercel
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2005 7:27 PM
To: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] I am planning

Gerald:

With Tech Plus privileges you can work 15 meters as well as 10.
Admittedly, you could work SSB on 10, but are limited to CW on 15.
However, if you're planning for QRP and simple antennas, you'll probably
have more success on CW than SSB.

Anyway, you might consider trying to operate on 15 meters instead of (or
as well as) 10 meters. A half-wave dipole is only about 8 feet longer,
and during this period of low sunspot activity, 10 meter openings are
much less common than 15 meter openings. You will meet with far more
success, and enjoy the experience more on 15, at least for now.

Since you're planning to use QRP, you will probably be a lot more
satisfied with your results if you use a full size antenna such as a
half-wave dipole. Full size stealth antennas are easily feasible on both
10 and 15 m.

At what speed are you hitting the code wall? If your proficiency is
already good enough to pass the 5 WPM exam, you need not worry about it.
Once you get licensed and on the air, your speed will increase
spontaneously in the normal course of operating.

For heaven's sake, don't be embarrassed about being slow on the air. QRS
is a legitimate procedural signal, and it exists for a reason.Nobody
will think any less of you if operate slowly; we were all beginners
once. It is the responsibility of the faster operator to go at the speed
of the slower operator. With the exception of a few lids (who you don't
want to talk to
anyway) everyone will slow down to your speed, and nobody will tease you
about it.

Don't worry about contests (except maybe "Get Your Feet Wet") right
away. 
You need to gain some experience making ordinary QSOs. When you're ready
to start contesting, you'll know it.

As Elecraft points out, building a K2 is not a timed event. Although
you'll no doubt enjoy building it, do not expect to get on the air any
time soon if you go that route.

One suggestion is not to skimp on the antenna. Use good feedline, and
weather proofing, and make it of quality materials. Stealthy does not
mean shoddy. For a beginning operator using QRP, you cannot afford to
give anything away in antenna losses.

One tip I'd pass on is one that was passed on to me when I started out. 
You'd be better off not getting mixed up with 2 meters right away.
You'll enjoy greater success if you get some HF CW experience under your
belt first.

One final tip, if there is any way for you to get on 40 meters, you
should probably start there first. As a very wise old salt told me about
40 years ago, the fewest things seem to go wrong on 40 m. That is what I
did personally, and several novices have thanked me for passing that
advice on to them.

Good luck and 73,

Steve
AA4AK