[Elecraft] QRP at VHF

[James Duffey]

Bill is a good friend of mine and he has given me lots of points in  
VHF/UHF contests, for which I am very grateful. I think his views on  
QRP at VHF are overly harsh though. QRP does not fit into Bill's six  
meter goals and operating style, and I accept that, but that does not  
mean QRP is unsuitable for everyone. QRP certainly requires patience  
and hard work, as well as relying on CW and accepting that you will  
not be the loudest station on the band. It is not for those who can't  
stand hearing a rare station and not working it.

There is a QRP Portable category in the ARRL contests and a Hilltopper  
category in the July CQ contest, both of which are limited to 10 Watts  
or less. In either of these contests, if you go to a hilltop, or even  
a high spot in a sparsely populated grid square with an FT-817, 15 or  
20 ft of TV mast or EMT, a homebrew Moxon like N2MH has on his web  
page, and the longest WA5VJB cheap yagis for 2M and 70 cm, again home  
brew, you can have a lot of fun, and if there is reasonable activity  
work a lot of stuff. In the January contest you will likely do better  
than if you had 100 Watts on 6M only. The QRP combination is good for  
contacts out to 150-200 miles on CW perhaps half that on SSB. The QRP  
Portable category is under represented in the contests and there is  
some low lying fruit to be picked there in terms of section and  
division certificates.

QRP will work from a fixed site as well. The key is good antennas, up  
high and low loss feed line. On the other hand, if you put up a loop  
in the attic, drive it with the FT-817, you will only get a small  
taste of what VHF operating is about.

In my experience many, but not all, VHF ops on SSB will come back to  
you if you call them on CW. Cross mode contacts are fairly common, and  
if you are in a grid they need, they will work hard to put you in the  
log.

That said, you will quickly note the lack of power on VHF, even more  
so than on HF. There is lots of stuff at or near the noise level,  
particularly when the band is opening and closing that you will miss  
with QRP. You will hear the big stations far away, but they will not  
hear you, even when you call on CW. You will quickly learn that the  
key to success in VHF contesting is to be loud on two. If you are  
satisfied with the QRP experience, you can meet this objective by  
putting up more antenna. If you long for more than QRP can give you,  
brick amplifiers are readily available and will put you in the 150  
Watt class pretty easily without a big investment. Going from 5 or 10  
Watts on 2M to 150 Watts opens whole new worlds. And in contesting,  
that means on 6M and 70 cm as well.

QRP is fun on VHF and you can work a lot of stuff, but it only gives a  
taste of what VHF is good for. But for some a taste is enough. Get on  
with what you have, even if it is QRP and see if you like it. If you  
do you can go QRO later.

And then you will want to add 222 MHz, or the microwaves, or go  
roving, or try meteor scatter, or moonbounce. There is lots of  
adventure up on VHF and UHF, all of it pretty accessible these days to  
the average ham who is willing to work a bit.

There is a VHF contest this weekend, so if you have SSB/CW capability  
on VHF or UHF, give it a try. It is a lot of fun. I am roving along  
the 100th parallel south from Nebraska tomorrow, so I need to get up  
early and finish getting the rover read. Listen for the weak ones.  -  
Dr. Megacycle KK6MC/5
--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM