[Elecraft] QSO of the week (and a re-learned QRP SSB tip)

[Wayne Burdick]

Gorgeous day here in Northern Cal, so off I went on a mountain bike trip to the bay, with the KX2 and a home-brew multi-band whip in my sling pack. I found a log to sit on, in the shade (a luxury at the beach), then deployed the station. Within a few seconds I heard K2K in New Hampshire calling CQ on 20 m SSB as part of the "13-Colonies” operating event. Called him with 10 watts, and since there were many stations calling, I added “QRP” at the end. Broke the pileup on one call. With a 4-foot whip :)

“QRP” sounds quite distinctive on the air, often drawing the attention of good operators. Timing is key: if you have several stations calling, they’ll all try to get their call in at the same time, pretty quickly, leaving a nice gap right at the end where that magic word can drop in. Give it a try next time you’re operating with low power or compromise antennas.

I’m more of a CW guy, but this reminded me how much SSB can be when the bands are open. Also worked a number of VE stations as part of the concurrent RAC contest.

I took a photo of the rig, antenna, and a supporting 2-legged “bipod" that I’ll be happy to share if anyone is interested. Just contact me off-list.

73,
Wayne
N6KR