From QRO minded to QRP power

This story is about how I became an enthusiast QRP radio amateur, although the plan was: Build a 10 watt CW transceiver, perhaps I could make some QSO's with it and then build a RF amplifier of at least 100 watt, the more the better. And indeed, a few weeks after obtaining my HF license, the transmitter for 80, 40 and 20 m was under construction. I tested the driver (0.5 W output) for its stability by connecting the collector of the driver transistor to a few meters of wire hanging in the shack. It looked OK and just for fun I transmitted 2x CQ.

The general coverage shortwave receiver used for my first QSO in QRP.

The Barefooter, I made many QSO's with this rig when on holidays in Norway and Sweden. And I did run barefoot in the snow due to this rig...

And then it happened: A YU1 station called me on the short wave radio. I was so astonished and confused that it was due to my CW experience on 2 meters that the QSO came to a good end with rst 569! With an unmatched piece of wire connected to the driver running 0.5 watt real QRP power!!

The whole weekend I was impressed by the fact that it was possible to make QSO's over 2000 km with such low power, a new QRP'er was born. Well, the 10 watt amplifier gave not more than 5 watt but was accepted as the final stage. The 100 watt TS520 (it looked so nice) is never used a lot. Simple QRP equipment technology is my hobby now and I am astonished about what you can do with that. But I do admit, although it is not my interest, I have respect for the hams making very big stations with enormous antenna mast. I do surely not have enough energy to make such a station.

My second Barefoot technology QRP rig with 20 and 40 meter. I made many QSO's with it, while camping in the middle of nowhere.

The 4 band QRP rig. Good enough for many nice QSO's!

A few weeks later I bought the book "Solid state for the radio amateur". A simple CW VXO tuned transceiver with 1 IC CA3028 and 3 transistors was described and this design was so different compared with the complex schematic diagrams I had seen, that I absolutely wanted to make and try it. It gave 0.6 watt on 14 MHz, supplied by 2x4.5V batteries. The Direct Conversion receiver worked very well and of course it had to be taken with me during holidays. Almost every day it was possible to make contacts from Norway and Sweden with a ham nearby my home QTH. The antenna was a simple inverted V dipole, the centre at 4 meters height.

To be short: Nowadays I only have QRP equipment and made many QSO's even with South America with powers of less than 2 watt and simple dipole / random wire antenna's. My hobby is "Barefoot technology" and "Barefoot power"! Constructing simple QRP equipment and experience what you can do with QRP. Of course you cannot climb the Mount Everest while running barefoot, but do you want that? I don't.

The ultra portable HIS transceiver. Only for fans of really simple Barefoot technology!

BACK TO INDEX PA2OHH