Ham radio idiot here <--

[7wt]

Yup, most of the rest of the time I run my amp to 11. Still, the 817 prolly does have the most time...

This was my thinking also. I can easily run an amp at the QTH if I ever really wanted to. The small size QRP rig/battery/antenna makes backpacking and small gear carrying a lot more attractive and versital to me. Besides, where I live now I can't set up a proper antenna so to get the most use out of a rig it will require me to hoof it up a hill. I am also the kind of guy that buys the small backpacking stove for car camping, it just looks cooler.

 

[xtatik]

Yup, most of the rest of the time I run my amp to 11. Still, the 817 prolly does have the most time...

Well, my back's too old for even that type of QRP.....
I've rebuilt a pair of SB-200's and throttle them at about 600w most of the time.
Working portable outside the truck, I just run barefoot. That's my kind of QRP.

 

[Tennmogger]

There's a place for both high and low power, of course.

Never underestimate the ability to communicate with lower power. Here's a picture taken week before last in lower Baja. This was my "emergency comm" setup, just in case. Running 20 W into either a whip antenna (20m and up), or a couple of random wires about 45 ft long (75m and 40m), had decent contact into 8 states at one time on the nightly 40m USB net.

That's a PRC-174 Israeli packset with built in automatic antenna tuner, running on a 24v battery from a Brit PRC-320 packset (a convenient battery pack for 24v, and charged off a 14v charger "DCCU" or 24v Unimog). The antenna was one ground counterpoise run out across a dune, and the other 45 ft wire over the top of the Unimog canvas cover and across to a cactus. Took about 10 minutes to set up.

Thought you might be interested in another approach to radio comms.

Bob WB4ETT

http://www.billcaid.com/2011/BajaTrip20110226/TripMain.html

Well, my back's too old for even that type of QRP.....
I've rebuilt a pair of SB-200's and throttle them at about 600w most of the time.
Working portable outside the truck, I just run barefoot. That's my kind of QRP.

 

[xtatik]

There's a place for both high and low power, of course.

Never underestimate the ability to communicate with lower power. Here's a picture taken week before last in lower Baja. This was my "emergency comm" setup, just in case. Running 20 W into either a whip antenna (20m and up), or a couple of random wires about 45 ft long (75m and 40m), had decent contact into 8 states at one time on the nightly 40m USB net.

That's a PRC-174 Israeli packset with built in automatic antenna tuner, running on a 24v battery from a Brit PRC-320 packset (a convenient battery pack for 24v, and charged off a 14v charger "DCCU" or 24v Unimog). The antenna was one ground counterpoise run out across a dune, and the other 45 ft wire over the top of the Unimog canvas cover and across to a cactus. Took about 10 minutes to set up.

Thought you might be interested in another approach to radio comms.

Bob WB4ETT

Hi Bob,
No underestimation here, and cool setup BTW. I've logged plenty of QRP stations and have been impressed by many of them and their signal strengths. I've even looked into it many times, but putting together a station for that specific purpose just hasn't materialized. At home, I run the 950 at 50w into the SB200 and get about 600w. I run the portable station (450at) at 100w into my homebrew sloper or inverted-v dipoles at about fifty feet using a fiberglass push-up mast.

 

[Tennmogger]

Hi Randy,

My favorite home antenna is a doublet about 140 ft long at 60 ft, fed with ladder line and balanced tuner.

Higher power is really a requirement under some circumstances, of course. If interference level from other hams (QRM) is high, or band conditions are terrible, running some power really makes a difference. At home I have a 300W solid state linear (RM Italy HLA-300, 20W in, 300 out) that's perfect for the 20 W packsets.

BTW, even though this type 'packset' was made to be portable (but designed 30 years ago), only a dummy would carry one to the top of a mountain LOL. Military packsets are terrible for tuning around a band, too. Best if used on fixed frequencies.

Another bit of info for prospective and newer hams: for emergency communications you are much better off using an HF net than just a general 'CQ' for anyone who might answer you. There are nets on HF all the time, most bands, and with a little advance knowledge you can know where to find them. There's nothing like having 50 hams with big antennas all trying to hear you (as on the Maritime Mobile and Intercontinental Nets on 14,300).

Bob WB4ETT

Hi Bob,
No underestimation here, and cool setup BTW. I've logged plenty of QRP stations and have been impressed by many of them and their signal strengths. I've even looked into it many times, but putting together a station for that specific purpose just hasn't materialized. At home the 950 at 50w into the SB200 and get about 600w. I run the portable station (450at) at 100w into my homebrew sloper or inverted-v dipoles at about fifty feet using a fiberglass push-up mast.

 

[xtatik]

Another bit of info for prospective and newer hams: for emergency communications you are much better off using an HF net than just a general 'CQ' for anyone who might answer you. There are nets on HF all the time, most bands, and with a little advance knowledge you can know where to find them. There's nothing like having 50 hams with big antennas all trying to hear you (as on the Maritime Mobile and Intercontinental Nets on 14,300).

Bob WB4ETT

Yeah, I touched on this subject a while back:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46807

Most who use the HF bands would have a handle on this, but I thought it was worth posting. I certainly didn't cover all the nets but put together a decent example.....I hope.

 

[DaveInDenver]

And it should be mentioned that a lot of HF nets also have multiple control operators geographically separated. The chance that you will hear and be heard is greater because of this, not to mention they'll have their beams oriented for different coverage as well. It really is the essence of emergency comm instead of relying on someone following the wilderness protocol. That's not to say calling on 146.520 at the top of the hour isn't worthwhile, but very limiting in scope and coverage.