Rick has provided excellent advice on all counts. A few comments --
W6JTI and N6WG are both superb operators -- W6JTI, W6GJB, and I worked
FD together this year QRP, and won class 1A Battery, and Frank regularly
turns in great scores -- 3830 lists him as the top QRP score west of
Chicago for CQWWCW, top QRP score in ARRL 10M, #2 west of Chicago in
ARRL DX CW. N6WG has been inactive for several years -- his XYL has had
health issues.
Second, emphasizing Rick's advice for a QRP op to NEVER send anything
extra, and NEVER repeat anything the other station has copied correctly.
Once he's got your call right, NEVER send it again, only send your
exchange, and ONLY send parts of the exchange that the other station
hasn't gotten right. Example -- if I'm being copied as K0YC, I'll send
"K9 K9 K9". If he's got my call right, I'll send only "CM87", and if
he's having a hard time (he's asked for repeats more than once), I'll
repeat it several times without his asking. Likewise, in ARRL 160, I'll
send only "SCV" as a repeat. Remember, making a successful QSO means
catching the PEAKS of QSB -- don't waste time sending anything
un-necessary.
Third, successful QRP requires catching optimum propagation times, and
prop on 160 can vary a LOT during the night and from one night to
another in ways that aren't predictable. It's worth studying chapters
in the ON4UN book that address propagation.
73, Jim K9YC
On Fri,12/25/2015 9:27 AM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
Here is my 2 cents worth:
1. Running QRP with a decent antenna makes sense.
W6JTI runs up great QRP scores from his mountain
top. N7WG worked tirelessly to get a 50 foot
vertical up on a postage stamp lot in the SF
Bay Area and was a fixture in 160 meter contests
for years. He even achieved 160 meter WAS QRP.
I used to work him on ground wave from 50 miles
away at 2PM local time using my Bay Area beverage.
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