[TenTec] Minimum power necessary

["Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" <k5uj@hotmail.com>]

Al does a good job in pointing out the absurdity of a minimum power rule 
when taken to an unsensible extreme.  I try to avoid commenting on the 
operating of others but I must say I find working weak signals an 
unenjoyable chore, and since I'm in my shack to have fun (it is a hobby 
after all) I tend to avoid weak stations.  If I have to, I'll put on 
headphones, diddle with filters, passband tuning and so on, and dig someone 
out long enough to have a brief qso and give a signal report but then I'll 
politely move on.  This usually applies to qrp stations (or even 100 w. on 
the low bands) on phone, mobile stations, stations with compromise antennas 
or some combination of these.  I'm mostly not a dxer, and the most minor 
contester.  I prefer ragchews with strong stations with full audio I can put 
on my speakers, relax and enjoy.  That usually means big antennas, amps, 
fairly wide sigs and some audio processing.  I suppose that makes my kind of 
operating the SUV of ham radio (no, 375 w. DSB carrier AM probably is now 
that I think about it) but I submit that there is very little difference in 
spectrum use between me, going down to around 75 hz and up to 2925, and 
someone with those stock 2.4 khz filters going from 300 to 2700, a mere 17% 
increase.  In fact, the majority of the so called "wide" SSB operators max 
out at 3 KHz.  I consider the return on the modest extension of 4 or 5 
hundred hz. in terms of audio quality extensive.  A properly modulated ~3 
KHz SSB signal is almost indistinguishable from a NBFM signal.

Sure I've tried low power operating--I didn't get a license and immediately 
start up the station I have now.  My experience:  Calling CQ and never 
getting answers.  QSOs lasting only a few minutes because the other guy with 
the big signal, whom I was kicked back and enjoying listening to, wasn't 
enjoying copying me.   Lots of tuning and listening--nice, if you are a SWL 
or have huge amounts of free time.  Operating cw whether I wanted to or not 
because that was the only mode that got results.  And so on.  I bet there 
are a lot of hams who agree with everything I have said but who would never 
admit it.  And I bet there are a lot of QRP operators to whom, were I to 
offer free Titan III amps, would take them in a heartbeat and never look 
back.  I don't think anyone advocates 1.5 kw all the time but 5 or 6 hundred 
watts on 75 meters to an efficient antenna sure is nice : )

73,

Rob Atkinson
K5UJ

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