Topband: QRP DX

[Tom Rauch]

In the 60's mid-west stations could work G's who were running only 5 
or 10 watts, and the USA stations were running 100 watts or so by 
law. It took very good conditions, because we did not have packet 
(allowing Ghost contacts) or even know much about antennas.

It is all a matter of how propagation is, and how the antennas are. 

To give other examples of how far low power signals can go, W8LRL and 
myself can plainly hear each other's MFJ antenna analyzers. They are 
well out of the noise, and we are about 700 miles apart!

Wal and I reduced power in a test, and we easily had a QSO on 160 
using fractional-milliwatt power levels. We got down to 100 
microwatts or less and were still perfectly readable to each other.

Thinking about that, it is amazing that many thousands of times less 
power than used by a flashlight bulb could go 700 miles.

VK3ZL often turns his power down to 5 watts and is readable here 
during good openings. I've worked dozens of other VK's running 5 
watts, some with small antennas, and used to regularly work two VK's 
who were mobile on 160 back in the 80's, both with 100 watts and 
small antennas.


73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com