QRP, But Not The Distance I Hoped For : )

[K5TEN]

The other night I checked 40m and on a cold winter evening it was cripsly quiet of QRN and plenty of loud signals...the perfect conditions for QRP.

Checking on two different meters to make sure, I carefully tuned to just a tad under 3 watts and called CQ on 7.040. Using my standard 3 x 3 x 1 call, and at a well spaced 5 wpm, I called again. No answer. I called again and noticed what sounded like a loud station nearby. Being locked in on 7.040.0 and on clarifier mode, I tuned up the band about 1/2 kHz (I was using my most narrow CW filter and expecting a zero-beat reply) and hear a station calling me. It was another 5-land call. "Oh, it's probably a station in New Mexico," I thought. It was AB5IF.

After the first exchange and telling him I was 3 watts and in Hot Springs National Park, AR, he asked an odd question. "Are U in phonebook?" Pretty strange, I thought. I don't even have his name yet and he want's to know if I'm in the phonebook. "No, not in phonebook here BT only have cell nw" I replied. "U have 2 m? He asked. "No 2 m here yet, need to get ant up" I replied. This is getting wierder. "Ur QTH?" I asked. "Same as Urs"... Then and only then did I start to recognize the call. I had worked him on 10m SSB about a year earlier. I emailed him my cell number and we had a nice chat, and then again a very enjoyable QSO on 40m SSB.

My 3 watt milage on that CW QSO? About 1 watt per mile!

[Jerry]

When the 10 meters is open - you can work QRP like that.

Unfortunately when you do that - you have two things against you.
The first is that you are from the USA - and when the band opens up - no one wants to talk to someone from the USA - since they can do that all the time.

The second is when people are contesting - they want to talk to the loudest signal, not the quietest.

I guess you discovered QRP - is a lot like CB, in that LOS is your best shot.

I also believe that you found out what I found out and that is that the 40 meters is a bad place to try to work dx because the locals use it - especially in their mobiles, and that restricts you to about 300 miles in all directions.

I have never been brave enough to broadcast that I only want DX or that I only want West Coast, or I only want Europe.
That invites all of the jammers and the interference crowd to start messing with your signal.