UBA DX CW 2025

The UBA DX CW contest is a very nice contest, because you can work any station. A DX contest offers a good opportunity to work with low power.
This time I tried to make as many QSO's with QRPp and only use more power for something special.

S&P
I used only S&P (Search and Pounce), so I only answered CQ.
This is the best way for my to operate, cos I always must hear a call twice. Taking a number immediately is no problem. 

14 MHz

On Saturday I started on 14 MHz. On 14 MHz There is always good activity.
I dicided to start with 360 mW and only increase my power to 800 mW if necessery. When the band closed, there were 18 QSO's in the log.
11 QSO's with 360 mW and 4 QSO's with 800mW (4).
And even 1 QSO with 80 mW. When the signal goes up to S9+10 dB,
I use the PA1B 10 dB attenuator to reduce my power to 80 mW. Hi.

7 MHz 
Then I went to 7 MHz. The first QSO was made with 450 mW.

For an other 13 QSO's a power of 2.7 W was needed.

Sunday

14 MHz gave 5 QSO's with 800 mW and only 1 with 360 mW.
On 21 MHz I made 4 QSO's with 800 mW and 1 QSO with 2.7 W.
On 28 MHz I used 800 mW and 2.7 W in two QSO's.

Back on 21 MHz the signals were stonger, so now I used 360 mW (5)
and 800 mW (2). 

Back on 14 MHz the signals were strong I made 11 QSO's with 360 mW 
and for one QSO I had to switch to 800 mW.

So I had great fun with low power.

Worked DXCC's

Power per band

Paper QSL's

As a QRP and milliwatt enthusiast I make QSO's with low power.
With low power it is not that difficult to breach the 1000 Miles per Watt boundry.
Recently I received QSL carts for QSO's that are made with more than
1000 Miles per Watt.

36 Milliwatt & 671 Miles gives 18630 Miles per Watt

K2SX 1558 MPW  -  RG61PP 3430 MPW
W3UA 4325 MPW  -  ED9U 1530 MPW     

Call           Power          Miles      Miles per Watt    
SP7IFM        36 mW       671           18630         
K2SX         2700 mW     4206             1558          
W3UA        2700 mW     3461             4325           
RG61PP      360 mW      1234             3430          
ED9U          800 mW      1225             1530         
        All QSO's with CW on an End fed                  

PACC 2025 QRPp

I participated in the PACC contest for a limited time this year.
Last year I had the experience, that a power of 360 mW works just as well as a full power of 3.6 W. hi.
So this year I started immediately with QRPp with 360 mW.

I made a total of 40 QSOs with 360 mW on 20 meters with CW on a end fed antenna.

Miles per Watt

Breaking the 1000 Miles per Watt barrier, sounds harder than it is.

After all, with 360 mW, each QSO over a distance of more than 360 miles (576 km) is a "More than 1000 Miles per Watt" QSO.

With a power of 360 mW and a distance of more than 360 miles in each QSO all 40 QSOs are good for1000 Miles per Watt.

In the table the QSO's are sorted by DXCC.
The QSO over the shortest distance is with a station in Switzerland (HB9) with a distance just over 360 miles.

The longest distance covered (3545 miles), was with a station in the United States (K) and gives 9850 Miles per Watt.

I didn't expect every QSO to yield more than "1000 miles per watt". Hi.

CW

My CW was a bit rusty on using the bencher, after months of inactivity.

Furthermore, I have to hear every call twice, to copy it completely and preferably without errors.

Milliwatt eQSL's

In the CQ WW DX CW contest I made a lot of milliwatt QSO's. (35)

I had great fun with very low power.

Here are a few eQSL cards with the corresponding 

Miles per Watt info.

E70T - 36 mW - 745 Miles - 20690 Miles/Watt

LZ8E - 80 mW - 1153 Miles - 14400 Miles/Watt

OZ1IKY - 80 mW - 392 miles - 4900 Miles/Watt

SV1ME - 360 mW - 1334 Miles - 3700 Miles/Watt

YL2VW - 80 mW - 826 Miles - 10330 Miles/Watt

Curious for the low power QSO in the CQ WW DX CW 2024 -  Then Click here

CQ WW DX CW 2024

 

At first I wondered, wheter I would join the CQ WW DX CW contest. Late in the afternoon I turned on the RIG and I listened for a minute.
When I heard the strong signals, I was immediately excited.

Very low power QSO's 
The first 5 QSO's were made in just 20 minutes with a power of 36 mW (1), 80 mW (3) and 3.6 mW (1), on Saterday afternoon.

Two digit milliwatting
On Sunday afternoon I used 80 mW to make an other 6 QSO's with S&P.

QSB

Then the QSB kicked in. So I had to use 360 milliwatt. And on occasion I made one QSO with 80 mW and one with 36 mW. 

Activity in the contest
A major contest offers a great opportunity to make QSO's with low power.
I had great fun with QRPp with 3.6 mW to 800 mW. All with S&P.
I also made 2 more QSOs with 2.7 W on 40 m, but the emphasis was on working with low power.

TRC DX contest 2024

I had great fun with low power in the TRC DX contest 2024
When the signaal strength goes up, I reduce my power, before answering a CQ.

On 20 meter I reduced my power when possible.
And on the other bands (40 m, 15 m and 10 m) I used a power of 2.7 W.
In this conest I used QRPp (1 W or less) in 22 QSO's and in 21 QSO's I used more than 1 W. My antenna is an end fed sloping down to the east.

1000 Miles per Watt
With low power it is easy to make a "more than 1000 Miles per Watt QSO".
The QSO's in RED are more than 1000 Miles per Watt QSO's.

As a Low Power enthusiast I often use Search an Pounce (S&P). When the signals are strong I use S&P, instead of calling CQ with  the maximum power of my QRP set.
Before I answer a CQ, I can adjust my power, using the S-meter reading. The stronger the signal, the lower the power can be. Propagation works both ways.

ARI DX contest 2024

I participated in the ARI DX contest in May for just half an hour.
In this very short time I made 5 very nice QRPp CW QSO's.

The QSO's were all made with search and pounce.
In all QSO's I use the lowest possible power to answer a CQ.

When the signals are S9 I use 360 mW.
When the signal are very strong I use the PA1B 10 dB attenuator.
With a signal of S9+10dB I will reduce to 36 mW.
My antenna is an End fed sloping down to the east.

Prefx    Power        Miles     Miles per Watt   Cfmd  
HG6      36 mW      695      19300                       
IO5      360 mW     733      2037                          
IQ4      360 mW     580      1610                 eQSL  
IQ6      360 mW     699      1940                          
SM2     360 mW     1024    2845                 eQSL
        All QSO's on 14 MHz on an End fed               

Two QSO's in the contest are confirmed with an eQSL card. See below.

IQ4FA - 360 mW 580 miles - 1610 Miles per Watt

SM2M - 360 mW - 1024 miles - 2845 Miles per Watt

Booster and End fed in UBA DX CW 2024

Booster Cylinder Dipole
Wingspan 55 cm - 22"

In the UBA DX CW contest I used the Indoor Booster Cylinder Dipole and my End fed antenna. 
I used the Booster Cylinder Dipole exclusively on 21 MHz.
I used the End-fed on 14 MHz, 7MHz and 3.5 MHz.

Booster Cylinder Dipole
On 21 MHz I compared the Booster with the End fed. Strong signals on the End fed could be worked easily with the Booster Cylinder Dipole. Also with a lower power than 3 or 4 Watt. Hi.
On 14 MHz  I had to use "Full Power" to make the QSO's.
I used Search & Pounce for all QSO's that I made with the Booster.
This gives the opportunity to lower the power, when the received signal is strong.

End Fed on lower bands
 

As a Low Power enthusiast I often use Search an Pounce (S&P). When the signals are strong I use S&P, instead of calling CQ with  the maximum power of my QRP set.
Before I answer a CQ, I can adjust my power, using the S-meter reading. The stronger the signal, the lower the power can be. Propagation works both ways.

PACC 2024

Ik heb genoten in de PACC van 2024.

Low Power
Omdat ik als Low Power enthousiast, zo veel mogelijk het laagst mogelijke vermogen wil gebruiken, geef ik in de meeste contesten zelf geen CQ, maar draai over de band, om sterke station te vinden en dan een QSO te maken met laag vermogen.
Door deze werkwijze ben ik geoefend in het direct juist ontvangen van volgnummers. Maar een call moet ik meestal twee maal horen om,  hem volledig en correct te nemen.

End fed

End-fed bij PA1B

Omdat ik op alle banden wilde werken, heb ik van te voren besloten om in de PACC uitsluitend met de end fed te werken.

Mijn end fed bestaat uit meer dan 20 meter draad.
Hij wordt gevoed via een lintlijn van 300 ohm.
Om te zorgen dat deze antenne in mijn achtertuin past, heb ik "Linear loading" toegepast.
De draad wordt eerst over een lengte van 6 meter terug gevouwen en daarna ook weer heen te vouwen.
Meer  info: <<End fed met Linear Loading>> Klik.

S&P
Zoals gebruikelijk, ben ik gestart met S&P. Of wel over de band draaien en sterke stations beantwoorden met 360 mW. Na 3 stations op 21 MHz gewerkt te hebben, was de koek op. Er waren geen sterke stations meer, die ik nog niet gewerkt had.

CQ op 14 MHz met Full power
Het werd tijd om zelf CQ te geven. Ik koos er voor om naar 14 MHz te gaan, omdat ik daar meestal veel QSO's kan maken. Uit gewoonte startte ik met CQ geven met het volle vermogen van 4 W. Dat ging prima. Dat wil zeggen, er waren momenten bij, dat ik door 2 of meer stations besprongen werd. Dan hoor je de eerste letter van één van de calls, dan één lange "piep" en dan de laatste letter van een andere call. Toen ik daar genoeg van kreeg, besloot ik om het vermogen terug te schakelen naar 360 mW. Dat zou mij wat lucht moeten geven. Niet dus. Hi.

CQ op 14 MHz met 360 mW
Het terug regelen van het vermogen, scheelde bijna niets. Regelmatig werd mijn CQ in CW door twee stations beantwoord. Dat is prima, want men hoort mij. Maar ook heel lastig, want ik moet een call meestal twee keer horen, om deze volledig te nemen. Maar het leuke was, dat ik op deze manier maar liefst 24 achtereen volgende QSO's met 360 mW kon maken. Dat is smullen.

7 MHz met 3 W
Na het eten ben ik verder gegaan en toen heb ik omgeschakeld naar 7 MHz. Daar heb ik, zonder daar eigenlijk over na te denken, het volle vermogen van 3 watt gebruikt. Over zaterdagavond en zondagmorgen leverde dit 68 QSO's. Twee station waren zo hard dat ik die met het grootste gemak met 450 mW kon werken met S&P.

CQ met 360 mW op 14 MHz en op 21MHz 
Op zondagmorgen werd het tijd om weer naar 14 MHz te gaan. Aangemoedigd door het goede resultaat met het CQ geven met 360 mW op zaterdag, ben ik direct gestart met 360 mW. Dat ging uitstekend. De stations rolde binnen, soms over elkaar heen. Hi. Dit resulteerde op 14 MHz in 26 QSO's en op 21 MHz in 16 QSO's, allemaal met 360 mW.

48% met QRPp
Door het succes op 14 MHz en 21 MHz met laag vermogen, werd 48% van de in totaal 151 QSO's met 360 mW gemaakt.

DXCC's en 1000 MPW
De tabellen hier onder geven een overzicht over de gewerkte DXCC landen en met welk vermogen het QSO gemaakt is. Maar liefst 48% van de QSO's is gemaakt met QRPp, dat wil zeggen minder dan 1 Watt. Van elk QSO houd ik op papier bij, met welk vermogen dit QSO gemaakt is.

1000 Mijl per Watt
De rode aantallen in de tabel geven aan, dat deze QSO's gemaakt zijn met "Meer  dan 1000 Mijl per Watt". Dat leidt ik af aan de hand van de afstand en het gebruikte vermogen. Met een vermogen van 360 milliwatt, levert een QSO met een station op meer dan 360 mijl afstand, een Meer dan 1000 Mijl per Watt QSO op. Eenvoudig toch. Op 7MHz werd ik in eens aangeroepen door K1ZZ. K1ZZ bevindt zich op meer dan 2700 mijl. Dus ook dit QSO is goed voor meer dan 1000 Mijl per Watt.

PA1B in de PACC 2024 Overzicht van DXCC landen

PA1B in de PACC - Band overzicht

Rig: FT-817
Antenna: End-fed Sloping down to the east.

The Booster in the EUDX 2024

PA1B Constuction of the Booster

In the EU DX contest I used the Booster Cylinder Dipole. 
I used the Booster on 15 meters  and on 20 metres . These bands are not always open, but I seized the oppurtunity. Hi.

Bands and Power
The power of the set is 3 W on 21 MHz and 4 W on 14 MHz.
All QSO's are made with search and pounce. S&P. I did not call CQ myself.

QSB
There was some QSB. QSB can be a real showstopper, when working with QRP.
If I am lucky, it is best to start, when the signal strenght goes up.
Then the station will hear my call, before the signal peaks. And the QSO can be completed, before my signal fades again. Hi.

32 QSO's with 17 DXCC's
I am very pleased with the results.
I started on 15 m and after 3 QSO's I went to 20 m, to make 15 QSO's.
Then I went back to 15 m, to make another 12 QSO's.
After that I went to 28 MHz and to my surprise, I could make a QSO with just 800 mW, this time on the Monster Cylinder Dipole. 
In 3 QSO's the signal was so strong, that I reduced my power to QRPp and could make two 1000 Miles per watt QSO's.

Booster
The Booster is a cylinder dipole. The two cylinders, are each made from 6 Energy Booster cans from aluminium, that are cut open and bolted together. The wingspan is 55 cm or 22 inch. Hi.
Click for details >>

Booster in HA DX 2024

Booster - Cylinder dipole

The HA DX contest is a contest with much activity. So I decided to work with my indoor Booster Cylinder Dipole. As a low power enthusiast I always work with QRP or QRPp (less than 1 W) when possible. The stonger the received signal, the lower the power can be. The Booster hangs in the Dormer Window.

The table shows the 17 QSO's that I made on 21 MHz.
21 MHz worked more easily than the other bands. Hi.
Further only one QSO on 14 MHz was made.

PA1B in HA DX 2024 with QRP on 21 MHz
Booster Cylinder Dipole - Wingspan 55 cm

Booster
The Booster is a cylinder dipole. The two cylinders, are each made from 6 Energy Booster cans from aluminium, that are cut open and bolted together.
Click for details >>

The Booster in the dormer window (dakkapel) PA1B

Taps on the coil. One turn apart. PA1B

Monster in DARC 10m 2024

PA1B with the Monster Cylinder Dipole 
Wingspan 35 cm - 15 inch

I took part in the DARC 10 meter contest with the Monster Cylinder Dipole. This cylinder dipole is called the Monster, because it is made of two  Mønster  Energy Drink cans and a coil.
The wingspan is 38 cm which is 15 inch.

In the past I used the Monster cylinder dipole on 21 MHz. On 21 MHz the dipole is doing well.
I was curious how the Monster Dipole would do on 28 MHz.

Indoor antenna with a wingspan of 35 cm
The dipole is hanging in the dormer window (Im Dachfenster) and is connected to the tuner with 300 ohm twinlead. The tuner does not tune the antenna, but is adjusting the impedance.

Strong signals
When I started in the DARC 10 meter contest, I noticed that the signals were strong S+.
Strong signals are a good sign. Please notice that the antenne is very small, so the voltage of the received signal will be very low. 

CW QRP S&P
I always work with CW QRP. 
The first station that I worked was LZ55ZF. I answered his CQ with power of 2.7 Watt. I received an immediate correct respons and logged the contact. The distance is 1100 Miles. Not bad for an antenna with a wingspan of 35 cm or 15 inch. Hi.
I was in the contest for 1 hour and 1 minute and made a total of 5 QSO's. 

4 DXCC's
I could easily work stations over a distance of 1000 miles or 1600 km with just 3 watt.

PA1B in DARC 10m contest
3 Watt in Monster Cylinder Dipole 

Local QRM on 10 meter
The local QRM was strong. It was S9. When I switched the MorseMachine off, the local QRM was S8. The MorseMachine is the main source of QRM. Luckely is 10 meter the only band, on which the MorseMachine will give QRM. Switching the MorseMachine off during listening, does not work. Switching off on receive is not fast enough. I tried in a dry run, but that would in a real QSO result in missing the exchange. So I leave the MorseMachine on during the whole QSO.

I am very pleased with this result.

More info on the << Monster Cylinder Dipole >>

Funny and nice eQSL's

 

eQSL from Archangelsk. Hi.

Rig:            FT-817
Antenna:    End-fed

HA-DX Contest 2023

I had great fun in the HA-DX Contest of 2023. I used my FT-817 QRP transceiver with CW on an End fed, that is fed via 300 ohm twin lead.

Strong signals
When I started just before 15 utc on 20 meter, I heard very strong signals. A signal of S9 can be answered with 1 W or 500 mW. But the signals were very strong: S9 + 10 dB. This gives the possibility to make QSO's with 80 mW or even 36 mW.
When I came on the band, I first looked for the stations that were received with S9 + 10 dB.

In the first two hours on the band I made 12 QSO's with 36 mW and 80 mW. All with search an pounce. (S&P) Only when I am sure the my signal is not heard, I will increase my power and try again.
The lowest power of my FT-817 with CW is 360 mW. This 360 mW is reduced to 36  mW with a 10 dB attenuator. My homebrew power attenuator of 10 dB

Later I made QSO's with 800 mW and 360 mW, when the signal strenght decreased.
When the band closed, I went to 7 MHz. After one QSO I decided to stop because it was too difficult.
My 2,7 W was not heard between all QRO-signals.

On sunday I started on 7 MHz with 2.7 Watt.
Later I went to 14 MHz to make QSO's with 360 mW, 800 mW and 3.6 Watt.
I use 3.6 W when my 800 mW is not heard.

My RIG: FT-817  (3,6W  -->  360 mW)

10 dB Attenuator to reduce below 360 mW.

Antenna: Storm or Wind proof End fed.

eQSL's from the HA-DX 2023

Here are some eQSL card from the HA-DX contest 2023.

The cards show QSO's that are made with low power or very low power.

The QSO's are made with more than 1000 Miles per Watt.

IK2UEX 36 mW 13446 MPW

IV3KKW 80 mW 6600 MPW

 

EA1WH 360 mW 1995 MPW

HG6O 360 mW 1930 MPW

OK7T 360 mW 1151 MPW

My RIG: FT-817  (3,6W  -->  360 mW)

I use a 10 dB Attenuator to reduce below 360 mW.

My antenna is a Storm or Wind proof End-fed.