SAQ 100 Year Anniversary Transmission July 2nd 2025

Celebrate SAQ 100 years

The unique Alexanderson alternator from 1924, with the call sign SAQ, is scheduled for two transmissions over the antenna on VLF 17.2 kHz CW on july 2nd

Anniversary 100 Years

On July 2nd, 1925, Grimeton Radio Station was officially inaugurated. The radio traffic did already start on December 1st the year before, but now it was time the official ceremony. The king of Sweden, Gustav V, the inventor of the amazing 200kW Alternator and the massive six tower antenna, Ernst F.W. Alexanderson, as well as the leader of Radio Corporation of America, David Sarnoff was there, together with several other prominent guests. The large and shiny Alexanderson Alternator was put to life and a message to the American president Calvin Coolidge was transmitted to the receiving station at Riverhead, Long Island NY, USA. The american president replied and assessed the new radio installations as crucial for relations between Sweden and the USA.

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.