Category: QRP

Backpacking with the QMX, a Pocket and a Pole

The QRP Labs QMX transceiver is a miracle of miniaturization. Sure, other rigs have achieved a similar form factor, but not with so many outstanding features built into such a tiny package. At this point I should acknowledge a very worthy exception to the rule - the Elecraft KH1. I don't own a KH1 and … Continue reading Backpacking with the QMX, a Pocket and a Pole →

Surviving the Great Solar Storm of May 2024

We just can't win when it comes to propagation conditions. When the Sun is quiet during the bottom of the 11-year solar cycle, HF propagation conditions are challenging. So we all look forward to the days when the Sun is active and the bands are open again. But when we hit the top of the … Continue reading Surviving the Great Solar Storm of May 2024 →

I waited 6 months for my factory assembled QRP Labs QMX to arrive – was it worth the wait? Really?

Was it worth the wait? Oh, yes! Let me say up front that I could have ordered the kit version and received it much faster, but my aging eyes just aren't up to the job of all that delicate soldering work. But, eventually, it arrived and I couldn't be more pleased. So how am I … Continue reading I waited 6 months for my factory assembled QRP Labs QMX to arrive – was it worth the wait? Really? →

5 Tips for Field Expedient Radio Operations in the Big Blue Sky Shack

I first became interested in operating amateur radio in the great outdoors (aka the Big Blue Sky Shack) over 20 years ago and since that time it has become a passion. The passion is partly inspired by the exploits of secret agents behind enemy lines during the Second World War. These people didn't have to … Continue reading 5 Tips for Field Expedient Radio Operations in the Big Blue Sky Shack →

A Versatile Solution for Backpacking with the QRP Labs QMX

Solar cycle 25 is rapidly approaching its peak. That means propagation conditions are very favorable for QRP operations again. Add to that the ever increasing popularity of outdoor operating programs like Summits on the Air (SOTA) and Parks on the Air (POTA) and there has never been a better time to hit the Big Blue … Continue reading A Versatile Solution for Backpacking with the QRP Labs QMX →

Improving a Ground Tuning Unit – using binary coded inductance and capacitance

There are 10 types of people in this world; those who understand binary notation and those who don't. Some years ago I experimented with using a Ground Tuning Unit (GTU a.k.a. Artificial Ground) to replace radials/counterpoises on my field expedient vertical antennas. A GTU is simply a series L-C tuned circuit with a current sensor … Continue reading Improving a Ground Tuning Unit – using binary coded inductance and capacitance →

Venturing Outside the Box with the End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna

So many words have been written about the popular End-Fed Half-Wave antenna that you would think it would be "settled science" by now. For several years I have been building EFHWs according to accepted wisdom, but my inquisitive mind always seeks to question why they are built that way and could they be improved? You … Continue reading Venturing Outside the Box with the End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna →

Field Testing the Antenna Called “Long Tall Sally”: Oops and Downs!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about a new vertical antenna concept that I dubbed "Long Tall Sally". To recap; I wanted a field portable antenna that occupies a very small footprint. The trade-off of a reduced footprint is an increase in height. This involved stretching a quarter-wave vertical for 20m into … Continue reading Field Testing the Antenna Called “Long Tall Sally”: Oops and Downs! →