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 Previous: Surfin': Kids Leading the Way |  Next: History on the Air |
By Anthony A. Luscre, K8ZT
Contributing Editor
June 7, 2003
The "Four Days in May" (FDIM) gathering held in conjunction with Hamvention has become an annual tradition for QRP operators. This time we review QRP news from Hamvention 2003. We'll also help you to find a QRP conference in your neck of the woods.
Hamvention and FDIM
Unfortunately, due to work responsibilities, I had to miss the Thursday session of FDIM--the QRP Amateur Radio Club International (QRP ARCI) "Four Days in May" event as well as Friday's QRP "Vendors' Night." Fortunately, I was able to make it to the Saturday evening QRP banquet and QRP Hall of Fame inductions.
Saturday's Hamvention weather was a constant light drizzle, so I spent a lot of time inside Hara Arena checking out the many QRP offerings from a wide variety of vendors. In this edition, we'll run down some of the QRP-related highlights, new products and ideas from Hamvention 2003.
 The new low-power transceiver from Icom, the IC-703, nestled in its backpack. [Photos by author] |
 This backpack by Communication Outfitters is designed specifically for Yaesu FT-817, LDG Z11 Antenna Tuner and extra batteries. |
 The cover of Hello, World: A Life in Ham Radio has its title spelled out in Morse code. |
 George Dobbs, G3RJV's new QRP book is filled with photos and good ideas for beginners to veteran QRPers. |
 QRP Hall of Fame inductees Tony Fishpool, G4WIF (left), and Graham Firth, G3MFJ. Arnie Coro, CO2KK, was unable to attend. |
 The FDIM building contest had a number of great entries. Here is Phil Wilcox, WB8ABE and his first-place winning multiPig+, a 160-10-meter transceiver. Phil's "pig in a pan" uses a kitchen broiling pan as a chassis. |
 Here is Jerry Ford, N0JRN's second-place winning project. He also built a multiPig+, but his is a "pig under glass" with a clear case showing off his handiwork. |
 Mike Branca, W3IRZ, shows off his homebrew antenna tuner project. The tuner was the cover story in the latest issue of the QRP Quarterly from the QRP-ARCI. |
Equipment and Supplies for the QRPer
Although there were no major announcements of impending new radios, Hamvention 2003 marked the first opportunity for many QRPers to see some current offerings in the flesh, so to speak. The latest "full-featured" QRP radio is the ICOM IC-703. The IC-703 is very similar in appearance and size to Icom's popular IC-706 series. Inside the case it's another matter, however. Sporting output power adjustable from 10 W down to 0.1 W, a built-in automatic antenna tuner, lower power consumption, standard TXCO, DSP filtering and detachable front panel, the IC-703 packs a lot of features. The IC-703 is available in two models--one with HF and (for a few dollars extra) one with HF plus 6 meters.
Introduction of the IC-703 means that for the first time in ham radio history there are four commercial full-featured, multiband, multimode QRP transceivers available: Elecraft's K2, Yaesu's FT-817, Ten-Tec's Argonaut-V and ICOM's IC-703.
The IC-703 was shown with a very nice backpack designed specifically for the radio. An equally impressive backpack for the Yaesu FT-817 was on display at the Communication Outfitters booth. Backpacking-style antennas on display included Budd Drummond, W3FF's Buddipole and Vernon Wright, W6MMA's new motorized MP-2.
Two new QRP books from across the Atlantic made a splash at the Hamvention. The Rev George Dobbs, G3RJV, has authored QRP Basics. Dobbs' new tome is crammed with photos and ideas on QRP operations for both veteran and novice QRPers. It contains photos of many QRP operators and their handiwork--including one of your QRP Community editor (on page 20).
The second book to debut at Hamvention 2003 was The History of QRP 1949-2003 by Dick Pascoe, G0BPS. Both are available from the authors and from Kanga US.
My third book purchase was not QRP-related, but I think my readers will find it very interesting nonetheless. Danny Gregory, KC2KGT, and Paul Sahre, KC2KHN, authored Hello World: A Life in Ham Radio, published by Princeton Architectural Press. In case you haven't seen this "coffee table book" yet, the title is spelled out on the cover in Morse code. The authors, nonhams at the time, were inspired to write the book after a chance purchase of a collection of old QSL cards at a flea market. Working backwards from the QSLs, the authors pieced together the story of Jerry Powell, W2OJW, now a Silent Key, who lived in Oradell, New Jersey (and prior to that in nearby Hackensack). The result is the story of Powell's ham life more or less as seen through his QSL collection.
Hello World: A Life in Ham Radio was written for the general public, so the authors included a basic introduction to Amateur Radio. The visually stunning volume has been the subject of reviews in The New York Times and New Yorker magazine. Authors Gregory and Sahre also were interviewed on National Public Radio. Its colorful reproductions of QSL cards will trigger fond reminiscences by older hams and may just inspire a few nonhams to consider getting their licenses, as the authors both were writing the book.
The QRP Hall of Fame
Membership in the QRP Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed by the QRP Amateur Radio Club International on those who have made outstanding contributions to the QRP community. This year's inductees were Arnie Coro, CO2KK, Graham Firth, G3MFJ, and Tony Fishpool, G4WIF. The Hall of Fame was begun in 1992, and there are currently 30 members. Membership in QRP ARCI is not required to be nominated or inducted.
Many you may know Coro from his "DXers Unlimited" shortwave broadcast on Cuba's Radio Havana. He also actively supports Amateur Radio, QRP and home brewing in Cuba.
Firth and Fishpool are well-known in the QRP community, and both have made substantial contributions to Amateur Radio over the years. Recently they championed inexpensive test equipment projects in their book Simple Test Equipment for the QRPer. Both are very active in the G-QRP club. Firth currently serves as address and membership database manager and manager of club sales, while Fishpool is charge of the G-QRP Web site, Data Sheets and SPRAT reprints. Both are well know to US QRPers due to their numerous visits to Hamvention and other US QRP gatherings, where they have been presenters.
The honorees were inducted at the Saturday evening QRP banquet. In addition to the awards, there was good food, a chance to meet with fellow QRPers, announcement of the awards from the kit and homebrew building contests and plenty of prizes. Each year, through the generosity of numerous vendors of QRP-related equipment, many attendees walk away with nice prizes. I was indeed very fortunate to attend the banquet and ended up taking home the second-place prize, an Elecraft K1 transceiver kit! During my July vacation, the K1 kit project should keep me busy while I enjoy the sun and do some soldering outdoors on my deck.
QRP Gatherings
If all this talk about FDIM has made you envious of the lucky attendees, let's talk about opportunities to visit a QRP get together in your area. Many QRP clubs sponsor regional QRP conferences and conventions. Formats vary from small social events to formal technical conferences. Many are associated with--or take place in conjunction with--a hamfest or ARRL Division convention. For a schedule of events you can visit the QRP Community page on my Web site.
Reader Feedback and Author Comments
It was great to meet many QRP Community readers in Dayton. Thank you for the encouraging words and for your enthusiasm. I hope to work many of those I met at Dayton as well as other column readers--while QRP, of course.
Here's an interesting QRP operating event you may not have heard about-- "The QRP WARC-Speed DX Challenge." The objective of this awards program is to work as many DXCC entities as possible using QRP on 30, 17 and 12-meters between June 1, 2003 and May 31, 2004. Certificates will be awarded. More details are available on the QRP Community Web site.
Last month I mentioned the "The Second Coming of the Argonaut" (CQ, Nov 1971) article. I have received permission from CQ and Ten-Tec to post a copy on my Web site. Visit Ten-Tec Information for the reprint and to view Ten-Tec QRP advertisements from the early 1970s.
June is time for the ARRL Field Day. The event is the weekend of June 28-29. Check out the June 2002 QRP Community column for suggestions on QRP operation.
A last-minute note: The NorCal and New Jersey QRP clubs are merging to form a new club, the American QRP Club. NorCal and the NJQRP club will continue to exist as local clubs. I will have more information on this next month.
Editor's note: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT, an ARRL member, lives in Stow, Ohio. He has
worked in the field of medical microbiology for 18 years and is now a
technology and computer coordinator for a local school district. Luscre is an
avid QRP operator having earned DXCC, WAS and WAC using no more that 5 W
output. Readers are invited to contact the author via e-mail, k8zt@arrl.net
or visit his Web site.
| Previous: Surfin': Kids Leading the Way | Next: History on the Air |
