2008 IARU HF World Championships
07/14/2008 |
WK4P
Some stations out there have very good ears.
For the 2008 IARU HF World Championships I, WK4P, decided to run QRP. That's right I decided to punish myself by running only 5 watts of power in a major DX contest. Why would one do such a thing? Believe me, I asked myself that question several times Saturday.
After all my Icom 746Pro will still put out 100 watts. I do have an Amp Supply LK550 that will easily deliver the legal limit. Wouldn't life be much easier to simply put the pedal to the metal and let-er-roll, racking up some nice pileups and a big score?
For me it was all about the challenge. In fact two challenges. The first was simply to see what I could do with limited power How was the antenna system playing. Was I really getting a signal out there or was I wasting 1500 watts when I turned on the amp? Could I still operate without one? Running QRP would definately answer these questions.
The second challenge was my own doing. I told several hams in my local club, the Ashe County (NC) Amateur Radio Club about my plans to run QRP and then said that I would wash the car (or truck here in the southern Appalachians)if anyone in the club could beat my score running 100 watts or less. What? I must have lost my mind. But there is a reason to this madness. We have a fairly young club, radio-wise, and most of the guys, myself included, are experimenting with and building antennas. Noone has 4 stacks on 20, in fact only a couple of the experienced elmers have a tribander. I'm lucky enough to have a small 40 ft tower and a tribander with 40 meter kit so I thought running QRP would even the playing field.
I also wanted to use this challenge to encourage our club members to build their contesting skills. And nothing builds contesting skill better than, well, contesting. And what would be better to encourage one to contest than the prospect of having a middle-aged, blind, fat hillbilly who bills himself as "WK4P..The Power" to wash your truck if you could beat him. It seems that two guys accepted the challenge, KI4LPR and KD4SM.
The bottom line was we all had fun. Early on the bands were difficult. The hoped for Es opening on 10 never materialized, I guess I was still having flashbacks to the run KD4SM and myself had at Field Day. 15 was disappointing. Even 20 was rendering mediocre results. But as dark approached in the hills 20 began to open to Europe enough so that my 5 watts could be heard across the pond. South America started coming in. 40 delivered a few contacts with Eu. Even 80 surprised me as I worked the west coast, BC and Central America on 5 watts and my 330 ft wire. KH7B apparently heard a flutter when I called him on phone, but not enough to pull me out. I wish he could have, I would have bragged about that one for years.
In the end both of the guys put up an epic battle. If you don't think every contact counts then realize that if not for the last 7 contacts I made, including the multipliers for VY2ZM and D4C as 20 was beginning to come back to life Sunday morning, I'd be washing KD4SM's truck this week.
The beautiful part of radiosport is that all of us became better operators because of this event. No doubt we are better prepared as we team up and head to Whitetop Mountain for the September VHF contest.
If WK4P is in your log, pat yourself on the back, your station has the great ears I mentioned in the first line of this soapbox. Thanks for taking the time and effort to pull me out of the noise. I really didn't want to wash anyone's truck.
Peace and 73
Adam WK4P...The Power(less) -- WK4P
For the 2008 IARU HF World Championships I, WK4P, decided to run QRP. That's right I decided to punish myself by running only 5 watts of power in a major DX contest. Why would one do such a thing? Believe me, I asked myself that question several times Saturday.
After all my Icom 746Pro will still put out 100 watts. I do have an Amp Supply LK550 that will easily deliver the legal limit. Wouldn't life be much easier to simply put the pedal to the metal and let-er-roll, racking up some nice pileups and a big score?
For me it was all about the challenge. In fact two challenges. The first was simply to see what I could do with limited power How was the antenna system playing. Was I really getting a signal out there or was I wasting 1500 watts when I turned on the amp? Could I still operate without one? Running QRP would definately answer these questions.
The second challenge was my own doing. I told several hams in my local club, the Ashe County (NC) Amateur Radio Club about my plans to run QRP and then said that I would wash the car (or truck here in the southern Appalachians)if anyone in the club could beat my score running 100 watts or less. What? I must have lost my mind. But there is a reason to this madness. We have a fairly young club, radio-wise, and most of the guys, myself included, are experimenting with and building antennas. Noone has 4 stacks on 20, in fact only a couple of the experienced elmers have a tribander. I'm lucky enough to have a small 40 ft tower and a tribander with 40 meter kit so I thought running QRP would even the playing field.
I also wanted to use this challenge to encourage our club members to build their contesting skills. And nothing builds contesting skill better than, well, contesting. And what would be better to encourage one to contest than the prospect of having a middle-aged, blind, fat hillbilly who bills himself as "WK4P..The Power" to wash your truck if you could beat him. It seems that two guys accepted the challenge, KI4LPR and KD4SM.
The bottom line was we all had fun. Early on the bands were difficult. The hoped for Es opening on 10 never materialized, I guess I was still having flashbacks to the run KD4SM and myself had at Field Day. 15 was disappointing. Even 20 was rendering mediocre results. But as dark approached in the hills 20 began to open to Europe enough so that my 5 watts could be heard across the pond. South America started coming in. 40 delivered a few contacts with Eu. Even 80 surprised me as I worked the west coast, BC and Central America on 5 watts and my 330 ft wire. KH7B apparently heard a flutter when I called him on phone, but not enough to pull me out. I wish he could have, I would have bragged about that one for years.
In the end both of the guys put up an epic battle. If you don't think every contact counts then realize that if not for the last 7 contacts I made, including the multipliers for VY2ZM and D4C as 20 was beginning to come back to life Sunday morning, I'd be washing KD4SM's truck this week.
The beautiful part of radiosport is that all of us became better operators because of this event. No doubt we are better prepared as we team up and head to Whitetop Mountain for the September VHF contest.
If WK4P is in your log, pat yourself on the back, your station has the great ears I mentioned in the first line of this soapbox. Thanks for taking the time and effort to pull me out of the noise. I really didn't want to wash anyone's truck.
Peace and 73
Adam WK4P...The Power(less) -- WK4P
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