Mike Barrell - WB9DLC NAQCC # 0845
I have finally taken the plunge into QRP operation with the acquisition of a Heath HW-8 transceiver. This baby is true QRP with about 2 watts out on 80 and 40 meters and about 1 watt out on 20 and 15 meters. When you tell me you're running a K-2 at 5 watts out I'm thinking you are QRO!!
My plan is to have a nice portable (not a backpacking) station for operation from remote locations and to take with me on business trips.
This is probably an old story here: I am amazed at the contacts that I have been able to make with the rig. I routinely work stations across the US and have now worked some good DX to Europe as well as Alaska with 1 watt out on 20m. I am quickly learning where, when, and how to operate. I also realize that making contacts to Alaska with 1 watt on a Butternut vertical is a testimony to the effectiveness of the Butternut, good propagation, and a patient operator with a good receiver and antenna on the other end.
I have been on the other end of many QRP contacts so I appreciate the work that sometimes goes on at the receiving end. Thanks to all those who make the effort to copy our peanut-whistle signals.
At this point in time, I am operating without Receiver Incremental Tuning so sometimes I have to move the transmit frequency a little to tune you in. Hope you can use your RIT to keep us from leap-frogging up or down the band. I recently install the TiCK-1 keyer into the HW-8 and that works very nicely. Soon I will make the modification to the HW-8 that will add RIT. Then the mod that will take the output up to 4 watts. Then maybe I will add the Freq-Mite to improve frequency display. Where does it end?