Living Room QRP.

Started by gil, February 18, 2013, 06:57:39 PM

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gil

You don't need to go to the woods to operate QRP, or have a big antenna in your backyard..

Often new Hams are put off by the difficulty of erecting an antenna. Sure, size matters, but you can be successful with a small one if you know what you are doing. You certainly won't make any contacts if you don't try. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I have read posts saying that you couldn't reach anyone using a Buddistick portable antenna with less than 100W! I tried 500mW and was quite successful. I even used it in my living room with 2W out on 30m; no problem. You're not going to win awards, but who cares..

Safety is a concern. You need to know that nobody can touch your antenna while you transmit, especially pets and children. I wouldn't personally transmit near a sleeping toddler either, especially using my magnetic loop. I stay at least twelve feet away.

Aside from my Buddistick, which works quite well up to 30m, I have strung wires across my house in weird patterns and some configurations did work well with a tuner. My big magnetic loop is suspended in my living room. It works great. I move it around as needed (see photo attached below).

So, don't be discouraged by people telling you that you need a 43ft. vertical with 100 radials or a long dipole atop a 75ft. tower. You can get on the air with much less. All you need is some wire and a small QRP tuner.

Same goes for radios. There is no need for you to buy a $1500 radio until you are sure you need one. If you have enough patience and perseverance to learn Morse code, you can build an HF station for less than $100. That includes the radio, antenna, batteries and Morse key. There are many combinations in between.

As to amplifiers, nobody "needs" an amplifier. More power brings a lot of unintended consequences to a Ham station. Prices shoot up like a rocket. Everything costs more and weighs more. The gain in performance is often not worth the aggravation and certainly not the cost. If you don't believe me, do the math for the S-Units and power gains.

My Ham station is not permanent. I have no established spot or desk space for it. I can set myself up in the living room, in my bedroom, or outside on the deck. I take it to my favorite coffee shop, and plan on taking it along on camping trips. It's always ready to be grabbed in it's Pelican case or out of a Faraday box.

Living room QRP is easy. If you can set yourself up and make contacts with a small indoors antenna, you will be quite successful outside with a long wire up a tree. Don't think "it won't work." Radio performs miracles every day. I once tried 100mW for an 830 miles QSO and it worked! (Thanks Ray!). Anything is possible, just not all the time. Know your bands and best times for propagation. Use a good resonant antenna or a good tuner. You will put out a signal and soon or later, someone will hear you!

Gil.

PS: The two identical radios you see in the background on the dresser are Gonsets 6m Communicator III.
The antenna in the right corner is a 6m portable magnetic loop.

Lamewolf

Quote from: gil on February 18, 2013, 06:57:39 PM
As to amplifiers, nobody "needs" an amplifier. More power brings a lot of unintended consequences to a Ham station. Prices shoot up like a rocket. Everything costs more and weighs more. The gain in performance is often not worth the aggravation and certainly not the cost. If you don't believe me, do the math for the S-Units and power gains.


Gil.

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Glad to hear there are folks out there that feel the same way I do !  Too many folks beleive they need an amp just to be heard.  I have never ran an amp and I have worked all over the world and most times it was with 5 watts or less.  I do have several 100 watt hf rigs and do use 100 watts somtimes, but when operating CW its usually QRP and usually with rigs I have built myself.  I LOVE QRP !  Just recently finished building an MFJ Cub in 40 meters to replace a Small Wonder SW-40 that I sold a couple of years ago.  There is just something special about making contact with a rig you put together with your own hands and that will fit in a coat pocket !  QRP RULES !

RichardSinFWTX

My wife would de-ball me if I tried stringing up an antenna in the living room.  She's the Queen of the Castle.  I have to excuse myself to the bedroom on net check-in nights lest I disturb her watching "The Voice".

That being said, here's a link to my YouTube video about my FT-8900 that I made backpack mobile.  http://youtu.be/CzG8yOnbyVY

You can also look in the Tactical Corner at my camo mast tripod thread to see my functional, if less than pretty, solution for raising an 8-section mast solo.  If I can get some time this weekend maybe I can shoot a quick video about it too!

The wife has exactly ZERO interest in my ham activities whatsoever.  She supports my occasional "camp-outs" probably so she can enjoy some peace and quiet!  Likewise!!!  :)


Lamewolf

Quote from: KF5RHI on November 13, 2013, 12:41:36 PM
My wife would de-ball me if I tried stringing up an antenna in the living room.  She's the Queen of the Castle.  I have to excuse myself to the bedroom on net check-in nights lest I disturb her watching "The Voice".

That being said, here's a link to my YouTube video about my FT-8900 that I made backpack mobile.  http://youtu.be/CzG8yOnbyVY

You can also look in the Tactical Corner at my camo mast tripod thread to see my functional, if less than pretty, solution for raising an 8-section mast solo.  If I can get some time this weekend maybe I can shoot a quick video about it too!

The wife has exactly ZERO interest in my ham activities whatsoever.  She supports my occasional "camp-outs" probably so she can enjoy some peace and quiet!  Likewise!!!  :)

My wife is a ham too - general class license but she still complains whenever I install another antenna.  So I just complain back when she buys another purse or new pair of shoes just to get even. :P

RichardSinFWTX

We've had separate accounts ever since we got married.  I pay the house note and car insurance along with groceries and she pays the rest.  As long as the bills are all paid neither of us asks about what the other one buys.

Every now and then one will ask the other how much something costs and the answer is usually, "...you don't wanna know..."

Lamewolf

Quote from: KF5RHI on November 13, 2013, 12:41:36 PM
My wife would de-ball me if I tried stringing up an antenna in the living room.  She's the Queen of the Castle.  I have to excuse myself to the bedroom on net check-in nights lest I disturb her watching "The Voice".

That being said, here's a link to my YouTube video about my FT-8900 that I made backpack mobile.  http://youtu.be/CzG8yOnbyVY

You can also look in the Tactical Corner at my camo mast tripod thread to see my functional, if less than pretty, solution for raising an 8-section mast solo.  If I can get some time this weekend maybe I can shoot a quick video about it too!

The wife has exactly ZERO interest in my ham activities whatsoever.  She supports my occasional "camp-outs" probably so she can enjoy some peace and quiet!  Likewise!!!  :)

I get plenty of peace and quiet anymore, my wife stays with her elderly parents and takes care of them through the week so my evenings are spent alone doing whatever.  She comes over on the weekends and we go out to eat then she goes back to her parents again - perfect relationship !  Gives me lots of time to play radio in the evenings, but most of the time I just fall asleep in the chair !

Archangel320420

Great video, KF5RHI. Thanks.

RichardSinFWTX

Thanks!  I'm no Cecil B. de Mille or anything; but I try.

Used nothing but my iPad and Windows MovieMaker.