The QRPer Board

I have not used the zBitx or the MFJ-1899t, but I have experience using the Elecraft KX2 / AX1 pairing. The Elecraft pair is similar from the QRP / base-loaded, short vertical perspective. When propagation is good, my combo works well, surprisingly well. With that said, you pay a price for the compa...

You can definitely do a successful activation with 10 watts SSB. Not every activator is willing to carry around a battery big enough to power a 100 watt rig. To give yourself the best opportunity for success, find a park (and a location in the park) where you have cell service to spot yourself on PO...

Hi Ron, I saw your post. I own an older KX3 that I bought used from someone I knew. It has worked very well for me. I did not reply earlier, because I am not knowledgeable enough to answer your question. You might get a faster answer from the folks on Elecraft-KX@groups.io. They have active conversa...

Hey Folks-- glad to be joining the conversation DE KA0GZO (Rob). I am just starting a ham radio reboot as I will be retiring in January. I have acquired some basic kit (Xiegu X6100 and a tactical delta) and would like to get started with POTA and eventually get my CW chops back (or better). I am fe...

being able to "load" or "tune" if you prefer does not mean efficient radiation a dummy load will "tune" just fine Hi Andrew, I will make no claim about this being optimized as an antenna. It is not. I do find it excellent for field use: it deploys easily, it takes up l...

Welcome, Chris, and thank you for your service. I am a recently retired (2021) newer radio amateur (2020), who also moved out into the sticks. I share your enjoyment of POTA, QRP, and CW. There are lots of good and knowledgeable folks on this site, and it is great to have another enthusiast among us...

My home antenna is a 35.5/17 EFRW. It works pretty well on all bands, but tuning for 40m is very touchy. I'm thinking of going with a 33 or 35.5 foot counterpoise. Hi Mike, Joshua - N5FY (2nd post above) makes great portable QRP EFRW antennas that are sold at Tufteln.com. One available configuratio...

Welcome Doug! It is a great time for 10m, and CW is a blast! There are lots of folks here who can help with troubleshooting.

This is a great configuration for the KX2! Great to hear good results. How long is your second counterpoise? I’m assuming you are using coax between the radio and 9:1. LOL! Second counterpoise was15 ft of RG316 in a bit of a curly-cue configuration. WX here kept me in the truck for my activations /...

I built and tested an EFRW / 9:1 Unun antenna with 29.5 ft (9m) radiator and single 17 ft (5.2m) counterpoise. With Elecraft KX2 internal tuner, I can reliably tune 60m to 10m bands. I am using it for QRP CW field (POTA) operations, and have had a respectable number of contacts. Deploying it is very...