The QRPer Board

I have been trying to set up QRP operation with the following equipment:
* Rig: zBitx https://www.hfsignals.com/index.php/zbitx/
* Tuner: ATU-10-QRP https://usa.banggood.com/1_4-version-1W ... 82796.html
* Choke: N6ARA TinyCMC https://n6ara.com/product/tinycmc-assembled/
* Antenna: MFJ-1899t https://mfjenterprises.com/products/mfj ... 91c1&_ss=r
* Antenna stand: Camera tripod along the lines of https://qrper.com/2021/11/randy-shares- ... dy-advice/
* Counterpoise: home-brew along the lines of https://k8ua.com/2019/10/multiband-coun ... mfj-1899t/

I've hitched the radio to the tuner with a 1-foot RG316 jumper cable, the choke directly to the tuner's output, and the antenna to the choke with a 10-foot RG316 cable.

When I send out a CW CQ, I see signal at the tuner, but am never picked up by the reverse beacon network even when DXwatch shows the band to be active. (I've tried both directly behind my house and on top of a nearby hill.) Same behavior when I remove the tuner.

I borrowed a friend's MFJ antenna analyzer and tested the MFJ-1899t on various bands, using the 10' RG316 to connect the analyzer to the antenna. It shows the SWR changing as I would expect as I add and remove the counterpoise, change the coil bypass wire and adjust the telescoping end.

What am I doing wrong?

What bands are you trying? I've never used an antenna like that but I guess it's 52" long...I'm sure it works, and it doesn't sound like you've done anything wrong, but band conditions haven't been that great lately and that antenna might require some patience. Are you sending with a straight key or is it from memory or a keyer? The RBN can be kind of iffy decoding a straight key sometimes, but probably can chalk it up to bad band conditions. Might just have to spend a little time every day calling CQ until you can confirm you've been spotted or make a QSO. I've got a couple qrpp radios I spent quite a while wondering if they even worked at all because they never got spotted but they eventually did and also made some contacts...and I have a loop antenna that is extremely compromised, and it's just hit or miss.

I know it's frustrating but if it's just been a few attempts, keep at it! After a while you can start swapping out different things if you have them, whether a different tuner, or different radio. I would keep the choke in no matter what.

Thanks, Ted -
To answer your questions:
* I was using the zBitx's on-screen keyboard to do text-to-morse. The audio sounded valid, and tracked with the signal strength shown by the tuner.
* I mostly was trying the data portion of the 40m and 20m bands.
I'm thinking my next step will probably be to homebrew a simple dipole and compare results.

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 compact antenna form factor. I have not had occasion to need the AX1's compact stealth over the last few months, so I have been operating with more efficient wire antennas. Even so, band conditions (on dry days) have only ranged from poor to moderate. Some days I have fought hard for every contact. My point is: if you were experimenting with your MFJ-1899t on poor propagation days, you could get the results you describe with the antenna performing perfectly.

Oh, on some poor propagation days, it was also a matter of fighting through the ups and downs of QSB. And somebody or another was always spotted on the RBN, just to rub it in...

Don't get discouraged. Trying a dipole as a baseline is not a bad idea, but keep at it. Little antennas can do amazing things... under the right conditions.

Best 73 de Brian - K3ES

kd2hbv wrote: ↑Fri Jun 27, 2025 8:06 pm * I mostly was trying the data portion of the 40m and 20m bands.
I'm thinking my next step will probably be to homebrew a simple dipole and compare results.

I guess one way, if you're doing data, is just camp on those FT8 frequencies and see how you do. Wouldn't even worry about the RBN, just see if you can make some contacts. If you're trying other modes where there isn't a ton of traffic, you may not even see yourself on RBN even in great conditions if there aren't a lot of people operating those modes.

Also not a bad idea, if you can make another antenna to try out and have the space for it. I've been using EFRW antennas lately...pretty flexible to try different lengths with those and you already have the tuner and choke you'd want to keep in line with an EFRW too, and you can usually squeeze multiple bands out of them.