QRP: Low-Power Communications

It is difficult to believe that December is here already and the new year is just around the corner. 2019 seems to have passed by quickly, which is surprising given the fair-to-poor propagation on the upper HF bands that I thought would make this year drag on for an eternity. Albeit, I adapted and found several openings throughout the year that allowed me to make some good DX contacts and work a few special event stations such as WWØWWV that operated from the grounds of WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado, to celebrate the station’s 100th birthday. When I got on the air for this special event, there was a pileup and propagation was poor, but with a little patience I was able to work WWØWWV with just a few watts. As I tell my QRO friends, you, too, can work stations with low power … you just need to know how to operate – hi!

For the final QRP column of 2019, I am sharing some hints that I hope you’ll find useful, a Christmas wish list for the QRPer (and others), and a look ahead to 2020.

A Few Helpful Hints

Below are a few helpful items / tricks that helped me out this year