QRP

Updated 12 - December - 2009

	Heath HW8 Digital Display by Steve Weber - KD1JV Radio Shack 21-543 DSP amplified speaker Tick Keyer / TouchKeyer and Paddle N7VE SWR Indicator  HW-8 Mods
	Hendricks PFR3 Very cool!  Designed by Steve Weber - KD1JV and kitted and sold by Doug Hendricks - just plug in a key, headphones, and an antenna and you are on the air.  Covers the 3 best CW QRP bands: 40, 30, and 20 meters. Mine has a set of rechargeable batteries inside that seem to last a long time.  Has a built-in manual tuner with a bridge type SWR indicator, built-in 2 memory keyer, DDS VFO for rock steady freq control. Click here to go to QRPKITS.COM site for more info. Click here to watch a short video

 Do the Math - QRP Works!  Click here to see why

Field Day 2006 Heath HW-8 - Butternut Vertical - Radio Shack DSP 104 QSO's  -  33 States

In March of 2005 I decided to try QRP operation with the acquisition of a Heath HW-8 transceiver.  This rig 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!!  (But with that K2 I know you can hear me!)  The receiver is sensitive but, being a direct conversion type, each signal appears twice as I tune across the band (only one side of the signal is the 'proper' side to use).

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.  See the picture at right with the HW-8, battery, and the Butternut antenna in the background. 

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.  Remember, we're at the bottom of the solar cycle).  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, HW8 does not have 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.  I also have added a Digital Display (See  HW-8 Mods ) Soon I will make the modification to the HW-8 that will add RIT.  I am now (January 2007) using a radio Shack DSP behind the HW-8.  This provides an audio amplifier, sharp digital audio filtering, and a speaker.  I have also added a TouchKeyer and Paddle.

October 2009 : The PFR3 'Yellow Radio' that I bought at Daytom 2008 is on the air.  Not because I built it - but because I realized that I was not going to get to it for a while and I commissioned Dale Putnam-WC7S, to build the radio for me.  I am still trying to recover from a lightning strike on the tower and have plenty of other things to do.  Dale did a masterful job of building and adjusting the rig.  I would recommend his services if you are so inclined.  I call this 'the poor hams Elecraft KX-1'.  Plug in a headset or ear buds, connect a paddle, and hook-up an antenna and you are on-the-air with a near-5 watt QRP signal.  The receiver has very good selectivity, the DDS VFO is rock-solid, the CW keying and full QSK is great, and battery life with internal NiMH AA cells seems very good.  There is a PFR3 users group on Yahoo where you can meet other PFR3 users and share ideas and experiences.  Early success stories :  2nd QSO was with Dan-F6IWD in France on 40m with my  Butternut Vertical.  Saturday 01-Nov-2009 worked Mac-SP2XF on a very quiet 20 meter band.  This rig and its associated equipment (ear-buds, paddle, and antenna) won't take up much room in the trunk of our motorcycle!  It will be fun with a wire thrown up into a tall tree operating at a picnic table in a campground.  I think that another Touch Key paddle is in the works.

NEW!  04-03-05  - Anchorage Alaska - WL7CDC - Doug - 20m with 1 watt out - 3000 miles
NEW!  04-16-05  - Just worked Gary - CU2JT in the Azores on 40 meter CW.  3000+ miles on 2 watts This is FUN!
NEW!  05-07-05  - DL5AWI - Gerhard in GROSSENLUPNITZ GERMANY - 40meters - 4,000+ miles 2 watts
NEW!  05-07-05  - EA8FC - Tony - Canary Islands, Spain - 4,000 miles with 2 watts
NEW!  06-26-05  - Digital Dial added to HW-8   Go to  HW-8 Mods
NEW!  07-13-05  - F3NB - Andy - France - 4,000 miles with 2 watts (4th QSO - 1st QRP)
NEW!  06-29-06  - Field Day 2006 - 104 QSO's - 33 states worked in a part-time effort .
NEW!  01-14-07  - Built and installed my TouchKeyer and Paddle.  Go to   HW-8 Mods
NEW!  01-14-07  - North American QSO Party - 122 QSO's - 50 multipliers - in 9 hours all while watching football games. 
NEW!  01-16-07  - CT3KN - Ricardo in Madierra Islands answers CQ on 7.040  (3300 miles)
NEW!  02-18-07  - Added N7VE SWR Indicator - Go to   HW-8 Mods
NEW!  08-01-09  - Been a while...  Worked John-ZL1ALZ with HW8 @ 1.5w and 2 el Quad  - 8278 miles (5519 miles per watt!)
NEW!  10-15-09  - My PFR3 'Yellow Radio' is up-and-running - 2nd QSO was with Dan-F6IWD in France on 40 meters with a Butternut vertical !
NEW!  11-01-09  - Worked Mac-SP2XF on a very quiet 20 meter band with the PFR3 - on batteries - 4 watts