Adding my two cents worth…………

So here we are....it's the weekend and time to get some radio time in as during the week I find it very hard to get into the shack once all the household chores are done. I have been trying to get a good score for the Marathon challenge this weekend. It is a QRP type challenge that involves you contacting stations via the lowest possible QRP power. I have come to learn that if the station you contact is also QRP you get more bang for the buck when it comes to scoring in this challenge. This leads me to my post today......I have been hanging out at the QRP calling frequencies and on 10m, 15m and 20m there has been lots of action. Now the action I speak of is not a QRP station calling CQ BUT  stations who is in a QRP contest calling CQ contest on QRP calling frequencies!! Maybe I am way off base here but.....a little bird in my head is telling me that this is not right. What's your feedback...if you are QRP is it good to call CQ as well as CQ contest on QRP calling frequencies??
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

6 Responses to “Adding my two cents worth…………”

  • It’s a QRP frequency, not a non-contest QRP frequency. But I would welcome anyone calling CQ on the frequency, QRP or QRO. I think beyond basic calling frequencies like 144.200, 50.125, etc. which are useful to start a QSO in an otherwise vacant band, frequencies reserved for very specific purposes like QRP, FISTS, or the DX window on 80 for example are problematic. It’s tough to keep track of who all supposedly has dibs on frequencies, and there’s no real ownership of them anyway.

  • Mike VE3WDM:

    Good morning Anthony, very good point and I too am not one to call out to someone who is on one of the non official QRP watering holes.Personally I keep to one side of the QRP watering holes when contesting.
    Mike

  • BROCK W6GMT:

    What About all the rock bound QRP rigs? They are on the water hole freq. to work others but hard to move. Remember spending hours with a eraser trying to move my old Novice rocks

  • LarryW2LJ:

    Mike,

    Actually, there was more DX to be had in this past weekend’s QRP ARCI QSO Party than I have ever witnessed before. I worked EA2LU, EA4CWN on both 15 and 20 Meters and HB9DAX on 20 Meters. The was also a DL2 station who was audible to me; but not visa-versa.

    Larry W2LJ

  • Mike VE3WDM:

    Good evening Brock, it sure did not occur to me about rigs that are just on the QRP frequency! Nice of you to stop by and take the time to comment.
    Have a great week Brock.
    Mike
    VE3WDM

  • Mike VE3WDM:

    Good evening Larry, as always it’s very nice to hear from you! I was able to contact EA2LU on the weekend as well. Very nice to see DX creeping in the ARCI contest…lets hope it gets better and better!!
    Have a great week Larry.
    Mike
    VE3WDM

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