Portable & Mobile HF QRP Operation Made Easy

Joe Verdirame VE3LNU QRP Operation HF Portable Toronto Amateur Radio ham
Joe Verdirame, VE3LNU

April 14, 2012 – VA3XPR Global 360 Net

Guest Speaker: Joe Verdirame, VE3LNU

Overview: Making contacts while operating HF QRP (low power) can be a fun and rewarding experience, especially with the predominance of higher powered stations on the HF bands these days. Accomplishing this while portable or mobile can be even more challenging, as antenna constraints become more pronounced.

Please join in to the VA3XPR Global 360 Net where our guest speaker Joe Verdirame, VE3LNU, will share with us some tips on how to effectively operate HF QRP while on the go.

The net details are below:

Date: April 14, 2012
Time: 14:00 UTC
RF (Toronto Area): 441.950+ PL 100 Hz (VA3XPR)
IRLP Reflector: 9558
EchoLink Conference: *VK3JED* (42840)

Net Minutes

We would like to thank Joe, VE3LNU for joining us as a guest speaker for this net and providing us with such a great overview on portable HF QRP operation. Here are a few of the operating tips that Joe provided to maximize the effectiveness of QRP operation:

1. Making Contact – try to contact stations that have strong signals, as they are the ones who are most likely to hear you. Some of these stations will allow gaps for mobile or portable stations. Also, avoid trying to make contract by calling CQ;

2. Frequencies – use the lower traffic portion of the bands, especially the CW portions and focus on the DX bands.

For more information, check out Joe’s QRP article in the January 2011 edition on The Canadian Amateur magazine. An audio transcript of this net can be heard by listening to the below audio file:

VA3XPR Global 360 Net Apr 14 2012 Portable HF QRP Operation

About Don Trynor, VA3XFT

Don is a 16-year veteran of the telecommunications industry and a licensed Canadian ham radio operator since 1988. He is passionate about VHF/UHF repeater communications, especially using digital modes and he has owned and operated a number of ham radio repeater installations over the years, including ones in both the provinces of Ontario (VE3/VA3) and New Brunswick (VE9). In addition to ham radio, Don enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, biking and astronomy.