QRP and CW -- the perfect match for any Amateur operator looking for a challenge or looking to put the "spark" back in their radio operation. One thing anyone needs to do is to join a good QRP Club and there are many. One I'd like to recommend is the North American QRP CW Club (NAQCC). As the name reveals, this is strictly a CW QRP Club. No SSB or other digital modes. We also encurage the use of simple wire antennas. Best of all membership is FREE!
Moreover, the club has some really unique awards, some of which are free and some certificates such as the 1000-Mile-per-Watt award, WAS or DXCC cost only $3 to cover printing, mailing envelope and postage (two IRCs for DX mailings).
Please visit our Web site: www.qsl.net/kb3lfc
Any licensed radio amateur or SWLer is welcome to join. To date (11/26/04) the club has nearly 300 members and is less than two months old.

Someone sent the the Radio Shack part number of the internal memory battery for the HTX-202. Does anyone have this part number or know where I can get the battery? Please e-mail: yoel@arm-tek.net
Thank you ex 73
Tom Mitchell, KB3LFC  

Calling all QRP and CW ops. The North American QRP CW Club (NAQCC) is now up and running. The club is devoted to promoting QRP, QRPp and CW operation exclusively. Membership is open to all licensed radio amateurs worldwide (and SWLs) and is 100-percent FREE.
The club will host a weeknight 80-Meter Sprint from 0000 to 0200 Zulu--GMT Oct. 29 (that's 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 28). Also check out our "GAW" special event. Please visit: www.qsl.net/kb3lfc

 

I have an HW-7 that lights up but does not receive or transmit. I do not have a manual for this rig. Any trouble shooting suggestion from someone familiar with Heath Kit QRP rigs?
Please reple to: yoel@arm-tek.net
and to tmitchell@tribweb.com
and thank you for any help you can give.

HELP! After my HTX-202 2-Meter HT was used during the Remnants of Hurricane Ivan (got a bit wet) when I turn it one all the display shows is: er 1 and I get a periodic "beep" tone from it.
Is this a programming problem and how do I solve it. Please reply to: yoel@arm-tek.net
and to: tmitchell@tribweb.com
Who ever can help, thank you.
PS: I have a reprint of the HTX 202 manual and there is nothing in there about this problem.  

Hello to all:
Years ago when I worked two jobs, one was working in a truckstop repairing CB radios. To coin an old cliche I could literally "write a book" about some of the amusing, and not so amusing incidents I experienced.
One time a fellow, a local denizen and not a truck driver, who lurked around the struck stop brought in his CB radio to have the finals replaced. Sure enough, they were compeltely shot. I offered to chech his SWR but he declined, saying he had a "super ham antenna" that did just fine.
As he was leaving a fellow ham came in an told me that he thought this was the same character that stole his 2-Meter antenna from his car.
The next day this guy comes in and starts "kevtching" to high  heaven that I replaced the finals in his radio and I didn't know what i was doing, I ripped him off, his radio was now worse than ever, etc. etc. The truck stop manager instructed me to fix his radio free of charge and I said I'd be happy to do so. Then I told this guy that I had to check his SWR to be sure there was no problem and to guarentee our work.
Sure enough, there was a 2-meter antenna sitting on the roof of his car -- the very kind that was stolen from another ham's car in the truck stop parking lot a few days earlier.
I didn't say a word, but went through a pretext of checking the SWR. Then I struck up a conversation about his antenna. He was a bit nervous but finally admitted that he put a "ham" antenna on so he could "...get out a whole lot further."
I then wised up the truck stop manager and let him in on my little bit of returned justice.
The guy was in the next day with the same radio. I told him he no doubt had a serious problem and convinced him it was not our fault. He ended up paying for the thrid set of finals plus labor. He also paid for a fourth set a few days later.
The following week I had the ham come in who had the antenna stolen and we waited for our favorite customer. When he showed up -- with radio in tow -- I told him that perhaps his antenna might need changed and I'd give him a used antenna free of charge for the 2-meter on his car. We convinced this jerk that his problem was due to his "ham" antenna "attracting stray SWR from the high sun-spot cycle" -- he actually believed us and after some discussion, he agreed and the swap was made. I gave him an old CB antenna from our scrap reject pile and my ham friend got his 2-meter back.
We never saw the guy in our shop again, although he did lurk around the truck stop once in a while. For "borrowing" a 2-meter antenna he was about $90 poorer and we didn't hear him on the CB much after that. Perhaps he got a new hobby and I hope he has mended his "borrowing' habits.
Tom KB3LFC (ex-KC3YD)      

Hi Chuck and all:
About 16 years ago (I was then KC3YD) I rented 2 1/2 story farm house that had a 90-foot silo near by. I strung an 80-meter dipole from silo to house and used it to work my first QRP SSB, a Hungarian station on 75-meters with my argonaut pushing about 7 watts PEP. Although I worked mostly CW, I made numerous SSB QSOs to Western and Eastern Europe and using the gray path to Asia.

Several years later I moved to a QTH near the top of Blue Mountain in Schuylkill County, Pa. I strung a similar dipole from trees across the AT&T access trail which ran through my property, Using a tuner I used that dipole for 80, 40 and 15 meters. On my HW-7 running about a watt, I made many CW QSOs to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America and Asia, despite BCB QRM. I has QSOs with a JA station who was also QRP on the gray path, 40 meters, almost every morning for several weeks using gray path. We were both running one watt, I on the HW-7 and he on a homebrew.

I would agree that SSB QRP operation is much more of a challenge than CW, but my personal preference leans to CW when operating QRP. What amazes me is how many very experienced hams doubt what can really be done QRP. When I used my Argonaut to QSO to the 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 call areas quite often some the people I contacted didn't even know I was QRP until I told them.

I recently met John Shannon, K3WWP, who lives near me. John's exploits with QRP are almost legendary. Look up his Web page up on QRZ.com.

If you haven't tried QRP operation, check it out.
By the way, my new (and last) QTH is located in a deep valley but I do not believe it will stop me from the same quality of QRP operation I enjoyed in the 80s and early 90s. My first goal once I am back on HF is to earn WAS QRP, From there...? TOM KB3LFC    

While operating QRP CW in the late 1980s and early 1990s I used a Bencher keyer that I bought used for $25. After I caught on to using it I could send pretty fair CW. However, the keyer, along with just about everything else, was destroyed in a 1993 house fire.
After a 10-year or so hiatus from radio I decided to get back in and got my new call, KB3LFC. One problem I've developed over the years is arthritus. I borrowed a keyer from a friend to see if my stiff clumsey fingers could still manipulate the paddles, but no dice.
I want to buy a CW keyboard set up, and like you, spend less than $200. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what all I need. Are these keyboards capable of 12v operation? Hey, I've been out of this game for 11 years so please excuse my dumb questions. Your suggestions appreciated. 73s to all,
Tom, KB3LFC.