So a trip to family in the Western part of the state provided my first opportunity for a portable operation with the Elecraft KX3. Calling this a "portable operation" is a bit contrived but I was outdoors, battery powered and sitting comfy under an oak tree for a few hours.
A rope with an lead weight allowed me to get the rope up into an old oak tree. The weight goes up over a branch and back down. I untie the weight and attach the antenna and then pull it up to the apex.
The bottom of the end-fed random wire antenna is connected an 9:1 UnUn to lower the impedance to something the radio's ATU can match.
Operations
No it's not a torture device
More mosquitoes and ticks were biting than contacts but I had a very nice long rag chew with N8NSN. Turns out he has an incredible station of classic equipment that he's painstakingly restored. We had a great conversation about options for portable straight keys, He suggested looking at an Army Leg Mount...
I'm digging it. It has kind of a steam punk vibe.
The radio was powered by a 3ah 12v old battery for a good part of the day. About an hour of that time was transmitting at 5watts power. The receive drain of the KX3 is very low with the display turned off (right from a button, no menu required) so a relatively small battery lasts a long time.
It's difficult to see but I'm holding a Palm Radio Single Key Paddle in my left hand while sending with my right. I simply laid the key down between transmissions. I'm very happy so far with the Palm Radio Single Key paddle.
Arm chair copy ?
Here's the KX3 in all it's portable glory...
Plugged into the left is power from a small external 12v 3ah battery. It has more capacity and higher voltage than the internal AA nmih rechargeable batteries. If I run the external down I can fall back to the internals.
Connected to the middle plug is the CW key from Palm Radio which is wonderfully portable (AA4XX recommended the key) although I'm getting used to holding it during operation rather than having it attached to a base.
The noise canceling ear-buds are plugged into the bottom jack on the left.
The coax to the antenna is plugged into the BNC on the right of the radio. The radio has built-in feet to prop it up during operation. I'm not sure how I'd feel about sitting it directly on the ground. It has plenty of gaps for insects and debris to get inside. I think if I operate sitting on the ground I'd set it on my backpack.
Elecraft KX3 portable with Palm Radio Single CW Paddle
So all-in-all the my first portable HF OP was a qualified success.
I didn't get the antenna stuck in the tree
I didn't accidentally brain myself with the lead weight on the throwing rope
I didn't get attacked by killer bees or caught in a sharknado while operating outdoors
KX3 operating on internal battery. What a fantastic portable rig.
I took the BLT+ balanced line tuner out to the Excalibur antenna site to try it out on the doublet antenna that we put up last Saturday. This was the first test of that antenna (40m and 80m using a common feedpoint).
I didn't have much time today and after the first QSO it started to rain so I packed up and left before getting as much documented as I would have liked. I apologize for not recording the actual tuning process and the subsequent QSO.
BLT+ connected to open wire line (under the gloves) going to ta 40m Doublet at 65ft
I had the KX3 operating using its internal batteries and outputting 2w. I was running 2 watts because that is the most efficient PA mode for the KX3. I used the BLT+ to tune the 40m/80m doublet. Balanced line antennas perform better with a tuner designed for balanced line and this was a good test for both the tuner and the new antenna.
Portable shack, courtesy of three plastic chairs
I quickly matched the doublet using the BLT+ using the lowest impedance setting which is also the most efficient. I was glad to see that the BLT SWR LED indicator is bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight. I was wondering about that but you can definitely tell when it dims even in direct sunlight.
Performance
After quickly tuning up I sent my call two times and was promptly answered. The other station was running a Flex 6500 into a KPA500 and a OCF Windom at 50 feet.
He reported me as 559, while he was a 599. He was running a new KPA500 amp at 500w so we were a bit mismatched on power.
Interestingly the difference in 2w and 500w exactly matches the 4 S-Unit difference in our reports if you do the math (each increase in an S-unit requires quadruple the power).
AA4OO sitting back and listening to the QSO
Paul AA4XX kindly snapped some pictures while I was listening to the other operator. This is the Excalibur antenna site but the shack is outside the photo. The Doublet's feed line has not been brought to the shack yet so I was just sitting under the antenna. The open feed line is running along the ground for a bit which certainly didn't help the signal but we haven't installed the posts to carry the feed line over to the shack and I was too lazy to move the chairs far enough away to keep the feed line in the air. In the foreground is some saw-grass common on the NC coast. I'm not sure why it's growing this far inland.
Portable shack at the Excalibur antenna site... The Doublet is 65 feet above my head
Waiting my turn in the QSO... holding the Palm Single Paddle. BLT+ tuner in the chair to the right
Video
Here is a brief video showing how the BLT+ is connected to the Doublet...
Summary
The little BLT+ performed great with both balanced line antennas I've tried. It is easy to use and allows me to use my KX3 with balanced feed line antennas now. I encourage you to build the kit from Pacific Antenna / QRPKits.com .
I wanted to test the BLT+ Tuner portable with a ladder line fed Doublet but my time has been limited. After getting home from work one night I assembled a 40m Doublet fed by 450 Ohm ladder line in my driveway.
I pushed the Doublet up on my Jacktite pole and attached the ladder line to the BLT+ and attached the BLT to the KX3. I had the KX3 sitting on the deck table running on internal batteries.
BLT+ tuning the balanced line antenna
By the time I began my test it was quite dark except for the moon. My headlamp was out of batteries and I was operating by a floodlight up on the eve but I was determined to know how the tuner worked with my portable doublet.
Doublet on Push up pole. Moon in the background.
40m and 30m tuned up 1.0:1 using the high capacitance setting. Tuning was fast for each band using the SWR indicator LED. After tuning on 7030 and sending my call then again on 10110, I tried 14060. Although tuning 14m was a bit touchy it tuned using the low capacitance setting to around 1.5:1 SWR. After tuning I sent my call on 20m. Immediately I received a call from K7JHM, a QRP station in Utah (about 1700 miles away). We exchanged signal reports and station information although copy was a bit rough. I'd neglected to bring my earbuds out and the speaker on the KX3 is pretty poor.
However, the QRP to contact was a success on a portable antenna, tuned with the BLT+ driven by a rig running on internal double A batteries.
I didn't try higher bands because it was so late in the evening so I packed it all up declaring success.
Balanced line tuner doing it's job
Tuning 20m was a bit touchy because my total length of one leg of the doublet plus the feedline is too near a 1/2 wavelength on 20m. I need to add about 7 feet of ladderline to keep it from being near odd 1/8 wavelengths of the bands I want to tune. Or I could add 7 feet to each leg of the antenna. I will need to do that before the next test.
Working my rolling shack portable station from air-con comfort
We've had a few RV's over the years, but for some reason I've never thought to operate from inside the RV. I have always tossed a wire over a tree and operated from a picnic table or from my camp chair, as here...
But I thought, "Hey, I have a 12v power supply built-into the RV and the built-in ladder makes a nice solid mount for an antenna mast."
Early try with a military fiberglass pole mast
Now I use a Flagpole Buddy with a 30 foot telescoping mast
Our RV has a Converter / Inverter with a spare 25 amp 12v circuit. I tapped into that and ran a power pole wire to the dinette table.
The camper had a coax outlet to watch a TV outside the camper... that's obnoxious. So I cut the cable TV coax and crimped on a UHF connector, and ran that to the dinette table. I simply attach my coax from outside the camper to cable TV coax adapter to get the antenna connection inside the camper. Wallah, coax through the wall with no drilling. The cable TV coax run from the dinette to the wall outlet is only a couple feet so it's not really impacting the impedance of the coax run to the antenna.
I've tried a couple of antenna's and have settled on my end-fed 44 foot wire fed with a 9:1 balun and some clip on radials. I pull the antenna wire through top end of the telescoping mast with kite string, counter-weighted with a heavy sinker. That keeps the wire taught from the end-fed point up to the top of the mast and out at an angle.
Gone RF fishing with a 30 foot pole and a big sinker.
The Elecraft KX3 and Ten-Tec Eagle will both match a bent spoon with their auto-tuners and have no trouble with the end-fed on 40m and above.
For a portable key I use my Palm Radio Single paddle. Either magnetically attached to the steel side of the Eagle or just held with one hand while operating with the KX3.
Palm Radio Single Paddle
On the Eagle the Palm Radio Single magnetically attaches to the side
One thing I find interesting about operating while "camping" (if you call towing a small house to a campground camping) is that I seem to also work a suprising number of other stations that are operating from a campground.
Note the power and antenna connections under the table
The KX3 can stay on the dinette and doesn't take much room. Keeping the footprint small and the earbuds in, keeps the XYL happy when operating during an outing.
I worked a number of stations on 40m, 30m, 20m and 10m this weekend. It's always fun to tell a station that you are portable, even if you are essentially operating in your home away from home.
I had the privilege to be part of the Knightlites WQ4RP 2016 Field Day event. They are a great bunch of folks dedicated to QRP radio. They operated CW and SSB on 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 6m, 2m and 440.
After listening to CW for nearly 19 hours straight; my brain is turning even normal sounds into morse code... I may have had a psychotic break.
Gary, N3GO, operating 80m straight through the night without leaving the oh-so-comfortable lawn chair
My 80m/15m station
This is my first year operating CW and my first full, field day event. I've dabbled in field day (FD) in the past but did not work it as part of a club.
For this FD I was responsible for supplying the equipment to get a station on the air for 80m and 15m. The WQ4RP club operates QRP only using battery power, so anything associated with transmitting was to be battery powered including the computer. My Elecraft KX3 was powered by a 12 year old 50ah UPS battery and the laptop was powered using an inverter with a large deep cycle battery. Following 20 hours of operation the UPS battery had only dropped to 12.2v The Elecraft KX3 is frugal with power even after hundreds of contacts.
My antenna was the one we'd previously installed at Excalibur during the spring. Paul brought it down for us to use at the FD site. We cut the 40m part of the fan dipole to work for 15m. Tall trees on either side of the tent provided the antenna supports and the tent was positioned to be close to the feed point of the ladder line.
80m - 15m Fan dipole with home brew ladder line
Honda generators powered the lights in the evening and fans/AC during the heat of the day. Honda generators are quiet in both the audio and radio spectrums. Three Knightlite stations used Honda generators to power equipment not related to transceivers.
Power was supplied to all stations by Honda i-series generators
Operating CW during Field Day
Unfortunately for FD operations I'm the opposite end of a CW contester. Since starting my CW/Morse Code journey last year I've just worked at getting my ragchew (conversations in CW) skills improved. I practice listening to the most common 500 words and listening to e-books sent as Morse Code. I'm not good at copying calls, when they are sent at 25wpm. Compounding my new(ish) operator struggle is that FD uses an abbreviated exchange, so it was tough going for me when operations kicked off at 2PM local time Saturday and the exchanges began flying by...
A Field Day CW exchange
Calling Station sends an abbreviated CQ, sometimes the CQ and the ending FD were omitted:
CQ FD N4HOG N4HOG FD
Answering Station sends call by itself, repeating as necessary:
WQ4RP (repeat call after a brief pause if no response)
Calling Station sends my call back to me then his station class and section:
WQ4RP 1E NC
Answering Station sends station class and section:
3A NC
Calling Station sends thank you and that's it, you're done:
TU
Since we were operating QRP we often had to repeat our call and our class and sections. I don't have much experience at copying calls at speeds above 20wpm. The 15m band was weak and most signals were no better than S2 or S3. I was trying to copy calls sent at speeds higher than my norm with QSB (fading) and I was getting frustrated. Paul came and sat beside me to coach and provide some encouragement. He is a patient tutor.
I was advised to operate "search and pounce" rather than sending CQ myself because I needed to hear a caller complete a QSO once or twice to copy their call and their response but even then copying the section was often harder for me than the call. Many of the sections are 3 letter designations that I was unfamiliar with (i.e. California has 10 sections abbreviations). Between QSOs Paul would explain where each of the sections were located. I should have studied up on this stuff prior to FD.
I'd hear the station class (a number and a letter) and then while my brain was chewing on that I'd miss the section. So I was sending a lot of AGN? to get the stations to repeat their response. Sometimes I'd finish a contact and realize I'd mistyped part of the response so I would wait and listen for the caller to go through another contact to hear what they sent to copy it correctly for the log. I wasn't really racking up the contacts.
This type of operating is very challenging for me. While I can understand why contesters enjoy honing these skills, for me, it was stressful and wore me down mentally. I took breaks at least every hour and asked other, more seasoned operators to take the helm (errr. key) while my brain cooled down.
80m magic
When dusk arrived 15m contacts were few and far between and I switched to 80m. Gone were the weak signals and speed demons on 15m. The 80m band was surprisingly QRN free and stations sending FD calls were stacked like firewood throughout the CW portion of the band. Our QRP station was also heard better by the callers with fewer needs to repeat the call or the response. I had more enjoyable time working 80m. Paul still sat with me and offered advice which I greatly appreciated.
Gary N3GO, loves the 80m band and he is the Knightlites anchor man for running 80m through the night. Gary sat down at 10PM to begin his shift on 80m and he didn't get out of that chair until 5AM. I was dozing on and off (more off than on) in the tent and doing my best to head copy what he was working. Seven straight non-stop hours of CW later Gary needed a break and I spelled him for a while. After a bit of rest he was back for more and operated until the band gave out in the morning.
N3GO is the anchor man for 80m through the night shift
WQ4RP Knightlites
The Knightlites operate using the club call WQ4RP. Here are some of the participants from the 2016 FD.
Left to right: AA4OO, WA4GIR, WF4I, (visiting ham in red ????), KD4PBJ, KC4PHJ, AA4XX, AB4PP
Thanks to W4MPS for taking the photo
Photos
"JP" AB4PP -- 20m Band captain
Kurt N4KJK - assisted with 15m CW
6m / 2m / 440 stack - Thanks Alex!
Alex KC4PHJ -- Band captain for 6m / 2m / 440
Joe WA4GIR - 40m band captain
40m Station
40m Loop
Derek WF4I - working 40m at dawn
Sunday daybreak and the 80m station is still cranking
Lots of weed eater support lines tied off at the base of this tree
Summary
My first FD as a CW operator was challenging but fun, The WQ4RP club has some patient and talented operators, many of whom have rarely missed operating a FD since becoming hams. I enjoyed getting to learn from them.
Next year I will make the effort to practice copying FD exchanges prior to the event so that I'm not so overwhelmed. It also turned out I'd made a poor choice for logging software. The RumNLog software for my Mac laptop didn't have a preset for the FD contest. I had to use a general contest setting and now will have to programmatically manipulate the resulting ADIF output to have the necessary fields for submission.
The Elecraft KX3 is unsurprisingly a good QRP field day radio. It's small size, low power consumption and phenomenal internal auto tuner made it a pleasure to work with. It has a knob, button or display element for everything you could want. For instance, the dedicated knob for changing internal keyer speed was very useful to fit each station we worked during an exchange. I also used the secondary frequency display area to check on the power supply voltage throughout the event. The KX3 truly does have the kitchen sink.
Update 7-11-2016
Paul sent me the Knightlites field day results. Lists below. I'm interested to see how our group fared .
Call Used: WQ4RP GOTA Station Call: (none) ARRL/RAC Section: NC Class: 3A
Participants: 10 Club/Group Name: KnightLites QRP Society
Power Source(s): Battery
Power Multiplier: 5X
Bonus Points:
100% Emergency power 300
W1AW Field Day Message 100
Submitted via the Web 50
Total Bonus Points 450
Score Summary:
CW Digital Phone Total
Total QSOs 539 0 58
Total Points 1078 0 58 1136 Claimed Score = 5,680
A second HF rig has somehow found its way into my home.
Ten-Tec Century / 21 CW Only Transceiver
Since getting back into HAM radio with my focus now on CW and QRP I find that many of my contacts use old and/or homebrew equipment. Maybe it's because I often call CQ with my straight key rather than paddles that results in most answers to my CQ being operators using a straight key or a bug. It seems these operators tend to not use the latest piece of shiny gear, which made me an anomaly; sending with a straight key while using my SDR-in-a-box like the Elecraft KX3. Maybe for this reason I've found myself being drawn to less sophisticated types of equipment. I'm not talking about wanting to go back to spark gap and gravity batteries, but sometimes the KX3 is just too easy to use.
In the same way that I'd prefer to send CW using a Straight Key to a keyboard since it's a greater challenge, I think that the older, less sophisticated equipment can bring more satisfaction to the hobby.
Vintage... like bell bottom jeans and corduroys
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that the only "real" radios are those with discreet components or tubes, nor am I saying no key but a straight key. I'm just moving through some stages of the hobby that I missed because I didn't grow up with this older equipment and I think the challenges can be fun to learn and operate.
I didn't get into Ham radio until 2006 and the commonly available used equipment of the time was microprocessor controlled rigs with digital displays, optical encoders, DSP filters and seemingly endless menus for configuration. I went through a few HF radios over a couple of years: a Yaesu FT-857, ICOM 730 and lastly, a ICOM 746 Pro, before I sold the radios and dropped out of the hobby. At the time none of those rigs held any "magic" for me, they were just tools with increasing levels of functionality and ease of use. However the ICOM 730 did hold copious amounts of stale cigarette smoke and nicotine from the previous operator that it would release into my room as it warmed up. Not really magic, more of a non-corporeal element let's say.
If you've read my earlier posts you may recall that although I like my Elecraft KX3 immensely I have some strange fondness for TEN-TEC equipment. Ten-Tec has made some quirky radios with legendary full break-in QSK and supposedly smooth, quiet receivers for CW operators for a few decades now. So when a Craigslist posting leaped into my browser window (I don't know how that happened) advertising a seemingly pristine late-70s rig that had supposedly been reworked to a perfection, all for $140, I just couldn't pass it up... well at least the price in the ad was accurate.
The Ten-Tec Century 21 is an interesting transceiver. In the simplest sense it was an ideal radio for the Novice Licensed HAM operator of the 1970s. It is a CW only transmitter. It doesn't require fiddling with a resonant tank circuit of the typical tube radios of the era to work out resonance. It has a built-in power supply that runs off 115-120v mains. It doesn't use a superheterodyne receiver but a direct conversion receiver (Ten-Tec called it a double direct conversion receiver). This resulted in a simplified design and good selectivity but without the IF there is no AGC so be ready to work those RF/AF gain knobs. It also has easy band changing and nice filtering. From web searches and reviews its most common problem is a PTO that has to be rebuilt every few years. The Ham I purchased mine from said it had been rebuilt. It doesn't slip (yet) but it's kinda stiff so I expect a PTO rebuild to be in my future. I spoke with a ham I work with who has rebuilt one and he said it's not difficult, simply time consuming (but he repairs electronics all day so YMMV).
Operation is relatively simple:
Start with the radio off.
Turn the Drive knob down (counter clockwise), select your band
Turn the radio on by pushing in the RF Gain knob (it is the on-off switch).
Find and open frequency (wait, listen, wait again, listen) and while holding the Set Drive button apply just enough power using the Drive knob to give you some RF out for matching your antenna. Better yet use a frequency analyzer to tune QRM free.
After you're matched up you can bring the power up to where you want to operate. Unfortunately this can't necessarily be done into a dummy load unless you're match is near 1:1. The SWR will affect how much output drive you can use. If you're going to run QRP then no worries because you won't be running the power input up to a point that could trip the final, Maximum input power is marked by the thick line on the Input Power meter (about 70w). This results in differing output wattage dependent on antenna resistance and frequency. I found that into a 50ohm dummy load I could generate up to 40w output for 80m, 35w output for 40m, 30w output for 20m and so on, down to about 15w output on 10m. As I plan to use the rig for QRP this is mostly academic. It certainly can provide more than QRP output levels if conditions warrant.
To Tune a Station prior to the QSO
This seems more complicated than it should be but I'm guessing after I've done it a few dozen times it will become automatic.
The Offset Knob
The CW tone you hear is the difference between the current PTO tuning and the position of the Offset knob. The Offset knob can be an offset to either side of the current frequency (think of this as CWR depending on your band). In other words the zero position of the Offset knob applies zero audio offset to the currently tuned frequency so you wouldn't hear a tone from a signal with zero offset. You should have the Offset knob slightly to the left on 80m and 40m (LSB offset) and slightly to the right of zero for the USB bands.
The Zero Beat Knob
So with the information above in mind... Pressing the Zero Beat button defeats whatever the Offset knob is set to (effectively zeroing the offset). When you are exactly on frequency with a signal the audio from the signal nulls (goes silent). This null / silence is your indication that your transmitter frequency matches the other station.
However I've found that the Null or Zero Beat is quite broad, such that you could be up to 250Hz off frequency based on where you leave the PTO in the Null.
For my radio, on LSB bands, I press the Zero Beat button, find the null and then go past it (turning the knob to the left) and then just tweak it back into the null. At least for my radio that works. Maybe other Century 21s have a finer Q on the Null.
After you have zero beat the signal you can use the Offset knob like a RIT. The range on that knob is really broad. I think the manual said 5kHz so just a touch goes a long way unless you like to listen to CW with a ear piercing 2kHz, high pitched tone.
Here's a video demonstrating operating the rig...
TEN-TEC Century 21 -- Front Panel Controls
QSK
The Century 21 has full break-in QSK on at all times. It is extremely clean with no discernable pops or artifacts. One complaint I have is that the pitch and tone of the sidetone itself is fixed. You can vary the volume through a little hole in the bottom cover to turn a thumb wheel, from very loud to just loud but you cannot change the pitch and it's a bit harsh sounding.
The headphone jack on my particular radio is broken. I need to open it up to resolve that before the wife uses a large heavy object on my beautiful new transceiver.
Selectivity
This video demonstrates the receiver selectivity of this old radio.
Where is the S-Meter?
This is a bare bones transceiver with just the basics necessary for CW communication. As far as information for the operator: Well there's an analog dial that gives you a rough indication (within 5kHz) of where you are transmitting, and an input wattage gauge for the drive and that's all. Notably missing is a Signal Strength meter so the signal reports you send will be based on your ear, or how generous you're feeling at the time.
It's a little funny to me that I'm enjoying using this radio given it's lack of... well just about everything compared to my Elecraft KX3 whose tiny display indicates Signal Strength, Signal Relative to Zero Beat, SWR, RIT Offset, VFO A/B (down to a 10Hz range) Time, PA Temp, etc. It just goes to show you how much modern rigs have that, when it comes down to it, isn't actually necessary for communication.
Specifications
A bit of history about TenTec QRP radios and the C21 from a 1977 magazing article...
Frequency Coverage: 3.5 to 4.0; 7.0 to 7.5; 14.0 to 14.5; 21.0 to 21.5; 28.0 to 28.5; 28.5 to 29.0 MHz. (Crystal not supplied for 28.5 to 29.0 MHz, but available as accessory, Model 273.) Note - Early models only included crystals for 3.5, 7, and 14 MHz bands. Crystals for 21 Mhz and 28 Mhz bands were available as optional Models numbers 271 and 272.
VFO Frequency Stability: less than 20 Hz change per degree Fahrenheit, averaged over a 40o change from 70o to 110o, after 30 minute warmup. Less than 20 Hz change from 105 to 125 VAC line voltage.
Direct Frequency Readout: Marked in 5 kHz increments from 0 - 500 kHz, MHz markings for each band displayed.
Tuning Rate: Approximately 17 kHz per revolution of main tuning knob.
Power Requirements: 105 - 125 VAC, 50-60 Hz. 10 watts receive, 100 watts transmit.
What does an S-Unit really mean and how can a QRP station sound like a 500w station?
The real gain doesn't come from transmitter watts
I rarely go up to the phone portion of the bands. Since I started doing QRP and CW last summer I think I've only made two SSB contacts just because my focus has been CW. But last night I was working on a bench project and tuned the Elecraft KX3 up to the phone portion of 40m for some entertainment.
A station in Rhode Island was testing his amp with a new antenna and was getting reports from various stateside operators. There was a lull where no one was answering his CQ so I thought I'd give him a call. He was peaking at S9 on my KX3's meter and he also sent me a signal report of S9 with some 10 over peaks. I then told him I was a QRP station running 10 watts and heard the usual surprised reaction from a QRO station.
I gave him reports as he switched back and forth from running barefoot ~75w to his amp ~500w. With his amp on he was an S9, running barefoot he was S8. So the amp gave him one additional S unit. In terms of hearing him I would have been hard pressed to tell much difference simply by volume. He was perfectly copyable without noise with the amp off.
We also did some tests with my station at reduced power (as if...) At 10w-12w output I received a S9 to S9+10. Reducing output to 5 watts netted me a S8 report and when I reduced to 1 watt (one watt) he was still able to comfortably copy me and I received an S5. So with my station at 1 watt and his running 500 watts we could still converse via SSB. Ladies and Gentlemen you don't need as much output wattage as you think you do.
He was running through a newly constructed homebrewed vertical while I was using my 80m OCF Dipole. We didn't discuss what sort of radial system he had installed, but the difference in antennas was likely the deciding difference in our stations. We were about 500 miles apart and his vertical probably had more low-takeoff gain than my dipole, or possibly more ground loss so I probably had better high angle gain on him for the short 500 mile skip. I think the take-away from this exercise is that the antenna is generally the key rather than transmitter power. If I can get 6 dB of gain from my antenna I have in essence quadrupled my effective radiated power. Quadrupled? Yes, Quadrupled effective output power.
Power and S-Units
You've probably heard it before but it's worth a refresher... Our radio's meter display a measurement in "S-Unit". To move the meter up one S-Unit the receiver must hear 6 more dB (decibels). So one S-Unit is 6 dB.
A decibel is:
A Power Ratio: dB = 10 Log P2/P1
A Voltage Ratio: dB = 20 Log V2/V1
You increase 3dB each time you DOUBLE your power
That's worth repeating...
You increase 3dB each time you DOUBLE your power. So to gain one S-Unit you must quadruple your power.
So if you are running 100 watts, to gain one S-Unit using the same antenna system you must increase your power to 400 watts. If you are running QRP SSB (10 watts) that is only 1.5 S-Units down from 100 watts. 100w / 2 (-3dB) = 50w / 2 (another -3dB or 1 S-Unit) = 25w... etc.
Antennas offer the cheapest increase in dB
Note the statement above "using the same antenna system". That's the key then isn't it? It's easier to get 6 dB of gain from an antenna than from wattage. A 40m doublet can offer significant directional gain especially when operated on higher bands. Now unless it's rotatable you will be at the mercy of the directionality of its lobes but if you have trees or tall structures you can very cheaply string up a few dipoles oriented in different directions and for far less money that a 500 watt amp (6 dB). If you can only have one wire antenna you may miss out on some DX in the antenna's nulls but you will have some stellar gain in the direction of the lobes. Of course rotatable yagis and beams are the best but now we are talking about real money again. I'm talking bang for the penny. You don't have to buy a wire antenna. Some Dacron rope or weed-eater line and some surplus insulated wire is all you need. You can even make your own feedline cheaply from electric fence wire and insulators.
We have a great hobby, but there are so many aspects of it that sound like common sense when they really are not... like increase your power.
Increasing power gains you very little compared to a better antenna systems.
That's all for now.
So lower your power and raise your expectations (or your antennas)
72/73 (Note: 72 is a common substitute for 73 among QRPers... as in "not enough power for 73")
Richard, N4PBQ
When working QRP stations the signal often fails to register on my S-meter. My display would often look like the one on the right... Nothing registering on the S-Meter, even with the preamp enabled, yet the station is there... down in the noise sending my call.
So as I've been spending more time learning to operate CW QRP I keep getting worked by stations that are able to copy me when I cannot copy them. More often than not QSB would take their side of the QSO into the noise for a time and I wouldn't be able to copy them. When the inevitable "HW?" (for how do you copy) would come back I'd often have to say "PSE AGN?" (please send again).
This occurrence happened frequently enough to where I thought I should ask Paul (AA4XX) what was going on. His response seemed counter-intuitive but as I've come to see it's just the ticket.
Turn DOWN RF Gain and turn UP AF Gain
The radio's RF gain is normally left at 0dB. It can't be turned "up" past 0dB although most radios have a "preamp" that takes the input from the RF and amplifies whatever is there. Whereas AF gain controls the audio volume. When you turn the RF gain down (negative values, i.e. -12dB) the signal is being reduced before it is passed to the AF (audio gain) stage. As counter-intuitive as it seems, by turning down the RF gain and increasing the AF gain (turning down the input and turning up the output) you can sometimes discern a signal that was previously in the noise.
The human ear is a great discriminator and if the receive signal level is reduced such that the background noise is lessened then the audio level (AF) can be increased to the point where you can hear the signal better. From what I understand it's a matter of separating the signal from the noise.
KX3 Signal path
I started using this technique this past weekend and it's made a big difference in my ability to copy weak stations. It has also lessened my listening fatigue because I'm not simply turning up noise, trying to hear the station, I'm separating the signal from the noise.
Technically I have no idea why this works.
It would seem that lowering the receiver gain simply to increase the audio gain would just swap one noise for another but it does work with my radio. It requires me to ride the knobs to keep the station in a comfortable listening range and since my KX3 only has one knob for both AF and RF gain (switched by a quick push) it can be a little tedious. So I began to make use of the volume control on my earbuds.
Here's my procedure for copying weak stations:
Turn the volume down on my earbuds/headset (independent from the radio volume knob)
Turn the AF on the radio to maximum. My headset / earbuds volume control is now acting as my audio volume.
Click AF/RF knob to select RF.
Turn the RF down until I hear no "noise" and just hear the signal
I have to ride the RF knob during the QSO to control my signal and my independent headphone volume control keeps me from having to keep clicking the knob back and forth on the radio to switch from AF to RF control.
The bands have been relatively quiet for the past few weeks since getting back in the hobby and now that we are on the downward curve of the Solar cycle it's bound to get even worse for the next few years so I may as well learn to copy weak signals, be they QRP or QRO.
I was able to work a few difficult to copy stations (for me) this weekend including N8XMS President of the NAQCC club. Without the weak signal trick AA4XX suggested to me I don't think I would have been able to work those stations with my present antenna at my QTH.
I hope this helps new CW operators or those struggling to copy weak signals.
Keys left to right Nye Viking, Kent Hand key, Vibroplex Original Bug, N3ZN ZN-QRP paddle, Palm Single paddle
My collection of keys has grown over the past few months and I find that I like each for their particular qualities.
Keys from left to right
The Nye Viking is somewhere between a traditional J-38 low style American key and a tall European style. At first I couldn't get any sort of coordination with it even after a couple hours of practice and it stayed in the closet for a few months. Eventually I wanted to leave a key hooked up to the old Century/21 so I didn't have to move the output of my external keyer so the Viking came back out. I've finally become accustomed to it and am even beginning to enjoy it as much as the Kent. I'm amazed at how different two straight keys can be.
The Kent Hand key continues to be my favorite key for straight key operation. The Kent is operated using your entire arm off the desk and when I send using it above 15wpm I get the entire desk shaking with the motion. My desk light starts casting dancing shadows across the equipment from the vibration and with the clacking of the key and the blare of the sidetone the world of CW becomes visceral.
The Vibroplex Bug remains at the center of the collection because I have some strange affinity for the quirky bug. I use it on every QSO where I hear another bug operator or with SKCC operators that are sending faster than 17wpm. It has a non-cosmetic, yet effective, weight added from an old steel spacer to slow it down to a range of 21wpm to 16wpm and some dental floss around the DIT contact spring to reduce the potential bounce which results in scratchy sounding DITS.
The N3ZN ZN-QRP paddle is a work of art and when I'm working higher speed CW it's my go-to key. The carbon fiber finger pieces and lightweight clickety action always puts a smile on my face. I keep it connected to the external Ham Keyer which has a handy knob to for quickly adjusting keyer speed.
The Palm Single to the right is magnetically mounted to a steel base a friend made for me. I pull it off the base when I go portable as it's my go-to key for all my portable operations. But when I'm at the home station I leave it hooked up to the keyer input on the Ten-Tec Eagle because the Eagle's keyer is only Iambic-B mode and I just can't get used to "B-Mode". Using a single, non-iambic paddle eliminates the weird timing of the B iambic mode. I really should learn mode-B since it seems to be standard on Ten-Tec and Kenwood radios.
The 3 stars in the center are the Kent Hand key, Vibroplex Original Bug and the N3ZN paddle
The 3 keys in the middle (Kent Hand key, Vibroplex Bug and N3ZN paddle) remain hooked up to the Ham Keyer and I move the output of that keyer to whichever rig I'm primarily using at the time. That keyer uses Iambic-Mode-A which I'm comfortable with and it debounces the scratchiness of the Bug. I hook the output of the keyer up to either the PTT line on the Eagle or the secondary key input on the KX3. When using the C21 I just use the Nye straight key.
Debouncing a Vibroplex Bug
Side story on the Bug... If you get a Vibroplex bug and hook it up to the PTT line of your radio you may find that you're missing DITS or that the output sounds broken or scratchy. The PTT line of many radios is not "buffered" meaning it is reacting to every contact closure. On a bug, the DIT contact is actually bouncing potentially hundreds of times a second since the contact force is so light and doesn't make a clean closure. Many keyers will filter out those multiple contacts or bounces. My old HAM KEYER weight control actually serves as a DIT weight control for the manual keys as well so it's ideal for use with the bug.
KE6EE offered me this nice explanation of what was going on:
The more usual term for the process of dealing with problems of contact closure is "debouncing." Google and you will find lots of interesting visuals and explanations.
The actual start and finish of contact closures and openings in switches, relays and keys, is not a simple off-and-on process but a series of "bounces." Dit contact closures on a bug are likely to be very bouncy.
Bug dit contact design and bug maintenance and adjustment are critical for minimizing bounce. Ops with Vibroplex-style dit contacts often put a piece of rubber or plastic foam in the U-shaped dit contact spring. The Begali bug uses a unique pointed and spring-loaded dit contact. Many bug ops, from my observations on the air, do not adjust their dit weight properly to minimize a scratchy sound.
Transmitter keying circuits are usually "debounced" in various ways, the simplest perhaps being to put a capacitor across the key contact circuit. A PTT circuit doesn't need to be debounced so it isn't. Keyers often have debounce circuits designed to be used with straight keys and bugs.
Try different keys
So if you are getting into CW try some different keys. I think you'll be surprised by the differences and find that your mood or situation will dictate the use of one key over another. Morse keys on the used market aren't expensive if you shop carefully so you can build quite a collection. They also tend to hold their value if you find that you've obtained a key or two that you just can't grok.
My ever changing station sporting a spiffy new chair
That's all for now
So lower your power and raise your expectations
73
Richard, AA4OO
A rope with an lead weight allowed me to get the rope up into an old oak tree. The weight goes up over a branch and back down. I untie the weight and attach the antenna and then pull it up to the apex. 
