Last week I asked a pretty simple question: What’s next for your QRP station?
I wasn’t quite prepared for the response.
The emails started arriving shortly after we sent out QRP ARCI This Week, and they kept coming. Some were just a few sentences. Others included photographs and much longer stories about stations, antennas, projects, operating and things people are planning to try next.
And not everything stayed strictly within the boundaries of QRP—which was perfectly fine with me. Amateur radio has never fit very neatly into one box.
What struck me most was the variety.
Some of you are building. Some are changing antennas or improving stations. Others are getting back on the air, experimenting with something different, or thinking about the next project. There were experienced operators and builders, but also people still figuring out what they want to try next.
That’s exactly the kind of conversation I was hoping we might start.
Here’s What You Told Us
Rather than simply let all those emails sit in my inbox, I wanted to share some of them with the rest of the QRP ARCI community.
What I especially enjoyed was how different the answers were. There wasn’t one definition of what comes next. Some members are building from scratch. Others are finishing projects that have been waiting for years. There are antennas, station improvements, test equipment, portable projects and even some QRP history.
Here are some of the responses. (Photos coming soon)
Brent, KA4D — Back to a Project from 1991
Sometimes what’s next is actually something you started a long time ago.
While studying for his license, Brent became interested in the VXO-controlled CW transmitter featured in the 1991 ARRL Handbook. He even acquired the circuit board from FAR Circuits, but, as Brent put it, “life got in the way” and the project gathered dust.
Now he’s back at it.
“I’ve recently circled back to this project. If I can avoid other distractions (such as my equally dusty BITX40 kit), I just might finish it.”
[BRENT’S VXO TRANSMITTER PHOTO]
I suspect Brent isn’t the only QRP ARCI member with a project somewhere that has been waiting patiently for another chance.
Steve, KB5RZP — Building His Own QRP Dummy Loads
Steve sent us a great example of a useful station accessory that doesn’t have to be complicated.
He built two 5-watt dummy loads, each using ten resistors in parallel. One uses ten 510-ohm resistors and a BNC connector, producing approximately 52 ohms. The other uses ten 470-ohm resistors with an SO-239 connector, producing approximately 49 ohms.
[STEVE’S DUMMY LOAD PHOTO]
Steve also passed along two lessons from the project. The resistor values need to be closely matched so the load is shared properly, and don’t underestimate the heat:
“Another thing to remember is that even at 5 watts, these things can get too hot to handle.”
That’s the kind of practical experience that’s worth passing along.
Steve, ND3C — Building a QMX+ Station
Steve has been putting together an entire station around a QRP Labs QMX+.
His setup includes an LDG Z-11 Pro II antenna tuner and Timewave DSP-599zx audio processor. He modified a Sony MDR-V600 headset with more RF-resistant cabling and built his own boom microphone using the electret element specified for the QMX+.
There’s some old mixed in with the new, too. Steve restored a 1970s Vibroplex Vibrokeyer for CW operation.
[STEVE’S QMX+ STATION PHOTO]
His assessment after putting it all together was wonderfully concise:
“It works quite well. The QMX+ is a spectacular little radio.”
Fred, WD9HNU — An Antenna That’s Still Evolving
Fred sent us something that’s very much a work in progress.
He’s developing a multiband antenna intended to cover 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters using telescoping whips. His initial testing has shown an SWR of 1.5:1 or less with the antenna 54 inches above the ground.
The next challenge is mechanical. Fred would like to make the antenna more compact and easier to assemble.
And he set expectations appropriately:
“Won’t go in your backpack while you climb Pikes Peak for a SOTA, but, with a little fudging, will probably go in the car for a POTA.”
[FRED’S ANTENNA PHOTO]
That’s another part of building that sometimes gets overlooked. A project doesn’t have to be finished before it’s worth talking about. Sometimes sharing the problem you’re still trying to solve is what starts the conversation.
Ernie, N2DGQ — Five Watts for Emergency Communications
Ernie took “what’s next” in another direction.
He wanted to expand into VHF/UHF specifically for emergency communications, using his 5-watt handheld. He installed a wire J-pole in place of an unused band on his fan dipole and reports that he’s now reaching his county repeater about 13 miles away.
His winter plans take him back to HF. He plans to add a QRP Labs QMX mid-band radio to a collection that already includes a high-band QMX and QCX radios for 20, 30 and 40 meters.
Ernie is also a hiker and enjoys carrying his QRP equipment into POTA sites, setting up in the woods and operating for a few hours.
That’s a pretty good reminder that a QRP project doesn’t necessarily have to begin at a workbench.
Rick, N6IET — 30 States on a “500mw Peanut Whistle”
Rick took us considerably farther back in QRP history.
He built a station based on a Wes Hayward circuit published in QST during the early days of silicon transistors. The 40-meter crystal-controlled transmitter used a pair of 2N696 transistors and ran about one watt input, with roughly 500 milliwatts output.
His receiver arrangement used a seven-transistor AM pocket radio as a tunable IF with a converter and BFO.
[RICK’S VINTAGE STATION PHOTO]
And what did 500 milliwatts accomplish?
“I worked 30 states with that 500mw peanut whistle over a period of about 3 years.”
The photograph also includes Rick’s Eico 753, which he affectionately—or perhaps not so affectionately—remembers as the “Eico Seven Drifty Three.”
Some QRP stories deserve to survive.
Mike, WB8VGE — Two Very Different Projects
Mike, QRP ARCI member #4186, gave us enough material for more than one project.
One is what he calls his:
“two tube QRP power house!”
The transmitter uses a transistor crystal oscillator feeding a 6C4 amplifier and then a 5763 final amplifier, followed by a traditional pi-network.
According to Mike, it produces:
“about 8 W if the wind is blowing the right direction, and if not, about 5ish.”
[MIKE’S TWO-TUBE TRANSMITTER PHOTO]
His other project goes in a very different direction: a 50-watt dummy load with active cooling.
[MIKE’S THREE DUMMY-LOAD PHOTOS]
The cooling fans are RF switched. At higher power levels, keying the transmitter brings the fans on automatically.
Mike wondered whether there might be enough interest in the design for an article in QRP Quarterly.
Mike, I think you may have answered your own question.
John, KT4AD — Building for the Way He Operates Now
John’s project started with a change in how he enjoys amateur radio.
He’s always enjoyed building and modifying things—electronics as well as cars, motorcycles and sailboats. As dexterity became more of a consideration, he moved toward smaller, lighter equipment for QRP and portable operating.
That led to a lot of antenna experimentation.
John wanted a multiband antenna that didn’t have to be lowered and readjusted every time he changed bands, but that would still pack down into a small package for POTA/SOTA-style operating.
His solution is based on the NorCal Doublet concept, using lightweight 300-ohm TV feed line.
And this is homebrewing in the best sense of the word.
[JOHN’S FOUR ANTENNA PHOTOS]
The center support uses scrap plastic. The pole-mount tube came from the body of an old ballpoint pen. Epoxy and lacing cord hold the assembly together.
John ended his note to me with:
“Sorry for any excessive detail Sid,”
No apology necessary, John. That’s exactly the kind of detail another builder can use.
And Then Groups.io Took Over
The responses didn’t come only by email.
When I asked the same question on the QRP ARCI Groups.io group, Charlie, NJ7V, responded with a list that will probably sound familiar to anyone who has a few unfinished projects around the shack.
He has a WSPR transmitter and semi-scratch-built frequency counter waiting to be troubleshot:
“I’m sort of procrastinating getting to those. I have a WSPR transmitter and semi-scratch built frequency counter calling my name for help. haha.”
Charlie had also just returned from the GQRP Convention in the UK, where he participated in a build-a-thon and constructed a 20-meter Rooster crystal-controlled CW transceiver. That project still needs some solder-joint inspection and testing. Next on his list is a scratch-built L-match ATU.
And then something happened that I think is just as interesting as the projects themselves.
People started talking.
Colin, M1BUU, joined the discussion with one of those wonderfully simple workshop ideas you might never think of yourself: he uses inexpensive Hama craft beads as PCB standoffs.
“I stopped buying PCB spacers, I use art beads now!”
Charlie’s original response helped start a Groups.io discussion that continued for roughly another dozen messages.
I’m not going to reproduce the entire thread here. That’s not really the point.
The conversation is the point.
One person mentioned what he was building. Somebody else offered an idea. Others joined in. Experiences and techniques started being exchanged.
That’s exactly what I’d like to see happening in the QRP ARCI community.
Keep Sharing What You’re Doing
There are a few things I take away from all of these responses.
QRP isn’t one kind of operating, and building isn’t one kind of project.
A project can be a two-tube transmitter or a piece of scrap plastic and part of a ballpoint pen. It can be a complete QRP station, a dummy load, an antenna, a repair that’s been waiting on the bench, or something you started more than 30 years ago and finally decided to finish.
And sometimes the most useful thing you can do with a project is show it to somebody else.
That’s how ideas get passed around.
Thank you to everyone who sent me a story, photograph or project—and to everyone who joined the discussion on Groups.io.
Keep building. Keep asking questions. And when you figure something out, share what you learned.
Build. Operate. Compete. Connect.