Going All In With QRP?

I've been mulling over my real interests in amateur radio (again) and it's still firmly in the realm of HF and CW. And I've always had more fun playing with simple stuff and QRP.

With QRP

• you don't need to worry about huge DC supply currents and suitable wiring sizes, and high current PSUs.
• you don't need to worry about the ratings of components as much - lower voltage capacitors, smaller toroidal cores. Everything is much easier (and cheaper).
• you don't need to worry about high RF levels in the shack - or adjacent to the antenna (thinking EMF safety etc.)
• it's much easier to build equipment.

I've always tinkered, built things - kits and fully home-brew - and have a nostalgic longing to be “homebrew only” when I'm on the air. Amateur radio has always been a technical hobby to me. I've operated black-boxes - indeed most of my activity has been with “black-boxes” - but I like to think I've always been in the midst of some sort of study or experiment - even if it's as simple as “trying to receive and send CW better.

I still read about those people who build all their radio equipment. If they what to explore a new band, or mode, they build something for it. Just buying a new black box is easier and quicker - but is it as satisfying? Does it teach anything?

So, my new resolutions for HF:

1. Transmit only on home made equipment (this includes kits as well as fully homebrew-scratch-built radios)
   1. Use commercial receivers only as test equipment or for general SWL activities, separate to operating “ham radio”
2. Operate only QRP

I've now put away all commercial HF transceivers (IC7200, Xeigu G90, FT-891, IC_706).

I've got two general coverage receivers on the workbench: AR7030 and IC-R75 - my thinking is that “in the old days it was common to have a commercial RX to use alongside homebrew transmitters, and to use as bench test equipment”.

The rest of the equipment on the bench is:

• RF Signal Generator (Marconi 2022D)
• AF/RF function generator (Siglent SDG1032x)
• Lab PSU (0-30V, 0-2A current limiting)
• 7A linear 13.8V PSU
• 100MHz 2-channel digital oscilloscope (Rigol DS2102)
• 1.5GHz spectrum analyzer with tracking generator (Rigol DSA815)
• HF Power/SWR meter
• NanoVNA
• Weller TCP soldering iron
• Hakko FX-888D soldering iron
• Peak DCA55 : semiconductor analyzer
• Peak LCR45 : R, L, C impedance meter

• QCX-Mini for 40m
• QMX for 80/60/40/30/20
• Home-Brew 60m SSB/CW/CW Digimode transceiver
• Home-brew 30m CW phasing RX & arduino/Si5351 IQ VFO
  • Plus a work in progress - 30m CW TX & arduino/Si5351 VFO & QSK antenna c/o module

I'm going to build stuff and I'm going to have QSOs on HF using stuff I've built. I'm going to try and emulate those people I admire and look up to in amateur radio, the tinkerers and homebrewers.

My original Home Office Licence G4SLV dated 14 March 1983 says:

Para 1 (1) (b)

to use the Station for the purpose of sending to, and receving from, other licensed amateur stations as part the self-training of the Licensee in communication by wireless telgraphy.

I know the UK licence conditions have changed recently, formally allowing the use of the Station for other purposes than self-training, but I still hold the original intent of the hobby as important. Self-training can take many forms, of course, not just learning to build radios down to component level, and yes - many users of commercial radios could still be participating in some form of “self-training”.

But I have to apply my own definition of what I personally want to get from the self-training - and that's to learn about the ins and outs of designing and building radios. And training myself to operate them in Morse Code (which in itself is an endless, lifetime of incremental improvement - training).