Getting Started with QRP Radio
by Mortimer Rhind-Tutt
G4BSK
A brief response to a a series of questions from an online group:
QRP Radio
…means low power communication for amateur radio operators. Definitions vary, but QRP level power is considered by many to be 5 watts or less, maybe up to a maximum of 10 watts. Many operators enjoy going down to 1 watt or even into the milliwatt range. QRP can make for a low cost, easy to set up home station and is also a popular and fun activity outdoors - including POTA (Parks on the Air) and SOTA (Summits on the air). Most QRP is in CW Mode (morse code) as this is simple, effective and economical, but it is possible to achieve great results with SSB and other modes too using low power equipment.
(BTW - I don’t understand or have any interest in digital modes, so you won’t find any information about them in any of my articles or videos).
Minimum Setup
A minimum setup would include a QRP transceiver, a simple antenna and a morse key or paddle.
Helpful extra items include a VNA (antenna analyser) and/or SWR meter, and maybe an antenna tuner (ATU).
For setting up, a dummy load is a great help
(or see below about the QRP Guys Ununtenna Plus - these and many similar tuners have a built in SWR ‘bridge’ which can also act as a low power dummy load).
You may need headphones as well, and possibly a battery or power pack.
Transceiver
For good value then the best recommendation has to be QRP Labs: https://qrp-labs.com
They offer amazing value kits - and if you’re not into building things yourself, they will supply them ready made and tested for a slightly higher price. The QCX Plus or Mini are great to start with, or if you want SSB as well then there is the QMX (a more difficult build process).
QRP Labs also offers a Dummy Load kit and many other accessories and components.
Other options such as Elecraft are great, but more expensive. Big brands like Yaesu and Icom make QRP radios but they are very expensive and for most people have a lot of irrelevant options.
QRP Labs definitely offers the best value for money.
Another way in is via a second hand radio such as the Yaesu FT817 or 818 which are still brilliant radios and an economical start for a multiband QRP setup.
Antenna
Shop bought antennas tend to be expensive.
For a simple, economical antenna it is easy to make a low power end fed half wave.
This needs a resonant wire and a matching transformer.
You can also use a ‘random wire’ - there is lots of information about both antenna types online.
A great place to get started with this is the website and youtube channel of Adam, K6ARK: https://k6ark.com
He shows how to make a small matching transformer and you can buy a kit of parts from him as well.
His videos are great to watch as well, including radio knowledge and inspiring expeditions.
Vertical antennas are another excellent choice for QRP - for these you need a pole, a wire and a 9:1 matching transformer. There is a lot of information about these along with practical demonstrations in the YouTube videos of Choi, HL1KKC. Watch some of these and you will also learn a lot about Korea - and about what great fun QRP activity and expeditions can be!
Other great antenna options are available from QRP Guys: https://qrpguys.com
They make a range of antenna kits, such as the UnUntenna Plus, which will let you use a wire antenna and tune it by watching an LED. Fantastic value and a great way to get started with kit making.
If an antenna analyser is outside your budget, then just use a small SWR meter and keep testing and adjusting the antenna until the SWR is low enough - you don’t need this if you are using a kit like the Ununtenna Plus which has a built in swr bridge - with some experimentation you should be able to tune your antenna.
Morse Key or Paddle
Low cost, 3D printed keys are readily available online, or you can make your own out of simple parts.
A great portable option is the Bamatech TP3: https://www.bamatech.net
These are very light, great to use and have strong magnets underneath to hold them down.
For a more stable, heavier, home station key, the KBX series are fantastic. To get one, go to QRZ.com and search for OH1KBX (Tapio) in Finland and contact him for orders and advice. These keys and paddles are also great value.
Antenna Analyser
A small, light and cost effective VNA (vector network analyser) is the Nano VNA.
It really is best to order it from the genuine source: https://nanovna.com (many of the online offerings of these devices are fake and unreliable).
This may present something of a learning curve if you are new to it, but there are some excellent videos on YouTube explaining its setting up and use, including the essential calibration.
One excellent example is this playlist from Alan, W2AEW - one of YouTubes foremost explainers:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4ZSD4omd_AylEyNCQYR3RcEb0olukPEJ
A bit more expensive, but more practical for testing antennas in the field and at home can be bought from Rig Expert: https://rigexpert.com
This amazing company, currently working under conditions of war in Ukraine, makes robust, handheld analysers which will quickly get you up and running. They are brilliant and worth the investment if you can stretch to it. Just plug it into your antenna, choose an option such as Multi SWR and you will see how well tuned your antenna is.
HF Bands
40m and 20m are the easiest and most common bands to get started with using QRP
20m will offer more opportunities for DX and 40m almost guarantees plenty of contacts (but does need a longer antenna and possibly more antenna tuning). 17m is another great option - easy to set up with a comparatively short antenna, and again lots of possibility for long range contact.
Any band can of course be used for QRP - but you may need an antenna tuner and a lot more patience to make contacts.
Setup
With a small transceiver, setting up is very quick and straightforward.
Plug in a key, power and headphones (if necessary) and then your antenna/tuner and you are almost ready to go.
I started at my current location by just dropping a wire out of a window to a nearby tree or fence, and setting up my tiny station on a window ledge.
Checking the antenna tuning is essential - a high SWR could damage your transceiver and you need to make sure that the antenna is resonant on the band you are operating on - this means that the SWR is lowest at the frequency range you are using.
If it is possible to use an analyser (or swr bridge) to check this then that is the best option, and if your transceiver offers a lower power or tuning mode then make sure to use it. If you are operating outside, then set up your antenna so that it is tuned while in the conditions of operation - for example, the end of the wire may be almost on the ground where you are sitting, so use that position when checking as it will affect the outcome.
What else to try?
If you are unlicensed as yet, or are just getting started, then short wave listening is the best way to start.
Listen around the bands, try to recognise some callsigns and to follow stations in conversation (QSO) learning how they exchange information using abbreviations and codes that go across all languages.
If you are new to morse code, then be brave!
No harm can come from starting a contact and losing track or being unable to continue. It’s not a crime and you haven’t ‘failed’ and you don’t need to be embarrassed - you just need to keep trying.
If the other operator is sending too quickly, then send the request: QRS (please send more slowly).
Most operators are very understanding and will do their best to help.
If you send a slow CQ then it is likely that other stations will reply at the same speed.
Expeditions
Once you are started and have maybe made a contact or two then you could try going on a trip to a park or up a summit. POTA (Parks on the air) and SOTA (Summits on the Air) both have websites:
https://pota.app/
https://sotawatch.sota.org.uk (the sota website can be a bit of a maze - this bit of it shows who is up a summit and what frequency they are on etc etc).
SOTA and POTA give you a chance to ‘hunt’ for stations on the air or to post your activity so that people can look for you. They can be used to gain points or certification - or you can just go to a park or up a hill and have fun with your radio!
Home Made Radio
Kits
Another great idea to try is building your own equipment.
This was really the foundation of amateur radio - it doesn’t matter what your level of understanding is, you can begin with a kit or a very simple circuit and work up.
A really simple way to start is with an antenna tuner from QRP Guys or similar type of kit. Making a K6ARK antenna matching transformer is another one. Building a dummy load in a tin (a combination of resistors making a 50 ohm match) with a couple of connectors is another good starter project.
A simple radio kit such as a Rockmite or Pixie will take you to the next level, and also give you a usable, fun radio.
The QCX Plus from QRP Labs is another very manageable kit, with lots of space and easy soldering.
The next generation QCX Mini is a more compact and complex build, and the QMX is at a higher level.
Home Built Circuits
Alternatively, you can start from scratch and build something like a direct conversion receiver, or tiny transmitter, or a combination of both to make your own rig. One great way into this is to take a look at the SolderSmoke blog and YouTube channel. Here you will find a series of insights into ‘home brew’ equipment as well as the recent DCR Challenge - a project to make your first shortwave receiver.
This is a superb resource presented by warm hearted people!
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@soldersmoke
There are several others who share their knowledge in a similarly public spirited way - these include:
Nick Wood
https://www.youtube.com/c/m0ntvhomebrewing
and
Charlie Morris
https://www.youtube.com/c/CharlieMorrisZL2CTM
https://zl2ctm.blogspot.com/
…both write and present in a very accessible way and will lead you through the process of building the various modules needed to get on the air, as well as helping you to understand the circuitry and theory to whatever level you need.
Also - take a look at the manuals of QRP Labs kits and the articles by Hans Summers, the genius behind this company. They are full of useful information and if you keep looking back at the various topics and sections they make one of the best electronics learning resources available.
Do some Research
Look at maps of the world and check the international callsigns so that you recognise where stations are from. Find out about propagation (how signals bounce around the world), as well as how the sun affects signals and concepts such as ‘the grey line’ (the line separating night and day which moves across the globe).
Here are some links…
Callsigns:
Kp Index (solar propagation effects):
Solar Weather:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TamithaSkov
Check your signals progress (or other peoples):
Look up amateur radio prefixes:
https://rsgb.org/main/operating/licensing-novs-visitors/international-prefixes
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Join a club or some online groups:
QRP 14.060 MHz
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1576444765759000
QRP - Low Power Amateur Radio Operators
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2321298613
QRP-LABS Builders Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/880603148788169
Real End Fed Half Wave Antennas
https://www.facebook.com/groups/122528211696742
Article by Mortimer Rhind-Tutt G4BSK
Based in SW England/United Kingdom
This article is a response to online questions - recommendations, suggestions and opinions within it are my personal views and based on my personal experience.
I have no commercial connection or sponsorship relationship with any of the companies, individuals or products mentioned and buy all my own equipment. There is no financial incentive for me to recommend any product. This is purely an information article. Please do not copy and requote my text without acknowledgement. You can follow my articles and videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/c/q26video or look me up on QRZ.com