This Does MORE Than Power Your Smoke Detector

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A year ago I purchased and built a QCX Mini (40 Meter version) QRP CW transceiver from QRPLabs.  My main reason for this purchase was the small nature of the radio. A subsequent added reason was its capacity to operate with 9 volts.


Over the last year I have used this rig several times using a 9 volt / 200 mah battery. Most recently August 26th and 27th, 2023 during a Parks on the Air activation.

On those two days the Terrestrial weather was extremely HOT with daytime high temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  My activations on those two days were at or near sunrise. Even at sunrise it was warm, humid and muggy with sunrise temperatures hovering in the low 80's.

However, the Space weather was working in my favor with the SFI at 139, A index of 6, K index of 2, Sun Spot number of 70, and Solar Winds of 380. The noise of the HF bands was relatively quiet.


My antenna for both days was my 40/20 Meter Linked End Fed Half Wave antenna I constructed from Tufteln.  Joshua / N5FY has a nice selection of antenna and other ham radio related accessories. Visit his site here https://www.tufteln.net/





I wanted to get this antenna as close to vertical as possible so I used 150 feet of  Weaver Arborist Throw Line and a 14 ounce weight to get it as high as possible into a tree.



Here is how I launched my line into this tree. Its an awkward backward between my legs and over my head throw which works very well for me.




Once my antenna was up well over 50 feet into the tree, I setup as much as possible in the shade and within less than two minutes of calling CQ, I received my first QSO. 






My station is so small it fits on a kneeboard from Tufteln which hold my rig, paddle, battery, audio recorder and notepad for logging.






My setup is simple, light and what I consider to be small which can fit in a small backpack.  The heaviest item of my setup is the arborist throw line and weight.









Due to the heat, I only operated about an hour on August 26th and 27th. Both days were on 40 meters with 1 watt or less. Here are maps of QSOs for both days.


August 26, 2023





August 27, 2023




All in all it was a fun two days of operating QRPp, 1 watt and less using a 9 Volt battery you'll find in your home smoke detector.  And if you do decide to try this type of operation, please DO NOT REMOVE the battery from your smoke detector 




 


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