This QRPp Fishing Lure Helped Me Snatch A BIG ONE Working My Greyline

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Renowned Golfer Jack Nicklaus made this quote about fishing.  "There are always places to go fishing. For any fisherman there's always a new place, a new horizon".  

I equate that quote to my portable Amateur Radio activities. There are always places to go operate Ham Radio.  There are always NEW Parks on the Air, Summits on the Air, Islands on the Air and other places to operate portable and another day or opportunity to make a QSO.

During my daily Early Bird Parks on the Air activation on August 13, 2025, I decided to operate QRPp (less than 1 Watt) with my QRP Labs QCX 40 Meter Mini with a 9 Volt / 200 mAH battery.  Due to the excessive heat in the Ohio River Valley in Kentucky, U.S.;  I try to get out around dawn to "Beat the Heat" and recently take advantage of the morning greyline over my QTH.


I don't operate QRPp often but I looked back at my previous QRPp operating and found I seem to do this when HF band conditions are questionable.  I've come to understand that if I can make contacts under adverse HF band conditions, I can most likely make contacts under favorable conditions.  Today's conditions were "Unsettled".


My morning started throwing a line up 25 feet to raise the center of my linked EFHW with one end 8 feet out the ground and other end at one foot above ground with 15 feet of coax to my seat.


Within 3 minutes I had my first QRPp QSO for the day with W8JWL / John from Michigan (325 Miles) followed by KU8T / Tom in Indiana (230 Miles), W4ZF / Mark in Georgia (360 miles) and then the BIG ONE from VK5LA / Andy in Australia. It is the 2nd QSO in a week with Andy. First time I was using my FT-891 with 35 watts into a 29'6" Random Wire. Can't describe the excitement I felt with this QSO. It is the third time in a week my morning greyline has yielded DX into the Pacific region. In the last week I also worked JH1GEX / Komatsu in Japan on 20 meter SSB. 


I continued to operate QRPp until I had 10 contacts when I switched over to 5 watts. The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) picked up my signal mostly north of the Mason -Dixon line in the U.S. with one exception near San Diego, CA. which is likely the path of my signal took into Down Under.


All toll I had 19 contacts including the catch of a LIFETIME using QRPp for power along with the help of morning greyling propagation conditions into Australia.


QRP and QRPp operating reminds me of what my Radio Broadcasting mentor told me what I first became a D.J. "You never know who is listening when you opening that mic."  I've heard the catchphrase, "Life is too short for QRP". I happen to operate differently.  I LOVE A CHALLENGE. I love the thrill of using a different bait, a different lure, a different rod, a different weight of fishing line or a different reel.  It could be that inexpensive toy rod and reel for a 5 year old to use to pull in that Bluegill or that expensive rod and reel to tackle that 200 lb Marlin. 

Come along for "My Catch of a Lifetime Operating QRPp".






               



 

Location: Louisville, KY, USA

Comments

  1. John M.August 14, 2025 at 9:19 AM

    Well done, Jim! Conditions have been ... interesting this week.

    ReplyDelete

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