W2LJ's Blog - QRP - Do More With Less.

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How fast it can go downhill.

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 01:18 PM PST
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I went out to the Jeep today during lunch. The parking lots are clear, but
there is snow, snow everywhere! Big heaping mounds of it.

Anyway, I had my cell phone on, and lo and behold, both K5P and VP8STI were
spotted all over the place. A lot of good it did me. I couldn't hear
either DXpedition well, on ANY band they were spotted. And sadly, that's
the way it's been for me for the entirety of the K5P DXpedition. Today on
15 Meters - the reports were "Booming In!" and "Loud", and I got all stoked
- only to hear them at about 0.5,0.5,9. They were so weak as to be
unworkable. VP8STI? I heard them decently well for the first time on 20
Meters yesterday afternoon at home. They were all of about 559 to me. With
the pileup wide, wild and wacky, I didn't even see the point of throwing my
hat in the ring. I was too tired after all the snow shoveling anyway, so if
that removes me from the ranks of avid DXers, so be it.

I decided to go to 20 Meters and call CQ near the QRP watering hole. I was
answered by Will K9FO who was a solid 599. I got the same report in return.
Just as I was ready to settle in for a nice lunchtime QSO, the Propagation
Princess threw a hissy fit and destroyed what could have been a really nice
2X QRP conversation. On the next go round, I had QSB'ed so badly that Will
had flipped on the afterburners (all the way to 100 Watts) so that I could
hear him come back to me. And I did, but just barely. I had gone nil to
him. And thus ended another potentially nice QSO.

Stupid Propagation Princess. What do I have to do, ply her with flowers and
chocolates?

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!