This is an Old Farts first attempt at blogging, it is about low rent amateur (Ham) radio with a cut an try, non-digital focus. I add QRP to my call when I CQ but I'm really a Piss Weaker with a low tech MFJ radio and an end fed half-wave antenna with a AA5TB type tuner home-brewed out of a broken SWR meter and variable cap out of an old table radio (the MFJs are durn near robust as tube gear-no SWR meter-just tune for the loudest noise on receive and have at it. Output is about 8 W). I was a terminal no-code tech for years (KB8TEJ) and never got the minimalist cw qrp bug, quit for a few years then upgraded when the code requirement was removed-but still use cw as a pileup breaker on six meters.
The QTH is not the best, a river valley with mountains on all sides so high angle radiation is a must so the cheap antenna is a virtue made of necessity. As a tech six was the working band and the QTH was a farm on a ridge and wire antennas (longwires and half squares fed by CATV coax were the norm and I got across the pond and into South America with 10W.
I currently use twenty meters and ride along with the 14.300 nets and the YLNET while looking for DX openings. I don't chase paper but QSL when received.
I hope to be able to share some of the low rent tricks I have learned and to learn some from others. 73 de Rob
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