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103 Posts
All around nice guy and occasional loser. Building things is fun. So is QRP. CW keeps your brain in shape!
@kb6nu At least you get farther than me Dan. I tend to give up on projects before I even start them! I tell myself that the good side to that, is that planning projects is free entertainment. The bad side is that nothing gets done beyond the confines of my head! 😆
@kb6nu You're doing better than me Dan. These days, I've been losing interest in projects before I even begin them. I don't even get halfway! I don't like to admit it, but that's the way things have been over here.

I enjoy planning projects, drawing circuit diagrams and sourcing the parts. Then, at the last minute, often can't figure out whether I really want to put the time and effort into actually building it from scratch, or would rather buy a pre-made product and go for a nice long walk outside instead!

Have others experienced this desire to get away from the shack, stop hunching over the bench, and let someone else do the work of making something? I often don't feel like reinventing the wheel.

This is amateur radio the way I like it - DX QSO's on 10M after dark! Maybe not the most incredible DX, but 5W to Argentina, with LW2DO after dark is fun. 6300 miles (10,000 km).
It's fun hearing daytime activity in the CW section of 10M, as well as late night DX activity on 20M. Looking forward to this winter DX season!
@jdavis Whichever you choose Jeff, WAS with 5W from either rig is very achievable. State QSO parties are very handy for filling in the gaps!
@jdavis That's what I'm thinking Jeff. 1mW would almost certainly be demoralizing!
I achieved QRP CW WAS quite easily, years ago. QRPp CW WAS sounds like a worthy goal, but I'm wondering what power level would be a worthwhile challenge. 100mW? 10mW 1mW? I don't want it to be too easy but, on the other hand, 1mW might be too hard to accomplish.
Of the many projects I've scratch-built or assembled, the one I've had by far the most use from, and was by far the best value for money, was my Elecraft K2. 12 years on, it is still in daily use, and is still my main station rig. It will stay with me for the rest of my life.
When you're bypassing the DC supply to a final, it helps to connect the RF bypass cap from the +ve supply rail to ground, instead of from the output of the PA to ground. It took me a whole hour to figure out why my little QRP TX had no output!