For years I considered myself to be a QRPer; that is, one
who operates on the amateur bands, using no more than 5 watts
CW, or 10 watts SSB. However; it now appears that what
constitutes one being considered a QRPer has - in my opinion -
changed. And Although I still operate within the long
established power limitations; and still believe in and adhere
to the motto that "power is no substitute for skill", It has
become clear to me that my beliefs and operating practices are
no longer sufficient to support my previous claim of being a
QRPer.
Based upon the Contemporary Philosophy of QRP; I am convinced
that where once the motto "power is no substitute for skill"
was appropriate to describe the philosophy of QRP, it is today
inadequate. Based on the trends of the contemporary QRPer, I
think the motto "doing more with less" is probably more
appropriate. After all, the contemporary QRPer is one who is
not only concerned with developing and maintaining superb
operating skills, and limiting his output power; he is also
concerned with ensuring that his equipment is of the smallest
possible size, lightest weight, lowest power consumption, and
lowest cost. A causal inspection of my equipment, would reveal
that it does not meet any of the above design requirements. My
equipment is not lightweight, it is not - by the standards of
todays QRP rigs - small, it is not power efficient, and it was
not inexpensively priced. I also believe that to truly be a
QRPer, one must also be a Kit Builder, and/or Homebrewer.
( Perhaps this was always the case, and somehow I simply missed
these requirements in the past! ) Therefore, I am of the opinion
that a contemporary QRPer would have a station that is primarily
comprised of kit or homebrew equipment. And Again, a casual
inspection of my station would indicate that it is comprised of
primarily commercial equipment.
So where does all of this discussion leave me, and those
like me? Well, I believe that a distinction should be made
between those who adhere to the old standard of "power is
no substitute for skill", and those who adhere to what
appears to be the newer standard of "doing more with less."
For those like myself, who adhere to the old standard, it is
my opinion that we should no longer consider ourselves to
be QRPers. Instead, I think it would be more appropriate if
we considered ourselves to be Low Power operators. This is
not to say that we Low Power operators are inferior or
superior to QRPers. On the contrary; Low Power Operators
and QRPers share a great deal of common experience, and
operating philosophy, so both groups benefit when they
seek to appreciate the similarities and differences of the
other.
As a Low Power Operator, I recognize and appreciate those
things that make QRPers an elite group within the Amateur
Radio Community, and I believe that what I have previously
stated in this post supports my statement. However, I also
feel that it is fair to commend some of the qualities and
practices of the Low Power Operator. For example; the Low
Power Operator adheres to the same power limitations that the
QRPer adheres to, so the Low Power Operator is subject
to the same natural and man made operating obstacles. One
might even make the claim that it takes a tad more
discipline to operate at these power levels as a Low Power
Operator; in that the Low Power Operator often times uses
commercially manufactured equipment, which may be easily and
quickly increased above the 5/10 watt power level. Furthermore,
since the Low Power Operator usually uses commercially
made equipment; which often times incorporates modern, if
not state of the art technology, the Low Power Operator is
likely to demonstrate that Low/QRP power levels can be used
to communicate via more advanced transmission modes; like
Pactor, or through one of the LEO SATS like RS12/13, or APRS
on 30 meters, or even 10 meter FM.
In conclusion, I would like to say that it was not my intention
to create factions or fights here on the list. We Low Power and
QRP types have much in common, and I think we can benefit from
and appreciate each other more by recognizing and understanding
our differences.
73's max
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