Friday 26 March 2010

QRP With the FT-817

Conditions on the bands have been extremely good for a few weeks. I rarely use more than 20-25 watts with my FT-950 on digital modes. Starting today I’m dusting off the 817 and using QRP power on 17 meters. In the last few days I’ve worked CR1Z, OM1ZL, ES7FQ, YL3BF,1B1AB, TM7CC, Z36W and a multitude of other stations on 17 meters. Max power out averaged about 22 watts and garnered consistent 599 reports using my Cushcraft R6000. Let’s see what I can do using QRP power. Stay tuned.Code Warrior on FT817
FT817 in pack

4 comments:

Kieran said...

What type of paddle are you using?
Kieran va3ks

Bob VE3MPG said...

It's a Code Warrior Jr.(serial #291) from Vibroplex:

http://www.vibroplex.com/code_warrior_junior.html

Nice key once you get it set up properly and very rugged, and it's a nice looking paddle to complement the 817 or even my FT-950.

Thanks for reading the blog Kieran.

Bob Mc said...

Do you know the Model name of the Eagle Creek Travel Pack you are using for your FT-817?

Bob VE3MPG said...

There's no description of the Eagle Creek bag that I use. I purchased it at a camping store here in Ottawa. Find your nearest Eagle Creek reseller and they may be able to help you.