so ive been wanting to do this for like two years and last weekend i finally just did it. built a pixie kit, yeah i know its super basic but i figured start somewhere right. took maybe 3 hours to solder up and honestly most of that was me second guessing myself and looking at the schematic way too many times.

anyway threw it in a bag with my little notebook and a wire antenna i cut for 40m, drove out to the state park about 20 minutes away and just set up on a picnic table. running maybe 500mw into a random wire i had draped over a tree branch. wasnt expecting much honestly.

made contact with a guy in ohio, im in virginia, so thats like 400 miles on half a watt. i just sat there kind of dumbfounded for a minute. the whole setup cost me under 25 bucks and fit in a small backpack. i get it now, i totally get why people are obsessed with QRP. theres something completely different about it compared to just cranking up the power and making contacts. the efficiency thing really clicked for me out there.

anyone else remember their first QRP contact? also curious what people think about stepping up from a pixie — whats a reasonable next build that isnt gonna be a nightmare for someone whos decent at soldering but not an expert by any means

oh man that feeling never really goes away, first QRP contact especially on something you built yourself is just something else. 400 miles on 500mw is a solid debut, 40m was probably in decent shape that day too which helps.

for the next step honestly the MTR series from LNR or a used Elecraft KX1 kit are both really popular moves but if you want to keep building i'd look at the QRP Labs QCX. its a single band CW rig and the documentation hans writes is just really thorough, like unusually good for a kit. i built the QCX+ last year and it was a weekend project, came out great. 5 watts, pretty good receiver, and it holds its own way better than a pixie obviously. only catch is you need to be okay with CW or at least willing to learn because thats all it does. but for portable ops its incredible, the thing is tiny and sips current so battery life is excellent.

welcome to the QRP rabbit hole, youre not getting out

this is exactly the kind of post that made me finally try QRP last fall, so thanks for sharing. i was nervous mine wouldnt work at all and then i made 6 contacts in like an hour on a hillside somewhere in new hampshire. the pixie is a good starting point but yeah you outgrow it fast just because the receiver is pretty rough to use for any length of time.

i went straight to a youkits HB1B which i got used and that was maybe a bigger jump than necessary but no regrets. though i keep hearing people rave about the QCX too so probably either way youre gonna be happy