so i've been wanting to do QRP for probably two years now and kept putting it off because i wasnt sure where to start. finally just ordered a QCX mini kit from QRP Labs back in the spring and spent a weekend putting it together. my soldering is mediocre at best but i got through it with only one cold joint that i had to go back and fix.

anyway the thing works and i made my first contact on 40m running 5 watts into a end fed half wave i threw up in the backyard. the other station was in ohio, im in new england, and he gave me a 579 which honestly i wasnt expecting at all. i kind of sat there for a second before responding because i was so surprised it actually worked.

the efficiency thing is what really got me hooked. my whole setup draws maybe 800mA at 12v when transmitting so i can run it off a small lipo for hours. took it out to a park last saturday with just a backpack, a folding chair, and a wire antenna i tossed over a tree branch and worked three stations in about an hour and a half. one guy in florida which seemed insane to me for 5 watts.

anyone else here doing a lot of portable QRP? curious what antennas people are actually using out in the field because im not sure my end fed setup is as efficient as it could be. also wondering if the QCX is worth upgrading to something like an X6100 or a KX2 eventually or if i should just stick with the simple stuff for now.

that florida contact on 5w is not surprising at all once you get a feel for propagation — 40m can do some crazy things especially in the late afternoon. welcome to the QRP rabbit hole by the way, fair warning it gets expensive in a different way than regular ham radio does, you end up wanting like six different tiny rigs for different bands lol.

for portable antennas im a big fan of just a simple resonant dipole cut for whatever band im planning to work. yeah you have to retune or swap wires for different bands but theyre dead simple, no tuner needed, and you dont have to worry about common mode current or whether your counterpoise is long enough. i carry mine rolled up on a piece of PVC with the center insulator taped to it, weighs almost nothing. some guys swear by the end feds and they do work but you really want a decent 49:1 or 64:1 unun and a good counterpoise or youre leaving signal on the table.

on the rig question — i wouldnt rush into a KX2 or X6100 right away. the QCX is going to teach you more about operating efficiently than any fancy radio will. when you only have CW and 5 watts you learn to actually listen before you transmit, work weak signals, all the stuff that makes you a better operator. i ran a bitx40 for almost two years before i got anything fancier and i dont regret it at all.

im in a pretty similar spot, built a mountain topper radio kit last fall and ive been doing SOTA activations with it. the MTR is even more barebones than the QCX, like no display at all, but it forces you to actually know your keying speed and band feel which has been kinda fun in a weird way.

your florida contact on 40m with 5w is totally believable, i worked a station in texas from a summit in vermont last month and we were both running under 5w. propagation was just cooperating that day. thats honestly the thing i like most about qrp, when it works its way more satisfying than just cranking the power up and bulldozing through.