so i've been wanting to get into QRP for a while now and last month i finally pulled the trigger on one of those Pennywhistle kits — no wait, i mean the Mountain Topper kit from LNR, anyway it doesnt really matter which one. point is i spent about two weekends soldering it up, burned my finger once being an idiot, but it came together and actually worked first try which i honestly did not expect.

took it out to the local park yesterday with just a random wire antenna i strung up in a tree, ran it off a little lipo pack, and worked 4 states on 40m in about an hour running 5 watts. i know thats nothing to some of you guys but for me sitting there in the grass with this tiny box i built myself making contacts it was kind of a whole new thing. way more satisfying than just cranking up the amp at home.

anyway curious if anyone else has gone down the QRP rabbit hole and what kits or rigs youre running. also wondering if theres a big difference between 5w and like 10w in terms of real world results or if im just chasing numbers at that point

oh man welcome to the addiction haha. seriously once you go QRP its hard to go back to high power, theres something about making a contact at 5 watts that just feels different. i started with an old Elecraft K1 i built probably 12 years ago now and still take it out on hikes.

on your question about 5 vs 10 watts — honestly in my experience the difference is real but its not dramatic. youre talking maybe one S-unit on the other end which might matter when conditions are marginal but on a good day 5w is plenty. the bigger variable is always the antenna. i've had way better luck with a well placed wire than i ever did adding more power. if youre stringing up in trees already youre doing the right thing. keep experimenting with different antenna lengths and heights and youll be surprised what 5w can do

4 states in an hour at 5 watts is solid, dont sell yourself short. i tried QRP last summer and struggled at first but i think i was just picking bad times to operate. the bands were rough all of June around here. what time of day were you running and was it 40m the whole time? im curious because ive heard 20m can be really productive for QRP especially if you want to stretch the range a bit but i havent tried it myself yet with low power