so i've been putting off building a QRP rig for probably two years now, kept telling myself i'd do it when i had more time, more bench space, whatever excuse i could come up with. finally just sat down last weekend with a QCX Mini kit i'd had sitting in a box since like early last year and just... did it. took me most of saturday and a chunk of sunday morning to finish it up.

first contact was a guy in ohio, im in vermont, and i was running maybe 4 or 5 watts into a random wire out my window. i just sat there for a second after the exchange because i could not believe that actually worked. like intellectually i knew QRP was a thing and people do it all the time but there's something different about actually doing it yourself on a rig you built from scratch.

anyway i guess the point of this post is partly just to share that because it felt like a big deal to me, but also im curious what people are running for antennas when they go portable with QRP stuff. i want to take this thing out hiking this summer. i've seen people talk about EFHW setups and also just basic wire dipoles and i can't quite figure out which makes more sense when you're trying to keep weight down.

congrats man that ohio contact on 5w is no joke, especially with a random wire. QRP has this way of making every contact feel like you actually earned it, which is kind of addictive honestly.

for portable antennas i've been using a linked dipole for a few years now and i really like it for hiking situations. you can cut it for a couple bands and just clip in or out sections depending on where you want to operate. the whole thing including the feedline rolls up pretty small. an EFHW with a little matchbox works great too and some people prefer it because you only need one end in the air, which can be easier in the woods when good trees are in weird spots. i've had good luck with both but the linked dipole feels a bit more predictable to me personally.

the QCX Mini is a solid little rig btw, hans does good work. enjoy it.

oh man this is exactly where i am right now too, ive been eyeing the QCX Mini for months. did you find the assembly tricky at all? i do okay with soldering but some of those SMD components make me nervous looking at them. also jealous of the ohio contact, i need to just pull the trigger on one of these kits already