so i've been putting off building the QTX-40 kit for like three months now and last weekend i just sat down and did it. took me about 6 hours total, probably wouldve been faster but i kept second guessing myself on a couple of the toroid windings. anyway got it fired up on the bench last night and it's actually putting out a little over 4 watts on 40m which i'm pretty happy with considering the kit is rated for 5W max.

my first real QRP contact was with a station in ohio, im in new england so not huge DX or anything but for 4 watts into a wire dipole out back i was pretty stoked. the other op actually commented that my signal was clean which made my day. i know some guys say QRP is frustrating but honestly the whole chase-the-contact thing makes it way more satisfying when it works

anyway has anyone else gone down the QRP rabbit hole and just never come back? because i think thats happening to me. already looking at a trail-friendly rig for SOTA stuff. any suggestions for something that's rugged enough to throw in a pack without babying it?

welcome to the QRP rabbit hole, you're not getting out lol. seriously though that's a great first build, getting a clean signal out of a homebrew kit is not always a given, so good on you for taking the time with those torroids.

for SOTA portable stuff i'd look at the Xiegu G90 if you want something with a little more flexibility and a built in tuner, or if you want to stay in the pure QRP spirit the KX2 is hard to beat for backpack use. it's stupid light and the built in ATU handles a lot of random wire situations which is huge when you're on a summit trying to get an antenna up fast. battery life is also really solid. only downside is the price, it's not cheap. there's also the mcHF clone route if you want another build project, some guys have great luck with those

honestly for SOTA specifically weight matters more than anything else so factor that in when you're comparing specs

i did the same thing about a year ago, built a 40m CW kit and basically stopped using my 100W radio for most stuff. there's just something about making contacts with a few watts that feels more like actual operating if that makes sense. ohio from new england on 4 watts is solid, 40m can really move at night