so ive been wanting to try QRP for probably two years now and last weekend i finally just did it. built a little pixie kit for 40m, nothing fancy, cost me like eight bucks shipped from overseas and took maybe an hour to put together. i know i know, the pixie has a reputation, but hear me out.

took it out to the local park with a random wire antenna thrown up in a tree, 9v battery, and my little notebook to log contacts. honestly did not expect much. first hour was pretty frustrating, lots of CQ calls that went nowhere, and im running maybe 500mw so i wasnt shocked. but then this guy came back to me from ohio - im in virginia - and we had a solid 10 minute QSO. nothing exotic but man the feeling was completely different from sitting in the shack with a 100w radio. felt like i actually earned it.

been reading up on the MTR rigs and the mountain topper stuff and i think thats where i want to go next once i have a few more dollars saved up. anyone here done a lot of SOTA or parks on the air type stuff with real low power, like sub 5 watts? curious what antennas people are using when weight is a factor.

that ohio contact on 500mw from a pixie is actually pretty solid, the 40m band was probably in good shape that afternoon. i remember my first QRP contact felt way more satisfying than it had any right to haha. welcome to the rabbit hole by the way, it only gets worse from here in the best possible way.

for SOTA i've been using an end fed half wave with a small 49:1 unun, the whole antenna with some lightweight coax and a handful of tent stakes fits in a small bag and weighs almost nothing. with 5 watts on a decent wire antenna you'd be surprised what you can work, especially if you're activating a summit and have some elevation working for you. the MTR rigs are great but also look at the KX2 if budget isnt a huge concern, its a bit heavier but way more flexible for different bands. though honestly for just getting out and having fun the pixie taught you the most important thing already - just go do it.

nice one, pixie contacts always feel like a win. i tried qrp last summer for the first time and kept second guessing my antenna which was probaly the real problem more than the power level. 5 watts into a decent antenna almost always beats 100w into a bad one, at least thats what everyone told me and i think its actually true once you experience it yourself.