• At QRP power levels, CW and certain data modes
(including FT8) will have an advantage over SSB.
• To improve signal strength, elevate the AX1 above ground
by standing or using a tripod. When operating outdoors,
seek high ground, or an area with a downslope in a
preferred direction. Such a slope may act as a reflector.
Indoors, extend the telescoping whip outside a window if
at all possible, and allow the counterpoise wire to hang
outside the window as well. Use a balcony if available.
• When operating pedestrian mobile (/PM), let the
counterpoise wire trail out behind you. As terrain changes,
SWR may fluctuate during transmit. An ATU, if available,
can compensate; tap the ATU tune button if SWR is high.
• Try operating during contests when there’s lots of activity
(most weekends). Contest stations often have high-gain
antennas, benefitting both ends of a QSO.
• Rather than call CQ, try answering strong stations who
are calling CQ or just completing a contact. A strong
signal is often an indication that propagation is excellent in
that direction.
• Tune slowly, especially when listening for weak signals.
As an example, SOTA (Summits On The Air) portable
stations can often be found between 14058 and 14063
kHz, but they may be very weak.
QRP operation with a short whip can be both rewarding
and challenging.
For times when conditions are poor, we recommend also
carrying a lightweight wire antenna. A simple random-length
antenna can be made from two 25’ (7.5 m) lengths of #26
“Silky” (thewireman.com). Toss one wire into a tree and lay
the other on the ground, or into a second tree. Attach the
wires to the transceiver via a BNC-to-binding post adapter,
such as our model BNC-BP. Elecraft ATUs will usually match
this efficient antenna on 40 through 10 m.
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