I operate only QRP with 5 watts or less.

My main interest is DX and DX contesting. In contests from my home QTH, I often use my club call W6QU.

Two or three times a year I travel for contests to Keko's contest station TI5N, or to the station of my friend since highschool N0KE (Phil) in Colorado. In Feb 2011, I operated the ARRL CW contest from the station of W1IPL (Wilt) on the north east coast of Maine.

My present rig:

Elecraft K-2 (5 watts) for SSB and CW.

FT-817 (5 watts) for digital: RTTY or PSK.

Heathkit AT-1 vintage 1953 with 6L6 output tube (5 watts) for occasional QSOs on 20 M CW.

Antennas:

I live on a small city lot in San Diego, CA.

3 el SteppIR up 32 feet. This antenna was erected in Sept 2006 for 10-12-15-17-20 Meters.

Force 12 Sigma-40XK Vertical for 30 Meters.

Butternut HF-2V Vertical for 40 and 80.

Inverted L for 160 Meters. Erected 2011.

I was first licensed in 1954 in Akron, Ohio as WN8QZA, which became W8QZA as I moved to Tech and General class. But after 5 or 6 years of activity, I became inactive because of school, work, and family. In June 1989, my lifetime friend Phil Krichbaum, N0KE, got me back into Ham Radio. I first upgraded to the 20 wpm Extra after a couple months of code practice, and then Phil helped me put up a tribander. As of Jan 2013, I have been active for about 24 years.

DXCC: Current countries: 324 Mixed; 310 Phone, 305 CW, 149 Digital. (Total countries: 332 mixed, 317 Phone, 312 CW)

DXCC totals: 10M (236), 12M (218), 15M (269), 17M (241), 20M (300), 30M (180), 40M (175), 80M (60 from home), 160M (5)

WAZ certificates: 20 SSB, 15 SSB, 20 CW

The WAZ on 20 CW was done entirely with my antique Heathkit AT-1. With the Heathkit AT-1, I got the first 39 zones in less than 2 years. It took 17 years to get the last zone which was zone 34 (ST2R)!

DXCC Challenge: 1,744

Contesting: The last ten years or so, I have guest operated at TI5N and KH6SQ during some major DX contests.

CQ WWDX SSB Contest (TI5N): First in the World QRP in 2006.

ARRL DX Phone Contest (TI5N): First in the World DX QRP in 2002 and 2003

ARRL DX CW Contest (TI5N): First in theWorld DX QRP in 2005, 2008 and 2009.

CQ WPX CW Contest (TI5N): First in the World QRP in 2006 and 2008

CQ WPX SSB Contest (TI5N): First in the World QRP in 2011 and 2012.

DX Marathon (W8QZA): First in the World QRP in the 2010 DX Marathon.

During the 2011 ARRL CW contest I was able to work 70 DXCC countries on 80 meters from the QTH of W1IPL (Wilt). I used my 5 watt K-2 and an inverted V that Wilt put up for me on his 60 foot tower during the worst wx in winter! It was a fantastic experience to visit the coast of Maine, to operate from Wilt and his wonderful wife's home, and to work all those 70 countries throughout Europe and the Carribean on 80 Meters in only 48 hours with 5 watts. I do not count these numbers in my totals above since they were not from my station.

Interesting QRP DX stats

Interesting QRP statistics over the last 23 years:

1.Most distant QSO: EA3OT on the Long Path, Jan 12, 1993, 20 M SSB at 16:10 Z. 19,091 miles (30,724 km or 76.7% of the way around the world!)

2. Fastest WAC ever: 13 minutes. March 4, 2000 on 15 M SSB during ARRL DX Phone contest.

3. Fastest WAC on 40 M CW: 18 minutes, Feb 16, 2002 during ARRL DX CW contest. (It took me two years to get WAC on 40 the first time!)

4. Fastest WAC on 40 M SSB: 34 minutes, Mar 3, 2012 during ARRL DX Phone contest.

5. Fastest WAC on 80 M CW: 3 hrs and 51 minutes, Feb 20, 2010 during ARRL DX CW contest. CR2X-P40L-KL7WV-EF8M-KH6J-JA0JHA

6. Long Path: I have worked every continent on the Long Path except my own, North America.

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I do not own a QRO rig. The K-2 can put out 10 watts, but I always keep it at 5 watts or under.

I believe that much of the skill in a QRP contact is in the operator that is contacting the QRP station. It is THAT operator that must dig out the weak signal of the QRP station. I thank all the stations that have struggled with my weak signal over the last 20+ years!

I am 73 years old. I retired about eleven years ago from my Ophthalmology practice of 23 years.

I am also the primary op using W6QU.

QSL information:

1.Please send your QSL with a Self Addressed Envelope (no stamp needed) to the above address and a card will be sent direct within a day or two.

2. All contests are uploaded to LoTW

73, Bill Parker W8QZA .qrp

W8QZA QTH. The tower is mounted at the peak of our one story house.You can see the white wooden base. The 3 el SteppIR is 32 feet (10 Meters) high.The base of the Butternut HF-2V verticalcan be seen just to the left of the tree trunk. The Force-12 vertical for 30 M can be seen behind the basketball backstop. The pole for the 160 M inverted L is at the right. It extends another 20 feet when elevated for use. My wife (far right) and two daughters are in the front yard and two grandsons in front. Missing are the husbands of both daughters, and my son and his partner, and a new grandson born Jan 2, 2013.