QRP Operating

International QRP Centres of Activity

The frequencies in the following two tables are most frequently used by QRP operators.  
                        
Note that they indicate a centre of activity, with operation frequently taking place above and below these frequencies.  If you find that the frequency is already occupied, simply tune above or below the centre of activity to find a clear frequency.

CW

*   UK Only

SSB

  [Source: 'SPRAT', Quarterly journal of the G-QRP Club, Winter 2022/23]

QRPer's All-Band Listening Guide

The above Centres of Activity provide guidance about where to listen for QRP stations, but no attempt has been made to establish a system for suggesting when to listen.  At times of low activity, this often results in unanswered CQ calls.  This guide aims to plug the gap by associating Centres of Activity with the time of day.

The All-Band Listening Guide improves the chances of CQ calls being answered when activity is low. It is a simple, easy-to-remember schedule that helps to bring QRP operators together on a given band, at the same time.

This is how it works.  Those interested in a 10m QSO listen (or call) at about 10 minutes past the hour. Those seeking a 15m QSO listen at about 15 minutes past the hour, and so on.

Although the scheme appears to break down for 80m and 160m, if we keep working our way around the clock for these bands, and use the remainder, 80m corresponds to 20 minutes past the hour; and 160m corresponds to 40 minutes past the hour.  Having 80m share with 20m, and 160m share with 40m, seem to be compatible outcomes (see 'Design Notes', below).

These are not intended to be precise listening/calling times.  As with the Centre of Activity frequencies, the times are intended to be flexible: more akin to 'rubber time' than atomic time!  Of course, this proposal will only be of benefit if it is publicised widely, and used by a significant number of QRPers.

It probably doesn’t need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway: Operators seeking to operate on a specific band there and then, should continue to do so — regardless of this guide!

As with the published Centres of Activity, this guide is intended to help QRP operators contact other QRP operators when activity is low.  Let's hope that the time never comes when activity is so low that we have to rely on international guides of various sorts in order to find QSO partners.
 

This All-Band Listening Guide is proposed by G4ALG and has the support of:
G3VTT
G4HSO
GM4JMU
IZ0ONL
M0CVB
M7RMZ
 

Feedback
"Thanks for doing all that work on ‘A QRPer's All-Band Listening Guide’. It is an excellent idea, I have printed off a copy for my shack . . . . and will be making use of it."

"I like the QSX times and will make a large version for my shack . . . ."

"Brilliant."

"I'm on board . . . .. . Makes total sense, Thank you."

It's beginning to feel as though this initiative has legs!         

Feel free to bring this idea to the attention of fellow QRPers and your QRP club.  This listening guide will only benefit our QRP community if enough QRP operators support it.

If you reckon that the QRP community should run with this proposal, and would like to add your callsign to the above list of supporters, please send me an email!
 

Design Notes
I spent about a year thinking about how to increase the chances of making 2-way QRP QSOs.  I'm aware that many stations announce their operations via websites, or make pre-arranged contacts with friends as a way of increasing their chance of making QSOs.  Yet some say, "Where's the fun in that?"

We are indeed fortunate that so much work went into defining the QRP Centres of Activity.  Even though, in practice, some country-specific variations have taken place, Centres of Activity have certainly helped to improve our chances of making 2-way QRP QSOs.  

But knowing where to listen is not always enough, especially when activity is low. The greater number of bands available; increasing sources of QRM; and the broadening range of interests and modes appear to be reducing the chances of making QRP QSOs.  Sometimes, when I do catch a station calling CQ, I often can’t change transmitters/antennas/AMU settings fast enough before the station has given up CQing and probably switched to another band or mode.

Then it dawned on me.  The Centres of Activity help us to know where to listen, but not when to listen.   What we needed was a scheme that associated the Centres of Activity with the time of day.

Most of my enjoyable QRP QSOs take place on the five bands 20/30/40/60/80m.  These are the bands where I tend to have the most memorable 'ragchew' QSOs; and where I find people operating in the spirit of the late Rev George Dobbs G3RJV, running mostly simple equipment, with much of it home made. 

I considered that QRP operators needed a simple, easy-to-remember schedule that provided a good spacing between suggested listening times for the 20/30/40/60/80m bands, and yet worked for all the bands.  The above listening guide was the result.

The guide provides a good spacing between listening times for 20, 30, 40 and 60m.  Having 80m share with 20m, and 160m share with 40m, seem to be compatible outcomes because QRP operation on 20m usually happens during the day, whereas operation on 80m usually takes place at night. A similar situation arises with 40m and 160m. 

Those who love numbers may have noticed that, by a happy accident of arithmetic, the listening times for 80m and 160m can also be derived by dividing the wavelength by four, such that 80m and 160m correspond to 20 and 40 minutes past the hour, respectively.

The spacing is a bit short between the popular 10m and 15m bands, and isn't ideal for 12m and 17m.  I figured that any simple, easy-to-remember scheme, as with most things in life, was going to be a compromise.  In the end, I decided not to mess with it.


Downloads
The QRP All-Band Listening Guide can be downloaded in various sizes and formats for printing and nailing to the shack wall, or for use in newsletters and other publications.  Click on a clock to download your selected format.

Plain Black/White 'ALG Clock' in JPG Format

Greyscale 'ALG Clock' in JPG Format

Colourised 'ALG Clock' in JPG Format

Combined 'ALG Clock' plus Centres of Activity

Sample text for messaging a fellow QRPer
or
for posting to your social media site

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