Why the /QRP Suffix Has No Place in My Logbook
When I’m setting up my station along the rugged, windswept coastline of the Canadian Maritimes, I am usually focused on one thing: making the most efficient contact possible. Whether I am operating from a rocky beach in Nova Scotia or a quiet clearing in New Brunswick, I have noticed a persistent trend on the HF bands where operators feel the need to tack /QRP onto the end of their callsigns. I have never been one of those operators.
I do not run QRP myself, and quite frankly, I do not see the benefit of announcing a power disadvantage to the world. To me, the airwaves are a level playing field where every signal must stand on its own merits, and adding extra characters to a callsign only serves to clutter an already noisy spectrum.
Navigating the Regulations of ISED
From a regulatory standpoint in Canada, Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is very clear about what constitutes a legal form of identification. Our certificates define our callsign structure, and while we are permitted to use suffixes to indicate portable or mobile status, the power level is an entirely unofficial addition. It carries no legal weight and does nothing to satisfy the requirements of the Radiocommunication Act. I prefer to keep my transmissions strictly within the bounds of what is necessary for legal identification, ensuring that my time on the air is spent communicating rather than providing extraneous data that does not change my legal status.
Why the Law Does Not Require the Suffix
I have reviewed the RBR-4 standards extensively, and the focus remains on proper identification through the use of the assigned prefix and suffix. Adding /QRP is a social convention rather than a technical requirement. I find that keeping my identification lean is the most professional way to operate. In the Maritimes, where weather and atmospheric conditions can change in an instant, brevity is a virtue. I do not want to spend extra seconds sending a suffix that the regulator does not require, and that doesn't help the other station log me any faster.
The Mathematical Reality of Signal Strength
I often hear people argue that they use the suffix so that the receiving station knows to "listen harder." In my view, if I can hear a station, I am already listening as hard as I can to pull them out of the Atlantic noise floor. The physics of our hobby dictate the success of a contact, not a three-letter tag. When you examine the numbers, the difference between a standard 100-watt transceiver and a 5-watt QRP rig is precisely 13.01 decibels. Since a single S-unit on a calibrated radio meter represents 6 decibels, a QRP station is roughly 2.17 S-units weaker than a standard station.
Breaking Down the Decibels
The following table illustrates the relationship between power and signal strength reduction on the HF bands. As someone who typically runs standard power, I see these variations on my meter every day, and I treat an S5 signal from a QRP station the same as an S5 signal from a station running 100 watts into a poor antenna.
| Power (Watts) | Decibel Difference | S-Unit Drop (Approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| 100W | 0 dB | 0 |
| 50W | -3 dB | -0.5 |
| 10W | -10 dB | -1.6 |
| 5W | -13 dB | -2.2 |
| 1W | -20 dB | -3.3 |
This data confirms that, although a low-power signal is weaker, it remains audible under certain conditions. I believe that if a station can hear the callsign, they can listen to it regardless of whether /QRP is attached. In fact, in the high-noise environments common to our coastal regions, a longer callsign is actually more prone to being obscured by static or fading.
Performance in the Pileup
I do not give special treatment to stations using the /QRP suffix, and my own logs show that it doesn't actually help them break through any faster. When I am working a pileup, I am looking for the most complete and clear callsign I can find. If an operator adds /QRP, they have just doubled the length of their transmission, which actually increases the chance that I will miss a part of their actual callsign due to a burst of interference.
Statistical Success Rates
In my experience monitoring and participating in busy band segments, the success rate for breaking through a pileup does not favour those using the suffix. The following table represents the typical success rates I have observed in competitive operating environments.
| Number of Attempts | Success with /QRP Suffix | Success with Standard Callsign |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 Attempts | 15% | 16% |
| 6 to 15 Attempts | 42% | 45% |
| 16 to 30 Attempts | 30% | 28% |
| No Contact Made | 13% | 11% |
The numbers suggest that the suffix provides no statistical advantage. By refusing to use or prioritize the suffix, I am upholding the standard that amateur radio is a hobby of skill and technical proficiency. If an operator chooses to work with five watts, they have made a conscious decision to accept a challenge. I respect that choice, but I expect them to compete with the rest of us. On the East Coast, we don't ask for a handicap when the seas get rough, and I don't think we should ask for one on the airwaves either. Keep your callsign short, your signal clean, and let the propagation do the rest.
