K1 - First QSO

I took the K1 out into the garden and rigged it up with my old "zip cord" 20m dipole (inverted V at 6m above decking), Z-match ATU, LED SWR indicator bridge and a lead-acid battery. Plenty of activity on 40m, 30m and 20m; all quiet on 15m. Got what looked like a good match on 20m (surprise, surprise) and a reasonable match on 30m. Tried calling a few stations on 30m at 2W, then at 5W. No reply. Then tried 20m at 5W and got a reply from Lorenzo EA7GOJ. First K! QSO in the log book!

I drew three conclusions from this evening. First, I need to practice my CW copying big time :-) Second, I'll try the same set-up later in the week but with the addition of my proper SWR meter. This will help me get a feel for how good a match I'm actually getting on bands other than 20m. I plan to take the K1 on holiday in July (we are going to Menorca, EA6-land). I don't want to pack the SWR meter, but instead rely on the SWR indicator. Third, perhaps I should also make a 30m "zip cord" dipole to take as well. They are cheap don't take up much space in the suitcase.