Posts Tagged ‘kitbuilding’
Long post – two things
February 12th, 2013 | 
Author: First – an announcement from Doug Hendricks KI6DS about a new Steve Weber design kit offering from Hendrick’s QRP Kits:
I am pleased to announce that Steve Weber, KD1JV, has designed another new kit for Hendricks QRP Kits. The kit will be on sale for the first time Friday and Saturday at the Yuma Hamfest.
Here are the specs for the rig:
~10 PEP @ 13.8V
0.2 uV receiver sensitivity
5 pole crystal ladder filter for selectivity
325 or 175 kHz tuning range, selectable at build
Coarse and Fine tuning controls
8 ohm – 500 mW speaker output
SSB, CW, and, “TUNE” mode
50mA Rx current (with optional Digital Dial)
Inexpensive electret microphone input
All through hole construction
Professional silk screened and solder masked pcb
Full aluminum chassis w/bail, cutout for optional digital dial
Small size, 6″ x 4″ x 1.5″
Assembled weight, w/dd: 330g./11.6 oz.
13.8 @ 2A, min. recommended power supply
Your first question might be why did they name it the “Survivor”. Well that comes from several years ago when Jim Cates and I were running Norcal. Many people have asked me what my favorite Norcal kit was, and they were usually surprised when I told them it was the Epiphyte. The Epiphyte was a ssb transceiver that was designed by the late Derry Spittle, VE7QK. It was a marvelous design, and worked fabulously. Several people were able to work all 50 states with it, and Vern Wright probably worked well over 100 countries with his. I kept a daily schedule with Derry and Vern for over 9 months, never missing a day of making contact. So? We were using dipoles up about 30 feet, and Derry, Vern and I were all running Epiphytes with 5 Watts of power!! Derry was in Vancouver, BC, and Vern and I were in California.
The only problem with Derry’s design was that the parts were basically obsolete when he finished the design. He use a Murata filter that is no longer available, and neither is the round 8 pin driver IC. Norcal kitted 100 of them, and I was finally able to find the filters on my trip to England. The 100 kits were sold out almost overnight, and there was a clamor for more. But we just could not source the filter, and we were never able to do another run. George Dobbs did do a smaller run for the G-QRP Club, which also sold out very quickly. I have always wanted someone to design a radio similar to the Epiphyte, but using parts that are available. I wanted it simple, easy to build, yet capable of making reliable contacts on 75 meters. Last year at Dayton, Steve Weber and I were talking, and I asked him to design a modern version with the Epiphyte as the model, but using parts that I could source. Steve agreed and the Survivor is the result.
Now how did we come up with that name? Derry used to take his Epiphyte with him whenever he went on camping trips in the back woods of British Columbia. In fact, one time he used it to get rescued. Derry would take a 130 ft. dipole made out of magnet wire and RG 174. He would string the dipole on bushes, about 3 or 4 feet above the ground. He ran the short length of coax into his tent, and used that setup to check into a British Columbia SSB net at 8:00 every evening when he was out. The setup was a perfect NVIS system and Derry had reliable contacts out to about 200 miles. He often said that the Epiphyte was what gave him the confidence that he could survive any situation in the woods, because it worked so well. So to honor Derry, and to illustrate one of the great uses for the rig, we called it the Survivor.
Ham radio has been used many, many times for rescue. But 2 meters doesn’t always reach a repeater in the woods. Many hams want to talk with their wives back home while they are hunting or camping, but many of the wives don’t know CW. The Survivor is the perfect rig for taking camping. With a battery, simple dipole antenna or end fed half wave only 4 feet off the ground, reliable communications with SSB are available.
We also think that groups and clubs that like to build will find this a perfect club project. Hams love to talk and hams love to build. Think about how much fun a round table of locals will be with radios that you build yourself. It is a great way to get club members involved and motivated to operate. The kit is only $100 for the basic radio. Accessories include digital readout for $35 and an electret microphone kit for $15. But, if you buy the combo together, radio, digital readout and microphone, you save $10 as it is available for $140. The kit will be available on Hendricks QRP Kits web page at www.qrpkits.com on Sunday, Feb. 17th. The rig is easy to build and align. In fact the only test equipment needed is a volt ohm meter and a dummy load. Doesn’t get any easier than that. The kit is complete with everything needed to build. Case, commercial quality pc board, all through hole parts in the radio (the digital dial has surface mount parts but is easily built) and an online manual so you can see what you are getting into.
If you attend the Yuma Hamfest this weekend, you will get a sneak peak at this radio. We will have them available for sale. Hope to see you there at the Hendricks QRP Kits booth. 72, Doug
Steve posted these photos on Facebook earlier today:
Looks like another fantastic offering from Doug Hendricks and Steve Weber. We are so fortunate to have gentlemen like these continuing to supply us QRPers with fine fare.
Post – Part II – ARRL DX Contest (CW) coming up this weekend
This coming weekend is the ARRL DX Contest. For you contesters, this one is the “Big GranDaddy” of them all. I am willing to lay down some heard earned cash that ALL the “Non-WARC” bands will be active this weekend, abuzz with all kinds of signals from all over the world.
So, what’s a non-contester to do? Well, you can go to the WARC bands (i.e 30, 17, 12 Meters) and rag chew to your heart’s content. You can go up to the phone portions of the band and give SSB QRP a whirl. You can stay off the radio altogether – take in a play, read a good book (I have several suggestions, if you’re so inclined), go to a movie, a museum, go visit your wife’s family, shovel snow, paint the bathroom, clean out the attic or garage, etc, etc, etc.
Or …… you can get creative.
Use the chance to begin, work on, or finish DXCC (QRP or not, that’s up to you). This contest has such an easy exchange, it’s ridiculous! W/VE stations – signal report and state or province. DX Stations – signal report and power. No name, rank or serial number – how easy can it be?
If you’re brand new to DXCC but are not into contesting, you can still easily (and I mean easily) walk away with a quarter or more of your DXCC award achieved within a single weekend. If you’re really dedicated and conditions are good, it’s NOT unheard of to actually accomplish DXCC (even QRP DXCC) in a single weekend. Just listen around and cherry pick the stations that are in the countries that you need. This is also a good opportunity to hunt for Alaska and Hawaii if you need those two for WAS.
For QRPers, a contest like this can be like Manna from Heaven. There are a ton of “Big Gun” stations on the air from all over the globe, with monstrous Yagis on top of stratospheric towers, just waiting to pick your QRP signal out of the aether. This is truly one of the two or three great QRP DXCC opportunites that presents itself throughout the year.
Is DXCC a “been there, done that” thing for you? Not interested in working towards DXCC Honor Roll? There’s still a bunch of exciting opportunities out there for you.
Turn down your power even lower – see how far you can work on 1 Watt or less. This is a great way to earn a cool looking “Miles Per Watt” certificate for your shack. I did something similar a couple years ago, I turned down my power from 5 Watts to 2 Watts and I was amazed that it didn’t seem to have made much of a difference at all. I was working foreign countries left and right, as easily with 2 Watts as I had been with 5 Watts. I’ll bet you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll be able to snare by even going QRPp, in the milliWatt neighborhood. Personally, I’m playing around with the idea of seeing how many countries I can work using 900 mW.
Or, you can use the contest as a vehicle towards earning other, neat looking certificates to wall paper your shack. Here are some good Websites with links to all kinds of good information about earning DX operating awards.
DX Awards in general
http://www.qsl.net/va3rj/awards_dx.html
QRP awards
http://www.dxawards.com/DXAwardDir/QRP.htm
If your CW speed isn’t the greatest, don’t get discouraged. I am going to tell you right here and now, the CW sent for roughly the first 12 hours or so of the contest will probably make your head swim. Speeds approaching 40 WPM are not rare at all. Can you say, “buzz saw”? Towards Saturday evening and all day Sunday, CW speeds will approach what the rest of us mere mortals can handle. The latter part of Sunday is THE best time for QRPers. Point hungry super contest stations will be more likely to listen for weak signals that they might have otherwise ignored or glossed over. This is a good time for QRPers.
Finally, if you get on the air and you’re totally blown away by the ARRL DX Contest; but still want to give QRP contesting a try, you’re still in luck. After the big contest is over on Sunday, the Flying Pigs February Run for the Bacon is this Sunday night. This is a small and friendly two hour QRP sprint that is a very fun event. Comparing it to the ARRL DX Contest, it as far as the East is from the West. But it is a blast and all are welcome – and most, if not all QRPers will be more than happy to QRS for you, if needed.
Above all – have fun!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
PigRig Transceiver
Diz, W8DIZ of Kits and Parts dot Com, has come out with a new transceiver kit – The Flying Pigs “PigRig”.
It is a single frequency transceiver. Sound strange? Maybe it is, but listen to Diz’s own words:
“This transceiver was designed for Radio Clubs and/or Special Events. You turn the radio on…you listen…you do not tune…you do not switch anything…you do not search. If you hear someone on “your special frequency”, there is a good chance it could be a member of your group.
Here is what it is and is not.
It is a club radio.
It is not another me-too qrp contender
It is a single conversion design
It does not receive 2 sidebands…only one
It does have a full 5 watts output at about 13.6 volts
It does not have any tuning controls
It does have a piggie custom keyer chip
It is like a ham version of Channel 19 using CW only
The size of the PCB is only 2.5″ (63,5 mm) by 3.8″ (96,5 mm), and Yes…it does produce a full 4.99 watts RF out and it is as sensitive as just about anything else that you may have in your radio shack. Custom club/group frequencies are available for 40 meters. The name of this radio shall henceforth be labeled as the “Flying Pig Rig”.
For details – schematic and building guide as well as information on how to order, click here.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Amateur Radio Kit Roundup – Updated
QRPme.com Lil’ Squall Transceiver
- BitX20A/17A SSB Transceiver. The BitX20A and BitX17A are complete SSB kits with board, all parts, digital display and custom powder coated and punched case that is based on the BitX20 that was designed by Ashlan Farhan. Output is about 10 Watts. $180.00 + S&H
- PFR-3a 3-Band Portable Field Radio. Bands : 40 meters, 30 meters and 20 meters. Tuning range: Full band coverage. Mode: CW only. $240.00 + S&H
- NADC30/40 CW Transceiver. Nearly All Discrete Component CW Transceiver for either 30m or 40m. Tuning range ~ 60 kHz. Power output: 3.5 watts. Full Kit: $130.00 + S&H
- Ft Tuthill 15 Meter CW Transceiver. Two 60 KHz tuning ranges, ~ 21.000 – 21.060 and 21.075 – 21.135 MHz. Power Output: 5 Watts. Complete Kit (w/ case and digital dial) $130.00 + S&H
- Ft Tuthill 160 Meter CW Transceiver. Two 30 KHz tuning ranges, ~ 1800 – 1835 and 1830 – 1865 MHz. Power Output: 5 Watts. Complete Kit (w/ case and digital dial) $130.00 + S&H
- –DISCONTINUED–Red Hot 40 Meter Transceiver. A high performance QRP CW transceiver kit for the 40m band. It has been designed to operate well in the presence of large out-of-band (shortwave broadcast) and in-band (contest station just down the road) unwanted signals. Frequency range is a (nominal) 70KHz segment of the CW end of 40m. Output power 0 to 5 Watts nominal (7 Watts typical). Full Kit: $250.00 + S&H
- –DISCONTINUED–MMR-40 CW/SSB Transceiver. The MMR-40 features both CW and SSB operation, the first rig kit in this price class to do so. Transmitter power out: 6 watts CW/pep typical at 13.8V supply. Typical tuning range: SSB: 7.280 to 7.150 MHz CW: 7.100 to 6.700 MHz. Full Kit: $225.00 + S&H
- –DISCONTINUED–TwoFer Plus CW Transmitter. The TwoFer Plus is a simple transmitter that will be offered on 40, 30, and 20 meters. The kits come with crystals in the qrp region of the band. It will put out approximately 1 Watt using a 2N3053 transistor for the final. It has a crystal based VXO that will give about 1.5kHz on 40, and 3kHz on 20. It also has a built in T-R switch on the board that mutes the receiver during transmit. We have upgraded the kit with a custom prepunched case that was designed by Ken LoCasale, WA4MNT. The kit comes complete, with all parts, connectors, case, knobs, wire, and our usual commercial quality double sided, plated through, silkscreened solder masked board. $35.00 + S&H
- DCxxB Board Only Trasceiver Kit. These radios are the next generation of the popular DC40 transceiver that was also designed by Steve Weber. The kit will come with 1 crystal for the band specified. 7.040 for DC40, 10.120 for DC30, 14.060 for DC20. Board-Only kit with decals: $30.00 + S&H
- Weber Tri-Bander. The Weber Tri-Bander can be built for any three of these bands: 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, or 15. 5 Watts out on all bands at 13.8 VDC. Built in Iambic keyer with 5 to 40 wpm code speed. DDS VFO for rock steady stability with 50 Hz and 200 Hz tuning rates. Many more features! $200 + S&H
- Scout Regen Receiver. A simple 2 band regenerative radio receiver that is capable of receiving signals from 3.5 to 11 MHz. A complete kit with L shaped aluminum chassis, quality doublesided silkscreened soldermasked board, all parts, hookup wire, board mounted battery holder. This kit is ideal for the first time builder. $50.00 + S&H
- –NEW– SMK-2 40m Surface Mount CW Transceiver. The SMK-2 is a fully functional surface mount component 40 meter transceiver. It has an independently tuned transmitter and direct conversion receiver. Full break-in TX with sidetone, and a modest 350mW output. The crystal VXO on receiver allow about 3 kHz+ tuning range on the crystal frequency. It was originally conceived as the SMK-1, a platform to teach SMT construction techniques. Transceiver Kit: $40.00 + S&H, Optional switched crystal board: $10.00 + S&H
- –DISCONTINUED– TJ2A 2 Band SSB / CW Handheld Transceiver. Can be set to operate on 2 bands from 160m – 10m. Output power 3.5 – 4 Watts. Rechargeable. Many band combinations available. $169.00 + S&H
- TJ4A 4 Band Backpack HF Trasceiver. Available in 2 TX models: 80,40,20,15, or 40,20,15,10. New general coverage receiver capability. 20 Watts output (adjustable), SSB, CW, AM. Full Kit: $399.00 + S&H
- –NEW– TT1A 2 Band CW Tube Transmitter Kit. This is a 2-tube 4-watt transmitter kit. Comes with crystals for 40 and 20 meters, but can operate from 60 to 20 meters with different crystals. Power supply kit coming soon, as well as custom case. $129 + S&H
- MFJ-8100K World Band SWL Receiver Kit. Regenerative general coverage receiver covering 3.51 – 4.31 MHz, 5.95 – 7.40 MHz, 9.56 – 12.05 MHz, 13.21 – 16.4 MHz, and 17.6-22 MHz. $79.95 + S&H
- MFJ-93xxK QRP Cub Transceiver Kits. QRP Transceiver available in 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, or 15. Output 2 Watts (except 1 Watt on 17 and 15).
- Too many kits to list here. They sell several different Transmitter, Receiver, and Transceiver kits, as well as shortwave converters for the car. A couple of the items seem to be kit versions of MFJ products.
- Similar assortment to Vectronics above, with several transmitter, transceiver and receiver projects.
- G11 5 band SDR Transceiver Kit. Power output 10 W. SMT components factory pre-assembled, buyer to assemble only large through hole components. Price in AUS$: $299.00 + S&H
- –LIMITED AVAILABILITY–G59 All Mode 160-6M SDR transceiver kit. The G59 is an all-mode 160-6m SDR transceiver with 10mW of output power. The output is boosted to 10W with the GPA10 linear amplifier. Genesis kits are produced in batches of 50 units at a time. Current demand for the G59 is much greater than our production capability. The best way to get a hold of a Genesis kit is to subscribe to our GenesisRadio Yahoo group and watch for announcements. G59: $349.00 + S&H, GPA10: $129.00 + S&H
- SoftRock RX Ensemble II Receiver Kit. The SoftRock RX Ensemble II Receiver Kit includes the components for building the kit for LF, 180kHz through 3.0 MHz, operation or for HF, 1.8 MHz through 30 MHz. $67.00
- SoftRock Lite II Combined Receiver Kit. The SoftRock Lite II kit now includes the components to build it for one of the following bands: 160m, 80m, 40m, 30m or 20m. This replaces prior Lite II kits that were set to a specific band when ordered. The SoftRock Lite II provides a simple to build SDR receiver with a fixed center frequency to be used with a sound card that can sample at 96 kHz, providing band coverage from 48 KHz below the center frequency to 48 KHz above the center frequency. $21.00
- SoftRock RXTX Ensemble Transceiver Kit. The SoftRock RXTX Ensemble Transceiver Kit provides a 1 watt SDR transceiver that can be built for one of the following four band groups: 160m, 80m/40m, 30m/20m/17m or 15m/12m/10m. $89.00
- SoftRock 6m/4m/2m RX Ensemble Receiver Kit. The SoftRock 6m/4m/2m RX Ensemble Receiver Kit may be built from the parts included in the kit for one of the three VHF frequency ranges. $68.00
- QRP Transceiver Kits (20,30,40, or 80 meters). 3 watts power output. covers a 50 kHz segment determined by you at the time of construction. With pre-labeled and painted case. $124.00 + S&H
- 9 Band Regenerative Receiver. 1.760 – 1.990 MHz, 3.3 – 4.150 MHz, 5.5 – 6.9 MHz, 6.9 – 8.5 MHz, 8.5 – 11 MHz, 10.1 – 13.2 MHz, 12.5 – 16 MHz, 14.7 – 18.5 MHz, 18.5 – 21.5 MHz Integrated audio amp IC for clean robust audio from internal speaker or headphones. includes parts, circuit board, assembly manual, battery holder, speaker, complete enclosure, and knobs. $93.00 + S&H
- 4 Band Regenerative Receiver. 5.9 – 6.4 Mhz, 6.9 – 7.4 Mhz, 8.5 – 10.2 Mhz, 11.5 – 16.5 Mhz. Comes with finished front panel. No knobs or case. $41.95 + S&H
- Digital Readout Superhet Receiver. 100 Khz to 20 Mhz coverage. This is the radio that Jay, KC2YSK built and wrote about in the Log previously. Several option available to improve performance from 3rd parties. $205.00 + S&H
- Any Band Direct Conversion Receiver Kit. Includes all of the parts and instructions to let you build the receiver (or change it to) ANY band of your choice (160, 80, 75, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 or 10 meters). $39.00 + S&H
- K3 Modular Kit. The K3 is Elecraft’s top of the line. Available in 10 and 100 watt versions and with a multitude of options. The modular kit comes with mostly pre-assembled boards that need to be plugged in. The K3 kit starts at $1549.95 and increases depending on what options you choose.
- KX3 Modular Kit. The KX3 is Elecraft’s newest transceiver. Similar to the K3 in features, but in a compact portable package. This is a modular kit like the K3 that requires you to assemble the pre-soldered boards. Many options available. Starts at $899.95
- K2 Kit. The K2 is available only as a full kit. This is not a modular kit like the two above, but a full kit for the advanced kit builder. The K2 is a full-featured transceiver available in 10 and 100 watt versions, and with many options. Basic kit starts at $739.95
- K1 Kit. The K1 is a small portable CW transceiver available as either a 2 or 4 band rig. You choose which bands you want at the end of the kit build. Adjustable output from 0 to 5 watts. The 2 band model starts at $299.95
- KX1 Kit. The KX1 is an ultra-portable CW transceiver. Available with 2 bands in the basic model, and upgradeable to 4. ! to 4 watt output. Starting at $299.95
- Hamtronics offers a variety of VHF and UHF receiver and exciter kits as well as many other interesting items.
- Emtech is currently out of stock on their NW-series radios. Check back. In the meantime, they have the excellent ZM-2 QRP tuner kit.\
- Series one kits. Three kits available. All DDS controlled, covering 80, and 40 meters. RX1 Receiver, 74.80€, TX1 Transmitter, 80.33€, and TRX1 Transceiver, 169.00€.\
- Series two kits. Two kits available. Both are high dynamic range, 10W output, SSB and CW transceiver kits, using quadrature sampling techniques for demodulation and modulation with low noise phasing. VFO is DDS controlled for a good frequency stability. TRX2 2-band model (80 and 40) 395.00€, and TRX2A 80 thru 10 model with general coverage receiver, 499.00€
- R1 Code Practice Receiver. High quality fixed frequency CW receivers designed for simple operation. Standard models are available for W1AW frequencies in the 80, 40 and 20 meter bands. $29.95 + S&H
- Rock Mite CW Transceiver. The Rock-Mite is a crystal-controlled direct-conversion transceiver available for 80M, 40M, 30M or 20M. $29 + S&H some accessories available.
- –Discontinued– The Retro 75. This is a nostalgic kit. A crystal controlled AM Transceiver with 2 watts carrier, 8 watts peak. $69 + S&H
- –OUT OF STOCK– Simple Superhet Receiver (SST). The SST is an optimized, superhet rig with an extremely low parts count . This may be the easiest to build superhet ever, and it comes with a miniature custom enclosure. 2 Watts output. $90 + S&H
- Nor Cal 40a. The revision B NorCal 40A is a third-generation 40-meter QRP transceiver kit, designed by Wayne Burdick, N6KR. The rig covers any 40KHz portion of the CW band, with a very stable VFO operating in the 2MHz range. The receiver is a superhet with crystal filter, AGC, and RIT. 3 Watts output. $145 + S&H
- –OUT OF STOCK– Sierra. The Sierra is the only compact, low-current, multiband transceiver kit available. Designed by N6KR and extensively field-tested by the NorCal QRP Club, the Sierra has been completely upgraded for Wilderness Radio–including a painted and silk-screened enclosure and improved performance on both transmit and receive. Uses plug-in band modules for 80, 40, 30, 20, 17 and 15 meters. 1.5 to 3 watts depending on band. LCD display. Starts at $245 + S&H with 1 band module.
- Ham Can Transceiver. A crystal-controlled CW transceiver, delivering 1/2 to 1 watts. Easy thru-hole kit. Crystal for 7122 included. $30 includes shipping.
- NS-40 Transmitter. Ideal first kit. There are only 14 electronic components, and NO TOROIDS or COILS of any kind to wind – NONE! All inductors are incorporated directly on the PC board as etched spirals. 5 watts at 13.6 volts. $30 includes shipping.
- SS-40 High Performance 40M Receiver. The SS-40 high performance receiver is the latest design effort from Jim Kortge, K8IQY. SS stands for “Stable and Sensitive”. It exhibits the signature IQY extremely quiet amplifier chain. Disconnect the antenna and the receiver’s noise floor is almost undetectable. A matched crystal IF filter provides a steep sided 500 cycle bandpass and outstanding opposite sideband rejection. Covering the 40M QRP “watering holes”, a Super VXO provides 25-30 kHZ of smooth stable tuning, and no perceptible drift even from a cold start.. While easy to build, this is not a trivial kit. There are 150 parts, and when completed the resulting high quality receiver is a pleasure to use. $60 + S&H
- Several inexpensive kits for the radio hobbyist, mostly supplied as a “bag of parts” with a schematic.
- A nice collection of kits including keys, keyers, and clocks.
- Little Joe Transmitter Kit. A small kit with board and parts from the book QRP Classics. Available for 80, 40, 20, and 10/15. Does not include crystals. $19.95 + S&H
- Cubic Incher Transmitter Kit. A small kit available for 40 or 80 meters. Crystals not included. Currently on closeout for $6.50 + S&H
- Sienna Transceiver Kit. This is a high end, full-featured transceiver with many options. The Sienna can be a full-control stand-alone rig, or a computer-controlled-only rig. Available in 10 and 100 watt version. Kits start at $2098 + S&H for the computer-only 10 watt model.
- HT-7 7Meter AM Walkie Talkie. The HT-7 is a simple AM handie-talkie that operates on the 40M AM calling frequency. $149.99 + S&H
- OHR 100A single band CW transceiver kit. Offered in 80, 40, 30, 20, and 15 Meter versions. Each can be aligned to cover 70-80Khz. 5 Watt output. $149.95 + S&H
- Micro 80D. Small tunable 80 meter CW transceiver kit. $35 + S&H
- Lil Squall Transceiver. A version of the Pixie Transceiver. A tinkerers delight. It fits in a small tuna can. Includes a socket for the FINAL transistor for easy experimenting with output power. Likewise, the feedback caps in the oscillator circuit also have sockets making it easy to experiment with new bands. The crystal also has a socket for easily moving the operating frequency about a band. Comes will ALL the parts necessary to complete the transceiver and a 7122 crystal for operating the Lil’ Squall ][ in an area where other minimalist rigs hang out, AND the ‘officially unofficial’ TUNA NET frequency for tuna can gatherings. $35 + S&H
- Super Tuna II+. A version of the Sudden Transmitter from the GQRP Club. Transmitter section is comprised of an oscillator, buffer and final driver transistor. Produces 2 watts at 12.6 volts. Frequency dependent components are mounted on an easily changed band module. The basic kit comes with a band module for 40 meter operation. $40 + S&H
- Tuna Tin 2 30th Anniversary Isuue. A re-issue of the original TT2 transmitter. Parts are laid out on the board in the exact same way the schematic is drawn. Simple, and easy to build. Comes with crystal for 7.030. $25 + S&H
- EZ Build Two-Tinned-Tuna Transmitter. EZ build version with no toroids to wind. Several socketed parts for experimenting and comes with 2 crystals for 40 meters. $30 + S&H
- Sudden Storm Receiver Kit. Great companion to any of the tuna can transmitters. Comes with components for 40 meters but can be operated on 80, 30, and 20 using the upgrade kit. $35 + S&H
- Reggie II Transceiver Kit. A lesson in minimalist design. The Reggie uses the Limerick construction technique. Output is about 100mW. $40 + S&H
- MKARS80 SSB Transceiver. This kit is based on the same design that is used in the BITX20 from Hendricks, but modified for 80 meter use. Main changes from Ashhar’s original design are the inclusion of a frequency counter and a Huff and Puff frequency stabilizer. Covers from 3.5 to 3.8 Mhz with about 5 Watts output. This kit is a bargain! Ranging from a basic no-case kit for £55.00 shipped to the USA, to full kit with connectors, knobs, and an undrilled case for £68.50
- Hunter SDR Receiver / Panadapter. This looks like an interesting and economical SDR kit, that can also be controlled by an existing rig for use as a panadapter. £87.00 shipped to the USA
- Soft66Lite. Small monoband SDR that can be built for different ranges depending on the bandpass components installed. Easily switchable by plugging in homemade bp modules setup on IC sockets. $18 shipped to USA
- BITX Kits. I won’t list the kits individually because the website is a bit confusing. They seem to have several different options from a basic kit with just the board and specialty components only for $18 to a deluxe complete kit with digital readout for $85
- AVALA SDR board only. There are a few sites supporting this SDR. Not sure if I’m ready to tackle something like this, but it does look interesting. Board only: $10
- Pixie II Kit. This includes the components for 80 and 40 meter versions of the famous Pixie II kit. It does not come with crystals, but HSC has them available individually or in a 6-pack. $9.95 + S&H
–Hans Summers dot com. http://www.hanssummers.com/qrsskitmm.html. Hans sells the Ultimate QRSS kit. The website lists many other projects and experiments.
- Ultimate QRSS kit. The ultimate QRSS Transmitter Kit is produced by Steve G0XAR and Hans G0UPL in 30, 40 and 80m versions. Supports many different modes: QRSS, FSK/CW, DFCW, WSPR, Hellshreiber, CW, and more. The kit contains the PCB, LCD, programmed microcontroller and all board-mounted components. 15.39 GBP + S&H
USS Slater
At the beginning of the month, I posted about a Special Event Station – K2N, that was going to be operating from NY State aboard the USS Slater.
As luck would have it, my schedule did not permit me to get on the air that day “to give a shot” at working them. This was a disappointment as I love working Special Event Stations, especially those that in anyway commemorate our Military or our Veterans.
Fortunately, Stan WB2LQF announced on the e-mail reflectors about a video posted to YouTube showing the day’s activities. Here it is:
On a different note, I spent the evening printing out certificates for the 2012 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt. The top five finishers, as well as the high scorers from each state or province that entered should be seeing something in their mailboxes within the next week or two.
Again – thanks to all for making this inaugural 2012 event a big success!
Lastly – ATTENTION KIT BUILDERS !!!!!!
The ARRL wants your input, as they are looking for recommendations for “easy to build” kits for first time or Newbie kit builders. The link to the page is: http://www.arrl.org/news/attention-kit-builders-the-arrl-wants-to-hear-from-you.
I recommended the ACME QRP GC100 Gel Cell Charger Kit. It was easy to build and is highly functional and usable. What more could you ask for?
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Done and on the air!
It was hot here again today with highs in the mid 90’s – I believe the high for the day was 95F (35C); so I stayed inside where it was cool.
That gave me the chance to play radio and get the K3 completed. Between spurts of kit building, I managed to work my good friend Bob W3BBO on 40 Meters this afternoon. We had a nice 30 minute rag chew and he was using the 44′ EDZ that he recently put up at his new house. It worked well. He started out at 559, but when the QSB kicked out, he was a solid 599 from Erie, PA to South Plainfield, NJ. We had some QRM come in towards the end of our QSO; but the KX3’s silky smooth filtering knocked the interference right out.
I managed to get the front panel mounted and got to the stage of doing the smoke test. No smoke!
Another hour or so and I was able to finish everything, do the calibrations and get the radio set in its place on the shack table.
The first QSO was Neal N4HAF on 40 Meters. We had a nice little rag chew going and it was an enjoyable QSO. I worked John K4BAI on 20 Meters and started gabbing with him – only to realize that he was partaking of the MIQRP 4th of July Sprint. Doh! I quickly apologized to John and let him get on with this business of making more QSOs. I also worked AC8W in the same contest on 40 Meters and then switched back to 20 Meters for a short chat with Mike N0ZH, who will be Skeeter #55 in the Hunt in August, by the way. It was good to hear Mike, it had been a while since we has last QSOed.
Anyway, after becoming acquainted with the KX3, it was nice to see the K3 is just about the same with a few minor differences. It will still take a while before I feel “at home” behind it like I do with the K2; but that will come. Some of the things that are a surprise are 1/4″ sockets for phones and paddles. I am so used to the smaller miniature jacks that are used on the K1, K2 and KX3. But it was nice to be able to hook both antennas up without having to use PL259 to BNC adapters.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Front panel work
Tonight I spent getting the front panel assembly done. I haven’t attached it to the main chassis yet. I stopped after completing the panel itself as I’m a bit tired.
Two things that caused beads of sweat to pop out on my forehead.
1) The four screws that hold down the LCD cover bezel. The first step, before even thinking of securing the bezel is a step that Elecraft calls, “removing the paint from the screw threads in the holes”. I think that’s Elecraft just being nice and faking us out. I don’t think there were any threads to get gunked up with paint, to begin with. You’re cutting these threads by inserting these screws!
Elecraft recommends wetting the screw’s threads with “a drop of water” (oil can leave marks that can be difficult to clean up). I didn’t feel like getting up to get a cup of water, so I did the next best thing. I stuck the screws in my mouth. Not the most sanitary, I suppose, but oddly effective. Only one screw hole gave me trouble where I was worried about rounding off the screw; but firm pressure while very slowly torquing the screw did the trick in the end.
2) Mounting the mated Front Panel circuit and DSP circuit to the front chassis panel. In the manual, Elecraft states that it’s a tight fit for the phones socket through the hole in the front panel. Wow! I’ll say! I finally got it through with some firm pressure but when the socket hit the back of the front panel, I got a loud “snap” from metal hitting metal. For a second I thought I broke the circuit board, but a careful inspection revealed that all was well.
Other than those two panic moments, all went well. Tomorrow, I will continue mounting the front panel to the chassis, and I may even get to the point where I get to do an initial power up.
Six man hours into this, so far.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Getting going
I started the afternoon by working K2I, the 13 Colonies Special Event station for New Jersey, who turned out to be located in Greenbrook, New Jersey – all of about two towns over. Go figure!
The I turned the radio off and concentrated on the K3 build. Not known for my prowess in being able to walk and chew gum at the same time, I figured it was better if I avoided any HF distractions.
The KX3 and K3 builds are amazingly similar in some ways. The manuals are well thought out as always – this has become an Elecraft “standard”. The build starts off by attaching 2D fasteners to the main or RF Circuit Board. The chassis and housing are literally built up around this all important circuit.
From there, things get added, like the filters. I have the standard 2.7Khz 5 pole filter and the 8 pole 400 Hz roofing filter.
These just go onto their edge connectors and then are secured by a screw and lock washer. For the various modes and bands, there’s space for up to five filters. I only have the two installed.
Next came the low power Power Amplifier board. This occupies the big hole you see in the upper center of the first photo.
As far as this K3 goes, that’s it. This will be a QRP version, so whatever I get out of this circuit is what I will be sending out to the world.
The next step is to start adding sides, and now this is beginning to look more like what you’d expect a radio to look like.
Installing the Auto Tuner came next. That in itself was easy. it just plugs into the main RF Circuit and is secured by hardware.
The hard part was getting the SO239 connectors plugged in. As you can see in the close up below, there are wires that get plugged into two brass sockets on the auto tuner board. The one wire slid into the socket on the left as smooth as butter. The one on the right was way more picky. I had to make sure the alignment of pin with socket was perfect. Then, and only then, did it go in – and even that took some effort.
It is looking more and more like a real radio. And at this point, this is where I chose to stop for the night. I have put in about four hours worth of work so far. Tomorrow night, if I am not exhausted after work, I will begin work on the front panel.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
