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Category Archives: Announcements
The YouKits HB1B four band transceiver now available at Ten-Tec
Jim Wharton (NO4A) announced on QRP-L this morning that Ten-Tec has received their first shipment of YouKits HB1B four band QRP transceivers and they are ready for sale. Ten-Tec is the exclusive distributor for for the Canadian company YouKits, hence will honor all warranties. The HB1B is not a kit, in fact it is fully assembled and ready for use.
Click here to view/purchase the YouKits HB1B at Ten-Tec.
HB1B Description (Courtesy of Ten-Tec)
HB1B Four Band CW QRP Transceiver
Come enjoy the fun of QRP operation with this simple, light weight, palm of your hand, trail friendly quad band transceiver.
TEN-TEC is the exclusive U.S. distributor for the YouKits brand.
The YouKits HB1B covers 80-40-30-20 meter amateur bands.
It is a fully assembled transceiver using the latest SMT technology.
Receives SSB & CW. Transmits CW only.
Features:
- Bright easy to read LCD display informs you of frequency, mode, supply voltage, S meter, RIT and more
- BNC RF connector
- Sensitivity (typical) .8 micro volts. MDS .2 micro volts
- Transmitter power, 5 watts (typical)
- Powerful DDS electronic synthesizers allow 3.2-16 MHz general coverage receive.
- Convenient 30 frequency memory storage
- Includes internal battery holders for Lithium batteries. An external (optional) 12 to 14 VDC regulated power supply may also be used.
- Easily adjustable tuning steps for both Amateur bands and general short wave listening.
- Low current consumption: About 60 mA on receive or about 800 mA on transmit depending on supply voltage
- Built in adjustable keyer with automatic CQ and call sign insertion for memory keying.
- Use with straight key or your favorite key paddle.
- Adjustable 4 pole crystal filter, 400Hz to 3KHz continuousely adjustable.
- 8 ohm headphone output (requires stereo plug). No internal speaker.
- RIT (receive incremental tuning) allows for 10Hz or 100 Hz tuning
- Power Plug- 2.1mm ID x 5.5mm OD with center positive. The Radio Shack part number for an equivalent is 274-1567. They come in a two pack for $3.29.
- An optional Lithium battery pack R9411 is available, requires slight modification to the radio.
- Size: 5.2” X 3.4” X 1.4” (not including knobs)
- Weight: 14 oz (not including batteries)
QRPacificon 2011
If you live near Santa Clara, California you still have time to register for the 2011 QRPacificon, sponsored by the NorCal QRP Club. By registering you will be included in the Saturday evening drawing.
Events schedule
Friday night we will kick off the festivities with our no host banquet again hosted and arranged for us by James Bennett, KA5DVS. James will be our host and provide more details later. If you would like to join us plan to meet in the hotel lobby at 6:30 on Firday.
We will start presentations at 8:00 Saturday Morning and will have a great lineup of speakers. Presentations will run throughout the morning
8:15 Jim Duffey KK6MC
Jim’s talk will be on VHF and UHF antennas for QRP-Portable operation
9:30 Tony Parks, KB9YIG
Softrock SDR design and the RXTX Softrick transceiver
10:45 Rex Harper, W1REX
PIC or PICaxe? What IS the big whoop? Why should every ham ‘play’ with a PICaxe?
Saturday night will feature
- Annual QRP Auction, one item per seller up for auction to the highest bidder. Doug Hendricks, KI6DS will be the auctioneer, and we always have a lot of fun at this event.
- QRP 2011 Builders contest. If you have built a piece of QRP gear since last year’s pacificon, please bring it to enter in the show. Prizes will be awarded. Please bring a 3 x 5 card with information about your entry on it. Judging will start right after the auction.
- 2 buildathon projects: The SDR Receiver project for new SMD builders, and the PICaxe kit. Both designers will be available during the buildathon. If you plan to take part in either build project please plan to bring your own tools and equipment.
- QRP Vendors Many of our vendors will be setup to sell their goodies. If you are a QRP vendor, then take this time to setup – tables are free.
- NorCal QRP Hfpack Zombie Night “Hanging Eye Ball QSO’s” Here is another opportunity to meet with your fellow qrp’ers.
- Door prizes – We have an ever growing collection of donations for this year. In order to be in the drawing you must be registered. You can do this by going to the QRPAcificon Name Badge Page.
Registration is free. More more information about QRPacificon please visit www.norcalqrp.org
(Source: NorCal QRP Club)
Ask Ten-Tec: Questions about the Ten-Tec Model 539 QRP transceiver and Model 418 Amplifier
Soon to come: an interview with Ten-Tec regarding the much-anticipated new Ten-Tec Model 539 and companion Model 418 100 Watt amplifier.
Many online readers are intrigued by this new product, and have already emailed questions about it. If you have a question or comment about the TT 539, please contact me; I’ll do my best to present it to Ten-Tec during this upcoming interview.
And do check back for the complete interview next week!
Ten-Tec’s new 100 Watt Amplifier – The Ten-Tec Model 418 – Photos and preliminary specifications
Today at the 2011 Ten-Tec Hamfest, Ten-Tec announced two new products in development: the Model 539 QRP transceiver and the companion Model 418 100 Watt amplifier.
Being a QRPer, I typically have no use for amplifiers, but this one, I must admit, will make for a perfect in-the-field companion to the (future) Model 539 or any QRP transceiver.
The Model 418 can sense the incoming RF and will automatically switch bands accordingly.
Best of all, though, is that the standby current will be as low as 150mA!
Ten-Tec Model 418 Features:
- 100 Watts
- All HF Bands + 6 Meters
- MOSFET Amplifier
- Standby current as low as 150mA
- DC input voltage 10V – 16V
- Selectable input attenuation, Delay
- 2 selectable antenna connections
- Dedicated 6M antenna connection
- Band switching
- Manual OR Auto – RF Sensed
- Seamless connection to PC
- Seamless connection to Ten-Tec Model 539 QRP Transceiver
Ten-Tec Model 539 – Ten-Tec’s new QRP transceiver
At the Ten-Tec hamfest today, I just happened to stumble upon the new, as yet un-released Ten-Tec Model 539 QRP transceiver.
It’s a beautiful, simple little unit.
The footprint is very similar to the Elecraft K2, while its height is slightly greater than the Yaesu FT-817. It’s very lightweight and certainly backpackable.
The Ten-Tec folks I spoke with said that the current requirements may be as low as 250 mA on receive–though they’re not yet certain. When I asked John Henry (Eagle and OMNI VII firmware author) about the receiver performance, he mentioned that the receiver board is the same as the Eagle’s, and performance is likely to be somewhere between that of the Eagle and the Jupiter. There is some compromise on a receiver optimized for backpacking and QRP field ops. Nevertheless…wow.
Price: still undetermined.
Ten-Tec hopes to take pre-orders at the 2012 Dayton Hamvention. They also announced a companion 100 watt amp for the new QRP rig (see separate post). The amp, however, will work with any QRP radio on the market.
I honestly believe this may be a transceiver worthy of the Argonaut lineage.
Features include:
- 10 Watt QRP Transceiver
- 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 Meters Ham-Band Only
- AM, USB, LSB, CW Modes
- Tricolor backlit internally adjustable display
- Hardware features in common with the Ten-Tec Eagle Model 599
- Noise Reduction
- Noise Blanker
- AGC – Fast, Medium, Slow
- RIT
- Pre Amp
- 100 Memories
- Two VFO Displays
Thank you, Ten-Tec; you listened.
Additional photos:
Kenwood announces the TS-990S in Tokyo
Kenwood is releasing a new top end rig in the heritage of TS-950SDX, the TS-990S. It will be a full year, according to Kenwood, before the TS-990S will be available in the USA.
We will post more information on the Kenwood TS-990S as it becomes available.
Official preliminary KX3 specs posted on Elecraft website
Click Here To Read Full Preliminary Specs of the Elecraft KX3
Bob Heil’s new show Ham Nation on Leo Laporte’s TWiT network
As a big fan of ham radio and an avid listener of the TWiT network, I’m pleased as punch that Leo Laporte has asked Bob Heil (K9EID) to host a show called Ham Nation.
I spoke with Bob about the new show at the 2011 Dayton Hamvention. He has many ideas and a lot of enthusiasm and energy to put into Ham Nation.
His first line up? None other than Joe Walsh WB6ACU and Dave Jennings WJ6W. Bob also has plans to use future shows to give Leo Laporte radio lessons so he can obtain his Tech License.This could be a first for ham radio and leveraging the listenership of the TWiT network, could bring a lot of newcomers into the hobby.
Video of Elecraft KX3
Back from Dayton, I found this YouTube video of Wayne Burdick demonstrating the KX3 at Four Days In May (FDIM). As you can see, the form factor is perfect for field operations and I believe you would be hard-pressed to find more features on a rig this size.
(Video source: QRPARCI)