Many thanks to Pete (WB9FLW) who notes that Ashhar Farhan (VU2ESE) has upgraded the BITX40 Transceiver with a Arduino Nano/Si5351 VFO:
Thanks for the tip, Pete!
Category Archives: Kits
New kit by NM0S: the 4S-Tuner/Antenna Coupler
(Via the SWLing Post)
Dave Cripe (NM0S) has designed yet another QRP kit for the 4 State QRP Group: the 4S-Tuner/Antenna Coupler.
Description (per Four State QRP Group):
This excellent random wire antenna tuner is the classic T-Match design which is known for wide matching range and smooth operation. Dave has added a nice wrinkle – the SWR indicator employs TWO leds, not the normally seen single red LED. A green one indicates output power with a red one indicating reflected power. The beauty of this arrangement is that the operator sees the output power peaking as the SWR goes down, just like a power meter with dual meters – very intuitive. This makes tuning easier and leaves no doubt that it’s tuned for maximum power output. For a high SWR the red LED is at full brightness and the green LED is off. At 2:1 both are at equal brilliance. At 1:1 the green is full on and the red is off. The small size is perfect for portable operations. Add this dandy little tuner to your portable ops go bag, or use it at home. It’s equally at home on a picnic table, in a tent or camper, as well as on the operating desk in your shack.
Specifications and Design Features
- Wide tuning range: 80 meters thru 10 meters. Tested on EFHW and 100′ wire.
- Maximum Power Throughput: tested at 10 Watts.
- Low loss large toroid
- Twelve taps for small inductance step selection.
- Low insertion loss when matched.
- Enclosure Size: 3″x3″x2″.
- Pittsburg Construction.
Shipped price is $51.00 (US), $55.00 (Canada), $60.00 (Outside US/Canada).
Dave Cripe designs excellent kits for the ham radio community; they’re easy to build, fun and functional. If this kit is as popular as his past kits, the first run will most likely sell out in short order.
Click here to check out the 4S-Tuner/Antenna Coupler at the Four State QRP Group website.
RadioShack liquidation sales
[Note: This post was originally published on my shortwave radio blog, the SWLing Post.]
One of my local RadioShack stores is closing and liquidating all of the merchandise and store fixtures. I’ve visited the store twice and found that the best bargains come from the components cases where everything was marked at least 70% off.
I purchased about $60 worth of components like those above: test leads, connectors, plugs, adapters, RG-58 cables, fuses, breadboards, etc. Two packs of PL-259 crimp on connectors, for example, were about 70 cents each. Those prices are much better than you would find at a good hamfest; so I stocked up!
Several of you have commented about your local RS deals as well–SWLing Post reader, Troy, writes:
The Radio Shack® Digital Recorder you blogged about a few months back is marked down to $2.98 at Radio Shack stores – if it can be found. I drove 43-miles one way to buy one today. Despite gas and a $3 highway toll, I’m happy.
Radio Shack online inventory has historically been abysmal and given that stores are closing I’d encourage your readers to call stores – even if stock is listed as unavailable.
I haven’t tested it yet but from a previous post it appears software can convert the audio from mono to stereo. I’m sure I can figure it out with my MacBook Pro, but if not – given the modest expenditure – I’m satisfied nonetheless.
Many thanks, Troy!
If you are interested in snagging deals, you should act now. There is very little left in my local store and, according to a district manager I spoke with, items are moving as quickly in other regional stores. From reader reports, this is the case across the country.
Keep in mind: not all RadioShack stores are closing. Many franchise and corporate stores will remain open, at least for the time being.
NM0S’ Ozark Patrol regenerative receiver kit
Just learned that David Cripe (NM0S) has a new kit for sale: the Ozark Patrol regenerative receiver kit.
The Ozark Patrol is a simple, straightforward kit, designed with beginners in mind. The kit is a through-hole design, which is to say, with no surface-mounted parts. All of the component values and reference numbers are silk-screened on the board to indicate each part’s location, making for truly quick and fool-proof assembly.
What’s more, Dave is a talented kit designer; he’s the brains behind the kit for our successful ETOW HumanaLight (originally conceived by engineer Greg Majewski). He’s not only clever like that, he’s also a great pal.
In the past, when Dave has announced new radio kits for sale, he’s sold out within a few days. That’s why I ordered mine the moment I saw the announcement.
And, hey…not only does just $40 plus shipping ($46 in the US) get you a superb regen receiver kit, but proceeds also support the Four State QRP Group. Win-win, in my book.
Here are a few specifications and design features listed on the Four State QRP Group’s website:
- Frequency Range: 3.5-15 MHz in two bands
- Sensitivity: Yes!
- Power Supply: 6 x AA batteries
- Audio Output: A 2.6” speaker is included, as well as a jack for 1/8” stereo headphones
Want one, too? Click here to order your own Ozark Patrol kit…and enjoy tinkering as well as listening!
The new Splinter II kit from Breadboard Radio
I’ve just learned that Bill (W4FSV) has cooked up a new QRPp receiver / transmitter kit at Breadboard Radio: the Splinter II.
In his blog, Bill mentions some of his first contacts on the Splinter II:
“I have never been to Dayton or the QRP event Four Days In May. I hope to go someday, but you see my birthday is May 17th and it always conflicts. My wife, kids and grandkids insist that I’m there at my party! As thrilling as it must be to go to Dayton and FDIM, I had my own QRP adventure about a month earlier. On April 16th I finished my own building session…the Splinter II prototype. Later that evening I made the first two contacts with the Splinter II…KK4GFR, Jim in Clarkson, KY followed by KF2UZ, Jack in Hyde Park, NY. Then on the 17th, I worked SV1ENG in Greece (see above). On the 23rd I worked PA3BUD in the Netherlands. Finally, on the 24th I had a QSO with SM6CWK in Sweden.
These contacts were especially nice since they were all new countries for my QRPp totals.
Yes, I really wanted to go to Dayton, but my Four Days In April were still pretty cool!”
Bill, I must say, you certainly would enjoy Four Days In May. We’ll sing Happy Birthday to you if you make it next year!
The Splinter II can be ordered online at BreadboardRadio.com.
Thanks for the update, Bill!
OpenQRP kit now available in North America
Many thanks to Graham (G3ZOD) who writes:
The OpenQRP 40m CW Transceiver kit is now available for delivery to the USA and Canada from OpenQRP.com (USA) at $150.00 plus $10.00 shipping (USD).
This provides around 6 to 8 Watts output at 13.5 V on 7 MHz. It includes an LCD display, CW decoder, memory keyer, and has 400 Hz IF selectivity. The processor is based on Arduino technology, allowing experimentation with the firmware. It is designed by Steve Elliott, K1EL, well known for his WinKeyer family of keyers.
(The OpenQRP 40m CW Transceiver kit is also available from Kanga Products (UK) http://www.kanga-products.co.
uk/index.php?option=com_ content&view=article&id=76& Itemid=78 at £89 (GBP) excluding delivery.)
A KX3 Build
I recently built an Elecraft KX3 kit and took photographs of the process as I went along. Your host of QRPer.com, K4SWL, thought others would benefit from seeing how simple the process of building a KX3 really is. My thoughts and the photos of the process can be seen here on my website:
OpenQRP transceiver available in the UK
Graham Smith (G3ZOD) writes:
“Kanga Products (UK) provided the first Open QRP 40m transceiver kits at the UK National Hamfest on 27/28th September.
http://www.kanga-products.co.uk/index.php/openqrp- transceiver The kit is priced at £89 (GBP) and has an LCD display and front panel controls for Tune, RIT, RF Gain, and 6 push buttons. Output is 6 to 8 Watts at 13.5 V. [T]he Open QRP transceiver also includes a separate chip that decodes incoming CW and CW sent via paddles!
The spec. is available here:
http://www.openqrp.org/files/openQRP_SPECS_R02.pdf The transceiver was designed by Steve Elliott, K1EL, of WinKeyer fame.
(Kits are also expected to be available in the USA at some point from a separate supplier.)I was fortunate to be able to purchase one of the kits at the Hamfest. Although I haven’t yet had time to put it together, one purchaser already has his transceiver up & running.
This is an exciting product for us in the UK, as normally items like this are imported from the USA, suffering high tax and import charges.
It begs comparison with Ten-Tec’s Model 506 Open Source QRP CW Transceiver, which is more or less the same concept based on Arduino technology (probably the Rebel was inspired by K1EL’s design, which he started in 2009). The Open QRP is single band and a kit, whereas the Rebel has two bands and is ready-built. The Open QRP has an LCD display and 6 push buttons, where as the Rebel has no display and two push buttons.
When UK companies sell USA amateur products such as the Rebel, they quite often adopt a “dollar – UK pound equivalence” pricing, which makes them far more expensive here than they are in the USA (although the UK companies do have to shoulder the import costs). On this basis, if the Rebel is priced at £199 (GBP), it will make the Open QRP kit less than half the price at £89 (GBP).”
Many thanks for the info, Graham! Please let us know about your experience building and getting the OpenQRP transceiver on the air!
David Cripe’s NM0S Cyclone 40 Meter Transceiver kit
Readers, I just received this release:
A new kit from the Four State QRP Group and David Cripe (NM0S)
Arising from Dave’s entry in QRP ARCI’s 72 Part Challenge Design Contest in 2010, the Cyclone 40 is an enhanced version of the original design. The transceiver designed for the design contest had 72 total parts, performed well, and won honorable mention. This improved version has less than 100 components and even better performance! The kit features all through hole parts and easy assembly. The receiver is a superhet design with very good sensitivity and selectivity, and tunes the entire 125 kHZ CW segment of the 40M Band – and does so at a comfortable tuning rate. A frequency readout is included so you know where you are at all times.
This is a complete kit, including the enclosure. A high quality board package includes the pc board, front and back panels, the sides, and top and bottom all of which make up the enclosure. The control and jack labels are silk screened in white letters and vividly contrast with the black solder mask, and the holes for the connectors and controls are pre-drilled. The ends are “dovetailed” together making a very rugged, easy to build, and attractive enclosure.
Features and Specifications
General
- Enclosure: A very nice predrilled and silkscreened enclosure is included. It’s easy to assemble and looks great.
- Ergonomics: Smooth solid tuning, a quiet receiver with QSK and well behaved AGC. Nicely laid out front and rear panels.
- VFO: The VFO is a simple PTO design, is very stable, and also quite easy to build
- Sidetone: Included!
- AGC: Audio derived, fast and smooth.
- Frequency Range: 7.000 – 7.125 typical.
- Tuning Speed: 10kHz/knob turn typical.
- Stability: 300 HZ the first 5 min after power up, less than 10 HZ/hour after that.
- QSK: Fantastic QSK! Full Break in, excellent muting, really fast!
- All Through Hole Parts There are NO SMT parts in this kit, and only three easy to wind toroids.
- Dimensions: 4.4 x 3.6 x 1.9″
- Power Connector: 2.5×5.5mm coaxial, center positive. Should be fused at 1A, fast blow at PS
- Antenna connector: BNC
Receiver
- Configuration: Superheterodyne, 11 MHZ IF, 4 Crystal IF Filter.
- Sensitivity: MDS (Minimum Discernable Signal) -125, Typical, below the normal 40M band noise level.
- Selectivity: Four crystal, 500 HZ IF filter
- IMD3: 90 dB typical, better than most commercial gear!
- IP3: +10 dBm typical – another very good number
- Frequency Readout: 3 or 4 digit CW, 1 kHz or 100 Hz resolution (user selectable), developed by Adrian Hill, KCØYOI.
- Band Edge Marker: A band edge marker is heard at 7.001 MHZ
- Headphone Jack: 1/8″ stereo, standard earbud/Walkman® headphone compatible
- DC Current consumption: 30 ma typical at 13.6 VDC.
Transmitter
- Configuration: Stable, Wide Range VFO (PTO design), Efficient Class E Final.
- Spectral Purity: All harmonics and spurs less than 50dB below the carrier.
- Output Power: approximately 4W into 50 ohms
- DC Current consumption: 500ma typical at 13.6 VDC Will operate down to 9v DC.
- Key Jack: 1/8″ stereo, grounded shell, switching the tip keys TX. Contacts accessible for an internal add-on keyer
Kits should be available at QRP ARCI’s Four Days in May conference at Dayton, and will be for sale on the Four State QRP Group’s web site approximately May 20th. The final price hasn’t been determined yet but should be less than $100 plus shipping.
Ten-Tec holiday specials include QRP kits
Ten-Tec is discounting their 1380 and 1330 QRP kits for the holiday season. They’ve also extended their discount on the R4030 QRP tranceiver (details below).
(Source: Ten-Tec)
The 1380 and 1330 QRP transceiver kits, which are regularly priced at $124.00, are $99.00 through Christmas. These are great QRP kits and many are used on the air daily and in QRP contests. It is great fun to work 80 meter QRP in the winter months, so order yours today. http://www.tentec.com/
products/80-Meter-QRP- Transceiver-Kit.html
The R4030 transceiver is still at $188.00 from their list of $249.00 and this price will continue through Christmas. This is a great trail friendly QRP transceiver with lots of features like an LCD frequency readout display, cw memories and much more. This is a great price for a full-featured QRP rig. Read more about the R4030 at http://www.tentec.com/products/Sale-Price!-Two-Band- CW-QRP-Transceiver-%252d-40-% 252d-30-Meters.html