Many thanks to Jonathan (KN6LFB) who shares the following in reply to my recent post about tuning mag loop antennas:

Hi Thomas,

I made a short video showing the use of a K7QO noise bridge from QRPguys to tune a mag loop antenna:

Also, inspired by your post, I dragged my OM0ET magloop up a mountain today for a POTA activation. I used a 3D printed tripod adapter of my own design that allows me to mount it on the collapsing legs from the Buddistick Pro. It makes the whole package a lot more manageable and light weight than carrying a camera tripod.

I had a successful activation of K-4454 on 20 meters, and thought you might enjoy some photos of the setup:

I’ve uploaded the design to Thingiverse at this address:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5589250

73,
Jonathan KN6LFB

Wow! Thank you Jonathan. That short demonstration prompted me to order the K7QO noise bridge kit from QRPguys this morning. In fact, I plan to build this and keep it with my loop antenna as it’ll pair so nicely with my IC-705 and TX-500!

Thank you, also, for sharing those 3D files! I love that field setup at K-4454!

Many thanks to Jonathan (KN6LFB) who shares the following guest review:

A review of the EGV+ QRP Transceiver Kit

by Jonathan (KN6LFB)

Introduction

The EGV+ is a QRP CW-only transceiver that covers the 40-, 30-, and 20-meter HAM bands. Designed by Javier Solans, EA3GCY, it is sold in kit form from his website, qrphamradiokits.com.

Javier designed the EGV+ in honor of his friend and co-founder of the EA-QRP Club, Miguel Montilla, EA3EGV. The first page of the instruction manual dedicates the radio to Miguel with this tribute:

This EGV+ transceiver is probably the kit that I have produced with more care and illusion in my life. It is a great honor to name this kit “EGV”, the callsign suffix of the late Miguel Montilla, EA3EGV (SK). With no doubt, this is the kind of kit he liked most. It was my privilege to establish and share with him the first years of the EA-QRP Club. He has always been a referent in my life; when I remember those wonderful years his humbleness, work capacity and generosity are the virtues which shine his image.

How lucky I was to be able to share the path with you, Miguel. Thanks!

Javier Solans, ea3gcy

Specifications

Frequency Coverage: 40m, 30m, 20m
Modes: CW
Power Requirements: 12–14VDC, 1–2A transmit, 0.14–0.25A receive.

Transmitter:

RF Output: 5W @ 13.8V
Harmonics Output: -45dBc or better below fundamental
Other Spurious Signals: -50dBc or better
T/R Switching: Relays

Receiver:

Type: Superheterodyne. Balanced mixers.
Sensitivity: 0.2uV minimum discernable signal.
Selectivity: 3-pole crystal ladder filter, 700Hz nominal bandwidth
IF: 4.915MHz
AGC: acts on the receive path according to the received audio.
Audio Output: 250mW, 4-8 ohms.

Ordering

I purchased my EGV+ kit with the optional enclosure from qrphamradiokits.com. Javier requests that US customers email him using the contact form on his website for the current pricing in USD prior to ordering. At the time of my order (February 2022), the cost with the optional enclosure was $203.37.

Assembly

The EGV+ is a single large (180x140mm) PCB, with separate modules for the OLED display, processor, and Si-5351 frequency generator. All components are through-hole and placed on the top of the PCB. The kit arrived well packaged and well organized. There were no missing or mislabeled parts in my kit, which is impressive considering the high number of components. There are 53 100nF capacitors alone!

The manual contains detailed lists of the components by value/quantity and individually. One of my favorite features of the manual, and something I wish was more common, is a grid-based layout map of the entire PCB [see above], with the grid position called out in the list of individual components. This greatly speeds assembly and diagnosis as you can find component positions more easily.