Hey have a question about a QRP radio that a friend of mine acquired from an SK estate. I was thinking this radio might be a Mountain Topper or maybe one of an early N6KR radios, but a search has come up empty. Maybe you could help identify it? Thanks in advance for any info:
Todd’s friend also noted:
It works on the phone portion of the 20 meter band with about 5 watts out. When the “Spot” button is pressed the radio reports the tuned frequency in CW.
I’m not terribly familiar with SSB QRP transceivers. Perhaps a QRPer reader can chime in with an answer for Todd? Please comment!
UPDATE:
This was solved rather quickly by readers. This is, of course, a White Mountain Series SSB Transceiver by the amazing Dave Benson (K1SWL)!
As soon as I read the first reply, it jogged my memory. I believe the photo Todd sent above face-on threw me a bit; I think I would have recognized more readily had it been a shot showing the size of the radio.
Dave (K1SWL) is a regular here on QRPer and he might even have more comments about this fine mono-band SSB radio!
I had my calendar marked for February 15 to check the site again for the 3rd batch as I thought that was the day they planned to issue another pre-order.
My buddy Eric (WD8RIF), who is the President of the Athens County Amateur Radio Club (ACARA), contacted me yesterday asking if I knew of any QRP kits designed with phone/SSB operation in mind. One of ACARA’s members was searching for one.
The only other kit I could think of was the new (tr)uSDX. When Eric asked for a link to the product, I went to the Rowaves site and discovered that they were taking pre-orders for the third wave of kits. Like, right then and there!
Without hesitation, I added one to my shopping cart and checked out.
I thought perhaps Rowaves caught up and no longer had a waiting list. This morning, when I checked the site again however, it appears they’ve sold out of the third batch.
Without Eric’s prompting, I would have never thought to check the Rowaves site yesterday.
Side note:There are various (tr)uSDX group buys out there. I don’t completely understand how they work, but perhaps someone with more experience can comment. DL2MAN has information and links on his webpage.
Intimidated
(tr)uSDX board “sandwich”
If I’m being brutally honest, the (tr)uSDX kit is a bit intimidating for me. I recently referred to myself as a “gross motor skills” kit builder. I think that’s a pretty accurate description. I’m fine with through holes, simple toroids, and very clear, illustrated instructions. Truth is, I absolutely love building kits. But I’m not an electronics engineer, so when instructions are vague, I can get lost quite easily.
The (tr)uSDX toroids don’t look terribly complicated and all of the surface mount components are pre-installed. Still: it’s a wee kit and I’ve yet to check out the build instructions.
It might be a challenge for me, but I’m really looking forward to it. Besides: knowing that John (AE5X) will build his kit before I do, I’ll simply bug him if I have questions! [Sinister laugh slowly fades…]
More SSB Kits?
While on the topic of kits, can anyone point Eric to other SSB kits that are currently available on the market? If so, please comment with a link and thank you in advance!
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