- Click for larger
Today’s mail brought an envelope from Portugal, courtesy of CT1FFU and CT2IRW, containing a bag of tiny parts…but not too many of them!
I’m not the most enthusiastic builder of kits containing SMD devices but with only a small handful of parts I’m not expecting much ado. With only one cap to tweak and no coils to wind, construction ought to be a snap and will add HF reception to the FCD’s already broad spectrum of coverage.
This second round of kits seems to have sold out quickly but their website promises to make the kit available for at least another round.
.
.
This blog generates a stream of email – some of which are the basis for posts you’ve read. Others update me on material presented in previous posts. Here are some of those:
A Tree-Mounted Yagi
Last months’ post about Leroy N7EIE and his uniquely mounted triband Yagi may have jinxed him. Larry has the good fortune to be surrounded by trees that make my tall pines look like shrubs. Being the practical individual that he is, he saw them as organic towers – just as I would. In a follow-up email, Larry reminds me of Newtonian mechanics with photos of his Yagi’s submission to gravity. Actually, it was the tree limbs that fell in Washington state’s worst ice storm in 40 years.
From Leroy:
I learned that with a vengeance last week during Washington’s worst snow/ice storm up here in 40 years.
As you can see from some of these pictures, Continue reading 'Misc: De-tree’d Yagi, capacitance meter and 80m DXing at the far end'»
A few months ago I wrote about a new transmitter kit for WSPR. A receiver kit for this mode is now available from a different source (also available fully built).
Of more significance than the fact that we hams have a new kit available is the idea that WSPR is a great science project for non-hams…and therefore a great way to introduce ham radio to those outside the hobby. Continue reading 'A stand-alone receiver kit for WSPR'»
FunCube Dongle & HF converter
Thanks to RW3AH’s blog I learned that the FunCube Dongle is once again available for sale.
Finally!
For those who may not know, the “FCD” is a small, USB thumb drive sized SDR receiver that covers 64-1700 MHz. An add-on kit developed by CT1FFU and CT2IRW extends the range of the FCD down to HF.
A combined price of around $225 results in a tiny receiver capable of any mode supported by SDR software – ie, all of them (FWIW, just the FCD together with shipping from the UK is 112GBP, which amounts to $178).
A stroll around the internet shows them being used to successfully receive a variety of FM and digital hamsats, demodulated weather sat maps, HF CW and on and on… Continue reading 'FunCube Dongle + HF converter kit = DC to 1.7GHz all-mode receiver'»
MKARS80 from UK
A posting to QRP-L on a QRP kit for SSB yesterday generated quite a few emails so rather than answer each individually, here are a few links I’ve been collecting.
Of those listed, I’ve only built one – the MKARS80. Actually, I built two of those particular kits and highly recommend them to anyone wanting to build a kit for 75m phone.
It was a joy to use and, despite having built a number of CW kits, it was a true delight to apply power to the finished kit and hear actual voices coming from the speaker, up and down the band, with beautiful clarity.
I’m also pleased to learn of a new SDR kit Continue reading 'SSB QRP kits…and a new SDR kit'»
I’m nowhere near being the craftsman of many radio builders out there, but I do love to solder various parts together and end up with a working radio capable of talking across The Pond (any pond).
There have been many times that I’ve seriously considered building something from a magazine article but there was always one part – yeah, just one – that seemed to be made of that rare element, unobtainium. Couldn’t find the part anywhere and the lack of it was a show-stopper.
Many projects that “could have been”, never were. As a result I’ve built numerous kits over the years…most of which were built with a slight twinge of guilt. The guilt says, “You’ve been licensed 33 years and you’re still jackassing around with kits?!”
As if I should have graduated to something a bit more appropriate to my experience. Continue reading 'What I want in a kit'»
A recent posting to QRP-L announced that an old dog has been resurrected – the “Red Hot 40″. I guess the powers that be think enough years have gone by with new QRP’ers having come into the fold (and us old ones having forgotten!) to bring back one of the most over-hyped and under-delivering QRP kits evah.
I apologize if my opinion of this kit seems vague…!
Here’s a little history of this kit for those of you who weren’t around for the “evolution” of Red Hot Radio: Continue reading 'Who let the dog out?'»
When I first started using logging software to key my rig during contests, I used various programs from N3FJP. His software allows the user to select a computer’s serial or printer port to key the rig via a simple interface that can be built from as few as five components.
I built one of the interfaces shown here and wanted it to be as small and cheap as possible. I also wanted it to be durable. That ruled out breadboarding it or building it into a connector. At some point years ago, I read an article about using epoxy to seal and house projects that have no moving parts…variable caps, pots, switches, etc. Continue reading 'Epoxy as a housing for simple circuits'»
Several months ago I built a Morse-annunciating capacitance meter from Jackson Harbor Press and posted a video of its operation here. It sold out soon after that and seems to have been cancelled altogether from their line of kits. That’s unfortunate because it is a handy gadget for the workbench.
Last week I ordered another capacitance meter kit from a vendor that has quite a number of electronic kits. It arrived 4 days later from Colorado.
In addition to being easy to build, this meter can be more easily installed into a case. And at $14, the price is right.
With only 30 parts (all through-hole) and a high quality circuit board Continue reading 'Capacitance meter kit from SparkFun'»
A few months ago I made a posting about Elecraft’s K2, questioning where it stands now in the big scheme of things with the KX3 on the horizon.
A lot of thoughtful comments followed, as well as periodic comments to Elecraft’s reflector, that gave me additional insight into that question.
They say that confession is good for the soul so I’ll admit now that part of the reason I made that post was to seek validation, justification – whatever you want to call it (yes, I have my weak moments) – for the little voice in some little obscure corner of my head that keeps telling me: “Get a K2 – you get to build it yourself!” Continue reading 'A must-see page for K2 owners'»
Comments (2) 
Themocracy