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Posted: 4/4/2020 8:35:10 PM EDT
[#1]
How do you define "low cost"?
Decent ones are going to cost around $300 or more, and they're going to be limited to about 5 Watts or less. MFJ offers the MFJ-90xx single-bander QRP radios for a little over $200. 
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Posted: 4/4/2020 8:42:02 PM EDT
[#2]
Quoted: Kind of random, I know, but - is there such a beast as a low cost CW-capable or CW-only transceiver? I'm tech at the moment, so currently no particular need for an expensive HF all-mode unit. Youkits HB1B. 4 bands, $300. MFJ also sells some low power CW kits under their "Cub" line. Base kit for 40M is about $120. ETA: Youkits also has single band rigs (including a digital one) for about $130-$150. |
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Posted: 4/4/2020 9:19:13 PM EDT
[#3]
Comfortable with a soldering iron?
https://www.qrp-labs.com/qcx.html $50 + https://www.qrp-labs.com/50wpa.html $30 |
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Posted: 4/4/2020 9:39:28 PM EDT
[#4]
Low cost...I'm not so sure. Maybe not, unless you only want a simple QRP rig of some sort. And some of those (KX2, KX3, etc.) aren't so cheap, either. Unfortunately, everything seems to be at least a little costly.
For the record, I'm not suggesting that QRP is the way to go. I'm only saying that CW is quite efficient, and eliminates the need for a computer and other potentially power hungry equipment. All things being equal, I would take a 100 was rig any day. But sometimes, portability and low power drain might be more important. As for the good radio man comment..... The military has gotten away from CW, because they have satellites, and communication trucks, and ships, and planes with every type of communication gear we could dream of. But we live in the simple world of HF, and CW is simply a darn good tool to have in the tool box. |
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Posted: 4/4/2020 10:27:38 PM EDT
[#5]
Not exactly cheap, but the old Elecraft KX1 was a cool little multi-band CW rig. I used to have one, sold it because I never used it, but I loved the simplicity of the design.
If you do some Google searching there are a bunch of little CW kits available. Some are novelties, some are decent performers. Check out the KD1JV radios, uBitx, 4 States QRP Club kits, QRPGuys kits, QCX, etc. |
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Posted: 4/5/2020 9:09:34 AM EDT
[#6]
You would be amazed at what you can do with 1 watt on CW. Seriously.
Lots of these QRP cw-only rigs pop up on QRZ, thats how I got my KX1 |
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Posted: 4/5/2020 9:28:44 AM EDT
[#7]
The youkits hb1b is a fantastic rig. Like others said. Google qrp kits. Some great ones out there for real cheap
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Posted: 4/6/2020 2:45:37 AM EDT
[#8]
I would assert that QRP is pretty tough, and is an expert's sport! it should not be one's entry into HF.
a normal 100W radio and a normal wire antenna is pretty decent most of the time. More power and bigger antennas are needed to excel at DXing and contests, but for everyday use 100W and wires is fine. 5W and wires is MUCH tougher most of the time. I use QRP on camping trips and SOTA (its much much easier to carry a little battery) and sometimes just for fun at home and I understand why I don't get heard a lot of the time. if you are new to ham radio or new to HF, find a used HF rig, there should be lots of solid state, post WARC79 era rigs on the used marked that still work great for sale at half the price of an IC7300! The way modern radios (modern being since the 70's) are designed, adding USB, LSB, AM and FM in addition to CW is NOT 5 times as much stuff, its maybe 5% more electronics, it simply isn't cost effective for Yaes-wood-com to make a CW-only radio, us CW guys buy normal radios and operate CW. I recently retired a really nice FT-1000 (the 7300 is better) that likely had never had a microphone plugged into it! Join SKCC (its free) and start making CW QSOs, we go slow since most of us run straight keys on 7055 +/-. take the tests and get the extra, the bottom 25 KHz is really helpful in contests. If you find you really like CW, especially if you get into SOTA or camping trips, then start shopping for a QRP radio and kits etc. Poole .- .- ....- --.- |
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Posted: 4/7/2020 11:01:27 PM EDT
[#9]
You can find a used, all HF bands, 100W radio for around $300 if you are patient and take time to look. You'll pay nearly the same for a new single band, QRP rig. Want to operate QRP? Fine, just reduce TX power to 5 watts and go for it.
Just stay away from old hybrid radios unless you know how to tune, operate and possibly repair them. Our club just sold an all band, solid state, 100W HF rig for $200 (can't remember what model it was but it was a nice radio). DIY kits are cool but they are not for you if you just want to be an operator, not a builder/troubleshooter. Install the best, most efficient antenna you can afford (not just money but space for it, time and efforts to install). |
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Posted: 4/7/2020 11:34:32 PM EDT
[#10]
I have 40 acres on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere and I'm an engineer with a pretty decent electronics workbench, so I figure I can give it a go.
Ordered a basic 80m kit to play with. Will report out on how it goes 
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Posted: 4/8/2020 12:16:12 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have 40 acres on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere and I'm an engineer with a pretty decent electronics workbench, so I figure I can give it a go. Ordered a basic 80m kit to play with. Will report out on how it goes  You have an antenna paradise! Want a simple but good antenna? Look at installing a full size, horizontal Delta Loop, as high as possible. Feed it with a 300 Ohm ladder line, connected at the corner. You'll be surprised how well it works for such a simple and cheap antenna. Want something multi-band? A ZS6BKW works very well and it's as simple as a regular dipole. Off-center fed dipoles also seem to work very well too. For feedlines under 150 ft.,RG8X works just fine on HF frequencies. For longer runs, a ladder line is hard to beat if it's hung in the air, away from touching any conductive objects. |
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Posted: 4/8/2020 4:10:49 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have 40 acres on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere and I'm an engineer with a pretty decent electronics workbench, so I figure I can give it a go. Ordered a basic 80m kit to play with. Will report out on how it goes Congratulations! Now click here and sign up. We have twice monthly on-the-air events, and you can usually find someone hanging out around the calling frequencies. 80 is getting noisy as summer thunderstorms fire up. 40, 30, and 20 are much quieter. ETA: A fan dipole with elements cut for 40 and 20 is another possibility. As a bonus, the 40 Meter element will act as a 3/2 wave radiator on 15 Meters. This litle trick will improve the match. |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 9:20:48 AM EDT
[#13]
Well that was more soldering than I was figuring on, but not too hard
Just need to figure out a dummy load to do the self-tests to calibrate this thing, then on to figuring out my first antenna   |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 9:39:23 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Well that was more soldering than I was figuring on, but not too hard Just need to figure out a dummy load to do the self-tests to calibrate this thing, then on to figuring out my first antenna https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/242214/frrs4bbo-1365312.jpg Beautiful! I use a basic dummy load from MFJ. Not likely I'll ever run more than 100 watts, and this one works fine for all my radio needs. |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 7:03:44 PM EDT
[#15]
I built an QRP dummy load kit from somewhere. Someone (not the one I bought) I think has an add on for measuring output with LEDs?
Mine does have a spot for DVM probes to go to measure voltage and convert it to wattage. Of course I do not have a CW capable QRP rig yet. Another kit I want to build is a qrp antenna tuner, some also come with LEDs to indicate SWR. I really hope to do some SOTA or other portable ops this summer with my BitX. Have to say OP, your rig looks slick! If you have a couple higher wattage 100 ohm resistors you have a simple dummy load for now! Also - what are you doing for a case? |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 7:56:44 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Well that was more soldering than I was figuring on, but not too hard Just need to figure out a dummy load to do the self-tests to calibrate this thing, then on to figuring out my first antenna https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/242214/frrs4bbo-1365312.jpg Where did you order from and how long did shipping take? |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 8:55:30 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Where did you order from and how long did shipping take? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Well that was more soldering than I was figuring on, but not too hard Just need to figure out a dummy load to do the self-tests to calibrate this thing, then on to figuring out my first antenna https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/242214/frrs4bbo-1365312.jpg Where did you order from and how long did shipping take? https://www.qrp-labs.com/qcx.html Shipped the day I ordered it, took 2-3 days to get here. Be aware that if you order the unassembled kit, as I did, that you're literally soldering every component on that thing except the surface-mount ICs - you're even winding your own toroids. It will take you a little while. I think I've got three or four hours in this one. That said, it honestly wasn't that hard with a good iron. The online manual walks you through the whole process, step by step. Very easy to follow, and I'm already playing with this thing. It has a practice mode that disables the antenna and decodes the morse you key in. Pretty powerful little unit. I bought two so I can make fewer mistakes on the next one, and ship it to my brother Also have the GPS kit to add WSPR functionality on the way, just for a little more interesting capability. |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 9:21:01 PM EDT
[#18]
Elecraft has a QRP dummy load kit for about $35. LINK
ETA: A word of caution -- kit building can be habit forming. |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 9:48:17 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: https://www.qrp-labs.com/qcx.html Shipped the day I ordered it, took 2-3 days to get here. Be aware that if you order the unassembled kit, as I did, that you're literally soldering every component on that thing except the surface-mount ICs - you're even winding your own toroids. It will take you a little while. I think I've got three or four hours in this one. That said, it honestly wasn't that hard with a good iron. The online manual walks you through the whole process, step by step. Very easy to follow, and I'm already playing with this thing. It has a practice mode that disables the antenna and decodes the morse you key in. Pretty powerful little unit. I bought two so I can make fewer mistakes on the next one, and ship it to my brother Also have the GPS kit to add WSPR functionality on the way, just for a little more interesting capability. Nice, I will have to order one. I've wanted one for a while now but since they ship from either USA or Turkey (and they don't say what ships from where) I've been hesitant to order because of how screwed up shipping times have been (still waiting on a kit from Australia.) Thanks! |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 11:23:54 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I built an QRP dummy load kit from somewhere. Someone (not the one I bought) I think has an add on for measuring output with LEDs? Mine does have a spot for DVM probes to go to measure voltage and convert it to wattage. Of course I do not have a CW capable QRP rig yet. Another kit I want to build is a qrp antenna tuner, some also come with LEDs to indicate SWR. I really hope to do some SOTA or other portable ops this summer with my BitX. Have to say OP, your rig looks slick! If you have a couple higher wattage 100 ohm resistors you have a simple dummy load for now! Also - what are you doing for a case? I plan to cnc machine a case from aluminum with sealed o-ring glands and ip67 rated connectors/buttons. |
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Posted: 4/13/2020 11:32:56 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: How do you define "low cost"? Decent ones are going to cost around $300 or more, and they're going to be limited to about 5 Watts or less. MFJ offers the MFJ-90xx single-bander QRP radios for a little over $200. https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/401578553276_/MFJ-9040-Ham-Radio-40m-QRP-CW-Transceiver.jpg |
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Posted: 4/20/2020 9:08:47 PM EDT
[#22]
Update: talked to my brother in Indianapolis ~200 miles away tonight with a pretty simple half wave dipole about 6 feet off the ground at the moment
 I need to practice a LOT more, but I recognized my callsign straight away. |
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Posted: 4/20/2020 10:01:27 PM EDT
[#23]
Awesome! Love to hear the success stories!
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Posted: 4/20/2020 11:25:24 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Update: talked to my brother in Indianapolis ~200 miles away tonight with a pretty simple half wave dipole about 6 feet off the ground at the moment I need to practice a LOT more, but I recognized my callsign straight away. Outstanding!
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Posted: 4/21/2020 8:11:31 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Update: talked to my brother in Indianapolis ~200 miles away tonight with a pretty simple half wave dipole about 6 feet off the ground at the moment I need to practice a LOT more, but I recognized my callsign straight away. @RocketmanOU Well done and a good start, give us the band and antenna details. 73, Rob |
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Posted: 4/22/2020 1:01:10 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I really wish these were about half that price... ...and in kit form with through-hole components and wind-it-yourself toroids. (It's not as hard as many make it out to be.) |
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Posted: 4/22/2020 1:04:26 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Update: talked to my brother in Indianapolis ~200 miles away tonight with a pretty simple half wave dipole about 6 feet off the ground at the moment I need to practice a LOT more, but I recognized my callsign straight away. Great! Now join us in the SKCC and start building up your CW skills! You can almost always find a QSO in and around our operating frequencies and most members will gladly operate at a speed you're comfortable with. |
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Posted: 4/22/2020 8:16:11 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: @RocketmanOU Well done and a good start, give us the band and antenna details. 73, Rob Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Update: talked to my brother in Indianapolis ~200 miles away tonight with a pretty simple half wave dipole about 6 feet off the ground at the moment I need to practice a LOT more, but I recognized my callsign straight away. @RocketmanOU Well done and a good start, give us the band and antenna details. 73, Rob 80m band. Haven't measured the output yet, but might do that this weekend. Max 5 watts based on the board design, but I'm guessing it's more like 2-3 actual RF power out. I'll get pictures of the antenna tomorrow. It's a simple half-wave dipole (using this kit: https://www.dxengineering.com/search/product-line/alpha-delta-antenna-hardware-kits) strung between two trees with a tomato stake in the middle holding the feedline up. Not optimal, but until I get grounding/etc figured out (parts coming tomorrow), it's working for what I'm trying to do at the moment. Picking up plenty of traffic on the call frequencies. Definitely limited since I'm only tech at this point, but was still able to connect with my brother. We're planning to make a habit of doing this in the evenings, which will be a lot easier once I've got a more permanent setup and a key that's not a microswitch on the board
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Posted: 4/22/2020 8:16:55 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Great! Now join us in the SKCC and start building up your CW skills! You can almost always find a QSO in and around our operating frequencies and most members will gladly operate at a speed you're comfortable with. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Update: talked to my brother in Indianapolis ~200 miles away tonight with a pretty simple half wave dipole about 6 feet off the ground at the moment I need to practice a LOT more, but I recognized my callsign straight away. Great! Now join us in the SKCC and start building up your CW skills! You can almost always find a QSO in and around our operating frequencies and most members will gladly operate at a speed you're comfortable with. Done! Next step is to machine myself a decent key. |
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Posted: 4/23/2020 2:09:02 PM EDT
[#30]
Darn it. I went and ordered the 40m version of the QRP Labs transceiver. It's the last thing I need, but I like building kits, to what the heck, it's only money.
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Posted: 4/24/2020 8:04:35 PM EDT
[#31]
Not sure on the reciever part, but this transmitter has very few parts.
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Posted: 4/24/2020 9:07:33 PM EDT
[#32]
 Here's my dipole setup. You can kinda see the tomato stake in the middle holding up the junction. Took every foot of my yard
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Posted: 4/24/2020 9:11:47 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not sure on the reciever part, but this transmitter has very few parts. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Inductively_coupled_spark_gap_transmitter_circuit.svg Quote HistoryQuoted: Not sure on the reciever part, but this transmitter has very few parts. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Inductively_coupled_spark_gap_transmitter_circuit.svg BTDT. A friend on the other side of town heard me on 80 Meters, or more accurately, all over 80 Meters.  Model T spark coils could be used for all kinds of mischief. Quoted: Darn it. I went and ordered the 40m version of the QRP Labs transceiver. It's the last thing I need, but I like building kits, to what the heck, it's only money. There's kind of a special feeling one gets making contacts with something they made themselves. It's too bad Elecraft discontinued the K1. It was quite complex, a lot of fun to put together, and a good performer. 
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Posted: 4/24/2020 10:07:05 PM EDT
[#34]
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Posted: 4/24/2020 10:36:49 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There's kind of a special feeling one gets making contacts with something they made themselves. It's too bad Elecraft discontinued the K1. It was quite complex, a lot of fun to put together, and a good performer. https://www.qrpproject.de/Media/K1Batta3sm.jpg You said it. As much as I like the K3, I think I may be even more fond of the K2, just because it comes as a box of parts. I had my eye on the K1 for the longest time, but just couldn't pull the trigger since I already had the K2. Now I regret not grabbing one while they were still available. I'm in the kit building mood again, so I think this QRP Labs rig will be fun. I got the 40m meter version, because I think it may be the most versatile band, even though I don't have a good 40m antenna. Speaking of which, I put up my 40m end-fed in the backyard a little while ago, and was pulling in signals from as far away as Slovenia. Sure would be nice to have a real, full time, outside antenna farm. |
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Posted: 4/30/2020 7:17:52 PM EDT
[#36]
Bringing this thread back to the top. I like the kit, any recommendations on the band I ought to get? I have a Cub on 40M now and a KX3 so this will be more for fun. Antenna power supply etc. all under control. I can see this in the field more on 40M but want to try 80M. Any decent loaded wire antennas on 80M?
73, Rob |
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Posted: 4/30/2020 7:33:55 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By robmkivseries70: Bringing this thread back to the top. I like the kit, any recommendations on the band I ought to get? I have a Cub on 40M now and a KX3 so this will be more for fun. Antenna power supply etc. all under control. I can see this in the field more on 40M but want to try 80M. Any decent loaded wire antennas on 80M? 73, Rob I considered 20 due to antenna size but I ultimately picked 40 primarily because there's almost always slow CW activity to be had there. I intend to build a loop antenna specifically for use with the kit so I can set it up on the deck quickly and not have to worry about running long feeds to my other antennas or tuners (other than the loop's built in tuner). Heads up: I ordered the CW kit plus extras and also ordered the U3S WSPR/QRSS kit almost 3 weeks ago and it just now shipped from Turkey, but hasn't moved yet so no telling when I'll get it. I'm still waiting on my active receive antenna kit from Australia that I ordered in March and it has been "en route to USA" for over a month, so no telling when that will ever show up. Should have ordered this crap back in Jan/Feb when I first started looking at it; oh well, snooze you loose I guess... |
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Posted: 4/30/2020 7:35:07 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By robmkivseries70: Bringing this thread back to the top. I like the kit, any recommendations on the band I ought to get? I have a Cub on 40M now and a KX3 so this will be more for fun. Antenna power supply etc. all under control. I can see this in the field more on 40M but want to try 80M. Any decent loaded wire antennas on 80M? 73, Rob I'm about half way through the build for the 40m version. A couple of things to note.... The T-1 tranformer (toroid) is a pain in the ass to wind. I generally like winding toroids, but it's so small, that the windings (4 of them) barely fit on the 40m version. It's even worse for the 80m (and 60m) versions, and I think RocketmanOU must have a lot of patience.  The silk screening on the circuit board is not great, mainly because everything is so crammed together. Many of the component labels (on the board) are difficult, or impossible to read, because they have been covered up by the soldering pads. But, the manual is very complete, and he has nice pictures (drawings) in the manual showing exactly where each component fits on the board. The only problem with that, is that the manual is only available online. And since I don't have a computer on my workbench, I've had to print out a lot of it. And there are 147 pages for this tiny little transceiver.  There are a metric shit ton of components in the thing, and they are tiny. And I mean damn tiny. That's OK, because it keeps the overall footprint of the rig small. But at this stage in life, I do need some good magnification to see what I'm doing on the build. But overall, I like it. I think it's going to be a nice little QRP radio, and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Instruction manual here Edit: Mine shipped from Missouri, and only took 4 days to arrive. |
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Posted: 4/30/2020 8:01:45 PM EDT
[#39]
Thanks for the replies. Yeah, about the size, that may be a problem, I too would need a magnifier. I may have to ponder this for a while. tnx
73, Rob |
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Posted: 5/1/2020 8:31:13 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kekoa: I'm about half way through the build for the 40m version. A couple of things to note.... The T-1 tranformer (toroid) is a pain in the ass to wind. I generally like winding toroids, but it's so small, that the windings (4 of them) barely fit on the 40m version. It's even worse for the 80m (and 60m) versions, and I think RocketmanOU must have a lot of patience. The silk screening on the circuit board is not great, mainly because everything is so crammed together. Many of the component labels (on the board) are difficult, or impossible to read, because they have been covered up by the soldering pads. But, the manual is very complete, and he has nice pictures (drawings) in the manual showing exactly where each component fits on the board. The only problem with that, is that the manual is only available online. And since I don't have a computer on my workbench, I've had to print out a lot of it. And there are 147 pages for this tiny little transceiver. There are a metric shit ton of components in the thing, and they are tiny. And I mean damn tiny. That's OK, because it keeps the overall footprint of the rig small. But at this stage in life, I do need some good magnification to see what I'm doing on the build. But overall, I like it. I think it's going to be a nice little QRP radio, and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Instruction manual here Edit: Mine shipped from Missouri, and only took 4 days to arrive. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kekoa: Originally Posted By robmkivseries70: Bringing this thread back to the top. I like the kit, any recommendations on the band I ought to get? I have a Cub on 40M now and a KX3 so this will be more for fun. Antenna power supply etc. all under control. I can see this in the field more on 40M but want to try 80M. Any decent loaded wire antennas on 80M? 73, Rob I'm about half way through the build for the 40m version. A couple of things to note.... The T-1 tranformer (toroid) is a pain in the ass to wind. I generally like winding toroids, but it's so small, that the windings (4 of them) barely fit on the 40m version. It's even worse for the 80m (and 60m) versions, and I think RocketmanOU must have a lot of patience. The silk screening on the circuit board is not great, mainly because everything is so crammed together. Many of the component labels (on the board) are difficult, or impossible to read, because they have been covered up by the soldering pads. But, the manual is very complete, and he has nice pictures (drawings) in the manual showing exactly where each component fits on the board. The only problem with that, is that the manual is only available online. And since I don't have a computer on my workbench, I've had to print out a lot of it. And there are 147 pages for this tiny little transceiver. There are a metric shit ton of components in the thing, and they are tiny. And I mean damn tiny. That's OK, because it keeps the overall footprint of the rig small. But at this stage in life, I do need some good magnification to see what I'm doing on the build. But overall, I like it. I think it's going to be a nice little QRP radio, and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Instruction manual here Edit: Mine shipped from Missouri, and only took 4 days to arrive. Winding that little bastard was probably the hardest part The 80m windings don't quite fit on one revolution of the toroid. I definitely lost count at least twice. I will say that the design is nice and compact, and once you get a few components put in place, it's a little easier to quickly see where each component goes. It definitely helps to have a good soldering iron and a DMM handy to make sure your connections are good (and to verify resistance values for those of us who are colorblind). A pocket loupe is also useful to read the numbers on the caps. |
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Posted: 5/1/2020 10:20:04 AM EDT
[#41]
Maybe I'm just getting impatient in my older age (get off my lawn
). Here is where I stopped yesterday. But today, the board actually looks kind of empty. Yesterday, I kept thinking, dang there are a lot of resistors in this thing.  It's not the absolute number of parts, but it's a small board (4" x 3.25") so it does feel tight. But really, I guess it's not that bad.  By comparison, here is the K2 I built a few years ago. Now, this is a lot of parts. 
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Posted: 5/1/2020 8:58:10 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By RocketmanOU: Done! Next step is to machine myself a decent key. When you get it done and work an SKCC event, be sure to put a picture in the comment window. We love home made stuff. |
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Posted: 5/1/2020 9:07:11 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By robmkivseries70: Bringing this thread back to the top. I like the kit, any recommendations on the band I ought to get? I have a Cub on 40M now and a KX3 so this will be more for fun. Antenna power supply etc. all under control. I can see this in the field more on 40M but want to try 80M. Any decent loaded wire antennas on 80M? 73, Rob Click here: https://m0ukd.com/calculators/loaded-quarter-wave-antenna-inductance-calculator/ |
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Posted: 5/1/2020 11:38:34 PM EDT
[#44]
Just got my wspr kit from turkey today. Will see if I can carve out some time Sunday to get it put together and see what I can reach with this little guy.
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Posted: 5/2/2020 8:28:06 AM EDT
[#45]
This thread reminds me of my grandfather. He was a ham from the early 1930s till 1995.
He used to complain about Heathkit and bad mouthed people that said they built Heathkit things "All the did was solder, he didnt build that." He designed and built from scratch all his equipment first with tubes and then with transistors and saw kits as a major degradation of ham radio. I bought all my equipment and have only built antennas, never did a radio or amp kit. He died long before I or my son became hams. My son has his callsign. I miss that guy |
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Posted: 5/2/2020 9:03:27 PM EDT
[#46]
It's alive.
I went through the alignment (with a dummy load connected) , and everything seems to be working. Apparently I need to hook up a jumper wire to get the actual battery voltage to display on the screen. It doesn't have an antenna tuner, and my only resonant 40m antenna is rolled up on a reel out in the garage, so I'll give that a shot tomorrow. I'm just too pooped to fool with it tonight. Ignore the crappy picture....lots of glare on the screen.  |
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Posted: 5/2/2020 9:31:16 PM EDT
[#47]
^ There's also a green backlit version of that same display - It's MUCH easier to read than the blue version.
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Posted: 5/2/2020 9:56:25 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Skibane: ^ There's also a green backlit version of that same display - It's MUCH easier to read than the blue version. Really? I haven't seen that. The blue one seems fine to me, though. Mine just looks washed out because I used a flash to take the picture. In real life, it looks pretty good, and the contrast is adjustable. . |
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Posted: 5/3/2020 10:34:15 PM EDT
[#49]
Woot! First QSO with the QRP-Labs OCX Transceiver.
Had a QSO with another SKCC member in Fort Wayne, IN. That's about 868 miles on just over 4 watts. He gave me a 559 signal report. I ordered the enclosure, but it comes from a company in Germany, and apparently DHL isn't shipping outside of Europe right now. It runs about $38 shipped, so that's less than $100 for the whole shebang. Not bad. |
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Posted: 5/3/2020 11:48:28 PM EDT
[#50]
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