James Skalski wrote:
I am thinking about building one. Before I start gathering parts I
figured I would check to see if anyone has started, fizzled out, or
otherwise changed plans to build it. What parts do you have? Any
completed modules?

Jim n2go

Would that be the DDS controled receiver design from the UK?
His DDS-Micro design was in an ap-note on the Analog Devices
web site (pdf download), but source code wasn't published.
The specific pic micro he used is now obsolete, though similar chips
are available (require software changes). Also the AD9850 dds
chip he used is now somewhat long in the tooth.

I am considering building a DDS vfo for a homebrew xcvr, but
I am looking at using one of the AD9951 series chips. These clock
to 400mhz and have a 14bit D/A vs the 10bit in the 9850. Spurs
and phase noise should be quite a bit lower with the 9951 series
chips over the 9850. You will need a surface mount to .1 mill
spacing proto board to hand solder it (not to mention good eyes
and/or a strong magnifier, and steady hands). Such proto boards
are available on ebay sometimes, and can also be found for sale
via a google search.

I would also switch from the PIC processor
to an Atmel MegaAvr mirco. The MegaAt16 and MegaAt32 processors
are available in 40pin dip and 44pin surface mount packages. They
have 28 i/o pins available if the on board JTAG interface is used
for debugging. The JTAG feature and the support of the GNU C
compiler makes these chips a better choice (IMHO) than the pics.
A JTAG interface from Atmel sells for $200, but 'clones' are
available for under $50 (and plans are available for building
your own for even less. I have already built one). Atmel's
Avrstudio is a free download for Windows (to drive the jtag)
along with WINAVR (the gnu compilier and C library). Similar
software is available for Linux from GNU/Sourceforge.