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Old February 28th 04, 10:47 PM
xpyttl
 
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Today there are more really good kits out there then there have ever been.
But you need to ask yourself just what are you looking for?

Probably Elecraft is the Cadillac of kits these days ... www.elecraft.com,
but their stuff is a little high end. If you are looking to melt some
solder after a long hiatus, they may be a little more than you are looking
for. On the other hand, their quality and documentation puts the old
Heathkits to shame.

Small Wonder Labs has some very nice, lower priced kits
www.smallwonderlabs.com. Their stuff is closer to the other end of the
price spectrum, but still very highly regarded. Their SW+ series is simple,
and has the added advantage of lots and lots of documentation on the net, if
you want to re-learn what these things are all about. Their DSW series is
one of the most lusted-after rigs among the backpacking set. It's a one man
show, however, so deliveries are sometimes a little long.

The American QRP Club www.amqrp.org collects together the kits of a number
of QRP clubs. These are often the best deals, but each kit is only
available for a short period, so you might not find just what you are
looking for at the time you are looking.

If you are looking at low cost and not necessarily the best quality, Dan's
has a number of lower end kits www.danssmallpartsandkits.com. Dan's only
takes orders by snail mail, so the turnaround is at least two weeks.

For the definitive list, www.qrparci.org/links.html lists many, many places
to look for kits.

MFJ and TenTec have been mentioned. MFJ is more on the low quality end, but
they are reasonably priced. TenTec has the famous TenTec support behind it,
but in my opinion tend to be a little high priced for what you get.

Hope this helps.

...


"Gary Grobe" wrote in message
...
Hey all,

I'm looking to build a radio and was wondering of any recommendations
about some really cool ones, good ones, etc... Any of the amateur bands
will be fine.

Thnxs!