On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:10:27 +0000, John Tartar wrote:

The deadline for the ARRL homebrew challenge has passed and I hear that the
ARRL received 4 entries, all NO computer radios. NONE were in the computer
assisted category. Publication is scheduled for Feb 2008 QST


A Yahoo group was started to discuss developments.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ARRLHBC/

Some of the entrants have posting info about their entries there.

Four entries? This does not bode well for the hobby :-(

IMHO, building at least some of your own stuff should be a prerequisite
for the license.

Cheers,
__
Gregg

Part of the reason might be that building piece by piece is getting
pretty expensive for what you end up with. For $700 or so, you can buy
a radio that works all the HF bands plus 6, 2 and 432 with all kinds of
features. Try homebrewing that for $700... Seems that most stuff
homebrewed these days is station accessory equipment that just makes
some task around the shack a little more convenient (I'm guilty of this
as well). I do still hombrew all of my own antennas

Scott
N0EDV

geek wrote:
On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:10:27 +0000, John Tartar wrote:


The deadline for the ARRL homebrew challenge has passed and I hear that the
ARRL received 4 entries, all NO computer radios. NONE were in the computer
assisted category. Publication is scheduled for Feb 2008 QST


A Yahoo group was started to discuss developments.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ARRLHBC/

Some of the entrants have posting info about their entries there.


Four entries? This does not bode well for the hobby :-(

IMHO, building at least some of your own stuff should be a prerequisite
for the license.

Cheers,
__
Gregg


--
Scott
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/
Gotta Fly or Gonna Die
Building RV-4 (Super Slow Build Version)

"Scott" wrote in message
.. .
Part of the reason might be that building piece by piece is getting pretty
expensive for what you end up with. For $700 or so, you can buy a radio
that works all the HF bands plus 6, 2 and 432 with all kinds of features.
Try homebrewing that for $700... Seems that most stuff homebrewed
these days is station accessory equipment that just makes some task around
the shack a little more convenient (I'm guilty of this as well). I do
still hombrew all of my own antennas

Scott
N0EDV

Not really so Scott. Try the PicaStar group. By the grace of Analog Devices
in their enlightened policy of providing samples of even their most
expensive devices, and the price of SMD ((NOT really so difficult to work
with, just different. And you purchase new resistors and capacitors at
$0.003 each (Not a typo, 3/10ths of a cent) from DigiKey!)) Mine came in at
something under half your $700 figure for a 160-10 meter transceiver with
more bells and whistles than the average $2000 radio, and more performance
than most radios costing twice that!

W4ZCB

And you purchase new resistors and capacitors at
$0.003 each (Not a typo, 3/10ths of a cent) from DigiKey!)) Mine came in
at
something under half your $700 figure for a 160-10 meter transceiver with
more bells and whistles than the average $2000 radio, and more performance
than most radios costing twice that!

W4ZCB

Well, Really not a typo, but at $0.31 for ten each, for the mathematically
unchallenged, that comes out to THREE cents each. Going to have to go sweep
up all those that have flipped out into never never land, hardly ever to be
seen again and restock my supplies. Them things is more valuable than I
thought. (Although I HAVE purchased SMD parts as inexpensively as $0.003
each at hamfests)

Regards
W4ZCB

Surface mount stuff is fine. I use them all the time in my transverters
(VHF-microwave) and my other homebrew stuff. OK on your 160-10
homebrew. My example (my Yaesu FT857 is what I had in mind) covers that
PLUS 6, 2 and 432. How much would it cost to add those to your radio?
Probably not too much, but it might still get you close to the $700
Yaesu. And, yours is not counting labor costs. How many hours did it
take to build? When I build, I "pay" myself at $20/hours...less than
that and I stay in bed! I know it's a hobby, but even if I don't
count my labor costs, it uses up my time where I COULD be making
$20/hour. Don't get me wrong, I still love to build stuff!!!

Scott
N0EDV

Harold E. Johnson wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
.. .

Part of the reason might be that building piece by piece is getting pretty
expensive for what you end up with. For $700 or so, you can buy a radio
that works all the HF bands plus 6, 2 and 432 with all kinds of features.
Try homebrewing that for $700... Seems that most stuff homebrewed
these days is station accessory equipment that just makes some task around
the shack a little more convenient (I'm guilty of this as well). I do
still hombrew all of my own antennas

Scott
N0EDV


Not really so Scott. Try the PicaStar group. By the grace of Analog Devices
in their enlightened policy of providing samples of even their most
expensive devices, and the price of SMD ((NOT really so difficult to work
with, just different. And you purchase new resistors and capacitors at
$0.003 each (Not a typo, 3/10ths of a cent) from DigiKey!)) Mine came in at
something under half your $700 figure for a 160-10 meter transceiver with
more bells and whistles than the average $2000 radio, and more performance
than most radios costing twice that!

W4ZCB




--
Scott
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/
Gotta Fly or Gonna Die
Building RV-4 (Super Slow Build Version)

"Scott" wrote in message
.. .
Surface mount stuff is fine. I use them all the time in my transverters
(VHF-microwave) and my other homebrew stuff. OK on your 160-10 homebrew.
My example (my Yaesu FT857 is what I had in mind) covers that PLUS 6, 2
and 432. How much would it cost to add those to your radio? Probably not
too much, but it might still get you close to the $700 Yaesu. And, yours
is not counting labor costs. How many hours did it take to build? When I
build, I "pay" myself at $20/hours...less than that and I stay in bed!
I know it's a hobby, but even if I don't count my labor costs, it uses up
my time where I COULD be making $20/hour. Don't get me wrong, I still
love to build stuff!!!

Scott
N0EDV

That's funny Scott. I put $20 an hour into a coffee can when I design/build
a project. Figure I couldn't have more fun if I paid that much for it. About
every 3 years, there's enough there for a 3-4 week vacation in the UK.

With Bush spending money we don't have like a drunken sailor, the dollar is
in the tank everywhere so it may be 4 years this time. Either that or I have
to build more stuff.

W4ZCB

I'm one of the 4 who submitted an entry to the ARRL HBC contest. I
figure I put maybe 500 to 600 hours into the project. I had relocated
in February to take a new job, and my family wasn't able to join me
until July. Consequently, I had the time on my hands anyway.

This may seem like a lot of time, but when you consider the average
American spends that much time watching TV in four months, I don't
feel too bad.

I consider it time well spent. I learned a lot that I will be able to
use on future projects. I'm sure that the other contest participants
would agree.

73 - Dave NM0S

NM0S wrote:
I'm one of the 4 who submitted an entry to the ARRL HBC contest.

Feel free to brag here in further detail.

--
One meter, to within 0.0125% accuracy (off by just under .005 inches):
Three feet
Three inches
Three eights of an inch

Harold E. Johnson wrote:
With Bush spending money we don't have like a drunken sailor, the dollar is
in the tank everywhere so it may be 4 years this time. Either that or I have
to build more stuff.

Bush isn't spending it, it's the damned Congress.

--
One meter, to within 0.0125% accuracy (off by just under .005 inches):
Three feet
Three inches
Three eights of an inch

I hear ya, man! My problem exactly! I can still afford to build
microwave gear but I can't afford the drive to get to one of the better
sites around here (about 6 hours away from me)

Scott
N0EDV

Harold E. Johnson wrote:
"Scott" wrote in message
.. .

Surface mount stuff is fine. I use them all the time in my transverters
(VHF-microwave) and my other homebrew stuff. OK on your 160-10 homebrew.
My example (my Yaesu FT857 is what I had in mind) covers that PLUS 6, 2
and 432. How much would it cost to add those to your radio? Probably not
too much, but it might still get you close to the $700 Yaesu. And, yours
is not counting labor costs. How many hours did it take to build? When I
build, I "pay" myself at $20/hours...less than that and I stay in bed!
I know it's a hobby, but even if I don't count my labor costs, it uses up
my time where I COULD be making $20/hour. Don't get me wrong, I still
love to build stuff!!!

Scott
N0EDV


That's funny Scott. I put $20 an hour into a coffee can when I design/build
a project. Figure I couldn't have more fun if I paid that much for it. About
every 3 years, there's enough there for a 3-4 week vacation in the UK.

With Bush spending money we don't have like a drunken sailor, the dollar is
in the tank everywhere so it may be 4 years this time. Either that or I have
to build more stuff.

W4ZCB



--
Scott
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/
Gotta Fly or Gonna Die
Building RV-4 (Super Slow Build Version)