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.

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

On Oct 29, 4:48 am, "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

And I'll tell you, I am damned thankful that there are people like
Harold, and Bill Carver, and Martein Bakker, who set the bar pretty
high and give me inspiration to work on projects that will provide
even better performance--performance that you simply cannot buy
anywhere else at any price. Largely through an understanding of the
goals that Bill and Harold, especially, have been working toward, I've
become rather rabid in my pursuit of excellence in certain aspects of
receiver behavior.

Cheers,
Tom

Scott wrote:
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
======================================
I fully support that approach . Station accessories can often be easily
home-brewed as can simple QRP equipment , and usually at very modest
cost . All wire type of antennas can be readily home-brewed as well at
minimal cost using 'alternative' materials for insulators ,etc.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

On 2007-10-29, Scott wrote:
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

While I agree that $700 is quite reasonable for an all-band rig, there
actually _are_ people for whom $700 is an unreasonable investment in their
hobby. It isn't as important for them to actually operate on every band
all at once, it's more important that they find a reasonably priced entry
point into the hobby. Listening to the bands, it is sometimes hard to
imagine that there are still hams who operate with a budget of less than
$3000, and still manage to have fun doing so.

But more important is the simple fact is that I learn more by building
than by buying. If ham radio is really more than simply a glorified
Citizen's Band, we are supposed to be educating and training outselves
both to serve the public and to better our own understanding of radio and
the radio arts. I think any attempt to make experimentation of that
sort more accessible to the broad population of hams should be applauded.

Mark KF6KYI


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