Adventures in Kit Building
 

This week I built the OHR 100a 40m transceiver:

http://www.ohr.com/ohr100a.htm

First went on the air with it last night and spent a fair amount of time with it today. I'm getting about 7 watts out and have been making lots of contacts up and down the East Coast. Longer distance contacts are of course possible, but I really built it because (a) I wanted to build something and (b) I wanted a low power rig that I could use for casual operating on the 40m band.

It was pretty easy to build, but I still feel like I accomplished something, especially when it passed the "smoke test". It has a bandwidth knob that's incredibly convenient. I can go from 1200 hz bandwidth to 400 hz with the turn of a knob and without going through a bunch of menus. It also has an RF gain control, which many kit rigs lack.

Operating this kind of minimalist radio is a different experience. You have no S-meter. You have no "spot" button. You have no digital frequency readout and only a very crude analogue dial. It's amazing how little you *miss* these things when you're operating...or so it seems to me. However, you can add these options as external accessories if you're so inclined. (OHR sells kits for them.)

I have no special technical background and very little technical experience, but building these kits is great fun and in keeping with the spirit of the hobby. You learn a lot, and you have a new radio to show for it when you're done. You do need to know how to solder, and you need a multimeter. Aligning the rig also required a frequency counter, though I suspect you could get by without the counter assuming you have another receiver nearby.

Go find a kit you like and build something!

Adventures in Kit Building
 

On 3/6/2011 5:37 PM, Steve wrote:
This week I built the OHR 100a 40m transceiver:

http://www.ohr.com/ohr100a.htm

First went on the air with it last night and spent a fair amount of time with it today. I'm getting about 7 watts out and have been making lots of contacts up and down the East Coast. Longer distance contacts are of course possible, but I really built it because (a) I wanted to build something and (b) I wanted a low power rig that I could use for casual operating on the 40m band.

It was pretty easy to build, but I still feel like I accomplished something, especially when it passed the "smoke test". It has a bandwidth knob that's incredibly convenient. I can go from 1200 hz bandwidth to 400 hz with the turn of a knob and without going through a bunch of menus. It also has an RF gain control, which many kit rigs lack.

Operating this kind of minimalist radio is a different experience. You have no S-meter. You have no "spot" button. You have no digital frequency readout and only a very crude analogue dial. It's amazing how little you *miss* these things when you're operating...or so it seems to me. However, you can add these options as external accessories if you're so inclined. (OHR sells kits for them.)

I have no special technical background and very little technical experience, but building these kits is great fun and in keeping with the spirit of the hobby. You learn a lot, and you have a new radio to show for it when you're done. You do need to know how to solder, and you need a multimeter. Aligning the rig also required a frequency counter, though I suspect you could get by without the counter assuming you have another receiver nearby.

Go find a kit you like and build something!

Outstanding! These are easy as well:

http://www.elecraft.com/mini_module_...ni_modules.htm

Includes test oscillators and power meters

Adventures in Kit Building
 

40 meters is a fun band. When I was into that sort of thing, it was great fun to check into the net in the wee hours that was devoted to working all states.

I have a WAS certificate for 40 meter CW.

If I were to get on HF ham radio, and I may do so again, I think 40 would be where I'd hang out.

Steve wrote:

This week I built the OHR 100a 40m transceiver:

http://www.ohr.com/ohr100a.htm

First went on the air with it last night and spent a fair amount of time with it today. I'm getting about 7 watts out and have been making lots of contacts up and down the East Coast. Longer distance contacts are of course possible, but I really built it because (a) I wanted to build something and (b) I wanted a low power rig that I could use for casual operating on the 40m band.

It was pretty easy to build, but I still feel like I accomplished something, especially when it passed the "smoke test". It has a bandwidth knob that's incredibly convenient. I can go from 1200 hz bandwidth to 400 hz with the turn of a knob and without going through a bunch of menus. It also has an RF gain control, which many kit rigs lack.

Operating this kind of minimalist radio is a different experience. You have no S-meter. You have no "spot" button. You have no digital frequency readout and only a very crude analogue dial. It's amazing how little you *miss* these things when you're operating...or so it seems to me. However, you can add these options as external accessories if you're so inclined. (OHR sells kits for them.)

I have no special technical background and very little technical experience, but building these kits is great fun and in keeping with the spirit of the hobby. You learn a lot, and you have a new radio to show for it when you're done. You do need to know how to solder, and you need a multimeter. Aligning the rig also required a frequency counter, though I suspect you could get by without the counter assuming you have another receiver nearby.

Go find a kit you like and build something!

Adventures in Kit Building
 

On Mar 7, 1:37*am, Steve wrote:
This week I built the OHR 100a 40m transceiver:

http://www.ohr.com/ohr100a.htm

First went on the air with it last night and spent a fair amount of time with it today. I'm getting about 7 watts out and have been making lots of contacts up and down the East Coast.

What kind of antenna are you using?

Adventures in Kit Building
 

On 03/06/2011 07:55 PM, dxAce wrote:
40 meters is a fun band. When I was into that sort of thing, it was great fun to check into the net in the wee hours that was devoted to working all states.

I have a WAS certificate for 40 meter CW.

If I were to get on HF ham radio, and I may do so again, I think 40 would be where I'd hang out.


There's a 40m gray line opening to East Asia around now. Sometimes S.
America.

Reminds me I haven't seen any Chinese hams on the air for a couple
weeks. Must be the revolution.

Adventures in Kit Building
 

On Mar 7, 9:02*am, dave wrote:
On 03/06/2011 07:55 PM, dxAce wrote:

40 meters is a fun band. When I was into that sort of thing, it was great fun to check into the net in the wee hours that was devoted to working all states.

I have a WAS certificate for 40 meter CW.

If I were to get on HF ham radio, and I may do so again, I think 40 would be where I'd hang out.

There's a 40m gray line opening to East Asia around now. Sometimes S.
America.

Reminds me I haven't seen any Chinese hams on the air for a couple
weeks. Must be the revolution.

They are busy with that CCP NPC congress . Or is it CPPCC ? Dunno ...