W2LJ QRP - When you care to send the very least!

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This thing is a life saver!

Posted: 20 Jul 2020 06:53 PM PDT
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I began the process of building my 40 Meter QCX kit tonight. It's been a
while since I have attempted to build a complex kit. One thing that became
apparent is that my eyes are not what they used to be. Granted, the light
here in the dining room table is not the best. One chandelier hanging above
the dining room table really isn't up to the task, but I went with what I
had. While the main build will be done down in the shack, I wanted to
inventory the parts up here because there is more space and less of a
chance that anything would get lost.

Another big difference is the manual. No doubt that Hans Summers went out
of his way to produce a SUPERB building manual .........but. It's on the
computer and not a printed out hard copy. I do not have the ink to print
out a 141 page manual. So I am going to have to get used to not "checking
off" each step as I go along, like I used to in Heathkit and Elecraft
Manuals.

Welcome to the 21st Century, W2LJ!

The good news is that everything that's supposed to be there, is there.
There were a few extra capacitors of values that were not listed in the
parts manual, but they're not going anywhere just in case.

And speaking of capacitors ....... the print on them is infinitesimal! It
was not too long ago that I was able to read those tiny characters with
only occasional help from a magnifying glass. That's not the case anymore,
so thank God for the person or persons who came up with this concept:


Due to the glare, you can't see the cap on the surface of the white board,
but look how nicely the numbers of the cap pops out on the screen of the
magnifier. This made a potentially frustrating chore a relative breeze!

Again, due to failing eyesight and less than ideal lighting, I had to
resort to using a VOM to measure the resistors. The colors were hard to
distinguish and the meter made that chore relatively painless, as well.

I filled four egg cartons with parts in the order as they appeared on the
parts list of the manual. Of course, being as OCD as I am, I will re-check
each value before I install it. But I am looking forward to melting solder
- maybe as early as tomorrow evening!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!