Dec 21
In the first installment, we talked about choosing a Direct Conversion receiver design to build and getting started with the most basic parts. Part 2 dove into Manhattan construction and building the amplification stages. For this third installment, we’re going to discuss the functions of the Diode Ring Mixer, Band Pass Filter, and VFO stages. …
Dec 16
QRP Labs Band Pass Filters are these wonderful little kits that largely take all the question of building a filter. They use a proven design, the kit includes the inductors and wires, and the build instructions are top notch. One thing I love about the QRP Labs Band Pass (and Low Pass) filter kits is that …
Dec 11
In the first installment of this series, we discussed why we’re building a Direct Conversion receiver and talked about some basic ideas. In this installment, we explore what it takes to make the leap from a printed schematic to something physical that works. Follow along! Schematic Semantics The DC40 was originally designed by Ashhar Farhan …
Dec 04
In this series of posts I’m going to take you on a journey. We’re going to explore the Direct Conversion receiver together, and I’m going to show you every bit of the journey that I can. Let’s get started! Why build a Direct Conversion receiver? When I restarted in ham radio in December 2016, it …
Nov 25
In this post we’re going to build an L-Match tuner for your QRP wire antenna. But you might ask: Why do I need a box between a bit of wire and my transmitter? That’s a good question! Amateur radios are constructed in such a way that they have an impedance of 50 ohms. For portable use …
Oct 25
Yes, you read the title right- 9800 miles (15772km) on 200mw of power using WSPR. Read on to find out how this was done, and why it was even possible to begin with. Equipment used The equipment is simple. At the top is my QRP Labs U3S as shown in a previous post, the Bread …
Oct 20
In September of 2017 I built a QRP Labs U3S and posted my initial review of it on This Blog. That was over a year ago though, and since then a lot has changed. So lets catch up and re-review the U3S and talk about what it can do, and how you can get the …
Oct 13
With the release of the QRP Labs QSX just around the corner, some folks are wondering if building it will be within their capability. In this post my goal is to dispel some of the fears that people have when it comes to building such a kit, and talk about some of the tools needed. …
Aug 28
One of the amazing things about Amateur Radio is that you can turn the hobby into whatever you want it to be. You can spend thousands of dollars on all the latest gear with a 130 foot tower with giant beams atop it. OR…. you can spend as little as possible and have at least …
Aug 13
One of the many joys of being a ham radio operator is building antennas. I’ve covered the L-Match tuner and long wire antenna in the past, and while it’s a great way to get on the air, a resonant antenna is always nice- if you have the room for it. When you’ve only got 5w …
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