Category: Electronics

QSX Update and Winter Project Ideas

Most of us have been waiting patiently for the QSX, but some have been waiting a little less patiently. Unfortunately this has put a lot of pressure on Hans over at QRP Labs, but he’s stood his ground: It’ll be ready when it’s ready, because quality comes first. And to that we say, bravo! Given …

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QRP-Labs goes QRO!

QRP Labs has announced a new kit: A 50W Amplifier for the QCX series of CW transceivers! And get this: It’s only $29.50! Given the cost of much of the lousy kits available on ebay and other importer sites that hardly have any instructions, this is a fantastic deal. It’s a Class C amp suitable …

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The Phaser: A Digital Only QRP Radio Kit

Recently we looked at a digital DSB transceiver kit for FT8 that’s been making the rounds, and talked about the pros and cons of such a design. There’s also been discussion about the DSB digital FT8 rigs on several groups.io and Facebook groups. Another vendor has entered into the arena of digital-only QRP radios. It …

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Jackite Pole Wind Handling, and a Tour

Over a year ago, we reviewed the Jackite 31′ antenna pole in This Post. It’s been some time since then, and you might wonder: How’s it holding up? Check the video below, and then go buy your new Jackite 31′ antenna pole Here should you feel so inclined. Also, look below for another video. This …

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The Bitx Easy: More Details Emerge!

5/10/20: Updated information here: https://miscdotgeek.com/bitx-easy-more-details-tentative-pricing-and-release-date/ In a recent post “The BITX40 is dead. Long Live the BITX40!” we talked about the demise of the HFSignals.com version of the BITX40, and offered some details about a different BITX kit that is coming out soon: The Bitx Easy. We’ve been able to get some more details about …

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Time Lapse Camera with the Raspberry Pi Zero W: Part 2

In April of 2018, I posted the article “Time Lapse Camera with the Raspberry Pi Zero W: Part 1” and introduced the project. At the end of that article I said that I needed more progress to cal it complete. I said “The photos aren’t time stamped except in the filename, and I need to …

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The BITX40 is dead. Long Live the BITX40!

In December 2016, Ashhar Farhan and the company HF Signals in India released the BITX40, a simple SSB radio for 40 meter HF. For $45, one could buy the kit with its preassembled board and minimal soldering required to be on the air. Soon after, it was packaged with an Arduino/si5351 based digital tuning mechanism …

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DSB Digital: Friend, or Foe?

I recently became aware that there are companies selling Double Side Band radios for use on digital HF frequencies (FT8 specifically) on 40m, 30m, and 20m. In this post we’re going to take a look at what these rigs are, what they were originally designed for, and then you can decide whether these should be …

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The Canon Powershot Camera: A Hackers Paradise

Imagine programming your thrift store point and shoot camera to do things no other inexpensive camera can do. Take time lapses, star trail photos, and far more. I’m not talking about raspberry pi’s or arduinos. Instead, I thought it would be neat to show you all my favorite camera in the world. It’s not a …

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Project Brownie Begins

One of my greatest joys of ham radio is repurposing things. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fishing pole for an antenna or stripping out old CAT5 cable for experimental wire antenna, or using fittings from old CBs. Earlier this year I found an old AM/FM clock radio that I stuffed my DC40 project into. …

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