Building an Amateur Radio Transceiver

[ne3r]

I've started my most ambitious ham radio project to date, building a fully functional amateur radio transceiver kit, the Elecraft K1.

I want to share my experiences, success and failure with the world, or at least anyone willing to check out a web site (or two).

I'll be posting entries on my blog:
http://cryptojoe.blogspot.com/search/label/Elecraft%20K1%20Build

High Resolution Pictures, updated more often than blog:
http://picasaweb.google.com/joseph.durnal/ElecraftK1TransceiverBuild

I learn by doing, while I picked up enough to pass the amateur radio exams from the books, my expectation is that building this radio will reinforce and make some sense out of material I studied to pass the amateur radio exams.

73
Joe
NE3R

[ky5u]

Way to go, and good luck!

[w3dub]

I want to build one of them.. but that elecraft K3 is looking mighty tasty.. and that doesn't require soldering http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[WA7KKP]

I hope you have had a fair amount of experience soldering pcb's before this project.

Just take your time, and check and double check what you do against the instructions. Most of Heathkit's problems were due to bad soldering and builders in a rush and NOT following instructions to the letter.

You'll be glad you did, and you will have bragging rights. Welcome to the world of do-it-yourself.

Gary WA7KKP

[wc5cw]

Joe, et al...

Re: Kit Building: A brief editorial, FWIW

>" I learn by doing, while I picked up enough to pass the amateur radio exams from the books, my expectation is that building this radio will reinforce and make some sense out of material I studied to pass the amateur radio exams." < -- Joe, NE3R

Nicely said...And a statement, in so many words, of where the amateur radio hobby/service has come from and where it is headed as new technologies, digital or otherwise. come on-board to the operating opportunities within.

We all learn quicker and with much greater comprehension by doing and IMHO the kit builder or homebrew enthusiast/experimenter is far-and-away the greater benefactor of the amateur radio experience as it has traditionally evolved and as it is appreciated and encouraged as a technical avocation.

Having said that, I suppose that could be interpreted as a "slight" of sorts to the strictly "appliance operator" group within the amateur radio community...I suppose, but I make that comment not with malice or disrespect but with a recognition that while today's "latest and greatest" technology and the myriad of "bells and whistles" will be found among the offerings of commercial manufacturers, the "heart-and-soul" of the amateur experience is in learning the fundamentals of the radio art and the radio science...And that can--most often--come from building and studying the How's and the Why's of the apparatus that--at whatever level of technology or state of the art it is--traditional homebrew constructions and today's kits afford.

Sometimes Less is More...That is, sometimes the experience of operating gear that is a homebrew or kit construction not having the all the " bells-and-whistles" or latest technology makes for a better On The Air learning experience...In short, contributes to developing better operating skills and handling circumstances or factors that impact one's experience.

That's my take, anyway.

As a footnote, I think the folks at Elecraft and some others recognize this situation to some extent...They (collectively) have done an excellent job of providing reasonable products at a fair price for those who want to capture that part of the amateur radio experience...It will be interesting to see where they (collectively) go and what transformations take place as the line between "appliances" and "kits" is further blurred with, as for example, the introduction of the Elecraft K3 transceiver. #

GL es 72/73,

Bruce
WC5CW

[K5UOS]

Well stated Bruce. Reading your last paragraph, I #assume you have seen the recent QRP-L comments concerning what constitutes a true homebrew rig. It is like asking people what is best way to learn CW. The discussions included one of the Elecraft K3 designers.

To me, the important thing is that fellas like Joe enjoy themselves. Nothing else matters. He obviously has the homebrew spirit and I know he will enjoy his K1.

During the winter there are on air FoxHunts that a lot of K1 owners enjoy. Usually a 2 to 3 hour "test" on particular weeknights.

Have fun Joe.

K5UOS

http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qrp-l

[wa9cwx]

Other than some minor Home Brew projects, I went a few years between kits, The first kit I built was a Knight Ocean Hopper, the second one was a Heath Twoer, the third was the K1 !
A span of some 42 years..... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

K1 was fun, but required some patience and dexterity to wind the torroids .....It is a VERY nice QRP rig, and I have had many over the years. As for performance, I actually like it better than my Yaesu 817.

Take your time, and enjoy it !

[k4kyv]

Quote[/b] (wc5cw @ May 04 2007,17:24)]Having said that, I suppose that could be interpreted as a "slight" of sorts to the strictly "appliance operator" group within the amateur radio community...I suppose, but I make that comment not with malice or disrespect but with a recognition that while today's "latest and greatest" technology and the myriad of "bells and whistles" will be found among the offerings of commercial manufacturers, the "heart-and-soul" of the amateur experience is in learning the fundamentals of the radio art and the radio science...And that can--most often--come from building and studying the How's and the Why's of the apparatus that--at whatever level of technology or state of the art it is--traditional homebrew constructions and today's kits afford.
Don't worry about it. If they feel offended, let them go back here (http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/microphone-cb-radios.htm).

[w8znx]

Quote[/b] (k4kyv @ May 05 2007,00:27)]Quote[/b] (wc5cw @ May 04 2007,17:24)]Having said that, I suppose that could be interpreted as a "slight" of sorts to the strictly "appliance operator" group within the amateur radio community...I suppose, but I make that comment not with malice or disrespect but with a recognition that while today's "latest and greatest" technology and the myriad of "bells and whistles" will be found among the offerings of commercial manufacturers, the "heart-and-soul" of the amateur experience is in learning the fundamentals of the radio art and the radio science...And that can--most often--come from building and studying the How's and the Why's of the apparatus that--at whatever level of technology or state of the art it is--traditional homebrew constructions and today's kits afford.
Don't worry about it. #If they feel offended, let them go back here (http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/microphone-cb-radios.htm).
tnx Don
my fave is

"how to use the on off volume control"

funny how my mom had no prob figuring out how to use the

" on off volume control "

on the pink # "all american five"
that sat in the kitchen

back to real subject
you will do fine
just check each part twice before stuffing
don't use too much solder
watch your joints

i use a magnafying lamp
can't work with modern small parts with out it

its a great kit and a good rig
you will have a ball

nothing like finaly finishing it
turning it on and having it work

even better
is the first contact
using a radio
you built with your own two hands

no a kit is not the same as
from scratch home brew
but building kit
is a hell of a leap from just buying a radio

simple from scratch building
is much easier than many think

a simple hb cw transmitter is easy

most of the glow bug and solid state hb rigs ive build
were no harder to build
than following cook book instructions

many novice ops in the 50s and early 60s
scratch built their first transmitters

if you want to take the leap
in the direction of home brewing
check out Kanga US kits
see the ugly style qrp transmitter kit for 25 bucks
its the first step from
part a, part b, part c, part d, ect ect kits

to here are the parts
this is the schematic
and here are a few tips
on building it

no im not a great homebrewer

have not gg past 3 stage tube transmitters
simple autodyne and dc receivers
but im having too too much fun to care

you should see
Don's home brew transmitter
its the real deal

Mac

[w8znx]

Quote[/b] (wc5cw @ May 04 2007,10:24)]Having said that, I suppose that could be interpreted as a "slight" of sorts to the strictly "appliance operator" group within the amateur radio community...I suppose, but I make that comment not with malice or disrespect
Bruce
your just too kind

slight hell

heck its just too easy

sure there were appliance ops
even back in the 20s and 30s
they were rich lazy ops
that had big transmitters built for them
and when they needed work
they called someone up to come over and fix it

but most ops built and knew how their radios worked

sure they were dirt simple
but
they were real

sure modern rigs are nice
in fact modern rigs are amazing

but most modern rigs got no sole

[W4HAY]

Congratulations! This will start you on the road to becoming a 'real' ham more than any class of license! We'll be looking for you and it on the air.

I've worked many using the K1, and most owners really love them.

Once you become accustomed to the glow of accomplishment, why not tackle a built-from-scratch tube-type 'ginny receiver or one-tube transmitter?

[ne3r]

The K3 'kit' sounds like it will be a good rig too, and still somewhat educational in a block diagram way of thinking.

I've soldered a few pcb projects, but nothing this big.

Now that the weekend is over, I hope to have some time to get back to working on it again. I should finish up the filter board next, I'm looking forward to the first resistance checks.

Thanks all for the encouragement.

Joe
NE3R

[cu2jt]

In the old Heath Kit days, I built a SB-line and a SB-220. That was a couple of days fun ! It even encouraged me to build a receiver from a description in QST. I still miss that one, low noise, could handle big adjacent signals and made by me !

[w3dub]

I'm really considering the K3. I think that it would help me to learn about the concepts behind the radio... without the worry of soldering.

I'll save that for my next project. I'd just rather not screw it up haha

[K3VR]

I'd start by learning how to solder. That's a crucial skill you'll have to master to complete almost any kit, aside from the K3.

After you learn how to solder, try a Ramsey kit. Then try a Ten-Tec 2 or 6 meter transverter, or one of their receivers. After successful completion of a few small kits you'll have a good background to try just about any project you want to sink your teeth into.

Ramsey (http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/)

Ten Tec (http://radio.tentec.com/kits/Receiver)

[AC0H]

Other than my Logikey K3 keyer, my first "kit" was an Elecraft K2/100 "stuffed" with everything except the noise blanker. I also did the KAT100 auto tuner. It's my main rig and works great. It took me right at three weeks to get it built and on the air. I wound all the toroids in both the K2/100 and the KAT100. I really enjoyed winding the toroids.

The key to modern kit building is using a temperature controlled iron with a large selection of tips. With plated through boards you don't need to go for the big classical "fillet" on the component leads and board pads. If you do then you're using too much solder and that's where the problems begin. The Elecraft manuals are spectacular. Step by step just like I'm told the Heathkit manuals were.

I'm seriously considering the K3 myself. If the preliminary RX numbers hold up it could be the best way to get $5K+ radio performance for a fraction of the cost.

[w8znx]

Quote[/b] (K3VR @ May 08 2007,06:51)]I'd start by learning how to solder. That's a crucial skill you'll have to master to complete almost any kit, aside from the K3.

After you learn how to solder, try a Ramsey kit. Then try a Ten-Tec 2 or 6 meter transverter, or one of their receivers. After successful completion of a few small kits you'll have a good background to try just about any project you want to sink your teeth into.

Ramsey (http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/)

Ten Tec (http://radio.tentec.com/kits/Receiver)
how often do some of us have to say this

do not buy ramsey kits
they are 3 generations behind
other kits on todays market
and
they have had parts quality
control probs

their dc receiver is a pile

for the same price you can
find much better kits

kits see qrp arci web site
go to qrp links
then go to link kits

there is a world of great kits
do not waste your money on a ramsey kit

Mac

[w8znx]

Quote[/b] (AC0H @ May 08 2007,09:18)]The key to modern kit building is using a temperature controlled iron with a large selection of tips.
see elecraft site
look up soldering

they sugest the best rock bottom cheap
soldering station

mac

[wa9cwx]

Mac. I had some help, but converted one of my TRC 77s to solid state transmit, about 15 watts.

Love the radio, but I AM tired of the broad receiver, (I know you LIKE it like that), other than audio filtering, any ideas for a simple quick fix to narrow it a bit ?

Frank

[K3VR]

Out of 12 Ramsey kits I built with my 6 year old for a science project, I had a problem with one. They sent me a new one and refunded the money I spent on the one that malfunctioned. Go figure.

[w8znx]

Quote[/b] (wa9cwx @ May 08 2007,11:25)]Mac. I had some help, but converted one of my TRC 77s to solid state transmit, about 15 watts.

Love the radio, but I AM tired of the broad receiver, (I know you LIKE it like that), other than audio filtering, any ideas for a simple quick fix to narrow it a bit ?

Frank
yes i like it broad
but
TRC-77 is just a mite to broad

say 10 kc to broad
its been a long time since i looked at the manual

am at the book store
so can not look in the file

but is there not a 12 kc mechanical filter
in the receiver

receive if is 455 kc

that is all i can think of right now
am tired

been feeding a kindle of eight
very young bunny rabbits
takes about 20 min

been feeding them every 3 to 4 hours
for the last few days

in a few days when
do not need to feed so often
will have a life of my own agn

mac

[KA2P]

Quote[/b] (ne3r @ May 04 2007,07:03)]I've started my most ambitious ham radio project to date, building a fully functional amateur radio transceiver kit, the Elecraft K1.


Elecraft kits are awesome. I built and tested a K2 which is my main rig. It went together easily and works great. It may be the last of the true kit radios as the K3 is partially assembled. There's nothing like operating with something you put together. Good luck!

[N5LRZ]

Re JGU..

RE "I want to build one of them.. but that elecraft K3 is looking mighty tasty.. and that doesn't require soldering"

In order to legitimately say you have built a kit yourself you are required to have at least cursed at least a dozen times because you put the component in the wrong place, and of course came close to actually burning your fingers with that 900 degree soldering iron at least a half a dozen times.

IF you have gone thru these trials and tribulations and by some chance actually built a radio that actually works then you can legitimately say 'you done it yo-self'.

Signed
From a person who actally used to build Heath Kits
And who did actually burn their fingers with 900 degrees (OUCH)

N5LRZ

[K3VR]

Quote[/b] ]LRZ: "In order to legitimately say you have built a kit yourself you are required to have at least cursed at least a dozen times because you put the component in the wrong place, and of course came close to actually burning your fingers with that 900 degree soldering iron at least a half a dozen times."

Agreed. Modular design is a lot like... (http://www.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx)

[AC0H]

Quote[/b] (K3VR @ May 08 2007,16:56)]Quote[/b] ]LRZ: "In order to legitimately say you have built a kit yourself you are required to have at least cursed at least a dozen times because you put the component in the wrong place, and of course came close to actually burning your fingers with that 900 degree soldering iron at least a half a dozen times."

Agreed. Modular design is a lot like... (http://www.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx)
The days of building high performance amateur radio rigs with all of the "features" that people demand using discrete components has been over for ten years, or more.

Can you imagine the support nightmare if Elecraft offered a rig as complex as the K3, which uses a sizable amount of surface mount technology, for the average Ham, who more times than not these days can't tell the hot end of a soldering iron from the cold?

That's why they modularized the K3. Because they use SMT, all of the boards have to be tested before shipment. The builder still gets to do the integration, mechanical stuff like switches, connectors, etc..., and final alignment.

[w3dub]

Just cause the K3 is solderless doesn't mean its going to teach somebody anything.

"Builders learn the radio theory behind each of the modules during assembly, and acquire skills that will enable them to easily add future modules or upgrades."

I just choose not to solder something like that. I'm sorry.. $1300 is too important to me. Now, soldering connectors on, thats another thing altogether http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif I think I can manage that.

[ne3r]

I don't see anything wrong with the K3, but it is what it is, something between a kit an an appliance. There is certainly something to be learned. Think of the K1 & K2 as schematics, and the K3 as a block diagram. It is the same stuff, just not as detailed.

Back to the K1 - it seems like it has been forever since I've worked on it - Thursday - I should have time for it tonight, I sure hope to get that filter board finished. I should have skipped the RACES meeting last night and pulled out the soldering iron instead.

73
Joe
NE3R

[ab9lz]

Quote[/b] (w8znx @ May 08 2007,09:54)]Quote[/b] (K3VR @ May 08 2007,06:51)]I'd start by learning how to solder. That's a crucial skill you'll have to master to complete almost any kit, aside from the K3.

After you learn how to solder, try a Ramsey kit. Then try a Ten-Tec 2 or 6 meter transverter, or one of their receivers. After successful completion of a few small kits you'll have a good background to try just about any project you want to sink your teeth into.

Ramsey (http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/)

Ten Tec (http://radio.tentec.com/kits/Receiver)
how often do some of us have to say this

do not buy ramsey kits
they are 3 generations behind
other kits on todays market
and
they have had parts quality
control probs

their dc receiver is a pile
I second that...make that a "steamin pile"

While I applaud any effort to go above and beyond the appliance operator, good kits tend to be paint-by-the-numbers affairs, and I suspect that most builder learn very little from the experience, I've built a K2 btw.

With "real" homebrew, simply assembling the parts (hopefully from a design of your own) only gets you halfway. The real fun begins with troubleshooting and in situ design modifications until you get the thing working. This is where you really learn about electronics and radio.

73 m/4

[w8znx]

Quote[/b] (ab9lz @ May 09 2007,08:08)]While I applaud any effort to go above and beyond the appliance operator, good kits tend to be paint-by-the-numbers affairs, and I suspect that most builder learn very little from the experience, I've built a K2 btw.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LEARN
ANY BASIC THEORY
BY BUILDING A STEP BY STEP KIT

simple home brewing is not much harder
its cook book stuff

don't need to know why or how
to build a kit or a simple cookbook rig

( how do i know this, well ive build tons of kits
a dozen or so simple hb rigs
been ham over 40 years and still don't know
anything )

its part of a good start
but
it all comes down to
chapter 2 in the league handbook

you will learn more
by reading chapter 2
than building any kit

want to realy learn
first part hit the books
its not easy

you may save some money
and enjoy building a K-3
but you are not going to learn
anything from chapter 2, 3, 4,

see any 50s, 60s 70s, copy of
The Radio Amateur's Handbook
or the Bill Orr Radio Handbook

also ARRL pub
Understanding Amateur Radio
this is a very good starter book
for a op that wants to realy
learn how radio works

Mac

[ne3r]

Quote[/b] (w8znx @ May 09 2007,12:33)]YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LEARN
ANY BASIC THEORY
BY BUILDING A STEP BY STEP KIT
I disagree, well, sort of. The better statement would be that you don't have to learn anything when you build a kit. For me, I'm learning a bit, but, I bet if I really applied myself, I could learn even more from it.

It is what you make it.

Of course, home brewing something will be more challenging, and the more of a challenge, the more you should learn.

For me, I need to start somewhere.

73
Joe
NE3R