{"id":45948,"date":"2020-10-13T14:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T18:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=45948"},"modified":"2020-10-13T14:00:15","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T18:00:15","slug":"steve-builds-a-dc30b-qrp-transceiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/steve-builds-a-dc30b-qrp-transceiver\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve builds a DC30B QRP Transceiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DC30B<\/a>Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steve (KZ4TN), who shared the following guest post originally on QRPer.com<\/a>, but I’ve posted it here as well because I’m sure it’ll resonate with those of us who love building kits!:<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

DC30B QRP Transceiver Project<\/b><\/h1>\n

by Steve Allen, KZ4TN<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wanted to build a lightweight backpackable transceiver I could take hiking and camping. I chose the 30 meter band as it is specific to CW and the digital modes. I am also in the process of building Dave Benson\u2019s (K1SWL) Phaser Digital Mode QRP Transceiver kit for the 30 meter band. Also, a 30 meter antenna is a bit smaller than one for 40 meters and the band is open most anytime of the day.<\/p>\n

I sourced the DC30B transceiver kit, designed by Steve Weber KD1JV, from Pacific Antennas, http:\/\/www.qrpkits.com<\/a>. It appears that they are now (10-11-20) only offering the kit for the 40 meter band. The following information can be used for the assembly of most any kit that lacks an enclosure.<\/p>\n

Lately I have been finding extruded aluminum enclosures on Amazon.com and eBay.com. They come in many sizes and configurations. I like to use the versions with the split case which allows you to access the internal enclosure with the front and rear panels attached to the lower half of the enclosure. Most of these enclosures have a slot cut into the sides that allow a PCB to slide into the slots keeping it above the bottom of the enclosure without having to use standoffs. The one requirement for assembly is that the PCB needs to be attached to either the front or rear panel to hold it in place.<\/p>\n

\"DC30B<\/a><\/p>\n

As the enclosure is anodized, I didn\u2019t want to rely on the enclosure for common ground. I used a piece of copper clad board that I cut to fit the slot width of the enclosure and attached it to the back panel. I was then able to mount the transceiver PCB to the copper clad board with standoffs. This basic platform of the enclosure with the copper clad PCB provides a good foundation for any number of projects. All you have to do is mount the wired PCB on the board, install the components on the front and rear panel, then wire it up.<\/p>\n

\"DC30B<\/a><\/p>\n

I wanted to have the choice of a few frequencies to operate on so I searched eBay for 30 meter crystals and found a source for 4 different popular frequencies. I installed a rotary switch on the front panel and added a small auxiliary PCB with two, 4 pin machined IC sockets. This allowed me to plug the crystals into the sockets. I wired the bottom of the socket PCB first using wire pairs stripped from computer ribbon cable leaving extra length. I marked the wires with dots to indicate which sockets each wire pair went to so I could solder them onto the rotary switch in the correct order. It was tight but I always work with optical magnification so I can see exactly what I\u2019m doing. I have used this crystal switching method in the past with good success.<\/p>\n

\"DC30B<\/a><\/p>\n

\"DC30B<\/a>The rest of the assembly was straight forward. I find that most kits are well designed and documented, and if you take your time and follow the directions carefully all should go well. The two most common speed bumps seem to be soldering in the wrong component or bad soldering technique. I double check all component values and placements prior to soldering, and I always use optical magnification while working. I inspect each solder joint and look for good flow through in the plated through holes, and make sure there are no solder bridges.<\/p>\n

\"DC30B<\/a><\/p>\n

\"DC30B<\/a>The finished product. I bought a Dymo label maker and it works very well for projects like this. I love using these enclosures and they are a leap forward from the old folded aluminum clam shells I used in the past. I could stand on this without causing any damage. Power out is 1-3 watts depending on the DC power in. The receiver is sensitive and the ability to choose from four frequencies is a real plus.<\/p>\n

73 de KZ4TN<\/p>\n

Steve Allen
\nElizabethton, TN<\/p>\n

\n

Gorgeous work there, Steve! Thank you for sharing!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steve (KZ4TN), who shared the following guest post originally on QRPer.com, but I’ve posted it here as well because I’m sure it’ll resonate with those of us who love building kits!: DC30B QRP Transceiver Project by Steve Allen, KZ4TN I wanted to build a lightweight backpackable transceiver I could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3194,545,344,3,43],"tags":[8882,4342,1303,8594,3722,8865],"class_list":["post-45948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-posts","category-ham-radio","category-kits","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-dc30b-qrp-transceiver","tag-guest-posts","tag-qrp","tag-qrp-kits","tag-radio-kits","tag-steve-allen-kz4tn"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-bX6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33644,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/qrp-labs-announces-the-qsx-transceiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":45948,"position":0},"title":"QRP Labs Announces The QSX Transceiver","author":"Thomas","date":"August 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Eaton (WB9FLW), who writes: QRP Labs has just announced the QSX an All-Band All-Mode Transceiver Kit that should be available later this year. The Target price for the 10 Band Model is $150, also available will be a 40 Meter version for $75.00.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/QSX-Transceiver-e1534763262905.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25381,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/the-cricket-the-four-state-qrp-groups-latest-transceiver-kit\/","url_meta":{"origin":45948,"position":1},"title":"The Cricket: The Four State QRP Group’s latest transceiver kit","author":"Thomas","date":"April 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a hot tip for those of you who enjoy building transceiver kits: The Four State QRP group has just released The Cricket: a simple 80 CW transceiver kit. The Cricket was designed by David Cripe (NM0S) who is behind a number of successful kits (including the Ozark Patrol and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cricket-Transceiver-Kit.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cricket-Transceiver-Kit.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cricket-Transceiver-Kit.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cricket-Transceiver-Kit.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43815,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/frank-recommends-the-db4020-qrp-transceiver-kit-by-ea3gcy\/","url_meta":{"origin":45948,"position":2},"title":"Frank recommends the DB4020 QRP transceiver kit by EA3GCY","author":"Thomas","date":"June 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Frank (ON6UU), who writes: As so many, I enjoy reading your posts on the SWLing Post, very clear and understandable written with eye for details. I just did a \u201cread-again\u201d of the QCX+ article and thought that maybe you also would be interested in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/QRP-Kit-Javier-2-e1591874171990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/QRP-Kit-Javier-2-e1591874171990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/QRP-Kit-Javier-2-e1591874171990.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/QRP-Kit-Javier-2-e1591874171990.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43372,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/just-pulled-the-trigger-on-the-new-qcx-cw-wspr-qrp-transceiver-kit\/","url_meta":{"origin":45948,"position":3},"title":"Just pulled the trigger on the new QCX+ CW\/WSPR QRP transceiver kit","author":"Thomas","date":"May 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm a real sucker for kits of any stripe. 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Thanks for the tip, Pete!","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/bitx40v3_main-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/bitx40v3_main-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/bitx40v3_main-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/bitx40v3_main-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34235,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/n6qw-introduces-the-sudden-qrp-ssb-transceiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":45948,"position":5},"title":"N6QW introduces the Sudden QRP SSB Transceiver","author":"Thomas","date":"September 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Eaton (WB9FLW), who writes: From the fertile mind of QRP Hall Of Fame Pete N6QW comes a new Radio Project, the Sudden QRP SSB Transceiver. If you have never Scratch Built such a Rig and would like to N6QW's latest offering deserves close\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sudden-40M-Transceiver-1024x540.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sudden-40M-Transceiver-1024x540.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sudden-40M-Transceiver-1024x540.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45948\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}