Ham Radio QRP CW query?

Question

As a newbie to ham radio I have been reading recently about small qrp transceivers (Pixie-Micro 80- Tiny Tornado etc) but they seem outdated or obsolete. Is anyone still making these type of kits and which is the smallest and best one?

Ideally UK manufacturers but any country is fine.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Answer 1

depending where you are in the UK depends what shops you have near you,failing that mail order

the old stuff is the best stuff in my eyes and more so when you made it your self

regards x kitti x

Answer 2

The problem with many of the kits that are produced for and by radio amateurs is that they are often produced by ham clubs , private individuals , or small companies not wanting to make a killing on the things they make.

Often also they produce kits in small batches so they are not left with any unsold.

This all means that usually with a year or two of the kit being produced it will become sold out , and unless there is a huge surge of interest again in it , there is not much chance that the older kits will be remade.

So if your looking for  a particular old kit and cant find it , then your probably out of luck with that.

However , CW QRP transmitters are usually easy to build from scratch.

You will learn a lot more about what you have made if you do it this way , rather than from any kit you could buy.

While the internet has many plans for such QRP gear , you shouldn't overlook the fine QRP books by the ARRL and the RSGB.

Particular books I would recommend are 'W1FB's QRP Notebook' and ''More QRP Power'.

These ARRL books are often found on eBay for good prices.

73

Answer 3

kits are usually a club project. You can find boards and schematics at Far Circuits.

an international QRP club that you should check out for projects is the Flying Pigs QRP  www.fpqrp.com

The RSGB has a really nice handbook and a lot of local (UK) info.

73