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The Joy Of Building Kits

September 17, 2020 - 11:55 am

I managed to get my hands on a few of the latest (2020) QCX Plus kits from QRP-Labs and as usual I had no difficulty finding homes for the extra kits, obviously keeping one for myself to build in the wee hours of the morning when it is quieter. It was – as always –…

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LED Lamp Behaviour

April 11, 2018 - 2:06 pm

So I got my hands on some of these 12 volt LED lamps (chips / modules / lights / whatever) and since I had enough to burn one or two “by accident” I thought I should spend a few minutes to get to know them better. I’m not referring to your regular little round 1.2…

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Replacing the BS170 in an Ultimate3S Beacon

March 19, 2018 - 1:48 pm

After the weather zapped the output transistor (a BS150 FET) of my Ultimate3S beacon from QRP-Labs yet again, I was forced to replace the device, again. It is not a difficult job at all, just a little chore. This time I decided to make it easier on myself. Instead of replacing the transistor by soldering…

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The QCX – a Nifty Little Gadget

March 5, 2018 - 10:40 am

So yesterday (it was a Sunday) I had a lot to do, but nothing more important than to cut open the wrappings of the 20m QCX kit that I purchased from QRP-Labs a few months ago. Yes, it was still lying in its protective wrappings after all this time. Work is seriously interfering with my…

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Sizing of a Solar Charging System for a QRP Beacon

April 7, 2017 - 9:18 pm

When you run a small low power beacon like the Ultimate3S from QRP-Labs it is attractive to consider powering it from batteries with a solar panel. But how long will it last? A number of things are conspiring to make our lives as amateur radio experimenters difficult. On the one hand the cheap Chinese imports…

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Beaconing Five Modes in Twenty Minutes

April 7, 2017 - 9:10 pm
Argo SlowHell callsign

While WSPR’ing across multiple bands (“band hopping”) has been done before, I thought it might be interesting to do five different modes on the same band. It was easier done than said! I was sitting with a customer’s QRP-Labs Ultimate3S beacon on my bench, all built up and ready to test. It was a single…

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No Sound from my SDR

April 15, 2016 - 8:39 am

And in other news, I’m trying to play with this cute little SDR receiver (the cuteness which I am sharing with you in another post), but I’m having mega problems. Don’t get me wrong: The issue is not SDR or this cute little Rx. I own and operate a Flex-1500 which has quietly become my…

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Measuring the QRPp’s Isn’t Easy

February 9, 2016 - 9:32 am

Interesting how a development in one area of this hobby can force a sudden change of direction to explore some new areas. I’ve been happily experimenting with my Hans Summers Ultimate 3S kit when I realised that I could band-hop and get a picture of propagation conditions updated every 30 minutes or so. Cool idea.…

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Ultimate 3 S – part 2 – drifting a bit

January 18, 2016 - 9:16 am

I let the U3s run last night with the first LPF relay board installed (6 bands only) and hopping in sequence from 80m to 10m just to see what can happen. I’m still learning the device, she is not a trivial little kit! I added a CW ID as the last transmission. Anyways to my…

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Ultimate 3 S – part 1

January 11, 2016 - 7:52 pm

My latest baby! I will write the full story in a few installments, from the back to the front so to speak, in other words I’ll show you the final result first before going back and showing pictures of the construction and so on. Of course I’m talking about my Hans Summers Ultimate 3S beacon…

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