QRP before QRP was cool…
We had a spare upstairs bedroom, so I decided to make a workshop / radio room. Step 1, make a new workbench. Its made of 2×4’s and topped with 3/4″ plywood and masonite. The masonite work surface is replaceable by removing the aluminum trim. Also, the masonite can be flipped over for a new work surface. Here is the bench with everything in its place. I aslo added a mini lathe and mill machines to the side bench.
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I didn’t have time to test the antenna before our cabin trip, so I took some measurements on-site. The antenna was strung between the upper deck of the cabin and a nearby tree. The wire I used was 63 feet long, I intended to cut it to length when the antenna was put up. What actually happened was I passed the end of the wire through a plastic dog bone insulator and wrapped it back on itself about a foot, and called it good. The SWR turned out to be so close to perfect, I didn’t make any adjustments. Here
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Here is the completed WM-2 wattmeter. It took just a few hours to build over two days of my vacation. Things I like about it: High quality kit Easy to build Rugged Easy calibration Has internal 9V battery for field measurements Lowest scale is 100mW for those QRPP measurements Accurate Reasonable cost Things I don’t like about it: Well…..I can’t think of any at the moment.
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Final assembly of the wattmeter went smoothly. Calibration is easily done using a digital volt meter.
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