RockMite 30

Purchased in 2005, I finally decided to assemble the kit after 17 years. The assembly took about 5 hours. Before putting the radio in the case, I tested it on the bench. I knew that once it was in the case, it would be very difficult to remove it for troubleshooting or modification. The radio worked the first time I powered it up (I get lucky sometimes). The sensitivity is very good, and the transmitter output was 300 mW. I had tested a pile of 2N2222A transistors before assembly to find the one with the most gain. I’m surprised the

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W9TH QRP Antenna Trap

QRP Antenna Traps

These traps were specifically desiged to use mini-ductor type coils. I had mini-ductor coil stock on hand, so I wanted a design that would be produce a higher Q trap than ones made with torroids. However, the design can easily be used with torroids. There is a mounting hole for use with a nylon screw to hold the torroid in place. Also, there are places to add multiple capacitors in parallel in case you needed a custom capacitance to achieve resonance for a particular band. The trap PCB can easily fit into a small pill bottle for weatherproofing. For temporary

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W9TH Electronics Workbench

New Electronics Workbench

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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