Tips! On building Amateur Radio Gear...
(Page 2 of 3)
March/April 1974
By the Mother Earth News editors
Heath seems to bend over backward to give you patient, personal help with your construction problems. They take your word for it when parts are defective and send replacements at their expense. You do, however, still have the hassle of writing or phoning (or else getting the necessary items locally and paying for them out of your own pocket, to avoid delays).
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" IF YOU DECIDE TO BUILD A KIT"
[1] Read the instruction manual before you unpack the parts. Be compulsive about checking off and systematically storing all the items the lists call for. Parallel strips of masking tape-laid sticky side out on pieces of cardboard-are good to hold, in order, tiny electronic components. Muffin tins or empty egg cartons provide handy storage for small hardware. Keep the parts where they won't be disturbed and where you can find things easily several weeks later.
[2] Before you begin to build, read the whole manual to get an overall picture of what you're about to do. Don't get ahead of yourself on assembly steps or try to come up with your own "better way" to put the thing together. Be an absolute slave to the instructions. If possible, get another person to check your work (either by sub-assembly or as you finish each page of the directions).
[3] Don't work on the kit when you're tired, sleepy, drunk, stoned or distracted . . . and don't set unreasonable goals for yourself. Since you're checking off assembly steps one at a time, you can almost always quit on a minute's notice when fatigue or boredom begin to get to you (and a good bit of kit building is boring).
[4] Use a small soldering "pencil" of 25-40 watts instead of a conventional "iron" or "gun". High-powered devices, especially in the hands of a beginner, will literally burn up this work. The Weller Model WP-25 is satisfactory, and so is the Ungar Model 777 "handle" with a screw-in combined heating element and tip (preferably the standard 27-watt unit). Either one costs under $6.00 and should be bought at a local radio supply or hardware store where you can obtain replacement tips in the future. Avoid items of this type in the $2.00 or $3.00 price range . . . they seem to burn out quickly.
[5] If you don't already know how, learn to solder with the help of the instructions which come with the kit. Don't tackle the real work until you've practiced and can join scrap wires with some confidence. On the other hand, don't be freaked out by the fact that your solder joints are ugly. If soldering seems like a cumbersome way to connect wires, that's because it is.
